Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate

Automate workflows, integrate apps, and streamline business processes efficiently

Microsoft Power Automate Overview

Microsoft Power Automate is a low-code platform that enables users to automate workflows and tasks across various apps, services, and data sources. It integrates AI for intelligent automation, including process mining, robotic process automation (RPA), and document processing.

By connecting Microsoft 365 tools and third-party services, it streamlines business operations, reduces manual effort, cuts costs, and boosts productivity through secure, governed digital transformation.

Key Features

  • Task and Process Mining: Optimize processes and uncover business automation opportunities using task and process mining.
  • AI-Powered Automation: Automate across nearly unlimited systems, desktop apps, and websites with AI-powered, digital, and robotic process automation.
  • Built-In Security and Governance: Scale automation confidently with built-in security, governance, and 360-degree monitoring.
  • Automation-Infused Apps: Accelerate digital transformation with automation-infused apps, websites, and agents in Microsoft Power Platform.
  • Managed Environments for Governance: Get more visibility and control with less effort through governed scale with Managed Environments.
  • SAP Procurement Solution Template: Quickly and easily set up solutions that carry out core purchasing processes using the SAP procurement solution template.
  • Streamlined Approval Processes: Create, manage, and share approval processes across your organization, with mobile support for approvals from anywhere.
  • Microsoft 365 Interoperation: Automate in Excel, OneDrive, or Teams without switching applications, maintaining workflow continuity.
  • Innovative Document Automation: Easily set up robust document processing using AI Builder, Power Automate, Power Apps, and Microsoft Dataverse.
  • Data-Driven Business Automation: Connect to Power BI and kick off downstream workflows when key performance indicators (KPIs) cross critical thresholds.

Price

  • Free Trial: Free for 30 days, allowing experimentation with UI-based cloud flows and standard connectors.
  • Power Automate Premium: $15 per user/month (billed annually at $180/year), includes cloud flows, attended desktop flows, process mining, AI Builder credits, and Dataverse storage.
  • Power Automate Process: $150 per bot/month (billed annually at $1,800/year), for unattended automation with core enterprise processes, AI credits, and connectors.
  • Power Automate Hosted Process: $215 per bot/month (billed annually at $2,580/year), includes Microsoft-hosted virtual machine for unattended RPA, plus similar features to the Process plan.

Prices may vary by region, currency, or organization; contact Microsoft for enterprise options.

Pricing details: https://powerautomate.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/

Pros

Competitor

Pros of Microsoft Power Automate

Zapier Microsoft Power Automate offers a cost-effective solution starting at $15/user/month with a free tier for Microsoft 365 users, compared to Zapier’s task-based pricing starting at $20/month, which can increase with usage.

It provides advanced robotic process automation (RPA) and AI Builder for intelligent automation, such as document processing and text analysis, enabling deeper workflow complexity.

Power Automate is ideal for medium to large businesses in Microsoft-heavy environments like healthcare or finance, offering secure, scalable processes, while Zapier focuses on simpler web app integrations for small teams.

UiPath Power Automate is significantly more affordable at $15/user/month or less, compared to UiPath’s enterprise pricing starting at $3,990/year/user, saving 40-50%. Its low-code/no-code interface with pre-built templates and AI-driven features simplifies setup for non-technical users, unlike UiPath’s developer-oriented drag-and-drop environment requiring technical skills.

It excels for citizen developers automating simple to moderate tasks in Microsoft ecosystems (e.g., Office 365 workflows), while UiPath is better suited for complex IT integrations.

Automation Anywhere Power Automate’s entry price of $15/user/month is much lower than Automation Anywhere’s custom plans starting at $750+/month. Its user-friendly flow wizards and automatic task redelivery require no coding, contrasting Automation Anywhere’s script-based development.

It’s well-suited for beginners in Office environments automating repetitive tasks like email or data syncing, while Automation Anywhere focuses on high-scale enterprise robot deployments.

Make (formerly Integromat) Power Automate provides flexible per-user pricing integrated with Microsoft plans, often cheaper than Make’s operation-based model starting at $9/month but scaling with complexity. It offers strong AI-driven features, mobile support, and deep Microsoft integrations (e.g., Teams, Excel), compared to Make’s focus on visual scenario building for app connections.

It’s effective for Microsoft-centric businesses needing governed automation, unlike Make’s broader use in creative workflows for SMBs.

Cons

Competitor

Cons of Microsoft Power Automate

Zapier Power Automate’s premium add-ons can increase costs for advanced features, similar to Zapier’s tiered plans. It has fewer connectors (over 1,000) and less flexibility for non-Microsoft apps compared to Zapier’s 7,000+ integrations and multi-step Zaps.

Customer reviews note a steeper learning curve for beginners, making it less ideal for small businesses or freelancers needing simple, cloud-based web automations without Microsoft dependency.

UiPath Power Automate may require add-ons for enterprise features, increasing costs despite being cheaper overall. It’s limited to 250 actions per workflow, with potential performance issues in complex flows, compared to UiPath’s robust scalability and advanced data masking.

Customer feedback highlights it’s less suitable for large-scale enterprise RPA or hybrid deployments outside Microsoft ecosystems, where UiPath excels in intricate, industry-specific automations.

Automation Anywhere Potential hidden costs for storage or AI credits in heavy use can raise Power Automate’s expenses. Loops may timeout in prolonged flows, and it offers less exception management compared to Automation Anywhere’s high-scale bots and asset library.

Reviews indicate it requires some technical expertise and is confined to Microsoft environments, unlike Automation Anywhere’s broader repetitive task automation for non-technical teams across industries.

Make (formerly Integromat) Power Automate’s pricing, while comparable, may add up with Microsoft ecosystem dependencies. It places less emphasis on unlimited operations or custom scripting, unlike Make’s unlimited tasks in higher plans and detailed scenario customization.

Customer reviews suggest it’s limited for users outside Microsoft needing wide app variety and visual no-code for creative or marketing automations, where Make offers more versatility.

Customers' Reviews From Reliable Websites