UiPath vs Power Automate

Which Robotic Process Automation Tool is Best for You?

There are many RPA platforms out there that can automate your repetitive, manual tasks. In this article, one of our RPA experts compares the two most prevalent in 2025, UiPath and Power Automate.

Implementing robotic process automation (RPA) into your organization is an important step when digitally transforming a business. This decision includes choosing an RPA platform to facilitate automations. There are many platforms on the market that can make it seem daunting to choose the best fit for you.

Smartbridge has experience automating with several top RPA platforms and seeks to provide an unbiased view. We will compare and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of two popular, leading RPA platforms: UiPath vs Power Automate by Microsoft.

UiPath vs Power Automate
UiPath vs Power Automate

UiPath

UiPath continues to be a market leader with a deep and flexible platform. Its automation cloud, strong AI integrations, and robust governance tools make it a strong choice for enterprises.

PROS:

  • Analyzer and debugging tools support enterprise-grade automation lifecycle management.
  • Large library of activities, extensible with custom packages and third-party components.
  • Allows inline VB/C#/Python scripting for flexibility.
  • UiPath Automation Cloud and AI Center bring native AI and LLM support.
  • Strong DevOps, governance, and CI/CD support via GitHub and Azure DevOps.

uipath vs power automate
Video courtesy of UiPath

The UiPath platform does have its share of drawbacks. Pricing for RPA can often be confusing, and the initial investments are high. That being said, UiPath is not an exception.

CONS:

  • Licensing is still complex despite recent consolidation under Unified RPA plans.
  • Some legacy libraries are deprecated without backward compatibility.
  • Higher learning curve for non-developers compared to Power Automate.

UiPath vs Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft Power Automate has evolved significantly since its RPA debut. Integration with Microsoft 365, Azure OpenAI, and Copilot Studio makes it a compelling automation and AI platform.

PROS:

  • Power Automate Desktop (PAD) is still free for Windows users in attended mode.

  • Modern, intuitive UI with integrated Copilot for automation generation and debugging.
  • Seamless integration with Microsoft ecosystem (Teams, Excel, SharePoint, Outlook).

  • Improved support for DevOps and Git repositories.
  • Unified licensing with Power Automate Premium includes cloud flows, Dataverse, and AI tools.

Microsoft Power Automate vs UiPath - User Interface of Power Automate

Power Automate is a relative newcomer to RPA, launched in 2016 and rebranded from Microsoft Flow in 2019. This coupled with the acquisition of Softomotive in 2020 means Microsoft has only been in this market a short time. The maturity of the software shows in a few areas.

CONS:

  • Connectors, which are amazing for speeding up automations, are only available for online flows.

  • Activities in PAD don’t always work as expected, needing work arounds for tasks that can be accomplished more easily on another platform.

  • Similarly, many standard .Net class and variable types are not present on PAD, which is disappointing for a Microsoft product.

  • The biggest weakness of PAD is its selectors for UI automation. We found that the tool’s selectors can be unreliable and hard to tweak.

  • Lastly, being a new tool there is much less documentation and support available. Microsoft provides training for their product, but it is not well structured and could be more thorough.

UiPath vs Power Automate

When to Choose Which

Use Case: Web Automation

Use UiPath if precision and reliability are critical for complex browser automations (e.g., dynamic table scraping, JavaScript apps). Power Automate’s web recorder is improving but not on par.

Use Case: Marketing Automation

Power Automate excels due to pre-built templates for Teams, Outlook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Easy to use, great for citizen developers.

Use Case: AI-Enhanced Workflows

Power Automate now includes Copilot Studio, a full low-code GPT-based chatbot builder. UiPath has AI Center and supports GenAI via connectors and Python integration.

Licensing Summary

FEATUREUiPathPower Automate
Desktop RPAPaid (Unattended); StudioX for citizen devsFree (Attended), Unattended = Premium
Cloud AutomationIncluded with Orchestrator / Automation CloudRequires Premium plan
AI FeaturesAI Center, GenAI IntegrationsAI Builder, Azure OpenAI, Copilot Studio
Licensing SimplicityStill complex, but improvedEasier with unified Premium license
Best For…Complex, scalable enterprise automationMicrosoft ecosystem & citizen devs

When it comes to licensing costs and the complexity of obtaining a license, there are many variances between the two platforms. The price and complexity depend on the process that needs to be automated and if the bot is attended/unattended.

Side by side the two platforms have a lot going for both with their own set of drawbacks. There is no clear winner to pick because they excel at very different things. The truth is, like many software and infrastructure decisions the best option is what suits your business needs.

UiPath is a tried and tested platform that has the capability to automate more difficult tasks than other platforms. Its debugging and rule enforcement features make automations dependable.

Microsoft’s Power Automate is easier to use for people without coding experience, inexpensive to start, and its built-in connections with Microsoft products and other software make it perfect for a wide market.

Final Summary

Both platforms have matured, but your choice depends on:

Enterprise scale and complexity? → Go with UiPath.

Tight Microsoft 365 integration or non-dev audience? → Go with Power Automate.

UiPath vs Power Automate

Smartbridge continues to support multiple platforms to ensure clients get what’s best suited to their infrastructure, skillset, and budget.

Need help deciding? Contact Smartbridge or book an meeting on our calendar.

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