n8n vs Microsoft Power Automate
n8n and Microsoft Power Automate are both workflow automation tools. n8n is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Microsoft Power Automate is aimed at small businesses and enterprise. Only n8n has a free plan.
Source-available workflow automation you can self-host
Microsoft's workflow automation and RPA platform for Microsoft 365
| Pricing | Open source | Paid · $15 |
| Starting price | Not published | $15/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 30 days |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses | Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web, windows, ios, android |
| Country | DE · 2019 | US · 2016 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose n8n if
Technical teams and developers who want powerful, affordable automation and are comfortable with Docker or a cloud plan.
- Self-host for free with unlimited runs
- Per-execution cloud pricing is far cheaper than per-task
- Strongest AI/agent tooling among automation platforms
Look elsewhere if: Non-technical users who want plug-and-play templates and premium support; Zapier or Make fit better.
Choose Microsoft Power Automate if
Organizations standardized on Microsoft 365 that need governed workflow automation and desktop RPA for legacy apps.
- Deep native integration with Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint and Dynamics
- Many Microsoft 365 licences already include standard connector flows
- Combines API automation and desktop RPA in one platform
Look elsewhere if: Small teams on mostly non-Microsoft SaaS apps who want quick, simple automations (Zapier, Make, n8n).
n8n vs Microsoft Power Automate pricing
n8n
- Community (self-hosted)€0Self-hosted on your own server; fair-code license
- Starter (Cloud)€24/mo€20/mo billed annually; 2,500 executions, 1 shared project
- Pro (Cloud)€60/mo€50/mo billed annually; 10,000 executions, 3 shared projects
- Business (self-hosted)€800/mo€667/mo billed annually; 40,000 executions, SSO, LDAP
- EnterpriseCustomCloud or self-hosted, unlimited projects, 200+ concurrency
Microsoft Power Automate
- Premium$15/user/moBilled yearly; cloud flows, attended desktop RPA, process mining
- Process$150/bot/moBilled yearly; unattended desktop flows for one bot
- Hosted Process$215/bot/moBilled yearly; adds a Microsoft-hosted virtual machine
- Process Mining add-on$5,000/tenant/moBilled yearly; requires Premium, 100 GB data storage
n8n · Key features
- Visual node editor with branching, loops, merge and error handling
- 400+ native integrations plus generic HTTP and webhook nodes
- Code nodes in JavaScript and Python
- AI agent nodes with LangChain, vector stores and memory
- Self-hosting with Docker or npm; queue mode for scale
- Credentials management, versioning and environments (Enterprise)
Cons
- Steeper learning curve than Zapier
- Fewer and sometimes less polished integrations
- Self-hosting means you maintain uptime and updates
Microsoft Power Automate · Key features
- Cloud flows triggered by events, schedules or buttons across 1,000+ connectors
- Desktop flows that automate Windows apps and websites through RPA
- Attended bots on user PCs and unattended bots on VMs
- Copilot that drafts flows from a plain-language description
- Approvals built into Teams, Outlook and the mobile app
- Process and task mining to find bottlenecks before automating
Cons
- Licensing is confusing, with premium connectors and per-bot charges
- Designer is slower and less intuitive than Zapier or Make
- Error messages and debugging can be hard for non-developers
n8n vs Microsoft Power Automate: FAQ
Do n8n and Microsoft Power Automate have a free plan?
n8n has a free plan. Microsoft Power Automate has no free plan, a 30-day free trial.