- Integration platforms side by side
- Two jobs that vendors blur
- Connecting your own internal systems
- Integrations that ship inside your product
- Lighter connectors for small teams
- The integration platforms, A to Z
- Names and owners worth rechecking
- Advice before you commit to a platform
- Questions to put to every vendor
- Frequently asked questions
Choose by the job before the vendor. Connecting your own internal systems and building integrations that ship inside your product for customers are two different purchases, and platforms built for one rarely suit the other. Settle which job you're hiring for, then compare only the tools made for it.
Integration platforms are sold with the same words, so it's easy to end up comparing tools that were never meant to compete. Some connect a company's own finance, sales and HR systems. Some let a software company ship integrations to its customers. Some move data between everyday apps for a team of five.
If you're looking beyond Tray.io, the eight platforms below are in no particular order and grouped by that job. The table comes first so you can see the split, then a section on each group.
Integration platforms side by side
| Tool | Category | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Boomi | Enterprise iPaaS | Applications, APIs, data and agents together |
| Celigo | Enterprise automation | Building and governing app automations |
| Informatica | Enterprise data management | Cloud data management for AI projects |
| Make | Visual automation | Drag-and-drop workflows without code |
| Merge | Unified API | One integration for many data sources |
| MuleSoft | API-led integration | Governing AI agents from one registry |
| Nango | Integrations as code | Product integrations written and run in code |
| Pabbly Connect | No-code connector | Moving data between everyday apps |
Two jobs that vendors blur
iPaaS buying splits into two jobs. The first is connecting your own internal systems: your CRM talks to your ERP, new hires appear in every tool, orders reach the warehouse. The second is building integrations to ship inside your product, so your customers can connect your software to theirs.
The buyer, the owner and the risk are different in each case. Internal integration usually sits with IT or operations. Product integrations sit with engineering and product, and a broken one shows up as a support ticket from a customer. Pick the job first, or the shortlist will mix tools that aren't comparable.
Connecting your own internal systems
Boomi calls itself a single platform for applications, APIs, data and AI agents. Celigo focuses on building, running and governing automation across apps, data and AI workflows, which suits operations teams that want control over who changes what. Both are aimed at companies with several core systems to keep in step.
For a wider look at this group, my guide to the best iPaaS platforms goes further.
Integrations that ship inside your product
Merge offers one integration that connects agents to company data, tools and models, the unified API approach: you build once and reach many systems through it. Nango goes the other way and lets engineers build, run and maintain product integrations in code, with AI help. If your team prefers code it can review, that difference matters more than any connector list.
Lighter connectors for small teams
Not every team needs an enterprise contract. Pabbly Connect is a no-code tool for sharing data between apps and automating repetitive tasks in real time. Make is a visual builder for AI and agentic workflows, described on its own site as no-code automation you can scale. If you're weighing open-source options too, see my list of n8n alternatives.
The integration platforms, A to Z
One line each, from each vendor's own site.
Boomi
Best for: Larger organisations that want applications, APIs, data and AI agents integrated on a single platform.
Celigo
Best for: Operations teams that need to build, run and govern automations connecting business apps, data and AI workflows.
Informatica
Best for: Enterprises focused on cloud data management, with data prepared for AI agents, from a business that now carries the Salesforce name.
Make
Best for: Small and mid-size teams that want a visual, no-code builder for AI and agentic workflows they can grow over time.
Merge
Best for: Product teams connecting AI agents to customer data, tools and models through one integration rather than many separate ones.
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MuleSoft
Best for: IT teams wanting a cross-platform control plane with one registry to find, govern, orchestrate and control AI agents.
Nango
Best for: Engineering teams who'd rather build, run and maintain product integrations in code, with AI help, on infrastructure built for scale.
Pabbly Connect
Best for: Small businesses sharing data between apps and automating repetitive tasks in real time, with no coding needed.
Names and owners worth rechecking
Enterprise integration is consolidating fast, and the product names show it. Informatica now presents itself as part of Salesforce. MuleSoft's homepage leads with a control plane for AI agents rather than with integration. Reviews written a year or two ago may describe products that have since changed hands or changed focus, so read each vendor's current page and ask who owns the roadmap before you sign anything long.
Advice before you commit to a platform
Most vendors on this list quote on request, so you won't be able to compare them from their websites alone. Don't judge them on a demo either. Ask for a pilot on one real workflow you already run, with error handling and monitoring switched on, and watch what happens when an upstream system sends bad data or goes offline for an hour.
The workflow you pick should be dull and important: something that runs every day and that someone notices when it breaks.
Questions to put to every vendor
- Is this platform built for our internal systems, for integrations inside our product, or both?
- Who on our side will build and maintain workflows: IT, engineers or business users?
- What happens when a workflow fails, who's alerted and how is it retried?
- Can we run a pilot on one real workflow before signing?
Do you make integration or iPaaS software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What is an iPaaS?
An integration platform as a service is cloud software for connecting applications, data and APIs so information moves between them without manual copying. Most now add AI and agent features on top.
What's the difference between embedded and internal integration?
Internal integration connects the systems your own company uses. Embedded integration means building connections into a product you sell, so your customers can link it to the tools they use.
Do small teams need an enterprise integration platform?
Usually not. If you're connecting a handful of everyday apps, a no-code connector is faster to set up. Enterprise platforms earn their place when many core systems and strict governance are involved.
Should integrations be built in code or with a visual builder?
It depends on who maintains them. Engineers often prefer code they can review and version, while operations teams tend to move faster with a visual builder.
Are these integration platforms ranked?
No. They're in no particular order and grouped by the job they're built for.
