Intro: The Retirement Phase of Process Builder
Process Builder has been a major milestone in the automation journey of Salesforce, but the fact remains that Process Builder retirement is rapidly approaching, along with the Salesforce Workflow Rules Retirement.
On December 31, 2025, Salesforce will no longer support either, meaning Salesforce Flow will have to take precedence when it comes to your Salesforce automation, and for good reason.
Salesforce is moving to Flow to make automations more powerful and solve the shortcomings of Workflow Rules and Process Builder. The inability of Process Builder to handle certain automation requirements that Workflow Rules could manage created challenges, often forcing admins to split a single business process between the two tools.
Salesforce Process Builder and Workflow Retirement will bring all automation together under Flow, making it easier and more efficient for today’s business needs.
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Salesforce Process Builder Retirement
What are the limitations of Process Builder in Salesforce?
Salesforce will retire Process Builder at the end of 2025 due to limitations in managing automation processes effectively. Performance issues are a major drawback because it tends to run slowly particularly with complex automations, leading to system lags. It also restricts admins from implementing complex logic structures like loops and advanced branching.
Also, identifying and resolving issues in Process Builder is challenging because of vague error messages, complicating troubleshooting efforts. Another issue is that Process Builder has functions that overlap with Workflow Rules, like field updates and email-based automation, confusing admins about which tool to use.
The user interface of Process Builder is another concern. While it functions well for simple tasks, setting up complex workflows on the other hand becomes difficult to navigate.
These limitations make it challenging for companies to improve their automation, which led to Salesforce’s Process Builder retirement and its transition to Flow.
What the Retirement Phase Means for Users
Process Builder Retirement
Salesforce is encouraging admins to move their existing Process Builder and Workflow Rules automations to Flow, which has advanced features like loops, decisions, and branching, for automating more complex tasks.
To make this transition easier, Salesforce has created tools that help convert existing automations into Flows with less manual work.
Admins can also use Salesforce Trailhead for interactive modules and guided learning paths to become more confident with using Flow, which will be Salesforce’s main automation tool beginning January 1, 2026.
With our expert support at CRMNinjas, you can prepare for Process Builder retirement (and Workflow Rules retirement) while accessing valuable resources, like our article on “How to Activate a Flow in Salesforce,” which provides a quick guide on activating a Flow within Salesforce.
A Glimpse Into Flow
Types of Flows in Salesforce
First things first, keep in mind that Salesforce Flow is now the only automation tool receiving updates, new features, and full support from Salesforce. With Flow, you can simplify business processes using its intuitive, click-based tools—no coding knowledge is required by default, although advanced users can extend or customize flows with code if needed.
Salesforce offers different types of Flows to meet various automation needs.
Screen Flows allow users to create custom interfaces that guide individuals through business processes and can be launched from Lightning Pages, Experience Cloud, quick actions, and more. Autolaunched Flows run automatically without user interaction and can be triggered by other processes or flows. Record-triggered flows activate when a record is created, updated, or deleted, providing automation capabilities that previously required Apex triggers.
In addition, Platform Event-Triggered Flows execute in response to platform events in Salesforce, enabling real-time automation based on event occurrences. Lastly, Scheduled-Triggered Flows run at specific times and frequencies for each record in a batch, offering a solution for tasks traditionally handled by Apex batch jobs.
Looking Beyond the Retirement Phase
Salesforce Process Builder Retirement: The Future is Flow
Let’s face it: Process Builder retirement is a game-changer for automation within the Salesforce ecosystem. By combining the best automation tools from Process Builder (and Workflow Rules) under Flow, admins get a more powerful automation tool that allows them to create and manage complex business processes using a visual, drag-and-drop interface. The best part? Both experienced and beginner admins can automate tasks without needing to write code.
When compared to Process Builder, Flow can handle complex logic, scale easily, and is much simpler to maintain–allowing admins to create versatile automations.
As we approach the retirement deadline for the Process Builder on December 31, 2025, Salesforce is facilitating the transition with migration tools and training resources like Trailhead–laying the foundation for a more improved and future-proof automation experience with Flow.
Need help navigating the Salesforce Process Builder Retirement?
CRMNinjas is here to guide you through the process. Book a no-obligation, 30-minute consultation where our experts can review your project and help identify your specific needs.
Coming Soon: Check out our comprehensive article, “Overview of Flow Builder in Salesforce,” and reach out to our experts at CRMNinjas for personalized support in migrating to Flow!
