Record-triggered Flow versus user-launched flows
Key Takeaway
Choose a record-triggered flow for "every time this record changes." Choose a screen flow or an Autolaunched Flow (No Trigger) for "when a person decides."
Flows differ mainly in what starts them and whether a person takes part. A record-triggered flow starts on its own in the background. A screen flow or an Autolaunched Flow (No Trigger) runs only when a user or another process starts it. A flow's type also decides which elements and resources you can add and how you can distribute the flow, so picking the type is the first design choice.
Flow types compare on two questions
You can compare flow types with two questions: does the flow have a trigger, and does it need user interaction?
| Has a trigger | Needs user interaction | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen flow | No | Yes |
| Record-triggered flow | Yes | No |
| Schedule-triggered flow | Yes | No |
| Platform event-triggered flow | Yes | No |
| Autolaunched Flow (No Trigger) | No | No |
Every recommended flow type in the New Automation window except the screen flow is autolaunched (lowercase). So a record-triggered flow is autolaunched too, even though it is not an Autolaunched Flow (No Trigger).
An autolaunched flow is like a wind-up toy. Something has to start it, but after that it runs on its own until it is done.