The new trend of the cloud-based model has been presented by more and more companies, among them such big as Microsoft who has also introduced cloud automation platforms. In this case, Power Automate is the iPaaS tool inside Office365 applications along with several other applications. Due to the pressure of the competition in this market, there are few alternatives to Power Automate which can be considered.
However, information and discussions about the effectiveness of the diverse approaches call for expertise in the field to be able to notice disparities and define the right tools. Often websites providers have generic and misleading advertising and fail to provide an insight into the basics. Therefore, we would like to consider three alternative tools of Power Automate, coming from our practical experience as automation agency.
Before delving 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 Office 365’s software environment. Originally under the name of "Microsoft Flow," it was recently rebranded to "Power Automate". While it mainly focuses on Microsoft platforms, it also connects intuitively to other applications in the cloud such as Twitter, GSuite, and YouTube, allowing cloud automation effortlessly. Contrary to the outer appearance, Power Automate gets its power from a pool of end users who heavily rely on Microsoft Office products.
This tool is particularly focused on user-friendly design and allows employees to build workflows on their own. Furthermore, it enables ultra-complex automations and other features like "For Each," "Do-While," and "If-then-Else" conditions without the need for coding. This individualized method ensures that people create automations that are suitable for their exact needs and contribute to systems that are tailor-made according to the specific workflow.
This end-user centricity extends to the pricing strategy that Power Automate follows, which is different from that of its competitors:
The Power Automate Premium plan, which is the price of $15 per user/month, extends the user's ability to automate modern applications through API-based digital process automation (cloud flows) and legacy applications via user interface-based robotic process automation (desktop flows) in attended mode. The plan includes unlimited flows of cloud (DPA) and desktop (RPA) attended by Power Automate Portfolio Management accompanied by 50 MB of storage from Power Automate Process Mining, and 5.000 AI Builder credits which combines Dataverse rights, 250 MB database, and 2 GB file storage.
On the other hand, Power Automate Process plan priced at $150 per bot/month allows for deployment of an "automation" bot for unattended Microsoft Windows desktops automation process (RPA) or digital process automation (DPA) accessible by unlimited members within the company. The program features cloud flows and desktop flows in unattended mode, which consist of 50 MB databases and 200 MB file storages.
Power Automate is admired for its user-friendly interface that enables easy assembly of automated workflows. Its smooth integration into the Microsoft product line up allows organizations to solve the issue of adaptation, regardless of size. Furthermore, with the help of pre-built templates and availability of third-party options, automation becomes more efficient, while its AI/ML technology allows for more robust functioning.
Customers like its easy-to-use interface which includes the drag-and-drop tools. They also see it as an alternative that saves time as connections and templates can be used for professionalism. To make the automation process thorough and simple, the Power Automate Process Mining feature provides visual tips and advice.
Power Automate is considered by many users as a great user experience as it has friendly features and seamless integration with Microsoft products. However, the pricing plans may be too expensive for companies that are medium-sized due to budget restraints.
On one hand, the Power Automate Premium plan, priced at $15 per user/month, offers an unlimited amount of automated cloud and desktop flows, comes with AI Builder credits, and Dataverse privileges. On the other hand, Power Automate Process plan, at $150 per bot/month, addresses the needs of establishments that run automation processes behind the scenes. Although Power Automate still possesses benefits, its efficacy for budget-savvy organizations that require several process automations may be limited.
As a result, we can either look for more budget-wise options or we may proceed with alternative approaches considering our experience with service providers.
The cloud-based iPaaS tool from Make is an appealing alternative to Power Automate given the flexibility it provides for incorporation of Office365 apps in the cloud. Through Make, one can automate workflows that are modularized, leading to the simplification and improving the performance of numerous tasks. Not only does Make support a diverse range of apps but it goes ahead to incorporate services like Stripe, Zoho, and Shopify while still giving room for linkage of any app via JSON or SOAP module, thereby, the automation possibilities being expanded.
As a Czech firm that has grown to be famous for its technological skilfullness and various scenarios, we have portrayed all these features in various blog posts. Modularity is a key feature of Make's workflow that guarantees a consistent understanding along the process, allowing the users to effortlessly track progress, identify branches, and observe which programs and apps are used at any given instance.
Make's pricing is significantly different from Power Automate, but similar to all other Power Automate alternatives we will present:
At Make, payment is not per user, but for operations and data transfer. Operations means individual process steps. It offers a pricing base that is individual for each user needs. The Free plan is great for people testing the idea of automation and it enables users to perform 1,000 Ops/month along with a wide range of functionalities such as no-code visual workflows and multiple app integrations. The Core plan delivered at a rate of $9/month features unlimited active scenarios and the right to use the make API.
For more complex automation, the Pro plan at $16/month has the capabilities which include custom variables and priority scenario execution. The Plan Teams costs $29.99/month and meets the numerous user needs by providing features such as multiple teams, users and permissions. The Enterprise plan, which is for organizations that need advanced automation, comes with options for other standard packages and tailored pricing. Moreover, it offers enhanced security, support, and authorization, along with features like company single sign-on (SSO) and 24/7 customer support.
Make has a variety of convenient features along with ease of automation. Firstly, its open-source software's capacity to connect with any API will lead to flexible and versatile integrations with different platforms. As it has an extensive array of commonly used apps and integrations to different platforms, it makes it distinct from other tools since the range of automation opportunities is enlarged. The intuitive drag-and-drop builder removes the difficulty of task automation, widening the scope to the novice users.
Additionally, its reliability facilitates the execution of scenarios accurately, therefore, reducing errors and failures during the process. The ability to schedule effectively prevents exceeding the limit of the API, hence avoids crashing. Lastly, personalized options also enable customers to perfectly match their fields and the data to their unique scenarios, promoting higher efficiency and effectiveness.
Zapier, as well as Make, are examples of iPaaS software, which mainly have the same characteristics for cloud automation. Zapier can integrate among a massive variety of apps as it offers support for more than 2,500 platforms, including G Suite and Trello.
Unlike Make, Zapier doesn't have the modular view which allows seeing all process branches at once. Yet, the individual process step setting is easy to manage. Furthermore, Zapier's subscription-based packages will support features such as multi-level workflows and conditional logic which will enable automation of complex processes.
Like Make, Zapier, as a Power Automate alternative, offers different tariffs for different size packages:
The Free plan may work well for those that just want to start with automation, who could benefit from key features such as two-step Zaps and unlimited Zaps. Then, the Starter plan, starting at €18.75 per month, already contains advanced features such as multi-step Zaps and Zap filters, which can be suitable for people that move data. For users who need more flexibility, the €45.97-per-month Pro plan will provide additional features such as Zap paths, as well as unlimited Premium apps.
The Team plan, starting from €64.73 per month, will suit anyone and everyone with benefits like unlimited users and premier support. Ultimately, Enterprise plan, with a personalized price, is the next step and includes features like SAML single sign-on (SSO) and custom data retention. This plan is made to scale the automation across teams and includes the features mentioned above.
Zapier provides number of powerful advantages to its users. For a start, it is an open-source tool which supports collective work through user engagement. Likewise, data consistency and accuracy are guaranteed across all the integrated applications thanks to real-time data synching in hence reducing the likelihood of errors.
Apart from that, Zapier offers a choice of flexible hosting options, which involves either the cloud platform convenience or the autonomy of self-hosting. Finally, it offers a cost-effective option as well, with its free tier valid for startups and emerging businesses. Such solution includes 100 workflow runs per month even without paying anything, giving an affordable automation service.
n8n.io, which has got a growing popularity as an automation platform, including n8n on cloud which is a software-as-a-service tool and n8n by itself, which is an open-source workflow automation tool for users that is available at GitHub. n8n.io gives its support to over 150 different apps, including the popular ones such as Airtable, ActiveCampaign, and Microsoft Office, spanning a wide range of automation requirements.
The interface resembling a flowchart as built-in within Miro guarantees a visible workflow, thus, you can quickly execute a modification of the individual steps without deleting or disconnecting the enclosed elements. This modular approach, in a sense like Make's flow, facilitates workflow management. Lastly, n8n.io integrates the template usage via copy-and-paste functionality. Through this feature, users have the facility to import the workflows from the n8n.io website directly in the editor with a click of a button for easy configuration.
The pricing of n8n is very simple, besides the free trial (30 days) there are 3 packages: Starter, Pro or Enterprise. Nothing new as far as that goes. However, there is no permanent free version like with Zapier or Make. What is also noticeable when you register is that you are immediately asked for credit card information. Unfortunately, we find this negative. Once you have overcome this hurdle, however, the following picture emerges:
N8n.io provides three personalized versions that fit different user demands. The Starter plan, which comes at a price of €20 /month, is a perfect option for the individuals that prefer to observe n8n's versatility before investing into any other plans. It encompasses 2.5k workflow executions and 5 active workflows and unlimited test workflows, forum support and other collaborative features as well. The Pro plan, for €50 a month, has been built with team in mind to support people working on business-critical workflows. It enables 10k workflow executions, 15 active workflows and advanced functions such as execution search and global variables.
Organizations with security or compliance limitations can opt for the Enterprise plan, which is quoted based on their need and provides unlimited workflow executions. This plan not only comes with all the features of the Pro plan but also have additional abilities like SSO integration and dedicated support. Of course, there are both self-hosting and n8n-hosted options available for organizations, and they can select the plan that fits their needs and falls within budget.
n8n.io, may be still a relatively young platform, but it has demonstrated some important progress so far. We like this modular design interface, which is similar to Make, and this supports their aim of simplifying automation procedures for every user regardless of programming knowledge. This is exemplified by the way in which the interfaces display the tools used, functions taken, and following activities, which make the system easy to grasp.
Being a Germany-based company, n8n.io applies the DSGVO rules confidentially, by which data security is ensured—a great result of n8n.io’s hard work, which gives users the turgidity needed for a dynamic legislation. Also, we must admit that the option to download entire workflows in JSON format makes the task of copying processes easier or converting them into templates for further exposure more efficient.
Power Automate is among the best tools that can be used within the Office365 environment; therefore, it is the best option for those who already have an Office365 subscription. Using Power Automate for small automations is particularly beneficial because of its ease of integration and availability.
Nevertheless, for larger projects with extensive use of multiple applications or processes, it is advisable to investigate comparable options such as Zapier or Make. Both Zapier and Make allows for the use of simple cost structures and cross-integration capabilities, such as the Office365 integration. As for n8n.io, it is finding its way to becoming a successful rival, however, it will take some time for the former to catch up with the wide apps support of the latter. However, we have high expectations on n8n.io in terms of its future. Make is distinguished by its modular structure and technical status that will attract new clients by offering a free month with great UX and user journey through affiliate links.
In the end, the decision which skill to choose remains with the individual's needs and choices. The right implementation of sustainable automation is based on detailed research and maybe collaboration with experts, we’re available to help both uncovering opportunities and implementation of the solutions.
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