Power Automate

Active

powerautomate.microsoft.com

Country: United States (US)
Founded: 2016
Developer: Microsoft
Pricing: Freemium
Open source: No
Platforms: Windows, Web, iOS, Android

Indexes

AI Agents & Automation Automation

Overview

Power Automate is a workflow automation platform that enables users to create flows for automating repetitive tasks across applications and services. It supports cloud flows, desktop flows for RPA, and AI-powered automation, targeted at business users, IT professionals, and developers in organizations using Microsoft 365 and other services. Key differentiators include deep integration with the Microsoft Power Platform, no-code/low-code interface, and support for both attended and unattended automation scenarios.

Key Features

Cloud Flows - Automated workflows triggered by events across 1000+ connectors.
Desktop Flows - RPA capabilities to automate desktop applications and UI interactions.
AI Builder - Integrates AI models for document processing, prediction, and form recognition.
Copilot Integration - Generates flow descriptions and assists in flow creation using natural language.
Get User Profile (V2) - Retrieves user profile properties including custom fields via Microsoft Graph.
Process Mining - Analyzes business processes to identify automation opportunities.
Approval Workflows - Manages multi-stage approvals with dynamic routing.
Scheduled Flows - Runs automations on recurring schedules for data syncing and reporting.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Free	Free	Basic cloud flows, limited runs, standard connectors.
Premium per user	$15/user/month	Unlimited flows, premium connectors, desktop flows, AI Builder.
Process (RPA)	$150/bot/month	Unattended RPA, process mining, advanced automation.
Attended RPA	$40/user/month	Attended desktop automation add-on.

Platforms & Requirements

Power Automate runs as a web app in browsers, with native mobile apps for iOS and Android for approvals and monitoring. Desktop flows require Power Automate Desktop on Windows 10/11. No native support for macOS or Linux; web access works cross-platform but desktop RPA is Windows-only.

Integrations & Ecosystem

Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint)
Dataverse and Power Apps
Azure services
Third-party apps (Salesforce, Google Workspace, SAP)
Microsoft Graph API
SharePoint user profiles
CSV/Excel export
Custom connectors via API

Alternatives

App	Difference
Zapier	Multi-platform no-code automation with broader non-Microsoft integrations but higher costs for scale.
UiPath	Enterprise RPA focus with stronger on-premises support but steeper learning curve.
Make (Integromat)	Visual scenario builder with complex logic at lower cost than premium tiers.
n8n	Open-source, self-hosted automation with node-based workflows.

Reputation

Power Automate is praised for seamless Microsoft ecosystem integration and ease of use for non-developers, enabling quick automation of common business processes. Criticisms include limitations in handling complex RPA compared to dedicated tools and occasional throttling in free/premium plans. User feedback highlights reliable user profile and data sync features but notes dependency on Microsoft licensing.

Sources (8)