Flow vs Apex: The Decision Guide
Salesforce’s official architect guidance has moved past “admins use Flow, devs use Apex.” The new framework is automation density. Click any scenario below to see the recommended tool, the reasoning, and the pitfalls — grounded in the official Record-Triggered Automation Decision Guide.
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Flow and Apex share a common set of capabilities. Both can query records, execute conditional logic, perform DML, and orchestrate complex business processes. The functional overlap does not make them interchangeable. The architectural choice is not about whether a task can be done, but how it gets done and what it costs in long-term performance, scalability, and maintainability.
Salesforce’s updated guidance for record-triggered automation centers on automation density — the cumulative load on a given object across three dimensions: how many automations fire on each DML event, the typical record volume per transaction, and how many downstream DML operations cascade from the original change. Match the tool to the density, not the builder.
Low Density
- Fewer than 15 automations on the object
- Standard UI or small API loads (1–200 records)
- Discrete logic, 0–1 downstream DML
- The premier declarative choice for most teams
Medium Density
- 15–30 automations on the object
- Moderate batch sizes with bulkification needs
- Coupled logic, 2–4 downstream DML
- Flow orchestrates; Invocable Apex handles complexity
High Density
- More than 30 automations on the object
- Large bulk API loads (2,000–10,000+ records)
- Complex, recursive dependency graphs (5+ DML)
- Metadata-driven trigger framework recommended
Tap a scenario to begin.
You’ll see the recommended tool, the reasoning behind it, the implementation pattern, and common pitfalls.
All recommendations verified against the official Salesforce Architects Record-Triggered Automation Decision Guide and Spring ’26 platform documentation. Study smarter at CertifySF.com.