vs
n8n vs Microsoft Power Automate
n8n scores higher overall (8.5 vs 7.1), but the right pick depends on what you need.
Choose n8n if…
Technical teams who want full control over AI agents, data and hosting
8.5/10★★★★★Full review →Choose Microsoft Power Automate if…
Organisations already on Microsoft 365 that need governed automation and RPA
7.1/10★★★★★Full review →Side by side
| n8n | Microsoft Power Automate | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.5/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 10 | #7 of 10 |
| Price | Freemium · from €20/month | Free trial · from $15/user/month |
| Free version | Community Edition is free to self-host, with no execution limits | 30-day trial of cloud flows with standard connectors |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web, Desktop app |
| Made by | n8n GmbH | Microsoft |
| Automation power | 9 | 7.5 |
| Ease of use | 6.5 | 6 |
| Features | 9 | 7 |
| Value for money | 9 | 7 |
| Platforms | 9 | 8.5 |
n8n: what the AI does
- AI Agent node with tools and memory
- MCP server and client support
- Local models via Ollama when self-hosted
- Human-in-the-loop approvals for agent actions
- AI Assistant for building workflows
- Free to self-host, so data stays on your own servers
- Most flexible agent building here, with code wherever you need it
- Charges per workflow run, not per step, which is cheap for long workflows
- Huge community (200,000+ members, 200K+ GitHub stars)
- Steepest learning curve of the mainstream tools
- Fewer pre-built integrations (500+) than Zapier or Make
- Self-hosting means you handle updates and maintenance
Microsoft Power Automate: what the AI does
- Copilot builds flows from natural language
- Copilot Studio agents that call flows as tools
- Computer-using agents in Copilot Studio
- Desktop RPA for apps without APIs
- Process and task mining
- Deep, native Microsoft 365 and Dynamics integration
- Only tool here with full desktop RPA built in
- Enterprise governance and admin controls
- Confusing licensing split across Power Automate and Copilot Studio
- Less polished, harder-to-learn interface
- Little value outside the Microsoft ecosystem