This is the word vendors put on their pricing page, usually followed by an impressive number. "Over 500 integrations available." That number means very little, and knowing why will stop you choosing a tool on a bad criterion.
Definition
An integration is the link between two pieces of software that lets them exchange data automatically. It always rests on an API, whether it comes as a ready-made connection or a custom build.
Three forms exist, from simplest to most committing.
| Form | Setup | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Native | A button inside the tool | Does what the vendor planned, no more |
| Via an automation platform | A few nodes to connect | Depends on a third-party tool and its pricing |
| Custom | Development | Yours to maintain over time |
Why the number of integrations says nothing
A vendor announcing five hundred integrations counts everything, including links limited to a single type of action. The right question is never "how many", it is "does the integration with the tool I need do what I need".
The typical case: an integration exists with your invoicing tool, but it can only create an invoice, not update or retrieve one. You discover the limit after building half your Workflow.
The habit that avoids this trap: before committing, check that the integration exposes the precise action you need, not merely the name of the service. That check takes ten minutes and sometimes saves several days.
What breaks an integration
An API change at the vendor. A version moves on, a field is renamed, and your link stops working. Serious vendors give notice, others do not.
Expiring access. Many integrations rest on an authorisation that expires. If nobody is watching, the link stops one morning without a sound.
A change of plan. A vendor moving API access to a higher tier cuts off the integration for everyone below it.
Volume. An integration that works at ten calls a day can hit a quota at a thousand. That is not a design flaw, it is a limit that should have been anticipated.
A silently broken integration costs more than a missing one: you carry on believing the data is flowing. Always plan an alert on failure, and a regular check even when all seems well.
Frequently asked questions
Native integration or an automation platform?
Native when it covers your need exactly: fewer moving parts, lower cost, less to monitor. A platform as soon as you need to chain several tools or add logic between them, which happens quickly.
How long does a simple integration take?
A one-step link takes an hour. The real time goes elsewhere: reconciling data between two tools that name things differently, and handling the cases where information is missing.
What if no integration exists?
Check whether the service offers an API and a Webhook. If so, a generic node is enough. If not, that is a serious signal about the tool's ability to fit into your organisation.
How do you properly connect the tools you already use?
By first mapping what circulates by hand today, before opening any tool. Our n8n course starts with that inventory, because it is what reveals the integrations actually worth building.