Pathfix offers the easiest way for you to add CallRail OAuth integration to your app. Setup your OAuth connection in just a few minutes, we manage the OAuth servers, token management system, and provide pass-through connectivity to all of CallRail’s endpoints.
API and Endpoints
Pathfix supports all publicly available CallRail APIs. You can find all their documentation and endpoints right here: https://apidocs.callrail.com/
Adding integrations to your B2B software is an important strategy. Not just as a platform growth strategy but also to help you customers bring all their existing data from 3rd party softwares they use into yours, adding more value to what they are already doing.
However, when it comes to building integrations in your platform, it is time consuming and costs hundreds of developer hours. This is where Integration platforms come in. And if you have come to this blog, it means you are looking at Workato as a potential platform to power your user-facing integrations on your software platform.
Before you go take the leap and finalize on a solution to use, the smart thing to do is look at their competitors and understand where Workato stands and if you are indeed making the right choice.
Thats what we will aim to do through this blog. We have split this into 3 sections:
Introduction
Feature comparison
Price comparison
This list will also compare Workato to Pathfix Automation, our integration platform that is build for SaaS platforms that are looking for a scalable, yet affordable solution to add integrations.
Introduction
Lets take a quick look at what each of the platforms offer:
Workato
Workato’s primary focus is to automate data flow within an organization to integrate their internal stack. However, Workato has recently created a solution for SaaS integration called Workato Embedded that is essentially their workflow solution wrapped up for B2B integrations.
Pathfix
Pathfix has been specifically built with the purpose of user-facing integrations for SaaS platforms. We have 2 platforms built to solve for this – OAuth platform and Automation platform.
While the OAuth platform manages user authentication across hundreds of 3rd party softwares, the Automation platform handles all the heavy lifting of API calling, data transformation (ETL), Webhooks and much more through its visual workflow based UI.
Paragon
Built for the developer audience, Paragon is an embedded integration platform for SaaS softwares to build user facing native integrations. Since Paragon has been built specifically for the developer audience, this falls under low-code category, rather than no-code.
Tray.io
Tray is one of the leading workflow platform that offers robotic process automation and an integration as a service platform. Originally built for internal data automation, Tray now offers a very specific solution catered directly to the SaaS market for user integration called Tray Embedded.
Cyclr
Cyclr is another SaaS integration platform, like Paragon, it is built on a low-code model. Targeted towards developers, it is also an embedded solution that is built for user facing SaaS integrations.
Feature Comparison
Here is a macro level breakdown of the difference between each of the platforms.
Additionally, you will only be able to access the APIs that are offered by these platform. Meaning, you will not be able to call custom APIs or APIs that are not currently supported by them. This is not the case with Pathfix Automation, as our platform allows you to call any providers APIs directly.
Takeaway: Pathfix has been built for B2B SaaS platform integrations, this is clear in the features and functionality supported. While Tray and Workato are great tools for automation, it is not built for user facing integrations and lack basic functionalities like managed user auth and native integration connections. Paragon and Cyclr on the other hand do not provide the ability to run custom API calls for managed auth providers.
Pricing Comparison
This is where things get a bit complex in the case of most of these platforms. Based on our research (pricing pages, online and through existing customers), no 2 platforms offer the same method of price calculations.
While Pathfix Automation is a straightforward API/task consumption based pricing, the rest have additional feature based pricing, including some platforms charging a “Platform fee”, Per Connected User, Per Integration Connector fee etc.
Definition: Connectors/Adaptors is a term used by most platforms that refers to a 3rd party app integration. For example, if you are looking to add integrations to 6 different CRM platforms (e.g. Hubspot, Salesforece etc.) this will be counted as 6 Connectors.
To simplify and standarize the pricing index between all providers, we have taken the base of 10 endusers with 10 integrations (Connectors).
In addition to the platform and usage pricing, platforms like Tray also charge for services including Enterprise support as well as Professional services (charged additional at $1000 per hour).
Conclusion
For scaling B2B integration needs, Pathfix Automation is a clear winner. Apart from very friendly and clear pricing, it is the only solution that offers custom API calling, ETL, on-premise solution, Webhooks and much more for your user facing integrations.
Integrations, the key to keeping your user base and growing your platform usage. Integrations allow your platform to be more connected by allowing your users the ability to bring their data from multiple 3rd party SaaS applications into your application.
Building integrations the traditional way is tough. It is time consuming and costs a lot of developer hours, hours that you can use in building your core platforms. This is where Integration platforms come in.
If you have come here, it means you are looking at Tray as a potential platform to power your integrations, user-facing integrations.
But before you go take the leap and finalize on which solution to use, the smart thing to do is look at their competitors and understand where Tray stands.
Thats what we will aim to do through this blog. We have split this into 3 primary sections:
Introduction
Feature comparison
Price comparison
This list will also compare Tray to Pathfix Automation, our integration platform that is build for SaaS makers that are looking for a scalable, yet affordable solution.
Introduction
Lets take a quick look at what each of the platforms offer:
Tray.io
Tray is one of the leading workflow platform that offers robotic process automation and an integration as a service platform. Originally built for internal data automation, Tray now offers a very specific solution catered directly to the SaaS market for user integration called Tray Embedded.
Pathfix
Pathfix has been specifically built with the purpose of user-facing native integrations in SaaS platforms. We have 2 platforms built to solve for this – OAuth platform and the Automation platform.
While the OAuth platform manages user authentication across hundreds of 3rd party softwares, the Automation platform handles all the heavy lifting of API calling, data transformation (ETL), Webhooks and much more through its visual workflow based UI.
Paragon
Built for the developer audience, Paragon is an embedded integration platform for SaaS softwares to build user facing native integrations.
Workato
Just as with Tray, Workato’s primary focus is to automate workflows within an organization to integrate internal stack. Workato has also recently created a solution for SaaS integration called Workato Embedded.
Cyclr
Cyclr is another SaaS integration platform, like Pathfix but built on a low-code model. Targeted towards developers, it is also an embedded solution that is built for use facing SaaS integrations.
Feature Comparison
Here is a macro level breakdown of the difference between each of the platforms.
Additionally, you will only be able to access the APIs that are offered by these platform. Meaning, you will not be able to call custom APIs or APIs that are not currently supported by them. This is not the case with Pathfix Automation, as our platform allows you to call any providers APIs directly.
Takeaway: Pathfix has been built for B2B SaaS platform integrations, this is clear in the features and functionality supported. While Tray and Workato are great tools for automation, it is not built for user facing integrations and lack basic functionalities like managed user auth and native integration connections. Paragon and Cyclr on the other hand do not provide the ability to run custom API calls for managed auth providers.
Pricing Comparison
This is where things get a bit complex in the case of most of these platforms. Based on our research (pricing pages, online and through existing customers), no 2 platforms offer the same method of price calculations.
While Pathfix Automation is a straightforward API/task consumption based pricing, the rest have additional feature based pricing, including some platforms charging a “Platform fee”, Per Connected User, Per Integration Connector fee etc.
Definition: Connectors/Adaptors is a term used by most platforms that refers to a 3rd party app integration. For example, if you are looking to add integrations to 6 different CRM platforms (e.g. Hubspot, Salesforece etc.) this will be counted as 6 Connectors.
To simplify and standarize the pricing index between all providers, we have taken the base of 10 endusers with 10 integrations (Connectors).
In addition to the platform and usage pricing, Tray also charges for services including Enterprise support as well as Professional services (charged at $1000 per hour).
Conclusion
For scaling B2B integration needs, Pathfix Automation is a clear winner. Apart from very friendly and clear pricing, it is the only solution that offers custom API calling, ETL, on-premise solution, Webhooks and much more for your user facing integrations.
Pathfix offers the easiest way for you to add BigCommerce OAuth integration to your app. Setup your OAuth connection in just a few minutes, we manage the OAuth servers, token management system, and provide pass-through connectivity to all of BigCommerce’s endpoints.
API and Endpoints
Pathfix supports all publicly available BigCommerce APIs. You can find all their documentation and endpoints right here: https://developer.bigcommerce.com/
Pathfix offers the easiest way for you to add Blogger OAuth integration to your app. Setup your OAuth connection in just a few minutes, we manage the OAuth servers, token management system, and provide pass-through connectivity to all of Blogger’s endpoints.
API and Endpoints
Pathfix supports all publicly available Blogger APIs. You can find all their documentation and endpoints right here.
Integrations help you build usability and scalability in your SaaS product. Building connections to other platforms allows you to be a part of your users stack.
However, identifying the platforms you want your SaaS to be connected to can be a long process.
Since Pathfix allows SaaS platform builders to connect to multiple providers, we wanted to share the top 5 productivity tools builders connect to.
What is a Productivity Software?
Productivity softwares help you work more efficiently by managing parts of your daily activities and handle daily tasks effectively.
Here are the top 5 productivity software’s you should integrate with in 2020:
Slack had around ten million daily active users and 85,000 paid organization users as of January 2019.
Slack brings team communication and collaboration into one place so you can get more work done. The first choice for team collaboration and communication, Slack is the top choice to build integrations.
G Suite had 4 million paying businesses, and 70 million G Suite for Education users as of January 2017.
G Suite is a suite of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products developed by Google Cloud. With 4 million+ businesses, G Suite is one of the most commonly used productivity tools which include Docs, Sheets, Forms and Slides.
Trello has 50 million registered users as of October 2019
Trello is a very popular visual list making application that focuses on team collaboration with its boards, lists, and cards. Trello boards are used anywhere from managing daily activities to product roadmap.
Google calendar has over 500 million installs as of February 2017
Google Calendar is a time-management and scheduling calendar service developed by Google. Google calendar is the default calendar option for most users globally as it is available for free with every Gmail account (personal) and G Suite account (business). This makes it the top choice for any calendar related integration.
As of February 2017, Intercom has 100,000 monthly active users. As of October 2018, Intercom has 30,000 paying customers.
Intercom is a message-based communication platform that allows businesses to communicate with customers/users within their website, application, social media or email.
Integrate with Pathfix
Pathfix allows you to connect to these productivity apps and more in less than 5 minutes without managing any servers or SDK’s. Check it out here.
We have been receiving a few requests to support providers that are largely mobile/native apps and offer their authentication process using the OAuth PKCE flow.
We’re happy to announce that Pathfix now support OAuth with PKCE 🙂
Let’s break down what is OAuth with PKCE and why is this important to you.
What is PKCE and how is it different from OAuth flow?
PKCE stands for Proof Key for Code Exchange. The OAuth 2 and 1.0 flow authorizes an app using ClientID and Client Secret, exchanging the Secret for tokens that it uses to validate a user connection.
A PKCE flow is an authorization flow that offers a code challenge and code verifier method to authenticate in addition to the ClientSecret.
This authorization method is adopted by some SaaS platforms (providers) that choose to offer PKCE as their preferred approach.
How does it work?
The application would need to create a code verifier that it would hash and encode as a challenge at the initial authorization stage. Once the authorization is initiated, the challenge is exchanged for an access token along with the unhashed code verifier.
What does this mean?
Pathfix can now support providers that offer only OAuth PKCE method of authentication. This opens up a whole category of providers that you can add integrations to.
As our first provider, we now offer support for Twitter OAuth 2.0 with PKCE (Twitter’s 1.0 is still available using the OAuth method and is currently supported by Pathfix).
Here is a look at the Twitter OAuth 2.0 PKCE flow that Pathfix handles:
Image source: Twitter
If you are looking to add integrations to a provider that offer the PKCE flow, drop us a line and let us know!
Webhooks are automated alerts that are sent when there is a change of any type on a platform. Think of it like an sms notification you receive when there is a change on a specific app.
We'll take an example of Quickbooks to explain this. The use case is that your users' connect their accounts and your SaaS helps manage Customers added in Quickbooks. Without a webhook, what one would do in this case is poll the Quickbooks API at regular intervals to check if any new Customers that have been added or changed.
The problem with this approach:
Too much load on Quickbooks Infrastructure to respond to your API poll
Too much load on your own SaaS infrastructure to poll for all your tenants
Data Syncronization architecture has to be built in to check for addition and updates to Customers. Depending on the size of data that is being synced, this task can be huge
Since we are discussing this in the SaaS context, the processes have to be run for every connected user of your account.
The overhead of resources needed to address this is quite large and the quality of the solution is not equally optimized across different architecture styles.
Webhooks are a more elegant and efficient replacement for Polling.
Quickbooks, in this case, would notify a designated URL if there are any changes. So we can pack up all the implementation involved with the polling architecture, and store it in the attic. You are essentially acting Just In Time.
SaaS Glossary
Tenant – A User/Account of your SaaS software. AKA: End User/SaaS User
OAuth App – The app you created in the Quickbooks which allows you to capture user authorization to access their data
Provider – Quickbooks or equivalent
Webhooks Glossary
Callback URL: A url that Quickbooks or any other SaaS app will notify. Also known as Webhook URL/Designated URL/ Webhook Endpoint
Webhook Event: An event that will be monitored and will cause a post to the Callback URL
Webhook Data: The data schema that will be sent to the Callback URL on the Webhook Event
Callback Method: The HTTP method (usually POST) that will be used to execute the callback
Webhook Handler: The server app that honors the receipt at the Callback URL and does further processing. e.g. Bubble backend API, Pathfix Automations, any SaaS automation software
Webhooks vs. Webhooks for SaaS (WebhooksS)
In principle both do the same thing. But as a SaaS builder your application manages webhooks, not for yourself, but for all your users' accounts. Here we introduce an additional Webhook Glossary Item.
Webhook Tenant: The account for which the webhook was recieved.
Building out an architecture for (WebhooksS)
The following steps list what should be happening
Tenant Authorises – The starting point where your tenant (EndUser) gives you authorization to access their data. Usually done through OAuth
Webhook Activation – You server starts listening for any notifications from Quickbooks on behalf of the Tenant
Webhook Event – Your server gets notified about the webhook event
Webhook Tenant – Since the webhook url is common for your registered OAuth App, you have to derive who the webhook is for based on the Webhook Data that has come in. A further process might need you to query Quickbooks API. Sending the correct API Authentication (use Pathfix OAuth) is possible now. The Tenant identifier here will always match with the Tenant that authorized in step 1.
Act – This is the final step where you now know the Webhhook Event, Webhook Tenant and have Webhook Data. All the information you need to complete your custom SaaS integration.
Step 4 is the key distinguisher here.
Does Pathfix Automations(PA) Solve Step 4.?
Yes. Pathfix Automation leverages the power of it's OAuth architecture to store some additional information during "Step 2. Webhook Activation". This allows us to use the information available in the Webhook Data to derive the Webhook Tenant.
Once we have derived the Webhook Tenant, we then relay the Webhook Data along with the Webhook Tenant to a Callback Url that you can specify in Pathfix Automation's Webhook configuration for the Provider.
Conclusion
Webhooks are a fantastic means for you to be able to sync data between your platform and any 3rd party application.
If you are ready to build out your integrations, check out the Pathfix platforms for your specific needs:
When trying to add integrations, most SaaS builders often choose to offer webhooks as a way to fetch or sync data between platforms.
But, what are webhooks and how can you leverage 3rd party webhooks to build integrations in your SaaS that your customers need? Let’s dive right in.
What are webhooks?
Webhooks are automated alerts that are sent when there is a change of any type on a platform. Think of it like a sms notification you receive when there is a change on a specific app.
A webhooks almost always contains a payload, the actual data package, with details on what specifically has changed. Once you receive this notification, based on the payload received, you can query the system to fetch the updated data.
Webhooks vs. Polling
Polling, essentially, is when you constantly send a request to a system (aka poll) to check if there are any changes. Polling can be set up to run a check anywhere from a few seconds to hours. As you can imagine, this is extremely resource intensive and not the most efficient way of checking for change.
This makes polling:
Resource intensive
Difficult to manage at scale
Face issues related to synchronization with large amount of data
Choke your local db with heavy Computing
Exhausting to debug and rerun on errors
On the other hand, Webhooks are:
Extremely efficient with light computing powers
Capable of offering in-time notifications
Able to re-run if there are failures
Capable to syncronize just a few records at a time
This is what makes Webhooks a more effective and efficient way of getting notified of any change.
Why should you care about webhooks?
When building user-facing integrations in your SaaS, you may want to offer the ability to keep their account updated with data from a 3rd party app. Polling the app for data changes would be not be the best way to do this.
You need Webhooks.
Setting up Webhooks
If you are building out webhook listening capabilities for each app provider, this can get a bit complicated. Every provider has their own, well defined, methods and processes to access and activate webhook listening. Not to forget the resources, servers and developer hours required. Building this can take anywhere from weeks, if not months for a single provider.
This is where an integration platform, such as Pathfix, can help.
Please note: the webhook functionality is only available in Pathfix Automation and works with the authentication provided by the Pathfix OAuth platform.
Pathfix Automation has pre-configured webhook connections to a few providers, this makes it easy for you to be able to connect, start listening for webhook events for each provider and add the integration to your platform.
The click-to-configure user facing webhooks can be setup in just a few minutes for any of the available providers. Once set up, you can trigger an API Automation within the platform and get mapped data back into your system.
The following example shows a simple use case, where:
We listen for a webhook change notification if a new calendar event is created
Then we create the same event in Google Calendar
Create the event in Microsoft Calendar
Send the data back to your database
This one-time setup allows you to enable webhook listening in your app AND get mapped data for each user, without managing servers or adding unnecessary code for you to manage.
Conclusion
Webhooks are a fantastic means for you to be able to sync data between your platform and any 3rd party application.
If you are ready to build out your integrations, check out the Pathfix platforms for your specific needs:
SaaS integrations are native, user-facing integrations that allow your users to connect your platform with any third-party software platform they use, allowing them to either push or pull data between the platform.
While there are several solutions that offer integrations for Enterpise platforms including on-premise, legacy connection etc., Pathfix's integration solutions is built for SaaS platforms that want to add native, user-facing integrations on their platform. This includes Startups, SMBs and Enterprise.
But… why should you add integrations to your SaaS?
We have spoken with thousands of developers, makers and founders over the years who decided to add integrations on their platform. The top reasons, and the subsequent benefits, always remain the same:
Scalability
Adding integrations to SaaS allowed them to add more value to their product. By giving their users the ability to connect to other softwares, their users got new ways of using/extending their product. This helped them scale their product significantly vs. if they had simply not added any integrations
Usability
By being a part of their users existing software stack, they increase the odds of their software being used. Offering integrations to other platforms also means that their users got to do much more with the data collected from your software AND data received from the other software platforms.
User Ease of Use
Not having to switch between apps, logins (think about those retention emails), they simplified how their users end up using the data collected by their app. They did not just build dependency on their app but you have also eased the users ability to use the platform.
Let's get down to implementation
Building integrations in your SaaS generally means that you are allocating a significant portion of your developer resources. There are many moving parts – framework, infrastructure, oauth, API understanding, API builds, code management, additional servers… you get it.
For any SaaS, developer resources are precious. This is time you would rather have them spend on building out your core product instead of have them spend time building features that are not core to your product.
Here is how you can solve both these elements, without building a team and spending resources on it:
OAuth Platform
The Pathfix OAuth Platform handles the entire OAuth infrastructure you need for your integrations. All you need is the provider ClientID, Client Secret and the Scopes you wish to access (this would help define the data you wish to access from the platform).
Once you have added the provider you want to add the integration for, copy the Pathfix script and add it to the integration page of your SaaS.
Thats it. Your SaaS will now have integrations enabled and your users will be able to click and connect their accounts.
Once the connection has been setup, you can make API calls to the provider and fetch the data in real-time. You can choose to call these APIs from your backend system directly, or chain multiple APIs and pull the mapped data directly in your database for the user. This is done with the Pathfix Automation Platform.
API Integrations (Automation Platform)
The Pathfix Automation Platform is a powerful API integration platform that runs API calls in your connected user’s context and fetches the data from the provider, maps the data to your database and send the information back to you – all without you needing a transformation engine, API management or integration servers.
Pathfix Automation is a powerful API integration platform, with a visual builder, that enables SaaS integrations by calling APIs and fetching data for all your connected users. The platform handles API chaining to multiple providers, data mapping and transformation, webhooks and much more.
This allows you to go from zero to integrated, in just a few days!
Conclusion
Integrations are critical for the growth of any SaaS platform and we at Pathfix have built integration solutions specifically for the SaaS creators.
With thousands of customers from Startup all the way to Enterprise, we have solved native integrations to hundreds of 3rd party apps.
If you are ready to build out your integrations, check out the Pathfix platforms for your specific needs:
