Microsoft Power Automate review

Power Automate is the right tool when workflows have to reach both cloud apps and old desktop software. Premium costs $15 per user per month paid yearly and covers cloud flows, attended desktop flows and process mining for individual users, with standard, premium and custom connectors. Microsoft lists more than 1,000 API connectors, and flows run natively inside Teams, Excel and SharePoint. Copilot can create and edit flows from a natural language request, and AI models handle document processing. For automations that run with nobody at the keyboard, the Process license costs $150 per bot per month and Hosted Process, which includes a Microsoft hosted virtual machine, costs $215. That split is the main drawback: estimating cost means counting users and bots, and outside the Microsoft ecosystem the builder feels heavier than Zapier or Make. There is a 30-day trial but no permanent free plan.

Who it is for

Organizations on Microsoft 365 that need both cloud workflows and desktop automation of legacy apps.

Price

30-day free trial; Premium $15 per user per month paid yearly; Process $150 per bot per month.

Power Automate Premium $15.00 user/month, paid yearly
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 6, 2026.

Key features

• Cloud flows with standard, premium and custom connectors
• Attended and unattended desktop flows for RPA
• Copilot builds and edits flows from natural language
• Process and task mining to find automation candidates
• Native experiences in Teams, Excel and SharePoint

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Only tool here with built-in desktop RPA for legacy software
• Strength: Premium includes premium and custom connectors at $15 per user
• Strength: Fits existing Microsoft 365 identity and governance
• Weakness: Unattended bots cost $150 per bot per month or more
• Weakness: Licensing across Premium, Process and Hosted Process is hard to plan
• Weakness: No permanent free plan, only a 30-day trial

Key facts

• Free trial: 30 days
• Premium: $15 per user per month, paid yearly
• Process: $150 per bot per month, paid yearly
• Hosted Process: $215 per bot per month, paid yearly
• Connectors: More than 1,000 API connectors

Where it ranks

Microsoft Power Automate is No. 7 in our Best AI Workflow Automation Tools verdict and No. 9 in Best No-Code Automation Tools and No. 1 in Best RPA Software and No. 5 in Best Workflow Automation Software and No. 8 in Best Zapier Alternatives.