The new trend of the cloud-based model is being embraced by more and more companies, among them powerhouses such as Microsoft who has also introduced cloud automation platforms. In this context, Power Automate acts as the iPaaS tool within Microsoft 365 applications along with several other applications. Due to competitive pressures in this market, there are few alternatives to Power Automate which can be considered.
However, information and discussions about the effectiveness of different approaches requires expertise in the field to recognize disparities and define the appropriate tools. Often, website providers offer generic and misleading advertising and fail to provide basic insights. Therefore, we would like to present three alternative tools to Power Automate, coming from our practical experience as an automation agency.
Before we look into Power Automate alternatives, let's provide a brief overview of Power Automate itself: What is it, and why are alternatives worth considering?
Power Automate is Microsoft's cloud-based automation tool, mainly designed for Microsoft 365’s software environment. Originally known as "Microsoft Flow," it was rebranded to "Power Automate". While it primarily focuses on Microsoft platforms, it also intuitively connects to other applications in the cloud such as X (formerly Twitter), Google Workspace, and YouTube, enabling effortless cloud automation.
This tool focuses particularly on user-friendly design and allows employees to build workflows independently. It also enables ultra-complex automations and other features such as "For Each," "Do Until," and "If/Else" conditions without the need for coding. This individualized method ensures that people create automations that meet their exact needs and contribute to systems that are tailored to their workflow. We also offer a detailed blog post on Microsoft Power Automate here.
This focus on end users extends to the pricing strategy that Power Automate pursues, which differs from that of its competitors:
In addition to a 30-day free trial, Power Automate offers three other pricing plans. The Power Automate Premium plan, priced at $15 per user/month, includes cloud flows (DPA) and attended desktop flows (RPA) for individual users. It also includes process and task mining with 50 MB data storage, 5,000 AI Builder credits, and Dataverse entitlements of 250 MB database and 2 GB file.
The Power Automate Process plan, priced at $150 per bot/month, allows you to deploy an "automation" bot for key business processes. The plan includes similar benefits to the Power Automate Premium plan and also offers unattended desktop flows and Dataverse entitlements of 50 MB database and 200 MB file.
Finally, the Power Automate Hosted Process plan for $215 per bot/month offers everything included in the Power Automate Process plan plus a Microsoft hosted virtual machine.
Power Automate is admired for its user-friendly interface that enables easy assembly of automated workflows. Its smooth integration into the Microsoft product suite allows organizations to solve the issue of adaptation, regardless of size. Furthermore, predefined templates and the availability of third-party options allow for more efficient automation, while AI/ML technology ensures more robust functionality.
Customers value the easy-to-use interface that includes drag-and-drop tools. They also see it as a time-saving alternative, as connections and templates can be used for professionalism. The process mining feature in Power Automate also offers end-to-end solutions by visualizing event data that enables faster business decisions.
Many users find that Power Automate offers a great user experience due to its user-friendly features and seamless integration with Microsoft products. However, the pricing plans can be too expensive for mid-sized organizations due to budget constraints. Although Power Automate still offers benefits, its effectiveness may be limited for budget-conscious organizations that require multiple process automations.
As a result, we can either look for more cost-effective options or consider alternative approaches based on our experience with service providers.
Make is a cloud-based iPaaS application that is an attractive alternative to Power Automate due to the flexibility it offers for integrating Microsoft 365 applications in the cloud. With Make, workflow processes can be modularized, simplifying and improving the performance of numerous tasks. Not only does Make support a variety of apps but it also integrates services like Stripe, Zoho, and Shopify, while also allowing any app to be linked via JSON or SOAP module, thereby expanding automation possibilities.
As a Czech company that has become known for its technical expertise and various scenarios, we have presented all these features in various blog posts. Modularity is a key feature of Make's workflows, guaranteeing a consistent understanding of the process and allowing users to effortlessly track progress, identify branches, and observe which programs and apps are used at any given instance. You can also find a detailed article on Make here.
Make's pricing differs significantly from Power Automate, but is similar to all other Power Automate alternatives we will present:
With Make, payment is not made per user, but for operations and data transfer. Here, operations mean individual process steps. This offers an individual price basis that is tailored to the needs of each person. The Free plan is great for people who want to test the idea of automation and allows users to perform 1,000 ops/month, along with a variety of features such as no-code visual workflows and multiple app integrations. The Core plan is priced at $9 per month and offers unlimited active scenarios and access to the Make API.
For more complex automation processes, the Pro plan, priced at $16 per month, offers features such as custom variables and priority scenario execution. The Teams plan costs $29 per month and meets numerous user requirements with features such as multiple teams & permissions and the ability to share scenario templates. The Enterprise plan, designed for organizations that require advanced automation, includes options for other standard packages and custom pricing. It also offers advanced security, support and authorization, as well as features such as enterprise single sign-on (SSO) and 24/7 customer support.
Make has a variety of convenient features and enables easy automation. Firstly, the ability to connect with any API leads to flexible and versatile integrations with different platforms. As it has an extensive array of commonly used apps and integrations with different platforms, the range of automation possibilities is increased, making it different to other platforms. The intuitive drag-and-drop builder eliminates difficulties in task automation and extends the scope to novice users.
In addition, its reliability facilitates the accurate execution of scenarios, reducing errors and failures during the process. The ability to schedule effectively prevents exceeding the API limit and thus crashing. Finally, personalized options also enable customers to perfectly match their fields and data to their unique scenarios, promoting higher efficiency and effectiveness.
Zapier and Make are both examples of iPaaS software, which essentially have the same features for cloud automation. Zapier can be integrated with a massive variety of apps as it offers support for more than 7,000 platforms, including integrations such as Google Workspace and Trello.
Unlike Make, Zapier does not have a modular view that makes it possible to see all process branches at once. Nevertheless, managing individual process steps is easy. Zapier's subscription-based packages support features such as multi-step workflows and conditional logic that enable the automation of complex processes. For Zapier, we also offer a detailed blog post here.
Like Make, Zapier, as an alternative to Power Automate, offers different tariffs for packages of different sizes:
The Free plan is good for those who are just getting started with automation and can benefit from key features such as two-step Zaps and unlimited Zaps. The Professional plan, which starts at $19.99 per month, includes advanced features such as multi-step Zaps, webhooks and unlimited premium apps.
For teams that need more flexibility, the Team plan, which starts at $69 per month, offers benefits such as unlimited users, shared workspaces and premium support. Finally, the Enterprise plan is the next step with custom pricing and includes features such as SAML Single Sign-On (SSO) and advanced admin permissions.
Zapier offers its users a number of powerful advantages. For a start, it is a no-code tool that still offers the option of using JavaScript or Python code. Combined with the more than 7,000 app integrations available, Zapier is therefore an alternative that allows a great deal of freedom in terms of design options. With the linear, simple structure of the user interface, Zapier is also easy to use and simple to learn. Real-time data synchronization also ensures data consistency and accuracy across all integrated applications, reducing the likelihood of errors.
Real-time data synchronization also ensures data consistency and accuracy across all integrated applications, reducing the likelihood of errors. Finally, it also offers a cost-effective option for startups and emerging businesses with a free tier. This solution includes 100 tasks per month, without any payment, providing an affordable automation service.
n8n continues to grow as an automation platform. It offers n8n in the cloud as a SaaS tool as well as n8n itself, an open-source workflow automation tool available on GitHub. n8n supports over 1,000 different applications, including popular ones such as Airtable, ActiveCampaign and Microsoft Office, covering a wide range of automation needs.
The user interface resembles a flowchart and ensures a visible workflow. In this way, changes to the individual steps can be made quickly without deleting or separating the surrounding elements. This modular approach, similar to that of Make, facilitates workflow management. In addition, n8n allows the use of templates via the copy-and-paste function. Users can import workflows directly from the n8n website into the editor and easily configure them with one click. Find out more about n8n here.
The pricing of n8n is very simple. In addition to the free trial, there are 3 packages. However, there is no permanent free version like with Zapier or Make. It is also noticeable that credit card information is immediately requested during registration, which is unfortunately negative. Once you have overcome this hurdle, the following picture emerges:
The Starter package, priced at €20 per month, is a perfect option for individuals who want to get to know the versatility of n8n before investing in one of the other plans. It includes 2.5k workflow executions, 5 active workflows and unlimited test workflows, forum support and other collaborative features. The Pro plan, for €50 per month, is designed specifically for teams to help them work on business-critical workflows. It allows 10k workflow executions, 15 active workflows and advanced features such as execution search and global variables.
Organizations with security or compliance constraints can opt for the Enterprise plan, which is offered on an as-needed basis and offers unlimited workflow executions. This plan not only offers all the features of the Pro plan, but also has additional capabilities such as SSO integration and dedicated support. Of course, both self-hosted and n8n-hosted options are available for organizations.
n8n is still a relatively young platform, but it has already demonstrated some important progress so far. We like the modular design of the interface, which is similar to that of Make, and which simplifies the automation process for any user, regardless of programming knowledge. This is evident in the way the interfaces visually represent the tools used, the functions performed and the subsequent activities, making the system easy to understand.
As a German-based company, n8n applies GDPR rules confidentially, ensuring data security – a solution that provides users with the necessary security for dynamic legislation. Also, we must admit that the ability to download entire workflows in JSON format makes the task of copying processes or converting them into templates for further use easier.
Power Automate is one of the best tools within the Microsoft 365 environment and is therefore the best option for those who already have a Microsoft 365 subscription. Using Power Automate for small automations is particularly beneficial due to its ease of integration and availability.
Nevertheless, for larger projects with extensive use of multiple applications or processes, it is advisable to consider comparable options such as Zapier or Make. Both Zapier and Make offer simple cost structures and Microsoft 365 integration. As for n8n, it is on its way to becoming a successful competitor, however, it will take some time before it can keep up with the broad support of apps like the others. Despite this, we have high expectations for n8n in the future. Make is characterized by a great UX, its modular structure and its technical status, among other things.
Ultimately, the choice of tool depends on the individual's needs and decisions. The right implementation of sustainable automation requires thorough research and possibly collaboration with experts. We are available to assist with both identifying opportunities and implementing solutions.
We provide you with independent advice and are happy to offer you our support.
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