n8n vs Power Automate
n8n and Power Automate are both automation options. n8n lists 6 features across 2 platforms; Power Automate lists 8 features across 2 platforms — see the full breakdown below, sourced from each vendor's own site rather than ratings or reviews.
Side-by-side summary
Best for n8n
Positioned for technical teams — IT Ops, Security Operations, DevOps, and Sales — who want to automate processes while retaining full visibility and control, including via self-hosting.
Best for Power Automate
Organizations already invested in Microsoft 365 and Azure that need to automate both cloud app workflows and legacy desktop processes with a single low-code platform.
Feature comparison
Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.
n8n
- Visual workflow builder with inline custom code
- Hundreds of pre-built app integrations plus custom API connections
- AI agent building with multi-agent setups and RAG support
- Step-by-step traceability of agent reasoning
- Human-in-the-loop approval steps
- Enterprise controls: SSO/SAML, audit logs, RBAC, Git-based deployment
Power Automate
- Cloud flows for connecting apps and services (DPA)
- Desktop flows for attended and unattended RPA on legacy systems
- Copilot for natural-language flow creation and editing
- AI Builder for document and image processing
- 1,400+ prebuilt, certified connectors including native Microsoft 365 integration
- Process mining and task mining to discover automation opportunities
- Managed Environments with governance and data-loss-prevention controls
- Mobile browser access to the Power Automate portal; approvals remain available through Microsoft Teams and Outlook after the standalone mobile app deprecation
Pros and cons
n8n
- Visual workflow builder with inline custom code
- Hundreds of pre-built app integrations plus custom API connections
- AI agent building with multi-agent setups and RAG support
- Step-by-step traceability of agent reasoning
- Human-in-the-loop approval steps
- Enterprise controls: SSO/SAML, audit logs, RBAC, Git-based deployment
- The free Community Edition is self-hosted, so infrastructure, maintenance, backups, and production operations are the user's responsibility.
- Hosted Starter is limited to 2,500 workflow executions and Pro to 10,000; higher execution needs move to more expensive plans or custom Enterprise terms.
Power Automate
- Cloud flows for connecting apps and services (DPA)
- Desktop flows for attended and unattended RPA on legacy systems
- Copilot for natural-language flow creation and editing
- AI Builder for document and image processing
- 1,400+ prebuilt, certified connectors including native Microsoft 365 integration
- Process mining and task mining to discover automation opportunities
- Managed Environments with governance and data-loss-prevention controls
- Mobile browser access to the Power Automate portal; approvals remain available through Microsoft Teams and Outlook after the standalone mobile app deprecation
- There is a 30-day trial but no permanent standalone free Power Automate plan on the current pricing page.
- Licensing differs by user, bot, hosted bot, and add-on; unattended scenarios can also require additional licenses for the software being automated, and flows remain subject to service/action limits.
Key differences
- n8n lists Visual workflow builder with inline custom code, Hundreds of pre-built app integrations plus custom API connections, AI agent building with multi-agent setups and RAG support, Step-by-step traceability of agent reasoning, Human-in-the-loop approval steps, Enterprise controls: SSO/SAML, audit logs, RBAC, Git-based deployment that Power Automate doesn't list.
- Power Automate lists Cloud flows for connecting apps and services (DPA), Desktop flows for attended and unattended RPA on legacy systems, Copilot for natural-language flow creation and editing, AI Builder for document and image processing, 1,400+ prebuilt, certified connectors including native Microsoft 365 integration, Process mining and task mining to discover automation opportunities, Managed Environments with governance and data-loss-prevention controls, Mobile browser access to the Power Automate portal; approvals remain available through Microsoft Teams and Outlook after the standalone mobile app deprecation that n8n doesn't list.
- n8n supports Web (n8n.cloud), Self-hosted via Docker, npm, or Kubernetes, which Power Automate doesn't list.
- Power Automate supports Web, Windows, which n8n doesn't list.
Choose n8n if…
Choose n8n if this fits: Positioned for technical teams — IT Ops, Security Operations, DevOps, and Sales — who want to automate processes while retaining full visibility and control, including via self-hosting. Compared with Power Automate specifically, n8n also offers Visual workflow builder with inline custom code, Hundreds of pre-built app integrations plus custom API connections, AI agent building with multi-agent setups and RAG support, and 3 more features that Power Automate doesn't list, plus Web (n8n.cloud), Self-hosted via Docker, npm, or Kubernetes support that Power Automate doesn't list.
Choose Power Automate if…
Choose Power Automate if this fits: Organizations already invested in Microsoft 365 and Azure that need to automate both cloud app workflows and legacy desktop processes with a single low-code platform. Compared with n8n specifically, Power Automate also offers Cloud flows for connecting apps and services (DPA), Desktop flows for attended and unattended RPA on legacy systems, Copilot for natural-language flow creation and editing, and 5 more features that n8n doesn't list, plus Web, Windows support that n8n doesn't list.
Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.
Power Automate sources
Last verified October 6, 2026
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate/pricing
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/powerapps-flow-licensing-faq
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/mobile/overview-mobile
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/important-changes-coming
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