Resources · Zapier integration

Parallel Zapier integrationAutomate Parallel with Zapier.

The Parallel Zapier integration gives you 1 trigger and 10 actions, with no search step. One instant event starts your Zaps, and the actions draft, send, fill, comment, tag, share, look up and export your parallels for you.

See the 11 operations

Verified Trustpilot reviews · AI, automation & growth agency

Overview

What the Parallel Zapier integration actually does

Parallel is a process tool for back-office and sales teams: each process lives in a "parallel", built from a template and sent to the people who must reply. Connecting it to Zapier means one thing in practice. Something happens in a parallel, and Zapier carries out the follow-up work in Parallel or in another app, without a human copying anything across.

Three results come back again and again. A process that starts itself: another app fires, and Send a Parallel or Send Multiple ships the template to one recipient or to a whole list. A file you never export by hand: Parallel Event starts the Zap, then Export Parallel pulls the replies out in the format you picked. A parallel that stays tidy: Tag Parallel, Rename Parallel and Comment on a Parallel label, rename and annotate the record so your team finds it later.

Now the honest part. Zapier offers only one trigger for Parallel, so every Zap that starts on the Parallel side starts on that single event and narrows it down with a filter. There is no search step either: Find a Parallel fetches one parallel, but only when you already hold its ID. Nothing deletes a parallel. And no Zap reaches back into parallels that existed before you switched it on.

The good news sits in the trigger itself. Parallel Event is instant, so the plan you pay for does not slow it down, and a free account reacts as fast as a paid one. If you are still weighing the tool, read Make vs Zapier and n8n vs Zapier before you build.

Vocabulary

Zapier words you will meet on this page

Seven terms carry the whole page. Each one is explained once here, then used as is.

Zap
The automation you build in Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time that trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is switched on, Zapier sits and waits for that event.
Action
The step that does the work once the Zap has started: it writes, sends or moves something in an app on your behalf.
Task
What Zapier bills you for: one action your Zap finishes successfully. Your plan's allowance is a count of those.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger gets checked by Zapier on a timer. An instant trigger is reported by the app itself, the moment the event occurs.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when the incoming data meets your condition, and quietly stops it otherwise.
Connection
Your Parallel account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every step that talks to Parallel, in every Zap you build.
Cost

What a Parallel Zap really costs you

Parallel is not reserved for paid plans: it works on the free plan. The bill depends on actions, never on the trigger.

  • Triggerfree, never counted
  • Each successful action1 task
  • Failed actionnot counted
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, 2-step Zaps
  • Filter or second actionmulti-step Zap, paid plan

Parallel Event never costs a task, and neither does Zapier listening for it. Each action that succeeds counts as one task, so a Zap with three actions eats three times the allowance of a one-action Zap. An action that fails is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but each Zap stops at two steps: one trigger, one action. Add a filter or a second action and it becomes a multi-step Zap, which needs a paid plan. The interval grid below concerns polling triggers only; it does not apply to Parallel Event.

Connect

Connect your Parallel account to Zapier

  1. 01

    Open the Apps page

    In your Zapier account, go to Apps and click + Add connection. Before you start, make sure you have a Parallel account, plus read or write access on any parallel you do not own and want a Zap to touch.

  2. 02

    Pick Parallel

    Type Parallel in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. A new tab opens on the Parallel side: that is where the link between both accounts gets made.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Sign in to Parallel in that tab and allow Zapier to reach the account. The connection is now saved, and every Parallel step of every Zap reuses it without asking again.

First Zap

Your first Parallel Zap, step by step

GoalEach time a chosen kind of event happens in a parallel, export its replies automatically.

  1. 01

    Build: pick the trigger

    Create a new Zap, choose Parallel as the app and Parallel Event as the event that starts it. Select the Parallel connection you added earlier.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the trigger test. Zapier brings back the three most recent items of the connected account, so you map the next steps on real data instead of guessing.

  3. 03

    Add a filter

    Click the plus icon, add Filter, then fill its three boxes: the field to look at, the rule, the value. Pick a text rule for text. This step makes the Zap multi-step, so a paid plan is needed.

  4. 04

    Add Export Parallel

    Add the action Export Parallel. Both Parallel ID and Format are mandatory: fill the first from what the trigger test returned, then choose the format you want the replies in.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test the action once and read what came back before going further. Everything looks right? Publish the Zap to switch it on. If a step misbehaves later, the Zapier troubleshooting page is a good place to start.

Triggers

The Parallel trigger

1 event starts a Zap when something happens in Parallel, and one of them is instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

Parallel Event

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an event happens in one of your parallels.”

This is the single door into your Zaps from the Parallel side: it starts the Zap when an event takes place in one of your parallels. Everything you automate around Parallel activity hangs on it, which is why a filter right after it often decides whether the Zap is useful or noisy.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
you want a follow-up (an export, a tag, a comment) to happen as soon as a parallel moves, even on a free account.
Watch out
if the action of your Zap changes that same parallel, it may set the trigger off again; check the test data before you publish.
Actions

The 10 Parallel actions

Parallel gives you 10 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Draft

Action

In Zapier“Create a draft parallel.”

Prepares a new parallel from one of your templates and leaves it as a draft, not yet sent to anyone. Someone can review it before it goes out.

When to use it
a deal is signed in your CRM and you want the onboarding parallel ready for a colleague to check.
Watch out
Template ID is mandatory; copy it from the browser address bar while editing the template.
2

Export Parallel

Action

In Zapier“Export the replies of a parallel”

Pulls the replies of a parallel out in the format you choose, ready to file or pass along to another step.

When to use it
completed answers must end up archived outside Parallel, for an audit or a shared drive.
Watch out
Parallel ID and Format are both required; map the ID, then pick the format once.
3

Fill Parallel

Action

In Zapier“Fill the replies from an existing parallel.”

Writes replies into a parallel that already exists, so the answers arrive from another app instead of being typed. The parallel is picked by its ID.

When to use it
data you already hold in a spreadsheet or a form should pre-fill a client's file before they open it.
Watch out
Parallel ID is mandatory and comes from the browser address bar.
4

Find a Parallel

Action

In Zapier“Get a parallel by ID”

Fetches one parallel by its ID so later steps can reuse what it holds. Zapier lists it as an action, not as a search step.

When to use it
another app stores the parallel ID and your Zap needs the full record before acting on it.
Watch out
it asks for the Parallel ID itself, so that ID has to come from an earlier step or from the app that stores it.
5

Comment on a Parallel

Action

In Zapier“Send a comment or a note within a parallel”

Posts a comment or an internal note inside a parallel, on a chosen field. Two settings decide whether mentioned users or groups also get the parallel shared with them and get subscribed to it.

When to use it
an approval lands in another tool and the reviewer should see it noted in the right spot.
Watch out
Parallel ID, Field, the comment-or-note choice, Content and both sharing settings are all required, so settle the two settings before the first test.
6

Rename Parallel

Action

In Zapier“Rename a parallel.”

Gives a parallel a new name, built from data the earlier steps carried. Handy when names follow a rule your team agreed on.

When to use it
you want each parallel named after the client and the contract reference once a deal closes.
Watch out
both Parallel ID and Name are required, so map them from a step that always carries a value.
7

Send a Parallel

Action

In Zapier“Send a parallel to the specified recipient.”

Ships a parallel built from a template straight to one person, without the draft stage. First name, last name and email of the recipient are all required.

When to use it
a new supplier fills a sign-up form and must receive your compliance questionnaire right away.
Watch out
map the three recipient fields from the trigger step, or every send lands on the same person.
8

Send Multiple

Action

In Zapier“Send a parallel to multiple recipients.”

Pushes the same template out to several recipients in one step, instead of one Zap run per person. You state how many recipients the step must handle.

When to use it
a quarterly review goes to a whole sales team at once.
Watch out
Number of recipients is mandatory, so decide it before mapping anything else, and test the step on a short list first.
9

Share a Parallel

Action

In Zapier“Share a parallel with a user in your organization.”

Opens a parallel to a teammate who did not have access yet. The person must belong to your organization in Parallel.

When to use it
a file reaches the finance stage and the finance owner should see it without anyone forwarding links.
Watch out
User is mandatory and must match someone inside the organization; outsiders cannot be reached this way.
10

Tag Parallel

Action

In Zapier“Tag a parallel with the specified tag.”

Adds a tag to a parallel so it shows up in the right list or view. If the tag does not exist yet, Parallel creates it on the fly.

When to use it
you sort parallels by region, product or priority coming from another app.
Watch out
a tag is capped at 100 characters, and a typo silently creates a brand-new tag.
When it breaks

When a Parallel Zap breaks

Zapier attaches no help article to Parallel and lists no Parallel-specific limit. What breaks is the usual Zapier ground, plus the IDs.

Four situations explain most broken Parallel Zaps. It pays to know them before you publish. For a broader checklist, the Zapier troubleshooting page covers the general cases.

  • Old parallels are ignored

    A Zap only reacts to events that happen after it is switched on. Parallels that existed before are never picked up; moving that backlog is a separate job.

  • The Zap keeps restarting itself

    If the action writes into the very parallel the trigger watches, the Zap can set itself off again and again, and burns through your tasks fast.

  • A huge batch gets held back

    After a bulk import or a migration, a trigger that suddenly returns a flood of items can be paused by Zapier's flood protection.

  • The ID points nowhere

    Template ID and Parallel ID come from the browser address bar. A wrong or unmapped ID, or one the connected account cannot open, stops the action.
Need help

Need help automating Parallel with Zapier?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Parallel and Zapier: frequent questions

01Is the Parallel Zapier integration free?
Yes, Parallel works on the free Zapier plan, since Zapier does not reserve it for paid plans. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but each Zap is limited to two steps: one trigger and one action. As soon as you want a filter, a second action or a search, the Zap becomes multi-step and needs a paid plan. For a single follow-up on each Parallel event, the free plan is enough to start and to test the idea.
02How many tasks does a Parallel Zap use?
One task per action that succeeds, and nothing for the trigger. Parallel Event never counts, however often it fires. If your Zap tags a parallel and then exports it, each run costs two tasks; with three actions, three tasks. An action that fails is not counted against your plan. The quickest way to keep the count low is a filter right after the trigger, so the actions only run on the events that matter, keeping in mind that the filter itself needs a paid plan.
03Is the Parallel trigger real time?
Yes. Parallel Event is an instant trigger: Parallel tells Zapier the moment an event happens, so the Zap starts at once. The plan interval grid (15 minutes on Free, 2 on Professional, 1 on Team and Enterprise) only concerns polling triggers and does not apply here. In the editor, a Zap built on an instant trigger shows a lightning bolt. That makes Parallel one of the apps where a free account reacts as fast as a paid one on the trigger side.
04What does it take to connect Parallel to Zapier?
A Parallel account, plus read or write access on any parallel you do not own and want a Zap to touch. In Zapier, open Apps, click + Add connection, pick Parallel, click Add connection, then sign in to Parallel in the tab that opens and grant access. For the actions, keep your templates and parallels within reach: Template ID and Parallel ID are copied from the browser address bar while editing them, so the account must be able to open them.
05Where are the Template ID and Parallel ID?
In your browser's address bar, while editing the template or the parallel in Parallel. Create Draft, Send a Parallel and Send Multiple ask for a Template ID; Fill Parallel, Rename Parallel, Tag Parallel, Share a Parallel, Comment on a Parallel, Find a Parallel and Export Parallel ask for a Parallel ID. All of them are mandatory. In a running Zap, map the ID from an earlier step rather than pasting a fixed value, or every run will hit the same parallel.
06What if the Parallel action you need is not in Zapier?
Then the job has to be rebuilt from the 10 actions available, or done in another tool. Zapier offers only one Parallel trigger, no search step, and no action that deletes a parallel. Find a Parallel asks for the parallel's ID. Some needs are covered by chaining two actions, for example Find a Parallel then Export Parallel, keeping in mind that a second action needs a paid plan. If even that falls short, no setting in the Zapier editor will add the missing operation.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Parallel?
Decide on your own criteria rather than on a ranking. On Zapier, check three things against your use case: whether the single Parallel Event trigger plus a filter covers what must start the flow, whether the 10 actions cover what must happen next, and whether your volume of successful actions fits the task allowance of your plan. Then run the same check on the other tools for Parallel: the operations they actually offer, how they bill a run, and who on your team will maintain the flow.
Same platform

Other docs you might need on this stack.

Browse all integrations