Microsoft Power Automate review
7.1/10★★★★★Microsoft 365 workflow automation and desktop RPA, with Copilot Studio agents
- Best for
- Organisations already on Microsoft 365 that need governed automation and RPA
- Price
- Free trial · from $15/user/month
Free: 30-day trial of cloud flows with standard connectors - Platforms
- Web, Desktop app
- Made by
- Microsoft, Redmond, USA · since 1975
What it is
Power Automate runs cloud flows across Microsoft 365 and other connectors, plus desktop flows (RPA) that click through older apps. It pairs with Copilot Studio, where conversational agents can call Power Automate flows as tools and computer-using agents work directly on a desktop.
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
Pros and cons
- 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
How it scores
Powerful for Microsoft shops, with RPA no rival here offers; licensing and UI are the main hurdles.
Feature checklist · 3 of 9
- AI agents that decide their own steps (yes)
- Builds workflows or agents from a plain-English description (yes)
- 1,000+ app integrations (no)
- Branching, loops and data transformation (no)
- Custom code steps (no)
- Self-hosted or private-cloud deployment (no)
- Choice of AI models or bring your own keys (no)
- MCP support for connecting AI assistants (no)
- Browser, desktop or computer-use automation (yes)
Alternatives
See all Microsoft Power Automate alternatives, ranked →
- n8n 8.5/10Technical teams who want full control over AI agents, data and hosting
- Make 8.4/10Teams who want complex, visual workflows at a much lower price than Zapier
- Zapier 8.2/10Non-technical teams who want the widest app coverage and the fastest setup
- Activepieces 7.9/10Teams who want n8n-style control and self-hosting with a simpler, Zapier-like builder
n8n vs Microsoft Power Automate