When a company already runs on Microsoft 365, the same question comes up: why add another tool when Power Automate is right there in the app launcher? The answer depends less on features than on two licensing details few people read: which connectors are included, and how many actions you get per day.
I already compared n8n with Make and Zapier in n8n vs Make vs Zapier. This case is different: you already pay Microsoft and want to know whether that is enough. I mostly build on n8n, and I say so up front so you can read this with my bias in mind. The figures come from Microsoft's and n8n's official pages, checked on October 17, 2026, with links at the end.
Is Power Automate included in Microsoft 365?
Partly. Microsoft calls these "seeded" licenses: a Microsoft 365 subscription grants limited Power Automate rights. According to Microsoft Learn (updated September 22, 2026), a Microsoft 365 user can:
- create and run cloud flows with standard connectors: Office 365 Outlook, Excel Online (Business), SharePoint, and also Gmail or Google Calendar, which are on the official standard connector list;
- within a limit of 6,000 actions per day per user.
What a Microsoft 365 license does not include: premium connectors (Salesforce or SQL Server, for example), custom connectors (to plug in an API with no ready-made connector), and desktop automation (RPA, which drives software installed on a Windows PC by mimicking mouse and keyboard).
Beyond that, Microsoft sells separate licenses. On the French pricing page, checked on October 17, 2026 (prices in euros, excluding VAT):
- Power Automate Premium: €13.00 per user per month, annual commitment. Premium and custom connectors, attended RPA, 40,000 actions per day per user.
- Power Automate Process: €130.00 per bot per month, annual commitment. This license is assigned to a flow or a machine that runs with nobody at the keyboard.
Prices differ by country: check the Microsoft pricing page for your region.
The classic trap. A flow built on the Microsoft 365 license works fine until someone adds a premium connector. From then on, each person who owns or runs the flow needs a suitable paid license. Look for the "Premium" tag on every connector before you build.
n8n vs Power Automate: what are the practical differences?
The table sums up what I read on the official pages on October 17, 2026. Prices change often: check them again before you commit.
| Criterion | Power Automate | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | Included in Microsoft 365 (standard connectors) | Free when self-hosted (Community edition), or cloud from €20 per month billed annually |
| Billing model | Per user or per bot, with a daily action cap | Per full workflow execution (cloud), whatever the number of steps |
| Non-Microsoft tools | Many connectors, but some are premium | Ready-made nodes for many tools, plus an HTTP node for any API |
| Software installed on a PC | Yes, with desktop RPA (right license needed) | No, n8n works through APIs |
| Where data lives | In your Microsoft environment | On your server, or in the EU (Frankfurt) for the cloud |
| Governance | Managed from the Microsoft admin center | Up to you (accounts, backups, updates) |
For n8n, the pricing page lists €20 per month (Starter, billed annually) for 2,500 executions and €50 per month (Pro) for 10,000. The docs state that without a license key, n8n runs as the free Community edition. Free does not mean zero cost: you need a server and someone to keep it updated.
What does the same automation look like in both tools?
Take a common case in a small firm: every purchase order received by email must end up as a row in a shared Excel table, and the account owner gets a Teams message.
In Power Automate
- Outlook trigger. "When a new email arrives", filtered on a folder or subject. On screen, you pick the mailbox and folder from drop-down lists.
- Add a row in Excel. The "Add a row into a table" action from the Excel Online (Business) connector. The file must contain a real Excel table (Insert > Table), or it will not show up in the list.
- Teams message. The "Post message" action in a channel or chat.
All three connectors are standard: this flow stays within the Microsoft 365 license. This is exactly where Power Automate feels most at home.
In n8n
- Microsoft connection. You create a Microsoft credential in n8n, which means registering an app in Microsoft Entra (the directory behind your Microsoft 365 account). This is the most technical step, and often the one where the account admin must give consent.
- Outlook, Excel and Teams nodes. n8n has Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Teams nodes. The flow is the same: email trigger, add row, message.
- The extra. You can add an AI step that reads the purchase order and pulls out the client, amount and date before writing the row.
On a simple case like this, Power Automate needs fewer settings because the Microsoft connection already exists. n8n becomes interesting when the flow leaves the Microsoft world, or when you want an AI step without paying a license per person.
When should you choose Power Automate?
- Your flows stay inside Microsoft: Outlook, Excel, SharePoint, Teams. The license is already paid for.
- You need to drive old software installed on a Windows PC that has no API. Power Automate's desktop RPA can do it with the right license. n8n cannot.
- Your IT team wants everything managed in one place, with the same accounts and security rules as the rest of Microsoft 365.
- Volumes are modest: a few flows, a few hundred actions a day.
When should you choose n8n?
- You connect many non-Microsoft tools (CRM, invoicing, online store, industry software) and several connectors would be premium on the Microsoft side.
- Several people trigger the flows. At Microsoft, premium rights are counted per user or per bot. On n8n cloud, you pay for executions, not seats.
- You want AI agents that read emails, summarize, sort or draft replies, with the model of your choice.
- You want to choose where data lives: on your own server, or in the EU with n8n cloud. I cover this in n8n and GDPR.
The two can also live side by side: Power Automate for small flows inside Microsoft, n8n for automations that cross several tools. That is often what I suggest when I map a company's tasks during an automation project.
What are the limits of each tool?
Power Automate:
- the line between standard and premium is not always intuitive, and it can change;
- with the free license, you cannot share flows: if the person who built a flow leaves, someone has to take it over;
- the cap of 6,000 actions per day per Microsoft 365 user is fine for simple flows, not for bulk processing.
n8n:
- connecting to Microsoft 365 requires an Entra setup, which some company security policies block;
- when self-hosted, backups, updates and server security are on you;
- no desktop software automation.
When should you change nothing? If you have two or three Power Automate flows that run well and stay inside Microsoft, moving them to n8n adds nothing. There is no export from one tool to the other: every flow would have to be rebuilt.
Sources checked on October 17, 2026
- Microsoft Learn, deep dive on Power Automate licenses (seeded Microsoft 365 licenses)
- Microsoft Learn, types of Power Automate licenses
- Microsoft, Power Automate pricing (France)
- Microsoft Learn, list of standard connectors
- n8n pricing page and self-hosting docs
Frequently asked questions
Is Power Automate free with Microsoft 365?
Partly. A Microsoft 365 license lets you create and run cloud flows with standard connectors, up to 6,000 actions per day per user. Premium connectors, custom connectors and RPA need a paid license.
How much does Power Automate Premium cost?
Microsoft's French pricing page showed €13.00 per user per month, excluding VAT, with an annual commitment, on October 17, 2026. The Process license, assigned to a flow or a machine, was €130.00 per bot per month. Prices vary by country.
Can n8n connect to Outlook and Excel?
Yes. n8n has Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Teams nodes. You first register an app in Microsoft Entra, which sometimes requires consent from your Microsoft 365 admin.
Does n8n replace Power Automate Desktop?
No. n8n works through APIs and does not drive software installed on a Windows PC. To automate old software with no API, Power Automate's RPA remains the right tool.
Can you use n8n and Power Automate together?
Yes, and it is often the right call: Power Automate for small flows inside Microsoft 365, n8n for automations that connect several tools or use AI.