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Automation Integration · head to head

Microsoft Power Automate vs UiPath

Microsoft Power Automate logo

Microsoft Power Automate

Automation Integration

Automate tasks across cloud and on-premises apps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
UiPath logo

UiPath

Automation Integration

The leading platform for business process automation

From
$25/month
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: Microsoft Power Automate free plan limited to 750 flow runs/month and standard connectors only; premium connectors require paid plans; UiPath the Basic plan from $25 per month caps the tenant at 5 Basic users, 5 Plus users, 1 Pro user and 2 unattended robots
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Power Automate covers Automated flows, UiPath covers Desktop RPA.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Microsoft Power Automate and UiPath differ
AttributeMicrosoft Power AutomateUiPath
Starting priceFree$25/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, DesktopDesktop, Web
Founded20162005

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 Microsoft Power Automate

  • Automated flows
  • Instant flows
  • Scheduled flows
  • Desktop automation
  • Business process flows
  • Approval workflows
  • Microsoft 365
  • Salesforce

Only in UiPath

  • Desktop RPA
  • Cloud RPA
  • Task mining
  • AI capabilities
  • Monitoring
  • Analytics
  • Enterprise systems
  • Cloud apps

Both cover

  • Process mining
  • 500+ connectors
  • Encryption
  • SOC2
  • HIPAA

What people use each for

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

Microsoft Power Automate

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

UiPath

  • Robotic process automation and business automationnot Microsoft Power Automate
  • Enterprise-wide deployment and process optimizationnot Microsoft Power Automate
  • UI automation and intelligent document processingnot Microsoft Power Automate
  • Large-scale automation programs with custom requirementsnot Microsoft Power Automate

Where each one falls short

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

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

UiPath

  • The Basic plan from $25 per month caps the tenant at 5 Basic users, 5 Plus users, 1 Pro user and 2 unattended robots
  • Basic tenants are hosted only in the European region
  • Only the Basic tier carries a published price; Standard and Enterprise require contacting sales
  • Self healing automation, process simulation, Elastic Robot Orchestration, bring your own encryption keys and dedicated deployments are Enterprise only
  • Agent capability is limited on Basic and requires Standard or Enterprise
  • Extra unattended robots are purchased separately on top of the plan

Pricing, plan by plan

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

UiPath

$25/month
  • Automation Cloud Basic$25/month
    • Build and run basic personal automations
    • Limited scale
    • 99.9% service uptime
  • Automation Cloud Standard$null/month
    • Enterprise automation capabilities
    • Document classification and extraction at scale
    • No limits to scale
  • Automation Cloud Enterprise$null/month
    • Self-healing UI automation
    • Process optimization and simulation
    • Infrastructure automation
  • Test Cloud Standard$null/month
    • Contact Sales for pricing

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.
Microsoft Power Automate review

Choose UiPath if

  • You need desktop rpa.
  • You work on Desktop, Web.
  • You also want cloud rpa.
UiPath review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Power Automate or UiPath better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Power Automate starts at Free and UiPath at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Power Automate or UiPath?
Microsoft Power Automate has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Power Automate and $25/month for UiPath.
Does Microsoft Power Automate or UiPath run on more platforms?
Microsoft Power Automate runs on Web, Cloud, Desktop. UiPath runs on Desktop, Web.
Can I use Microsoft Power Automate for free?
Yes. Microsoft Power Automate has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. UiPath starts at $25/month.
What is Microsoft Power Automate best used for?
Microsoft Power Automate is most often used for workflow automation, data integration, process automation, app integration. Of those, workflow automation and data integration are not what UiPath is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Power Automate do that UiPath cannot?
Microsoft Power Automate covers Automated flows, Instant flows, Scheduled flows, Desktop automation. UiPath covers Desktop RPA, Cloud RPA, Task mining, AI capabilities. Both handle Process mining, 500+ connectors, Encryption, SOC2.

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
UiPath: How much does UiPath cost?

UiPath Automation Cloud Basic starts at $25/month for individuals and small teams. Standard and Enterprise tiers require contacting sales for custom pricing based on organizational needs.

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
UiPath: What are the limitations of UiPath's Basic tier?

The Basic tier at $25/month is limited to building and running basic personal automations at limited scale, with European region hosting only and bronze-level support. Standard and Enterprise tiers remove these limits.

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
UiPath: Does UiPath charge for users and robots separately?

UiPath's pricing tiers include base costs, but users, robots, and agents may require additional purchases beyond the tier pricing, depending on organizational requirements.

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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