# Zapier Integration Guide for AcelleMail

> AcelleMail doesn't ship a native Zapier app, but the REST API + webhook system gives you everything you need to wire AcelleMail to the 7,000+ apps on Zapier. This guide walks both directions — AcelleMail as a Zapier action (POST to API), and AcelleMail as a Zapier trigger (webhook → Zap). Plus 6 production-tested Zap recipes.

- Canonical URL: https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/zapier-integration-guide
- Author: Tom Becker, Developer Editor
- Category: Integrations — Stripe, PayPal, WordPress, WooCommerce, Zapier, webhooks, API
- Content type: guide · Difficulty: beginner
- Tags: Acellemail
- Published: 2026-01-15 · Last updated: 2026-08-15
- Reading time: 9 min
- Publisher: AcelleMail Knowledge Base, https://acellesend.com/kb

---

## What this is for

AcelleMail doesn't ship a native Zapier app (as of 2026), but the [REST API](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/rest-api-authentication-and-endpoints) + [webhook system](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/webhook-events-reference) give you everything you need to wire AcelleMail to **the 7,000+ apps on Zapier** — without writing any code. This guide walks both directions:

- **AcelleMail as a Zapier action** — Zap fires → POST to AcelleMail API → subscriber added / campaign sent / etc.
- **AcelleMail as a Zapier trigger** — AcelleMail event fires → webhook to Zapier → Zap runs

Plus six production-tested Zap recipes that cover most use cases.

## Prerequisites

- A Zapier account (free tier works for 2-step Zaps; paid for multi-step)
- An AcelleMail [API token](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/getting-started-with-the-acellemail-rest-api#step-1--get-your-api-token)
- An AcelleMail list UID (for the subscriber-add action)
- Comfortable with Zapier's "Webhooks by Zapier" built-in app — it's the bridge

## Direction 1 — AcelleMail as a Zapier action (Zap → AcelleMail)

Use this when: an external event (form submission, Stripe payment, calendar booking, CRM record creation) should add or update a subscriber in AcelleMail.

### Setup

1. In Zapier, create a new Zap
2. **Trigger:** your external app (Typeform / Stripe / Calendly / etc.)
3. **Action:** choose **Webhooks by Zapier → POST**
4. Configure:
   - **URL:** `https://mail.example.com/api/v1/subscribers`
   - **Payload Type:** `JSON`
   - **Data:**
     - `MAIL_LIST_UID` → your list UID (a static value, type it in)
     - `EMAIL` → map from the trigger output (e.g. `{{1.email}}` from Typeform)
     - `FIRST_NAME` → map from the trigger
     - `LAST_NAME` → map from the trigger
     - any custom fields → map similarly
   - **Headers:**
     - `Authorization` → `Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN`
     - `Accept` → `application/json`
     - `Content-Type` → `application/json`
5. Test the action — Zapier sends a test POST; you should see HTTP 200 with the new subscriber JSON in the response
6. Turn the Zap on

> **Field names are UPPERCASE.** `EMAIL`, `FIRST_NAME`, `LAST_NAME`, `MAIL_LIST_UID` — not lowercase. Older guides get this wrong; AcelleMail's API rejects lowercase field names.

### Tag a subscriber from a Zap

For tagging (instead of subscribing), use the tag-add endpoint:

```
POST https://mail.example.com/api/v1/subscribers/{{subscriber_id}}/add-tag
Headers: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN
Body: { "tag": "stripe-customer" }
```

You'll typically use a "Find Subscriber by Email" GET first (`/api/v1/subscribers/email/{{email}}`) to get the `id`, then POST the tag-add.

## Direction 2 — AcelleMail as a Zapier trigger (AcelleMail → Zap)

Use this when: an AcelleMail event (new customer signup on your SaaS, plan change, subscription cancellation, automation step reached) should fire a Zap.

### Setup

1. In Zapier, create a new Zap
2. **Trigger:** **Webhooks by Zapier → Catch Hook**
3. Copy the Webhook URL Zapier generates — looks like `https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/12345/abcde/`
4. In AcelleMail Admin → **Webhooks → New**:
   - **Event:** pick one (see below)
   - **Request URL:** paste the Zapier URL
   - **Method:** POST
   - **Body type:** JSON
   - **Auth:** None (Zapier's webhook URL is the auth — it's secret)
5. In AcelleMail, save the webhook
6. Trigger the event (e.g. create a test customer)
7. In Zapier, click **Test trigger** — you should see the webhook payload
8. Add your Zap action steps (notify Slack, write to Google Sheets, etc.)
9. Turn the Zap on

### Available events

Per [webhook events reference](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/webhook-events-reference), the events are SaaS-lifecycle (not subscriber-lifecycle):

| Event | Params posted | Good Zap use case |
|---|---|---|
| `new_customer` | `customer_id` | Notify Slack #signups; create CRM contact |
| `new_subscription` | `customer_id`, `plan_id` | Track in revenue dashboard; thank-you SMS |
| `change_plan` | `customer_id`, `old_plan_id`, `new_plan_id` | Update CRM deal size; trigger upgrade-email |
| `cancel_subscription` | `customer_id`, `plan_id` | Schedule a win-back outreach; flag for retention call |
| `terminate_subscription` | `customer_id`, `plan_id` | Tag CRM contact as "churned" |
| `automation_webhook` | `automation_id` | Fire arbitrary external action from within an Acelle automation |

> **`subscriber.created` / `campaign.opened` / `campaign.clicked` are NOT in the customer-lifecycle webhook system.** For subscriber events, use per-campaign webhooks (Campaign → Webhooks tab) instead. For real-time subscriber sync, the most reliable pattern is the webhook hitting Zapier's Catch Hook.

## 6 Production-tested Zap recipes

### 1. Typeform → AcelleMail subscribe

When a customer fills out your "Get the lead magnet" Typeform, add them to your AcelleMail "Lead Magnet" list with the form answers as custom fields.

- **Trigger:** Typeform → New Entry
- **Action:** Webhooks → POST to `/api/v1/subscribers`
- Map Typeform answers to `EMAIL`, `FIRST_NAME`, `LEAD_MAGNET_TOPIC`, etc.

### 2. Stripe → tag AcelleMail subscriber as customer

When a Stripe Checkout completes, find the customer in AcelleMail by email and add a `customer-paid` tag.

- **Trigger:** Stripe → New Successful Checkout
- **Step 1 Action:** Webhooks → GET `/api/v1/subscribers/email/{{customer_email}}` → extract `id`
- **Step 2 Action:** Webhooks → POST `/api/v1/subscribers/{{id}}/add-tag` with `{"tag": "customer-paid"}`

This works great as a budget alternative to the [direct WP+WC integration](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/integrating-acellemail-with-wordpress-and-woocommerce) for non-WP stores.

### 3. Calendly → AcelleMail pre-event sequence

When someone books a call via Calendly, add them to a list that triggers a pre-event reminder + post-event follow-up.

- **Trigger:** Calendly → New Invitee
- **Action:** Webhooks → POST `/api/v1/subscribers`
- `MEETING_TIME` custom field captures the booked slot for personalised reminders

### 4. AcelleMail new_customer → Slack notification

Every time a new SaaS customer signs up on your AcelleMail-powered platform, post to a Slack channel.

- **Trigger:** Webhooks → Catch Hook (your AcelleMail webhook on `new_customer`)
- **Action:** Slack → Send Channel Message — `New AcelleMail customer: customer_id={{customer_id}} — investigate in Admin → Customers`

### 5. AcelleMail change_plan → update HubSpot deal

When a customer upgrades or downgrades, sync to HubSpot.

- **Trigger:** Webhooks → Catch Hook (`change_plan` event)
- **Step 1:** Webhooks → GET `/api/v1/customers/{{customer_id}}` to enrich payload (Acelle webhooks only send IDs, not full customer data)
- **Step 2:** HubSpot → Update Deal — set deal value to new plan's monthly value

### 6. AcelleMail cancel_subscription → schedule win-back

When a customer cancels, automatically add them to a "win-back" list 30 days later (don't email immediately — they're irritated).

- **Trigger:** Webhooks → Catch Hook (`cancel_subscription`)
- **Step 1:** Delay (Zapier built-in) → 30 days
- **Step 2:** Webhooks → POST `/api/v1/subscribers` with `MAIL_LIST_UID=WIN_BACK_LIST_UID`

## Multi-step Zaps (paid tier)

Many recipes above use multi-step Zaps — the free Zapier tier limits you to 2-step (Trigger → 1 Action). Paid plans unlock 3+ steps, which you need for:

- Find subscriber by email → add tag (2 actions, so 3 steps total)
- Enrich data from a third API → format → POST to AcelleMail (3+ actions)
- Conditional logic (only run for paid customers, only run on weekdays, etc.)

For Acelle-heavy automation, paid Zapier is worth it. Alternative: write a Laravel webhook listener in [extending source code](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/extending-acellemail-source-code) for the heaviest workflows; use Zapier for the long tail.

## Common issues

| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier POST returns 422 with "EMAIL required" | Field name lowercase | Switch to UPPERCASE — `EMAIL` not `email` |
| Zapier POST returns 401 | Authorization header missing or wrong format | Must be exactly `Bearer YOUR_TOKEN` (note the space) |
| Acelle webhook configured but Zapier "Test trigger" finds nothing | Webhook fires async — Zapier may not see the test event | Trigger the actual event (create a real customer); Zapier will pick it up |
| Webhook payload missing customer email | Acelle webhooks only carry IDs by default | Add a Webhooks GET step (`/api/v1/customers/{{customer_id}}`) to enrich before next action |
| Zap fires twice for same event | Acelle retried the webhook (your endpoint timed out on first attempt) | Zapier's Catch Hook returns fast — should be safe; check Acelle webhook retry settings |
| Free tier's Catch Hook URL stops working | Free tier of Zapier has limits on monthly Zap runs | Upgrade to paid; or move heavy-volume integrations to direct API |
| `Cannot use the Webhooks app trigger because it requires a paid plan` | Some Zapier webhook actions are paid-only | Catch Hook trigger is on free tier; "Custom Request" action may be paid |
| Action runs out of order | Multi-step Zaps run sequentially but async; ordering not guaranteed for parallel events | Don't depend on strict event ordering; design for idempotency |

## FAQ

**Is there a native Acelle Zapier app coming?** Not announced as of 2026. The Webhooks-bridge pattern works fine; a native app would just save 1-2 setup steps.

**Make (formerly Integromat) / n8n alternatives?** Both work identically — they have HTTP/Webhook connectors that you wire to AcelleMail's REST API. n8n is self-hosted (open source) and often a better fit for an AcelleMail self-hosted user.

**Rate limits?** AcelleMail doesn't impose API rate limits by default. Zapier rate-limits its own API calls per its plan tier (free = ~100 task runs/month). Watch your Zapier Task usage.

**Can I trigger a campaign send from Zapier?** Yes — POST to `/api/v1/campaigns/{uid}/run`. But this is risky (a misfire blasts your list). Most operators trigger campaigns from inside Acelle's UI and use Zapier for subscriber-level events.

**Async webhook delivery + Zapier timeout interplay?** AcelleMail's webhook firing happens via the queue worker — usually within seconds. Zapier's Catch Hook then triggers within ~1 minute on free tier (faster on paid). Total worst-case latency: 1-2 minutes from Acelle event to Zap action fired.

**Can I pass binary data (uploaded files)?** Zapier's Webhooks support multipart/form-data POSTs for file uploads. Use Acelle's `/api/v1/file/upload` endpoint with the file as a form field.

**Webhook security — anyone can hit Zapier's Catch Hook URL?** True. The security comes from URL obscurity (the URL is long random). For added security, send a custom header from Acelle (e.g. `X-Acelle-Source: secret-token`) and add a Filter step in Zapier that only proceeds if the header matches.

## Related articles

- [Getting Started with the AcelleMail REST API](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/getting-started-with-the-acellemail-rest-api) — API fundamentals
- [REST API Authentication and Endpoints](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/rest-api-authentication-and-endpoints) — full endpoint reference
- [Webhook Events Reference](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/webhook-events-reference) — the 6 outbound events
- [Integrating AcelleMail with WordPress and WooCommerce](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/integrating-acellemail-with-wordpress-and-woocommerce) — direct code alternative to Zapier for WP stores
- [Extending AcelleMail Source Code](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/extending-acellemail-source-code) — when Zapier isn't enough
- [Using API Triggers for Custom Automation Workflows](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/using-api-triggers-for-custom-automation-workflows) — Acelle's per-automation API trigger endpoint
- [Setting Up AcelleMail as a SaaS Platform](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/setting-up-acellemail-as-a-saas-platform) — SaaS-lifecycle webhooks are the main Zap trigger source for operators

---

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