Apps & Automation

Power Apps + Power Automate — Product Overview and Comparison

Power Apps and Power Automate are Microsoft's low-code platforms for building custom business applications and automating repetitive tasks and workflows. Basic capabilities are already included with an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription, with Premium tiers available for organizations that need deeper functionality, broader system connectivity, or advanced automation. Below is an overview of what each includes and the value it delivers.


Power Apps (Included with Microsoft 365)

Designed for: Organizations that want to start building simple, internal business apps using tools they already have.

What's Included

  • The ability to build and run custom apps using standard Microsoft connectors, including SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, and Excel
  • A visual, low-code app builder requiring minimal technical background
  • Access across desktop, web, and mobile devices

Why It Matters for Your Business

Many organizations don't realize that basic app-building capability is already included with their existing Microsoft 365 subscription. This gives teams an easy, no-additional-cost way to replace manual, spreadsheet- or paper-based processes with simple custom apps — such as an inspection checklist, an internal request form, or a basic tracking tool — using the Microsoft data and systems they already work in every day.

Power Apps Premium

Designed for: Organizations that want to build a broader range of apps, connect to systems beyond Microsoft 365, or scale app development across the business.

What's Included

  • Everything in the included Power Apps experience, plus:
  • Unlimited app creation and use for each licensed user
  • Premium connectors for integrating with third-party systems, such as Salesforce or SQL Server
  • Microsoft Dataverse for secure, structured data storage
  • A monthly allowance of AI Builder credits for adding AI capabilities like document processing and prediction to custom apps
  • Access to Power Pages for building external-facing websites and portals

Why It Matters for Your Business

Power Apps Premium removes the ceiling on what a business can build, extending app development beyond the Microsoft ecosystem into whatever systems the business actually runs on — CRM platforms, databases, legacy line-of-business systems, and more. Built-in AI capabilities through AI Builder let organizations add intelligent document processing or prediction to their apps without hiring specialized AI developers, while Power Pages extends app-building outward to customers, partners, or the public.

Power Automate (Included with Microsoft 365)

Designed for: Organizations that want to automate everyday, repetitive tasks using the Microsoft tools they already use.

What's Included

  • Cloud-based workflow automation using standard Microsoft connectors, including Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, and Excel
  • The ability to trigger automated actions based on events, such as a new file, form submission, or approval request

Why It Matters for Your Business

Power Automate's included capability lets any team start eliminating manual busywork immediately, without an additional purchase — automatically routing approvals, posting updates to Teams when a shared document changes, or organizing incoming files, all using the Microsoft 365 tools already in daily use. It's often the fastest way for a business to see time savings from automation, since there's no new system to learn or purchase to make.

Power Automate Premium

Designed for: Organizations that want to automate processes involving systems beyond Microsoft 365, or need more advanced automation capabilities.

What's Included

  • Everything in the included Power Automate experience, plus:
  • Premium connectors for automating workflows involving third-party systems, such as Salesforce, SAP, or ServiceNow
  • Microsoft Dataverse storage for automation-related data
  • Process mining tools to identify inefficiencies in existing business processes
  • A monthly allowance of AI Builder credits for adding AI to automated workflows

Why It Matters for Your Business

Power Automate Premium extends automation beyond Microsoft's own tools into the other business systems an organization relies on, allowing truly end-to-end processes to run automatically rather than stopping wherever a Microsoft connector's reach ends. Process mining tools also give operations leaders visibility into where time is actually being lost in a business process, helping target automation efforts where they'll have the greatest impact.

Power Automate Process (Robotic Process Automation)

Designed for: Organizations that need to automate repetitive, high-volume tasks involving legacy systems or interfaces that don't support direct integration.

What's Included

  • Unattended robotic process automation (RPA), running on virtual machines without human interaction
  • The ability to automate interactions with legacy Windows applications and interfaces lacking modern integration options
  • Cloud flows scoped specifically to the automation bot
  • Support for high-volume, repetitive processes such as invoice processing, data migration, and batch reporting

Why It Matters for Your Business

Power Automate Process is built for the reality that not every system a business depends on has a modern way to connect to it. By automating interactions with legacy applications the same way a human user would — clicking, typing, and navigating screens — organizations can extend the benefits of automation to processes that would otherwise remain manual indefinitely, freeing staff from high-volume, repetitive tasks like invoice entry or batch data processing.

Summary

  • Power Apps (included) — build simple, internal apps using Microsoft 365 tools at no additional cost.
  • Power Apps Premium — unlimited apps, third-party system connectivity, and AI-powered app capabilities.
  • Power Automate (included) — automate everyday tasks using Microsoft 365 tools at no additional cost.
  • Power Automate Premium — automate workflows involving third-party systems, with process mining and AI capabilities.
  • Power Automate Process — unattended robotic process automation for high-volume tasks and legacy systems.

Organizations can start with the app-building and automation capabilities already included in their Microsoft 365 subscription, then move to Premium or Process licensing as their needs extend beyond the Microsoft ecosystem.

Have Questions? We're Here to Help.

Our team can help you identify the plan that best matches your organization's needs and guide you through setup.

Contact Us