In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
Use Power Automate for workflows that stay inside Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Excel): it is included in your licence. Use Zapier when the workflow centres on non-Microsoft apps like Shopify, Xero or a CRM, where Power Automate would need Premium at US$15 per user a month.
Power Automate vs Zapier at a glance
Both tools follow the same idea: when something happens in one app (a trigger), do something in another (actions). The difference is which apps they connect to cheaply and who they are built for.
Power Automate
Included with Microsoft 365US$0 extra (standard connectors); Premium US$15/user/mo
- Deep Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Excel triggers
- Uses your existing Microsoft 365 sign-in and permissions
- Desktop flows can automate Windows apps (Premium for attended RPA)
- Admins can set data loss prevention rules on connectors
- Editor is more technical; expressions take practice
Best for: Workflows that stay inside Microsoft 365.
Zapier
Widest app catalogueFree (100 tasks); Professional from US$19.99/mo
- Thousands of app integrations, including small SaaS tools
- Easier editor for non-technical staff
- Pricing by tasks, so busy workflows cost more
- Microsoft 365 apps supported, but fewer triggers than Power Automate
- Team plan adds shared connections and SAML SSO
Best for: Workflows centred on Shopify, Xero, CRMs and other non-Microsoft apps.
Prices from Microsoft's Power Automate pricing page and Zapier pricing, checked October 2026, in USD before GST.
What Microsoft 365 already includes
Microsoft's Power Automate licensing page says Microsoft 365 licences include "a limited set of Power Automate capabilities". In practice that means cloud flows using standard connectors: Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Excel Online, Planner, Forms and many others.
- Save email attachments from a supplier to a SharePoint folder.
- Post a Teams message when a Microsoft Form is submitted.
- Send an approval request to a manager and record the result in a SharePoint list.
- Copy new rows from an Excel table into a Planner task.
- Send a weekly reminder email from a shared mailbox.
All of these run on the licence you already pay for. Our guide to saving email attachments automatically builds the first one step by step.
Zapier pricing: tasks, not users
Zapier charges by tasks. Its pricing page says every step in a Zap and every external connector call uses tasks, and that AI steps and code now follow the same task model. Tasks are pooled across your account.
| Zapier plan | Price, billed yearly | Price, billed monthly | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | US$0 | US$0 | 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps |
| Professional | From US$19.99/mo | From US$29.99/mo | Multi-step Zaps, premium apps, webhooks |
| Team | From US$69/mo | From US$103.50/mo | 25 users, shared Zaps and connections, SAML SSO |
If you hit your task limit, Zapier says you are switched to pay-as-you-go unless you turn that off. Set a limit, or a busy workflow can raise the bill. For a fuller cost comparison with Make and n8n, see our Zapier vs Make guide.
Desktop automation, governance and security
Power Automate can also automate desktop apps on Windows ("desktop flows" or RPA), for example copying data from an old accounting program that has no API. Attended desktop flows need Premium; unattended ones need the Process plan. Zapier doesn't automate desktop software.
Governance matters once more than one person builds automations. In Power Automate, admins can set data loss prevention policies that stop flows mixing business connectors with personal ones. In Zapier, the Team plan adds shared connections and SAML SSO, so automations don't live in one employee's personal account.
Automation governance basics
Which suits which workflow
You don't have to pick one. A common pattern is Power Automate for everything inside Microsoft 365 and Zapier (or Make) for the few workflows that start in Shopify, a booking tool or a CRM.
Choose Power Automate if
- The trigger and actions are all Microsoft 365 apps
- You need approvals inside Teams or Outlook
- You want to avoid another subscription
- Your IT admin wants central control in the Microsoft admin centre
Choose Zapier if
- The workflow starts in Shopify, Xero, Stripe, HubSpot or a form tool
- Non-technical staff will build and maintain it
- Only one or two people need it, so per-task pricing is cheap
- Power Automate would need Premium licences for several users
If you use Google Workspace instead, Apps Script fills the same role as Power Automate; see our Google Sheets Apps Script guide.
Do it yourself or get help?
Simple flows, such as saving attachments or posting a Teams message, are good first projects in Power Automate. Get help when a flow touches money or customer data, needs Premium licensing decisions, or must keep running after the person who built it leaves.
Our Workflow Automation service (S$390 per workflow) builds one documented workflow on Power Automate, Zapier or Make, on accounts you own, with error alerts and a handover note. Our automation cost guide shows typical tool and build costs.
Frequently asked questions
Partly. Microsoft 365 business plans include Power Automate cloud flows that use standard connectors such as Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and Excel Online. Premium connectors, custom connectors and attended desktop flows need Power Automate Premium, listed at US$15 per user a month on an annual plan before GST as of October 2026.
It depends on volume and users. Zapier Professional starts at US$19.99 a month billed yearly for the whole account, priced by tasks. Power Automate Premium is US$15 per user a month, but standard flows are already included in Microsoft 365. For low-volume workflows with non-Microsoft apps used by one person, Zapier is often cheaper.
Yes. Zapier has integrations for Microsoft Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams and Excel. They cover common triggers and actions, but Power Automate usually offers more Microsoft-specific options, such as approvals in Teams and detailed SharePoint triggers, and doesn't count tasks against a plan.
A Premium connector is one that Microsoft only allows with a Power Automate Premium or Process licence. Generic connectors like HTTP and SQL Server and connectors to many non-Microsoft business apps are Premium. The flow designer marks them with a Premium label, so check before building.
Yes, and many small businesses do. Keep Microsoft 365 internal workflows in Power Automate, where they are included in your licence, and use Zapier for the few that start in outside apps like Shopify or a CRM. Keep one list of all automations, their owners and the data they move.