All industries · head to head
Freshdesk vs Microsoft Power Automate
Microsoft Power Automate
Automation & Integration
Automate tasks across cloud and on-premises apps
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Microsoft Power Automate has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Freshdesk growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards; Microsoft Power Automate free plan limited to 750 flow runs/month and standard connectors only; premium connectors require paid plans
- They diverge on capability: Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Microsoft Power Automate covers Automated flows.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Freshdesk and Microsoft Power Automate actually diverge.
| Attribute | Freshdesk | Microsoft Power Automate |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $19/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Cloud, Desktop |
| Category | All industries | Automation & Integration |
| Founded | 2010 | 2016 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Freshdesk
- Ticketing
- Automation
- Self-service
- Team collaboration
- Multi-channel support
- SLA management
- Reporting
- Mobile apps
Only in Microsoft Power Automate
- Automated flows
- Instant flows
- Scheduled flows
- Desktop automation
- Process mining
- Business process flows
- Approval workflows
- 500+ connectors
Both cover
- Salesforce
- SOC2
- HIPAA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Freshdesk
- Help desk and ticketing systemnot Microsoft Power Automate
- Customer support portal and knowledge basenot Microsoft Power Automate
- Multi-channel support coordinationnot Microsoft Power Automate
- AI-assisted support agent interactionnot Microsoft Power Automate
Microsoft Power Automate
- Workflow Automationnot Freshdesk
- Data Integrationnot Freshdesk
- Process Automationnot Freshdesk
- App Integrationnot Freshdesk
- API Connectivitynot Freshdesk
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Freshdesk
- Growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards
- Skill-based routing available only on Enterprise tier
- Freddy AI Copilot requires separate £29/agent/month add-on on Pro and Enterprise plans
- AI agent sessions charged beyond initial 500 sessions: £49 per additional 100 sessions
- Day passes for non-agents vary by tier: £2 (Growth), £7 (Pro), £12 (Enterprise)
Microsoft Power Automate
- Free plan limited to 750 flow runs/month and standard connectors only; premium connectors require paid plans
- Not suitable for long-running workflows; can fail unexpectedly without warning
- Limited to simple linear logic; fails with complex workflows involving multiple stakeholders
- Tasks cannot automate at scale when requiring more than approximately 60 users
Pricing, plan by plan
Freshdesk
$19/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Freshdesk review.
Microsoft Power Automate
Free- FreeFree
- 750 flow runs/month
- Standard connectors only
- Basic cloud flows
- Premium$15/user/month
- Cloud flows (DPA)
- Attended RPA
- 250 MB Dataverse database
- Process$150/bot/month
- Unattended automation
- Cloud and desktop flows
- 50 MB Dataverse database
- Hosted Process$215/bot/month
- Microsoft-managed virtual machine
- Unattended automation
- Same Dataverse entitlements as Process plan
Which should you pick?
Choose Microsoft Power Automate if
- You need automated flows.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud, Desktop.
- You also want instant flows.
Questions people ask
- Is Freshdesk or Microsoft Power Automate better?
- Neither clearly leads. Freshdesk starts at $19/month and Microsoft Power Automate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Freshdesk or Microsoft Power Automate?
- Microsoft Power Automate has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Freshdesk and Free for Microsoft Power Automate.
- Does Freshdesk or Microsoft Power Automate run on more platforms?
- Freshdesk runs on Web. Microsoft Power Automate runs on Web, Cloud, Desktop.
- Can I use Microsoft Power Automate for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Power Automate has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshdesk starts at $19/month.
- What is Freshdesk best used for?
- Freshdesk is most often used for help desk and ticketing system, customer support portal and knowledge base, multi-channel support coordination, ai-assisted support agent interaction. Of those, help desk and ticketing system and customer support portal and knowledge base are not what Microsoft Power Automate is typically brought in for.
- What can Freshdesk do that Microsoft Power Automate cannot?
- Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Automation, Self-service, Team collaboration. Microsoft Power Automate covers Automated flows, Instant flows, Scheduled flows, Desktop automation. Both handle Salesforce, SOC2, HIPAA.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Microsoft Power Automate: Is Power Automate included with Microsoft 365?
Yes. If you have an eligible Microsoft 365 subscription, you can use Power Automate at no extra cost for flows relying only on standard connectors (SharePoint, Outlook, Teams). Premium connectors (Salesforce, SAP, Oracle) require paid plans.
SourceMicrosoft Power Automate: How many flow runs are allowed on the free plan?
Power Automate's free tier (included with Microsoft 365) is limited to 750 flow runs per month and standard connectors only. Out of 900+ total connectors, the free plan only includes Microsoft ecosystem apps and limited third-party apps.
SourceMicrosoft Power Automate: What's the difference between Premium and Process plans?
Premium ($15/user/month) provides attended automation with cloud flows and standard RPA. Process plan ($150/bot/month) enables unattended automation where bots run without human intervention on virtual machines for high-volume, repetitive tasks.
SourceMicrosoft Power Automate: Does Power Automate support long-running workflows?
No. Power Automate is not suitable for long-lasting workflows because they can run without warning and fail unexpectedly. The platform is built for linear, branching logic (if-then) rather than complex, multi-step business processes involving multiple stakeholders.
SourceRelated pages
More on Microsoft Power Automate
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