Microsoft Power Automate vs. Microsoft Power BI

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Power Automate
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Power Automate is an advanced automation platform offering a range of features, including AI-powered automation, robotic process automation (RPA), business process automation (BPA), digital process automation (DPA), and process/task mining. The platform aims to empower organizations to securely automate their operations at scale by leveraging low-code and AI technologies.
$15
per month per user
Microsoft Power BI
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Power BI is a visualization and data discovery tool from Microsoft. It allows users to convert data into visuals and graphics, visually explore and analyze data, collaborate on interactive dashboards and reports, and scale across their organization with built-in governance and security.
$10
per month per user
Pricing
Microsoft Power AutomateMicrosoft Power BI
Editions & Modules
Power Automate Premium
$15
per month per user
Power Automate Process
$150
per month per bot
Hosted RPA add-on
$215
per month per bot
Process Mining add-on
$5,000
per month per tenant
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Power AutomateMicrosoft Power BI
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Power AutomateMicrosoft Power BI
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Power Automate
Chose Microsoft Power Automate
Power Automate can do many things that most platforms can't do as a 'citizen-developer' with no access to coding tools and deployment. It allows you to develop and deploy low/no-cost automation flows quickly. The blocks in Powert Automate do the API work for you, where you only …
Chose Microsoft Power Automate
The tools competing with Microsoft flow have interesting features, but they fail when you need to use resources located internally in the company, such as databases and network file repositories, in your flow, in addition, the security, permissions, and authentication part is …
Chose Microsoft Power Automate
I have only used Microsoft Power Automate as our organization is using microsoft ecosystem and i can access its features easily. With new features it is sufficient enough for my use as if now. I would recommend it for those who are in microsoft ecosystem to use it is capable …
Chose Microsoft Power Automate
We are a full Microsoft Stack user. We use Power Apps for custom applications, Power BI for data analytics, Teams for communication and this software to tie all our solutions together. Microsoft Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) has connectors into most, if not all, of …
Chose Microsoft Power Automate
In my opinion [Microsoft Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow)] is heads and shoulders above Nintex. It was much easier to learn to use and had a much cleaner UI. Nintex and Power Automate both had connections to a lot of platforms but since we used a majority of Microsoft …
Chose Microsoft Power Automate
Microsoft Power Automate is worlds ahead of Zapier in so many ways. The looping, DOM access, and flow controls are much better. I feel that accessing different data within previous connectors used in a flow is much easier in Microsoft Power Automate as well.

The custom …
Chose Microsoft Power Automate
Microsoft Power Automate is the platform we can say very user friendly You need not to know the coding and programme you just need to enter the flow you wanted and you are set . You no need lengthy program and eventually no time is required. Very productive tool we are using …
Chose Microsoft Power Automate
The only other similar product I have used is Excel with advanced formular and macros, PA is by far more superior and easier for the laymen
Microsoft Power BI
Chose Microsoft Power BI
All others apps are enablers and Microsoft Power BI is the visual that end user sees which often adds more value to the end user to make strategic decisions from this. All are equally great but Microsoft Power BI is the end result
Chose Microsoft Power BI
Qlik also builds dashboards upon your data. It's more expensive as Microsoft Power BI and needs as much training as Microsoft Power BI
Chose Microsoft Power BI
Due to microsoft user and all the data into excel it was found more feasible from the organization to get Microsoft Power BI. Also due to access of microsoft licence we don't need to survey other vendors and feasibility. Also price wise it was more competitive then Tableau.
Chose Microsoft Power BI
Power BI is a lot more versatile. I describe it to people as you can go as deep as you want/need to. This is somewhat of a pain point because sometimes I feel like I have to be a coder in order to accomplish something complex but most of the time it is incredibly user friendly …
Features
Microsoft Power AutomateMicrosoft Power BI
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power Automate
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
8.3
196 Ratings
2% above category average
Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings8.3167 Ratings
Customizable dashboards00 Ratings8.7195 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings8.0178 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power Automate
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
194 Ratings
0% below category average
Drill-down analysis00 Ratings8.3191 Ratings
Formatting capabilities00 Ratings7.8191 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings7.4143 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.4189 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power Automate
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
187 Ratings
2% below category average
Publish to Web00 Ratings8.2177 Ratings
Publish to PDF00 Ratings8.1172 Ratings
Report Versioning00 Ratings7.7144 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.2147 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings7.9110 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power Automate
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
187 Ratings
2% below category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings8.2181 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings8.1166 Ratings
Predictive Analytics00 Ratings7.4136 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings7.437 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power Automate
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
8.5
178 Ratings
0% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings8.7168 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.4146 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.4158 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings8.347 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings8.6140 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power Automate
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
8.0
160 Ratings
3% above category average
Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings7.7150 Ratings
Mobile Application00 Ratings7.6131 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings7.9153 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power Automate
-
Ratings
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
115 Ratings
1% above category average
REST API00 Ratings8.1103 Ratings
Javascript API00 Ratings7.684 Ratings
iFrames00 Ratings8.055 Ratings
Java API00 Ratings7.068 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings7.690 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings8.444 Ratings
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Microsoft Power AutomateMicrosoft Power BI
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Score 9.2 out of 10
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Score 10.0 out of 10
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User Ratings
Microsoft Power AutomateMicrosoft Power BI
Likelihood to Recommend
7.8
(81 ratings)
8.5
(197 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(9 ratings)
9.5
(3 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(7 ratings)
8.3
(113 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(12 ratings)
10.0
(52 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.9
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.9
(37 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Power AutomateMicrosoft Power BI
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
If you are in a team that needs to develop automated solutions but have no coding experience and no access to a developer, Power Automate is one of the best places to start. It is incredibly flexible and likely has triggers and actions that can connect with your platforms, especially if you use the Microsoft stack. Additionally, using webhooks, you can connect to many different endpoints to get systems working together.
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Microsoft
Has significantly improved collation of data and visualisation especially with business across Europe. Has given me the ability to see the Site availability at the click of a button to see which Site is in the "money" and seize opportunities based on Market data
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Sending confirmation email to clients and user once the flow is triggered.
  • Fetching or Dumping files from one location to another if the flow is triggered.
  • Schedule flow helps to send alerts and triggers the flow at a specific interval of time to carry out the required task.
  • Power Automate also be used to convert any file format to a specific file format and save it to the required location
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Options for data source connections are immense. Not just which sources, but your options for *how* the data is brought in.
  • Constant updates (this is both good and bad at times).
  • User friendliness. I can get the data connections set up and draft some quick visuals, then release to the target audience and let them expand on it how they want to.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • I REALLY wish I could just drop in a block of python or PowerShell code sometimes. The visual low-code things are great for moving around data but sometimes it would be faster if I could just tap out some code.
  • The DOM (Document Object Model) is not entirely apparent and takes a lot of trial and error, and sometimes it's even different between different connectors. I would love to be able to just see the path to access some specific variables from earlier processes.
Read full review
Microsoft
  • It would be easier for users could Microsoft Power BI and Excel used the same programming languages.
  • Would like to see the online version of Microsoft Power BI be as powerful as the desktop version.
  • Publishing a Microsoft Power BI file online and then having to save the file is somewhat redundant.
  • Would like to export each page or chart as an image.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
The tool is very useful when used with its various native connectors, taking great advantage of the integration between the components and systems of the Office365 universe. However, its cost is still high, and automation using more advanced components containing AI resources becomes unfeasible for some companies. Due to the financial crisis that many companies are currently experiencing, investment in automation systems or tools is taking a back seat.
Read full review
Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI is an excellent and scalable tool. It has a learning curve, but once you get past that, the sky is the limit and you can build from the most simple to the most complex dashboards. I have built everything from simple reports with only a few data points to complex reports with many pages and advanced filtering.
Read full review
Usability
Microsoft
Power Automate features a clean and intuitive user interface that allows users to create, manage, and monitor workflows easily. The UI is designed to be accessible to both technical and non-technical users, with drag-and-drop functionality for building workflows. Power Automate supports integration with a wide range of Microsoft and third-party applications. This flexibility in integration allows users to automate workflows across various systems, enhancing overall productivity and efficiency.
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Microsoft
Automating reporting has reduced manual data processing by 50-70%, freeing up analysts for higher-value tasks. A finance team that previously spent 20+ hours per week on Excel-based reports now does it in minutes with Microsoft Power BI's automated Real-time dashboards have shortened decision cycles by 30-40%, enabling leadership to react quickly to sales trends, operational bottlenecks, and customer behavior.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
both Community support and Microsoft official support typically respond to (and resolve) reported issues in a VERY expedient manner, usually going above and beyond for education and bugfixing. I have been thoroughly impressed with the level of support I had been provided in the past.
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Microsoft
It is a fantastic tool, you can do almost everything related with data and reports, it is a perfect substitutive of Power Point and Excel with a high evolution and flexibility, and also it is very friendly and easy to share. I think all companies should have Power BI (or other BI tool) in their software package and if they are in the MS Suite, for sure Power BI should be the one due to all the benefits of the MS ecosystem.
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In-Person Training
Microsoft
after reviewing the main features of Power Automate, the Microsoft trainer focused on some of our real life use cases implementation, from simple to more advanced.
Read full review
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Microsoft
although it was productive, it is more difficult to stay focused and in a 7 hours a day online training (including screen share issues and the fact that the trainer just can't precisely show the exact location of your mistake)
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Microsoft
I was part of the migration of classic SharePoint workflows and Nintex workflows. We didn't spend much time learning the new platform because of its user-friendly interface and intuitive drag-and-drop functionality. We have mostly O365 E1 and E3 licensed users, so they can participate in our Citizen Development program and utilize Power Automate to build day-to-day business processes.
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Microsoft
It was integrated with our erp easily and was accessible on cloud.
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
I have many years of experience with Nintex applications and it stands up very well against Microsoft Power Automate. I hope Microsoft Power Automate can become the better workflow application. With the Integrated AI builder and continuous updates I expect they can become the better one in a few years.
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Microsoft
Microsoft Power BI is free. If I didn't want to create a custom platform (i.e. my organization insisted on an existing platform that I *had* to use), I'd use Microsoft Power BI. For any start-up or SMB, I'd just use Claude & Grok to build it quickly, also for free. Would not pay for Tableau or Sigma anymore. Not worth it at all.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Microsoft
I have not done any participations
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Microsoft
Microsoft's professional services provide hands-on support throughout the implementation lifecycle of Power Automate.This includes initial setup, configuration, integration with existing systems, testing, and deployment. They ensure that workflows are correctly designed, optimized for performance, and aligned with security best practices.
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Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • It has encouraged everyday users to get a feel for low code no code without the detailed technical programmings skills
  • This has encouraged the use of Power Automate to replace what was once an excel filled with complex macros and VBA!
  • It has significantly saved time for someone like myself from chasing people for information and now I can create an auto alert using PA
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Power BI usage reduced the effort of analytical reports creation by about 80%
  • Empowered all the level of employee to be more vigilant of the data and business insights, gained the profit of 8% overall.
  • AI-powered predictive analytics improved forecasting accuracy by 17%, that topped the overall sales.
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ScreenShots

Microsoft Power Automate Screenshots

Screenshot of Microsoft Power Automate (Interface Screenshot) - Work Queues, Initial pageScreenshot of Microsoft Power Automate (Interface Screenshot) - Signed-in web portal home pageScreenshot of Microsoft Power Automate (Interface Screenshot) - Signed-in web portal create pageScreenshot of Microsoft Power Automate (Interface Screenshot) - Desktop designerScreenshot of Microsoft Power Automate (Interface Screenshot) - Hosted RPAScreenshot of Microsoft Power Automate (Interface Screenshot) - Display of DLP violations (on Run)

Microsoft Power BI Screenshots

Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Turns insights into impact for business usersScreenshot of Power BI integrates easily with Microsoft 365Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - AI-Powered CapabilitiesScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Copilot can be used to create reportsScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Data HubScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Scales as organizational needs grow