RPA Comparison – Microsoft Power Automate vs UiPath

Though Microsoft needs no introduction, its Power Automate was introduced at Ignite 2019. Power Automate is actually a rebranding and extension of Microsoft Flow, which was a component of SharePoint. Flow, a SaaS offering for automation, was first introduced in 2016 and was mainly used in the Microsoft ecosystem, i.e. automating routing of outlook email and responses. In 2019 Microsoft expanded Flow with more external connectors, added AI features and in general built out an automation product under the PowerApps platform. In May 2020, Microsoft acquired Softmotive and incorporated the desktop functionality and backend workflows from that product.

When we first wrote this blog in early 2020, UiPath was a proven RPA option in the cloud and desktop platforms for both developers and business users. Power Automate was still primarily a cloud-based developer tool. In the last few years Power Automate has released many updates in the areas of desktop functionality for its Citizen Developers, including capturing on-screen variables via connectors and an improved training courses library. 

For multiple years, Gartner has recognized both UiPath and Microsoft as leaders in the Automation market. However, recent evolution of the tools has resulted in 2 different pathways for these leaders.

UiPath has continued to improve their Automation platform, incorporating AI into the developer process and in the forms of Intelligent Document Processing, Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, and robot agents or Agentic AI. For developers, their platform is flexible, easy to use and able to handle complex automations on prem or in the cloud. UiPath is a strong contender as one of the best tools in the market. However, price increases have made it more difficult for UiPath to be affordable for the small business market.

Microsoft has also expanded their power platform by incorporating AI through Co-Pilot and ChatGPT integration. Their pricing is much more affordable and offered at a monthly cost. One of their strongest features is their Cloud Flows capability, which offers seamless integration with a wide range of services through hundreds of pre-built connectors. However, their power platform does not easily support complex automations. The tool best fits for desktop automation scenarios where the processes involve limited or basic UI interaction, steps that do not require complex logic or heavy data manipulations. The Microsoft Power Platform caters more to the Citizen Developer who builds automations which tend to be task based than process based.

To understand the comparisons on a feature by feature basis, please see the following table.

Below is a comparison of features/functions used in
UiPath and Microsoft Power Automate Desktop (PAD)

Summary of Automation Tool Comparison

Microsoft Power Automate is a powerful automation tool for use with cloud flows integrating with different connectors. It is quickly becoming more diverse in its offerings for business user functionality. There are key areas in which Power Automate does not offer the same level of opportunity as UiPath:

• UI mapping is still based on the use of connectors which is not as flexible as an UiPath’s AI based screen selector when automating screen flows.
• Error logging is handled in subflows, outside of the automation script making debugging for developers more complicated. UiPath’s error handling is in-built.
• Power Automate works best with Azure; UiPath is cloud agnostic.
• Power Automate is meant to be a tool for highly technical business end users. The UI looks intuitive, however coding the automation to completion still requires technical skills which are typically developer level. Developers are definitely needed for more complex automations.
• Power Automate does not support flowcharts, variable scoping (all variables / arguments are globally declared), no branching available.

Although UiPath is still ranked as the leading Automation product by Gartner, UiPath could use some improvements also:

• When functionality or specialized activity is deprecated, UiPath does not always communicate or provide alternative functionality as a replacement. Developers must rely on their own resources or monitor the community forum to determine the best alternate solution.
• For UiPath, the initial investment to begin using the tool is heavier. The average cost of implementation is roughly $60k- $150k to start for a medium – enterprise sized business. Power Automate pricing is much more competitive, making this a strong option for businesses new to the automation world. Depending on the configuration, Power Automate can be 40-50% of the cost of UiPath.

Both platforms are strong contenders in the Automation space. Therefore, the most essential element to be used in deciding on a platform is the use case. For scalability and the ability to develop complex automations more easily, UiPath is a terrific tool. For task-based automation at a lower cost, Microsoft is a great fit.

Still have questions about Automation costs?

All business environments are unique, so it is important to realize that pricing varies based on your usage of robots and the platform. For instance, many companies have a mix of on-premise and cloud environmental needs. We can help you determine the cost of implementing Automation with a free consultation. Contact us today to get started!