Relay
Relay.app is an AI-powered workflow automation platform that lets non-technical teams build multi-step automations across 200+ SaaS apps and leading AI models via a chat-first interface, serving SMB and mid-market customers in functions like sales, marketing, operations, and HR.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Relay does
Relay.app is an AI-powered workflow automation platform that enables non-technical users to automate multi-step business processes across more than 200 SaaS applications and leading AI models. Founded in 2023 by Jacob Bank, a former Google product leader and founder of Timeful, the company targets small-to-mid-sized teams (5-100 people) across functions such as sales, marketing, operations, HR, and customer success, with use cases spanning lead qualification, deal pipeline reporting, employee onboarding, and invoicing. Customers cited on the company's site include GitBook, Notion, Skyflow, Missive, PostHog, Hatch, eToro, Kajabi, Kit, Tavus, and Metronome, and the company reports being used by thousands of businesses.
The platform is built around a chat-first building experience powered by Opus 4.8 that converts natural-language descriptions into executable workflows, alongside a visual editor with conditional paths, loops, merging paths, dynamic waiting, and portable rich text outputs. Core components include trigger-based Workflows, reusable Sequences, Tables for structured reference data, MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that expose custom tools to ChatGPT, Claude, and ElevenLabs, Human-in-the-Loop steps for approvals and AI output review, and an AI Steps layer that integrates Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google Gemini models. Supporting utilities include web scraping, custom JavaScript execution in a Daytona sandbox, PDF utilities, and webhook/HTTP integrations.
Relay.app operates on a freemium SaaS model with a free tier, paid subscriptions bundled with AI credits, and a quote-based enterprise tier that supports private model deployment via AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex, and Azure. Distribution is primarily product-led through self-serve sign-up, augmented by a Certified Partner program for agencies and consultants, an Affiliate program offering 30% first-year revenue share to content creators, an Educators program that delivers paid and free courses on the Maven platform, and CEO-led LinkedIn thought leadership. The company is venture-backed with $8.2M raised across two seed rounds in 2022 and 2023 led by Khosla Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Neo, BoxGroup, SV Angel, and DCVC.
Relay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Relay
- Legal name
- Relay.app Inc.
- Website
- https://relay.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Relay.app is an AI-powered workflow automation platform that lets non-technical teams build multi-step automations across 200+ SaaS apps and leading AI models via a chat-first interface, serving SMB and mid-market customers in functions like sales, marketing, operations, and HR.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Relay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workflow Automation Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI Integration & Orchestration Platforms (Connectors, Workflow, iPaaS for AI) (HDAEANAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- iBPMS (Intelligent BPM Suites) & Process Automation Suites (HDAEAHAG), Enterprise Work Management & Collaborative Workflow Platforms (HDAEAHAI)
Keywords
Where Relay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Relay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Plans: Relay.app offers subscription-based pricing with plans that include free AI credits. Enterprise tier can run on private models via Bedrock, Vertex, or Azure.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier available for new users |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise tier with private model support |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Relay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Relay.app is an AI-powered workflow automation platform that lets users describe automations in natural language and connects 200+ apps and top AI models (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini) to execute multi-step processes. It combines a chat-first builder powered by Opus 4.8 with a visual drag-and-drop editor, supports human-in-the-loop checkpoints, and serves teams across sales, marketing, operations, HR, and customer success without requiring code.
Product overview
Relay.app is an AI-powered workflow automation platform built around a core product that combines chat-first building with a visual editor interface. The platform enables users to automate processes across 200+ connected apps without coding. Key products include Workflows (trigger-based automation sequences), Sequences (reusable step patterns), Tables (structured data storage), and MCP Servers (custom tools for AI platforms). AI functionality is delivered through AI Steps for extraction, classification, and writing, with human oversight via Human-in-the-Loop Steps for approvals and data entry. Additional modules include Claude Cowork for real-time AI collaboration, Web Scraping, Webhooks & HTTP integrations, PDF Utilities, and Portable Rich Text generation. The company also operates Certified Partner and Affiliate Programs, plus an Educators Program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Relay.app Automation Platform AI-powered workflow automation platform with a chat-first builder and visual editor that connects 200+ apps and top AI models to automate multi-step business processes; targeted at non-technical teams across sales, marketing, operations, HR, and customer success.
- LinkedIn Verified AI Skills Integration Connected Apps integration with LinkedIn that automatically generates verifiable AI skill summaries for users' LinkedIn profiles based on their Relay.app automation usage.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saves countless hours per week for marketing and partnerships teams
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Relay
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Relay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration57 records
AI capability10 records
Feature9 records
Relay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- LinkedInflagshipRelay.app is a Connected Apps partner enabling automatic skill validation on LinkedIn profiles. Usage data from Relay.app generates verifiable skill summaries replacing self-reported skills. Part of LinkedIn's Verified AI Skills program launched June 2026.
- AnthropiccoreAI model provider integrated with Relay.app. Powers AI steps including Claude model access. Listed as AI functionality subprocessor.
- OpenAIcoreAI model provider integrated with Relay.app. Powers AI steps including GPT models.
- Google AI (Gemini)coreAI model provider integrated with Relay.app. Powers AI steps including Gemini models.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreCore infrastructure subprocessor. Cloud services provider for Relay.app's infrastructure.
- CloudflarecoreCore infrastructure subprocessor for Relay.app.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Relay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Zapier: Zapier is the dominant horizontal workflow automation platform connecting 6,000+ apps, serving SMB through enterprise. It is the most direct competitor to Relay.app, with a similar PLG motion and broad horizontal target market; Zapier is now adding AI agents and natural-language workflow building, directly overlapping Relay's positioning.
- Make: Make (formerly Integromat) is a visual workflow automation platform with strong European presence and a flexible scenario builder. It competes directly with Relay.app on multi-step workflow automation, advanced branching logic, and integrations across hundreds of apps, and has shipped AI-powered workflow features.
- n8n: n8n is a source-available workflow automation tool popular with technical users for its flexibility and self-hosting option. It competes with Relay.app in the workflow automation category with a similar breadth of integrations and AI node capabilities, though it skews more developer-oriented.
- Bardeen: Bardeen is an AI-first browser automation platform aimed at non-technical users for repetitive web-based tasks. It competes with Relay.app on the AI-driven automation UX, particularly for sales and operations workflows without coding, with a similar freemium model.
Broad incumbents
- Workato: Workato is an enterprise iPaaS and integration platform with strong enterprise-grade security, governance, and a wider portfolio that includes RPA and process automation. It overlaps with Relay.app's enterprise aspirations but targets larger accounts with longer sales cycles and dedicated support.
- Tray.io: Tray.io is a general-automation platform focused on API-based integrations and enterprise iPaaS use cases. It is comparable to Relay.app in offering flexible workflow building with deep API integrations, though it primarily serves larger enterprise customers via direct sales.
Emerging players
- Pipedream: Pipedream is a developer-focused workflow automation platform with strong Node.js code-step extensibility. It overlaps with Relay.app's custom-code-and-integrations approach but skews more technical, making it an adjacent competitor for technical buyers.
- Lindy AI: Lindy AI builds autonomous AI agents for business workflows, similar to Relay.app's agent positioning. It targets SMBs and teams looking for AI-driven automation with a chat-first builder, putting it in direct competition for AI-native workflow users.
- Stack AI: Stack AI is a no-code platform for building AI agents and workflows that connect to enterprise data sources and APIs. It is comparable to Relay.app in targeting non-technical business users who want to deploy AI workflows, with a similar enterprise-tier pitch around private model deployment.
- Gumloop: Gumloop is an AI-native workflow automation platform that lets users describe automations in natural language and build with a visual editor. It is highly comparable to Relay.app in its chat-first building approach, target market of SMB/mid-market, and AI-agent positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Relay social profiles
Digital presenceRelay compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Relay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Relay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Relay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Relay M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Relay
What does Relay do?
Relay.app is an AI-powered workflow automation platform that lets users describe automations in natural language and connects 200+ apps and top AI models (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini) to execute multi-step processes. It combines a chat-first builder powered by Opus 4.8 with a visual drag-and-drop editor, supports human-in-the-loop checkpoints, and serves teams across sales, marketing, operations, HR, and customer success without requiring code.
Is Relay a public or private company?
Relay is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Relay founded?
Relay was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Relay based?
Relay is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Relay make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Plans.
Who are Relay's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Zapier, Make, n8n and Bardeen. Broad incumbents are Workato and Tray.io. Emerging players are Pipedream, Lindy AI, Stack AI and Gumloop.
Does Relay have an API?
Yes. Relay.app provides MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers for exposing custom tools to other applications like ChatGPT, Claude, or ElevenLabs. The platform also supports webhook triggers and custom HTTP requests for integrating with external APIs. Documentation is available at docs.relay.app. Developer documentation is at docs.relay.app.
What industry is Relay in?
Relay's product category is Workflow Automation Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEANAI, AI Integration & Orchestration Platforms (Connectors, Workflow, iPaaS for AI), with a secondary code of HDAEAHAG, iBPMS (Intelligent BPM Suites) & Process Automation Suites. Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7372.