Flow vs IFTTT | As most of you already know, Microsoft Flow is the enterprise answer to IFTTT (“If This Then That”) and IFTTT’s ability to create receipts to automate your daily tasks. In Microsoft Flow you create flows and in IFTTT you create receipts. There are a lot of similarities but what are the difference?
Microsoft Flow
- Always run under your enterprise credentials
- Business oriented connectors like SharePoint, OneDrive for Business, CRM but also consumer related connectors like Facebook and Twitter.
- Is licensed under Office 365 license model, but also comes in a free flavour
- 170+ triggers and actions (as per November 2017)
- Connector for on-premises services
- Overview here: Introduction to Microsoft Flow
- Great support for conditions, multiple triggers and approvals
IFTTT
- Consumer related connectors
- Can connect with you car, dishwasher, robot vacuum, home automation, calendars but also business related services like OneDrive and Office 365
- Overview here: What is IFTTT
- Limited support for workflows and conditions
How to connect?
But, what about connecting Flow and IFTTT together? Well, that is something that i would see so that I can flash a Philips Hue lamps when a new item has been created in my SharePoint list. Until we have a connector there are some options and here is one of them explained. Maybe not the best of most safe scenario, but it works and at least it shows possible ways to extend functionality to Microsoft Flow.
First, create a Twitter account. Make sure to make it private.
Then, create a Connector in Flow, for your newly created Twitter account.
Next up is to create a Flow. In this example i just use a Flow button as a trigger, but it can, of course, by anything supported in Flow.
Keep in mind to change the account from your personal account to the “bridge” account here:
Next one is to create an IFTTT applet that watches for Tweets by the newly created Twitter account and then let it trigger something. In my example, sending a text message, but, as in the Flow case, it can be anything that is supported. For example, flash a set of Phillips Hue lamps.
So, now i can fire actions only supported by IFTTT from triggers only supported in Microsoft Flow.
I press the Flow button…
…and then, a couple of seconds later, i receive the text message.
Of course, my “Twitter-based Flow to IFTTT bridge” will also contain the message, but it is only visible to me as I don’t have any followers and the account is marked as private.
Happy Flowing!!
Ps. Make sure to vote for a IFTTT connector in Flow. Go here: https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Flow-Ideas/Possibiliy-to-call-IFTTT-receipe/idi-p/4777 and also, make sure to visit the Flow blog for the latest updates https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/
