Power Automate review

Power Automate is Microsoft’s low-code tool for automating workflows across apps, services, websites and legacy systems. It covers cloud flows for digital process automation and desktop flows for robotic process automation, including attended and unattended bots. The product description lists more than 1,000 prebuilt API connectors, with the option to build custom connectors.

Users can create and edit automations with natural-language Copilot authoring. Process and task mining are designed to help identify automation opportunities, while Managed Environments give administrators centralized governance, monitoring and data loss prevention tools. In practical terms, it spans routine app-to-app workflows and UI-based tasks that need a desktop bot. Its strongest fit is organizations already using Microsoft services; the Reddit examples provided focus heavily on SharePoint, Teams, Forms and HR processes.

Power Automate’s range is useful when a process crosses Microsoft apps, approvals and older systems. Cloud flows can connect apps, data and services in the cloud or on-premises; desktop flows can automate UI actions for systems without a suitable app connection. The product also lists more than 1,000 prebuilt connectors, plus custom connector support.

Reddit users describe practical Microsoft-centered workflows, rather than just simple notifications. One thread reports automating much of employee onboarding and offboarding, including account creation, group membership and license assignment. Other commenters describe SharePoint approval chains, Teams alerts, and a purchasing process that routes requests from Microsoft Forms through approvals and email updates. One user says Power Automate helped move content from an old SharePoint site into new pages.

That range—from cloud flows to desktop RPA—can help organizations keep related work in one automation platform. Premium includes cloud flows, attended desktop flows, and process and task mining with 50 MB of stored data, according to the published pricing details.

The price changes sharply when automation needs bots or deeper process analysis. The pricing page lists Premium at $15 per user per month, billed yearly; it includes attended desktop flows, not unattended bots. Process costs $150 per bot per month, billed yearly, for unattended desktop flows. Hosted Process is $215 per bot per month, billed yearly, and adds a Microsoft-hosted Azure virtual machine. Both bot plans list Dataverse limits of 50 MB for the database and 200 MB for files.

The Process Mining add-on is $5,000 per tenant per month, billed yearly, and is available only with Premium. It includes 100 GB of stored data and 2 GB of Dataverse database storage, with 1 TB for files. The 30-day free trial is limited to UI-based cloud flows and standard connectors. Copilot Studio pricing is custom, and agent features require an Azure subscription.

Some Reddit commenters report undocumented pitfalls, production failures and frustration with features tied to premium licensing. Those are user reports, not guarantees, but they reinforce the need to check licensing and ownership before building critical workflows.

The free trial lasts 30 days and is limited to UI-based cloud flows with standard connectors. After that, Power Automate Premium is $15 per user per month, billed yearly. It includes cloud flows, attended desktop automation, and process and task mining with 50 MB of stored data.

The jump to unattended automation is steep: Process costs $150 per bot per month, billed yearly, and Hosted Process costs $215 per bot per month. Hosted Process adds a Microsoft-hosted Azure virtual machine. These are bot prices, not per-user prices, so compare them against how many bots you need.

Deep process mining is a separate $5,000-per-tenant monthly add-on, billed yearly, and requires Premium. Copilot Studio prepaid credits have custom pricing; Azure is required for agent features, and new accounts get $200 in Azure credit. The listed prices are monthly equivalents with annual billing, not month-to-month rates. The pricing details do not list monthly billing prices.

Before moving in, inventory cloud flows, desktop flows, connectors, and any unattended bots. Power Automate lists more than 1,000 prebuilt connectors, plus custom connectors, so identify which integrations your workflows depend on before estimating the rebuild. Desktop automation also covers UI actions and legacy systems; map those steps separately from cloud flows.

Before moving out, document flow logic, connection ownership, and any use of Dataverse. The published material does not specify a migration tool, export format, or portability limits, so confirm those details with Microsoft before committing to a migration plan. Treat a move as potentially involving workflow recreation, not just copying data.

We don’t have Reddit posts in the published sources, so we can’t responsibly name reasons users report leaving. The product information does flag cost pressure: unattended bots start at $150 per bot monthly, and the process-mining add-on is $5,000 per tenant monthly, both billed yearly. Those are sensible costs to reassess when comparing alternatives.