TL;DR
Monday.com Automations are perfect for simple tasks, but not built for full logic. As users push their limits, the need for a middle-ground between Automations and full Workflows is arising.
Key takeaways:
- Automations are fast, simple robotic arms for A→B tasks.
- They override manual edits if triggers are already queued.
- Workflow Builder handles complex, multi-step logic (available on higher tiers).
- Pro user feedback suggests demand for more: a simplified workflow tool could bridge the gap, reduce confusion, and drive product growth.
The story
Automations are a fun and helpful tool in your Monday.com toolkit. But as your needs grow — especially when you want to add more trigger conditions—you may find yourself duplicating nearly identical automations, which can feel repetitive.
A popular Community Hub post with over 10K views and 336 upvotes highlights this friction: the Pro plan automation builder lacks logical operators like OR and NOT.
The answer to this challenge isn’t that Monday is deliberately withholding this functionality. The reason lies in the design of Automations — they were originally not intended to be full logic engines.
Automation ≠ Workflow Engine
Let’s clear up the core idea:
Monday.com Automations and Workflows may sound similar to Users at first glance — but they are designed for very different jobs. And so is their nature.
When you look at Automations — you should think of them as simple robotic action triggers — let's call them robotic arms. They perform programmed tasks at a ratio of ~1-2 seconds as shown in Infinite Cycles in Monday.com Automations. At any time you can pull the plug and halt any of your automations and it will come to a stop.
What Happens During Conflicts?
Let’s say you have three automations:
- If status is New, change it to Working on it
- If status is Working on it, change it to Testing
- If status is Testing, change it to Stuck
If you manually change the status to Done between steps 1 and 2, your change won’t stick. The automation will override it. Why? Because another trigger was already queued.
You can see this clearly in the activity log:
Key takeaway: once an automation starts, the trigger cascade finishes even if you try to step in.
I hope by this practical example above, you are beginning to see how automations are simple and differ from a classic workflow or control graph.
When You Need More Power: Workflow Builder
Now imagine a complex client onboarding flow, with conditions, approvals, and branching logic. Automations alone won’t cut it. That’s where the Workflow Builder shines.
It lets you build connected, conditional logic flows — something automations simply aren't built to do. Think of Automations as A→B, while Workflows are A→Z, with logic gates in between.
A Thought for the Roadmap
Monday.com’s automation builder is delightful—clean, visual, and beginner-friendly. And the enterprise Workflow Builder covers advanced needs beautifully.
But community feedback suggests Pro users are already trying to stretch Automations into workflow territory. That’s a strong signal that users are ready for more.
Luckily, there may be a sweet spot in offering a simplified Workflow Builder for Pro users — perhaps scoped to a board, or with limited conditions. This would:
- Reduce user confusion around logic limits
- Showcase the potential of workflows early
- Build upgrade interest through hands-on experience
Final Thoughts
Automations are great. But they’re not workflows — and that’s okay. As platforms like Zapier and Make.com expand, the hunger for advanced automation will only grow.
Monday.com has a unique opportunity here: evolve automation into mini Workflows gently, without losing the simplicity that users love.
Thanks for reading—and kudos to the Monday team for creating such a flexible platform. I hope this adds to the conversation!