What is Power Automate? And what can an SME do with it?
Power Automate is the workflow tool that ships with Microsoft 365, so chances are you already pay for it. Here is what it does, what it costs, and which flows save Belgian SMEs hours every week.
What exactly is Power Automate?
Power Automate is Microsoft's automation platform. You build flows: when this happens, do that. When an invoice arrives by mail, save the attachment to SharePoint and notify accounting in Teams. When a customer fills in a form, create a task in Planner and send a confirmation. No code needed for the basics; real discipline needed for flows that keep running reliably.
It comes in three flavours:
- Cloud flows: connect online services (Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, your CRM) through ready-made connectors. This covers 90% of what SMEs need.
- Power Automate Desktop (RPA): automates clicking and typing on the PC itself, useful for legacy software without an API.
- AI Builder and Copilot: AI steps inside flows, such as extracting data from invoices or classifying mail. See also our page on Copilot integration.
What does Power Automate cost?
- Included in Microsoft 365: standard connectors and basic flows ship with most business plans.
- Premium: from roughly €15 per user per month for premium connectors (SQL, HTTP, many CRMs) and attended RPA.
- Process licences: for flows that run as a company-wide "robot", from roughly €140 per process per month.
The real cost is rarely the licence. It is build and maintenance: a flow that silently stops costs more than it saves. Treat error handling, alerts and documentation as part of every build, not as an option.
Five flows that pay back immediately
- Invoice processing: attachment from mail, data extracted with AI Builder, booked as draft in your accounting tool.
- Approvals: quotes and leave requests that collect their own signatures in Teams.
- Intake to planning: a web form or mail becomes an appointment, a task and a confirmation automatically.
- Document filing: contracts named and archived correctly in SharePoint, without "final_v3_REAL.pdf".
- Weekly reporting: figures from multiple sources ready every Monday at 07:00 instead of Friday-afternoon copy-paste.
Power Automate, n8n or Zapier?
| Power Automate | n8n | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Everything inside Microsoft 365 | Flexibility, AI, self-hosting | Fast simple links |
| Cost at scale | Per-user licences | Low (open source) | Adds up quickly |
| Best for | Microsoft organisations | Custom work and data control | Two-step zaps |
In doubt? Read our guide on n8n for Belgian SMEs, or ask us to advise per use-case.
Build it yourself or bring in help?
DIY works fine for simple flows: pick one process, build the happy path, run it next to the manual process for two weeks. Once it becomes business-critical, a partner pays off. MODUS builds Power Automate flows at fixed prices: first flow live from €3.999, ongoing care from €495 per month. More on our Power Automate consultant page (Dutch).
Frequently asked questions
Is Power Automate free?
A basic version is included in most Microsoft 365 business plans. Premium connectors, RPA and AI Builder require an add-on licence from roughly €15 per user per month.
What is the difference with Power Automate Desktop?
Cloud flows connect online services through APIs. Power Automate Desktop automates actions on the PC itself, for legacy software without an API.
Power Automate or n8n?
Microsoft organisation: Power Automate. Flexible integrations, AI steps or self-hosting: n8n. We build with both.
How do I get started?
Pick one repetitive process with a clear trigger, build the happy path first, spend equal time on error handling. Or start with a Quick Scan.
Want to know which process in your 365 environment pays back most?
Book a Quick Scan · €1,199