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Automation & Integration · head to head

Informatica vs Microsoft Power Automate

Informatica logo

Informatica

Automation & Integration

The enterprise data management leader

From
$3000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Power Automate logo

Microsoft Power Automate

Automation & Integration

Automate tasks across cloud and on-premises apps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Power Automate has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Informatica no dollar figure is published for any service, and every route ends at a quote request; Microsoft Power Automate free plan limited to 750 flow runs/month and standard connectors only; premium connectors require paid plans
  • They diverge on capability: Informatica covers Data integration, Microsoft Power Automate covers Automated flows.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Informatica and Microsoft Power Automate actually diverge.

Attributes where Informatica and Microsoft Power Automate differ
AttributeInformaticaMicrosoft Power Automate
Starting price$3000/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, On-premiseWeb, Cloud, Desktop
Founded19932016

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation & Integration).

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 Informatica

  • Data integration
  • Master data management
  • Data quality
  • Data governance
  • Real-time sync
  • Monitoring
  • Analytics
  • 1000+ connectors

Only in Microsoft Power Automate

  • Automated flows
  • Instant flows
  • Scheduled flows
  • Desktop automation
  • Process mining
  • Business process flows
  • Approval workflows
  • 500+ connectors

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • HIPAA
  • Encryption

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Informatica

  • Enterprise data integration and ETL across cloud and on premise systemsnot Microsoft Power Automate
  • Master data management and data quality at organisation scalenot Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate

  • Workflow Automationnot Informatica
  • Data Integrationnot Informatica
  • Process Automationnot Informatica
  • App Integrationnot Informatica
  • API Connectivitynot Informatica

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Informatica

  • No dollar figure is published for any service, and every route ends at a quote request
  • Consumption is measured in Informatica Processing Units, calculated per scaler across agent usage, ingestion volume and other inputs, so the unit itself is composite and hard to forecast
  • Master data management is billed separately on a per domain records basis
  • The pricing page presents ROI statistics rather than rates

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

Informatica

$3000/month
  • Starter$3000/month
    • Basic data integration
  • Professional$8000/month
    • Advanced features
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$20000/month
    • Custom solutions
    • Dedicated support

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 Informatica if

  • You need data integration.
  • You work on Web, On-premise.
  • You also want master data management.
Informatica review

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.
Microsoft Power Automate review

Questions people ask

Is Informatica or Microsoft Power Automate better?
Neither clearly leads. Informatica starts at $3000/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, Informatica or Microsoft Power Automate?
Microsoft Power Automate has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3000/month for Informatica and Free for Microsoft Power Automate.
Does Informatica or Microsoft Power Automate run on more platforms?
Informatica runs on Web, On-premise. 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. Informatica starts at $3000/month.
What is Informatica best used for?
Informatica is most often used for enterprise data integration and etl across cloud and on premise systems, master data management and data quality at organisation scale. Of those, enterprise data integration and etl across cloud and on premise systems and master data management and data quality at organisation scale are not what Microsoft Power Automate is typically brought in for.
What can Informatica do that Microsoft Power Automate cannot?
Informatica covers Data integration, Master data management, Data quality, Data governance. Microsoft Power Automate covers Automated flows, Instant flows, Scheduled flows, Desktop automation. Both handle SOC2, HIPAA, Encryption.

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.

Source
Microsoft 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.

Source
Microsoft 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.

Source
Microsoft 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.

Source
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Related pages

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