POWER AUTOMATE LICENSING
As organizations increasingly turn to automation to streamline operations and boost productivity, Microsoft Power Automate has emerged as a leading platform for building intelligent workflows. However, with multiple licensing options available, understanding which plan best fits your needs is essential for maximizing ROI and ensuring scalability.
Microsoft Power Automate offers several licensing models to accommodate different user types, automation needs, and organizational sizes. These include user-based, bot-based, and capacity-based licenses.
User-Based
This model licenses individual users to create and run flows.
Best For
- Employees who need to automate their own tasks or departmental processes.
- Organizations with distributed automation needs across many users.
Key Features
- Unlimited cloud flows per user.
- Access to standard and premium connectors.
- Attended RPA (Robotic Process Automation) for desktop flows.
- AI Builder credits included (in premium plans).
Example Use Case
A marketing manager automates lead follow-up emails and social media scheduling using Power Automate.
Bot-Based
This model licenses automation bots that run flows independently.
Best For
- Organizations who need unattended automation (bots running 24/7).
- Shared processes that aren’t tied to a specific user.
Key Features
- Unattended desktop flows (RPA).
- Shared across teams or departments.
- Premium connectors and Dataverse access.
- Can be hosted on-premises or in Microsoft-hosted VMs (with Hosted Process plan).
Example Use Case
A bot automatically processes invoices from a shared mailbox, extracts data, and enters it into an ERP system, all without human intervention.
Capacity-Based*
This model provides automation capacity for an organization, not tied to specific users or bots.
Best For
- Enterprises with high-volume automation needs.
- Centralized IT or teams managing automation at scale.
Key Features
- Pay for automation capacity (e.g., flow runs, API calls).
- Ideal for large-scale or backend process automation.
- Often used in conjunction with Dataverse and AI Builder.
Example Use Case
An enterprise automates customer onboarding across multiple departments, with flows triggered by external systems and APIs.
*Capacity add-ons in Power Automate are supplemental licenses that provide scaling capabilities beyond standard user-based or bot-based licenses. Set up a call with the xMonthly team to learn more!
Licensing Options
Power Automate’s flexible licensing ensures that whether you’re a small team automating simple tasks or an enterprise deploying complex workflows, there’s a plan that fits your needs. Understanding these tiers helps you make informed decisions and unlock the full potential of automation.
Power Automate Free
Best For: Individuals exploring automation or using basic flows
Includes: Cloud flows with standard connectors, local (attended) desktop flows, no sharing or premium connectors
FREE
included with base Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 SKUs
Power Automate Premium
Best For: Individual users needing full automation capabilities
Includes: Unlimited cloud flows, attended desktop flows (RPA), access to standard, premium, and custom connectors, AI Builder credits, dataverse storage (250 MB database, 2 GB file), process and task mining capabilities
Month to Month Commitment
$18
per user/month
Annual Commitment
(pay monthly)
$15.75
per user/month
Annual Commitment
(pay upfront)
$15
per user/month
$180
per user/year
Power Automate
Process
Best For: Automating processes at scale without tying to a specific user
Includes: Unattended desktop flows, shared automation across teams, premium connectors, dataverse storage (50 MB database, 200 MB file)
Month to Month Commitment
$180
per bot/month
Annual Commitment
(pay monthly)
$157.50
per bot/month
Annual Commitment
(pay upfront)
$150
per bot/month
$1800
per bot/year
Power Automate
Hosted Process
Best For: Organizations needing Microsoft-hosted virtual machines for automation
Includes: Everything in the Process plan,
Microsoft-hosted VM on Azure,
simplified infrastructure management
Month to Month Commitment
$258
per bot/month
Annual Commitment
(pay monthly)
$225.75
per bot/month
Annual Commitment
(pay upfront)
$215
per bot/month
$2580
per bot/year
Work with xMonthly to Choose the Right Plan
When selecting a Power Automate license, there are many questions to consider, such as:
- User vs. Process Needs: Do you need automation tied to individual users or shared across teams?
- Attended vs. Unattended RPA: Will users be present during automation, or should it run independently?
- Integration Requirements: Do you need access to premium or third-party connectors?
- Scalability: Will you need to move flows between environments or manage them centrally?
Not sure which Power Automate plan is right for your business? Let xMonthly help simplify the decision. We can give you a roadmap to navigate Microsoft’s Power Automate options, whether you’re automating for individuals, teams, or enterprise-wide processes.