Origins – A self-hosted automation alternative
Automatisch was created by Ali Barin and Ömer Faruk Aydın in 2021 as a straightforward, self-hosted workflow automation tool. Its early focus was on providing a clean user interface that makes automations accessible without requiring users to build bespoke integrations from scratch. The project emphasized a transparent, open-source model, allowing teams to run the platform on their own infrastructure and keep control of their data and workflows.
Company formation – AB SOFTWARE GMBH
The company was formally established as AB SOFTWARE GMBH, registered in Berlin (AG Charlottenburg HRB 251600 B) in 2022-2023. The company remains based in Berlin, Germany, with the founders serving as managing directors.
Early focus – Simplicity and approachability
From the beginning, Automatisch prioritized simplicity. The workflow builder was designed for users who might not be full-time engineers but still needed to automate tasks across services. By centering on usability and a clean UI, the platform differentiated itself from more complex automation suites. This simplicity helped early adopters build practical automations such as syncing form submissions, pushing events to chat channels, and triggering workflows based on API events.
Self-hosted by design – Docker Compose as the default
Automatisch’s deployment story was deliberately optimized for self-hosting. Docker Compose became the default path for running the stack, making it easier to deploy the platform with a small number of commands. This helped reduce setup friction for teams that wanted to evaluate or deploy the tool quickly. The clear self-hosted path reinforced Automatisch’s alignment with users who needed control over their infrastructure and data.
Connector growth – Broadening integrations
As with any automation platform, the value of Automatisch is closely tied to the integrations it supports. Over time, the project expanded its connector set to cover commonly used services and APIs. Starting from a limited set, the platform has grown to support 77+ integrations including popular services like Slack, GitHub, Gmail, Google Sheets, Discord, Stripe, and many more. Community contributions played a role in this expansion, aligning the project with open-source collaboration and shared ownership.
Operational improvements – Stability and reliability
When self-hosted automation tools mature, operational stability becomes a key concern. Automatisch’s development reflected this reality through improvements to deployment documentation, stack configuration, and container orchestration. Clearer guidance helped teams ensure that services start reliably and that upgrades do not interrupt active workflows. These improvements helped move the product from “interesting tool” to “production-ready system” for many teams.
Workflow complexity – Beyond simple triggers
As user adoption grew, workflow complexity naturally increased. Automatisch workflows evolved from linear sequences into multi-step flows that needed branching logic, error handling, and retries. This progression encouraged the project to support a wider range of workflow scenarios, making it more practical for business‑critical use cases. The ability to manage failures and track execution status became more important as teams used Automatisch in production processes.
Open-source licensing – Community-first approach
Automatisch’s AGPL licensing signals a strong commitment to open-source principles, especially for networked services. This license choice ensures that improvements made to the platform are shared back when deployed as a network service, reinforcing a collaborative ecosystem. The licensing model also makes the project attractive to organizations that value transparency and code visibility. The project maintains a dual-license model with a free Community Edition (AGPL-3.0) and a paid Enterprise Edition.
Today – A practical self-hosted automation option
Today, Automatisch continues to serve teams that want a focused, self-hosted automation tool. With 77+ integrations, its emphasis on a clean UI, Docker Compose deployment, and an expanding connector library keeps it useful for small teams and organizations alike. While the automation landscape includes many complex platforms, Automatisch’s strength remains its approachability: providing workflow automation that can be installed quickly, understood easily, and adapted to real operational needs without unnecessary overhead.