Paperform launches an AI-native workflow builder to automate small business

Form-building startup Paperform has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) platform, called Stepper, to help small businesspeople automate workflows.

Paperform, which founders Dean and Diony McPherson bootstrapped for the past decade, now has more than 23,000 subscription users globally.

Stepper is the next logical step: automation for business people to scale without adding complexity or cost, Dean, Paperform’s CEO, said.

While Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), and n8n have similar offerings, McPherson says they also have trade-offs in affordability, usability, or technical overhead for many.

“Most automation tools make you choose between simplicity and power,” he said. 

“Stepper gives you both. It’s the first workflow builder that can think with you—using AI to help you design, understand, and improve your automations—while still keeping you in control every step of the way.”

Stepper users can build workflows in plain English, reuse modular components across projects, and see exactly how every process runs.

“Stepper is AI-native from the ground up, meaning users can describe what they want to build, and Stepper will generate and configure it—while providing full visibility into every action,” Dean said.

“Unlike many AI assistants, Stepper keeps users in the loop, showing each step and offering explanations and edits in real time.”

A key feature is the modular aspect, called Components. Users can build up their Component library and then drop them into as many flows as they want. It also has support for multiple triggers in the same workflow, for recurring logic like authentication, approvals, client handoffs, lookups, and common transforms. 

Diony McPherson said they wanted to “guardrails not guesswork”, blending AI intelligence with human direction. The platform’s conversational builder acts like an implementation specialist, surfacing recommendations while letting users make final decisions.

“Automation should feel like progress, not punishment,” she said.

“We built Stepper for the same reasons we built Paperform — to help people spend less time on busywork and more time on the things that matter.

“We all want visibility, confidence, and speed without the chaos. That design ethos gives business owners the confidence to automate operations without losing oversight.”

Diony said Stepper will make life better for SMB owners and only get better

“This launch marks a new phase for the Paperform platform—expanding from form-building into full-stack business automation,” she said.

“We have a deep product roadmap with ongoing releases planned.. We are excited to see what Stepper unleashes for businesses and solopreneurs.”

More at Stepper.io