Workflow automation · Comparison
n8n Cloud vs Power Automate
2 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | n8n Cloud | Power Automate |
|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Saves engineering timeWorkflows that mix visual steps with your own code, billed per run rather than per step, with a self-hosted edition as an exit. | Compliance includedAutomation inside Microsoft 365, with HIPAA, ISO 27001, EU regions and Entra ID sign-in covered by Microsoft, from $15 per user a month. |
| Overall score | 6.6 | 8.5Best |
| Free option | 14-day free trial | Free plan |
| Card to start | No card needed | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $20/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Pricing model | Tiered | Per seat |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Executions: one per run of a whole workflow, whatever its length | Per-user licence with a daily request limit; per-flow or per-bot Process licences |
| Free option | No free cloud plan; 14-day trial (1,000 executions), no card; Community Edition self-hosted | Free licence: standard connectors, no sharing, 6,000 actions a day; 30-day Premium trial |
| Reference scenario (2,000 runs, annual) | $20/mo on Starter, 2,500 executions (2,000 needed), computed | $15/mo for 1 Premium user (10,000 requests a month needed), computed |
| Month-to-month price | $24 for Starter; $60 for Pro 10,000 executions | Not published (paid yearly) |
| Usage past the plan | Not stated for Cloud plans | Power Platform Requests add-on, $50 a month (licensing FAQ) |
| Code steps | JavaScript and Python code steps on every plan | C# in custom connectors; PowerShell, Python, JavaScript and .NET scripts in desktop flows |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 3; ISO 27001 not stated | In scope of Microsoft’s SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 |
| HIPAA BAA | Not stated | Included by default through the Microsoft Online Services DPA |
| EU data hosting | Every Cloud plan: Frankfurt, Germany (the only stated region) | Environments in the Europe region |
| SSO | SAML and LDAP on Enterprise (Business is self-hosted only) | Sign-in through Microsoft Entra ID |
| Workflow export | Workflows download as JSON on every plan | Flows as .zip packages or Dataverse solutions |
| Self-hosting | Yes: Community Edition free on GitHub; Business and Enterprise licences | No |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, n8n Cloud has the most predictable per-run price here, with code, AI and webhooks on the $20 Starter plan and a self-hosted edition as an exit. It has no free cloud plan, hosts in Frankfurt only, and keeps SSO and audit logs for Enterprise. | From its public pages, Power Automate brings Microsoft’s compliance file, EU regions and high limits to one $15 per-user licence, plus desktop automation. It is licensed per user and paid yearly, and webhooks and premium connectors need that paid licence. |
Evidence: n8n Cloud: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Power Automate: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Power Automate review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Power Automate when
- You need Microsoft’s compliance file and desktop automation of Windows apps.
- Pick n8n Cloud when
- You want code steps in JavaScript or Python, unlimited users and a self-hosted edition.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- n8n CloudStarter$20/mo2,500 executions a month, billed annually ($240 a year); $24 month to month; shown as 20€ on the page
- Unlimited users and workflows, every integration
- 5 concurrent executions, 1 shared project
- Code steps, webhook triggers, AI Agent node, n8n API
- 7 days of execution logs, 1 day of workflow history
- Power AutomateLowest pricePower Automate Premium$15/user/moPaid yearly; 40,000 Power Platform requests per user a day; 30-day trial
- Standard, premium and custom connectors
- Attended desktop flows (RPA) and process mining
- AI Builder credits, 250 MB Dataverse database and 2 GB file
- Sharing, co-owners and managed environments
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: n8n Cloud 2026-10-16, Power Automate 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- Power AutomateSelf-serve sign-up; the highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (8.5/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- n8n Cloud14-day free trial, no card needed; scored 6.6/10.
- Lowest starter price
- Power Automate$15/user/mo for the Power Automate Premium (paid yearly) plan.
- Highest overall score
- Power Automate8.5/10 (Excellent). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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