Power Automate licensing is genuinely confusing. Microsoft offers four different plans across cloud automation, desktop automation, and pay-as-you-go models, and the right answer depends on what you are automating, how many people will use it, and how your organisation buys Microsoft software.
This guide gives you the actual numbers, a clear side-by-side comparison, and a plain-English answer to the question everyone actually has: which plan should we buy?
TL;DR: Most individuals and small teams start on Per User ($15/user/month). Organisations deploying automation across departments use Per Flow ($500/month for 5 flows). RPA/desktop automation is a separate add-on at $40/user/month.
What Is Power Automate?
Power Automate is a cloud-based platform that helps businesses automate workflows across various apps and services, such as SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and thousands of third-party applications. It enables users to create automated workflows for tasks like data entry, approvals, notifications, and integrations between systems, without needing to write complex code.
Key Use Cases:
- Automating repetitive tasks like data entry and document approvals
- Integrating data between multiple systems (CRM, ERP, etc.)
- Creating custom workflows for employee onboarding, IT support, and more
Integration Capabilities: Power Automate can connect with over 300 different services and apps, such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Salesforce, and Google Drive, ensuring seamless collaboration and data flow across your organisation.
Power Automate Plans: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Plan | Price (2026) | Who Can Use It | Premium Connectors | Best For |
| Per User | $15/user/month | Individual user only | Yes | Individuals with complex automation needs |
| Per User + RPA | $40/user/month | Individual + desktop | Yes | Users who need to automate desktop/legacy apps |
| Per Flow | $500/month (5 flows) | Anyone in the org | Yes | Cross-team flows used by many people |
| Pay-as-you-go | Per run consumed | Anyone in the org | Yes | Unpredictable or low-volume flows |
| M365 Included | Included in M365 | Individual user | No | Basic automations with standard connectors only |
Important: The M365-included version of Power Automate only supports standard connectors. As soon as you need Dataverse, Salesforce, SQL Server, or any premium connector, you need a paid plan.
Plan 1: Power Automate Per User — $15/user/month
The Per User plan is the most common starting point for organisations moving beyond the M365-included tier. It gives a single licensed user unlimited flow runs, access to all premium connectors, and the ability to create custom connectors.
What is included
- Unlimited cloud flow runs (instant, scheduled, and automated)
- All premium connectors: Dataverse, SQL, Salesforce, SAP, ServiceNow, and hundreds more
- Custom connector creation
- Business process flows
- Power Automate Desktop (attended RPA) at no additional cost
The critical limitation
Per-user plans are tied to the individual. If a flow is built by one licensed user but needs to run for other people in the organisation, processing their data, acting on their behalf, those other people also need their own licence. This is where organisations get caught out.
Example: You build an automated invoice approval flow. The finance team of 12 people all submit invoices through it. All 12 need a Per User plan. Cost: 12 x $15 = $180/month.
Who it is right for
- Individual contributors who need to automate their own workflows
- Developers and IT admins building and testing flows
Departments up to roughly 10–15 people where per-user cost stays manageable
Plan 2: Power Automate Per Flow — $500/month for 5 flows
The Per Flow plan is priced differently and often misunderstood. Instead of paying per user, you pay per flow, and once a flow is licenced under Per Flow, anyone in the organisation can trigger it and be part of it, with no individual licences needed.
What is included
- Unlimited runs of the specific licenced flows
- Any user in the organisation can trigger and participate in the flow
- All premium connectors
- Minimum purchase: 5 flows ($500/month)
When Per Flow beats Per User
If a flow will be used by more than roughly 33 users (500/15), Per Flow starts to become cost-competitive. But the calculation is about the number of flows as much as users — if you have 20 users but only 2 high-value cross-team flows, Per Flow at $500 is often more cost-effective than 20 Per User licences at $300.
| Scenario | Per User cost | Per Flow cost | Better option |
| 5 users, 3 shared flows | $75/mo | $500/mo | Per User |
| 20 users, 2 shared flows | $300/mo | $500/mo | Per User (just) |
| 50 users, 3 shared flows | $750/mo | $500/mo | Per Flow |
| 100 users, 5 shared flows | $1,500/mo | $500/mo | Per Flow |
| 200 users, 8 shared flows | $3,000/mo | $800/mo | Per Flow |
Who it is right for
- Organisations deploying automation across entire departments or the whole company
- Shared approval workflows, HR processes, IT request flows used by dozens of people
- Any scenario where the number of users touched by a flow exceeds ~35
Plan 3: Power Automate Per User with Attended RPA — $40/user/month
This plan adds desktop automation (RPA) capability on top of the standard Per User plan. It is designed for scenarios where you need to automate tasks on a local machine, particularly useful for legacy systems that do not have APIs.
What RPA unlocks
- Power Automate Desktop: automate desktop applications, browsers, and legacy software
- Attended automation: a user is present and the robot assists them in real time
- Unattended automation: the robot runs independently without a user logged in (requires additional unattended bot licences)
Typical RPA use cases
- Copying data between a legacy ERP system and a newer platform
- Automating repetitive data entry in systems that have no API
- Processing downloaded files from external portals
- Screen-scraping data from supplier or government websites
Who it is right for
- Organisations with legacy systems that cannot be connected via API
- Finance, operations, and HR teams doing repetitive desktop data work
- Companies wanting to automate without modernising underlying systems
Plan 4: Pay-As-You-Go
Pay-as-you-go billing was introduced to handle unpredictable or low-volume scenarios. Instead of a fixed monthly licence, you pay per flow run consumed against an Azure subscription.
- Useful for flows that run infrequently or in highly variable volumes
- Useful during development and testing before committing to a plan
- Can become expensive if volumes are high, model your expected run counts before committing
What is Included in Every Microsoft 365 Licence (and What is Not)
If your organisation has Microsoft 365 (Business or Enterprise), your users already have access to a version of Power Automate. This seeded licence allows flows using standard connectors – Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, Excel, and Forms.
The moment you need to connect to anything outside that list: Dataverse, SQL Server, Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP, or any third-party app requiring a premium connector, the M365 seeded licence stops working, and you need a paid plan.
This catches organisations by surprise more than any other licensing issue. A flow works fine in testing using SharePoint, then someone adds a Dataverse lookup and it breaks for everyone who doesn’t have a premium licence.
Which Plan Is Right for Your Organisation?
Answer these three questions:
- How many people will trigger or be part of your flows? Under 20 active users across all shared flows: start with Per User. Over 35 users consistently touching shared flows: Per Flow is almost always cheaper.
- Do you need to automate desktop applications or legacy systems? If yes, you need the Per User + RPA plan at $40/user/month.
- Do you need premium connectors? If yes, the free M365-included licence is not sufficient and you need a paid plan.
| Per User | Best starting point for individuals and small teams. $15/user/month. Add RPA at $40/user/month if you need desktop automation. |
| Per Flow | Best for cross-team or company-wide flows with many users. $500/month covers 5 flows for your entire organisation. |
| M365 Only | Fine for basic personal automation using SharePoint, Outlook, Teams. Not suitable for anything requiring premium connectors. |
Conclusion
Choosing the right Power Automate license can significantly impact your organisation’s ability to automate workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and scale operations. Understanding the different plans available helps ensure that you invest in the best solution for your team’s needs and budget.
If you’re exploring options and want to speak to an expert about which solution is right for your organisation, then get in touch with our Power Automate Consultants to help guide you through the selection process.
