Microsoft Power Automate vs Nintex (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Microsoft Power Automate grades higher than Nintex: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Microsoft Power Automate grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft Power Automate
Cloud workflows and desktop RPA in the Microsoft Power Platform
Which one is for you
Pick Microsoft Power Automate if
- Fits if your company already pays for Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365
- Works for teams where an old Windows program has no API and someone retypes its data every day
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want bots running unattended, at $150 a bot a month, or $215 hosted
- Skip it if your desktop work isn't on Windows, because that's all the desktop app runs on, and not on ARM
- Tight if you're staying free, with standard connectors only and no sharing of flows
- Watch out: the phone app reached end of support on August 31, 2026, so mobile means the browser or Teams
- Watch out: the pricing page says the trial is 30 days, while Microsoft's licensing docs describe 90
Pick Nintex if
- Fits if you run Microsoft or Salesforce and want workflow plus e-signing
- Works for a team that wants to try each product for 30 days
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price on the page, as none is published
- Watch out: separate editions exist for cloud, K2 and Salesforce
- Watch out: free trials are listed product by product
- Not for you if you are one person, as it is aimed at companies
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMicrosoft Power AutomateGood | 2.4GPANintexFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPremium is $15 a user a month paid yearly, at the low end of this category, and it covers premium and custom connectors, attended desktop flows and process mining data. The expensive part is unattended work: a Process license is $150 a bot a month, and hosted bots are $215. | CNo price is published: the pricing link goes to a contact page. It sits in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free license covers cloud flows with standard connectors, and desktop flows authored and run locally in attended mode. You can't share a flow or use premium connectors, but one person could get real work done. A Microsoft 365 license covers the same ground. | CA 30-day free trial, listed separately for Workflow and Apps and for Process Manager. The pages read do not mention a card. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole job, both halves of it: more than 1,400 certified connectors for cloud flows, plus desktop RPA that clicks through Windows software with no API, with process and task mining and Copilot to draft a flow. UiPath sits in this category doing the same two halves, so the ground isn't Microsoft's alone. | BWorkflow, process management, document automation, eSign, RPA and a self-hosted K2 option. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and the licensing alone takes reading: which connectors are premium, which plan a bot needs, how Dataverse capacity is counted. Copilot drafts flows from a description, and the standalone phone app lost support in August 2026, so mobile means the browser. | CNo store rating on record. Workflows and forms have to be built. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus a Windows desktop app, with 1,400+ connectors, custom connectors and an on-premises gateway, and flows that run inside Teams, Excel and SharePoint. The desktop app is Windows only, ARM machines aren't supported, and the phone app is gone. | BWeb platform with Salesforce and Microsoft connections. No desktop or phone app listed. |
| Best for | automation for companies already on Microsoft 365 | workflow and document automation for enterprises |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Microsoft Power Automate and Nintex. How we grade
Where they differ
- Microsoft Power Automate also covers templates.
- Nintex also covers documents and forms.
At a glance
| Microsoft Power Automate | Nintex | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $15 per user / month, paid yearly | Not published |
| Free plan | Power Automate Free license: create and run cloud flows with standard connectors only, without sharing them, plus desktop flows authored and run locally in attended mode. | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial per the pricing page; Microsoft's licensing docs describe a 90-day self-service trial license | 30-day free trial (Workflow and Apps trial and a Process Manager trial) |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Microsoft | Nintex |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Microsoft Power Automate
- The free license and Microsoft 365 licenses cover standard connectors only; premium and custom connectors need Premium at $15 per user / month.
- Unattended desktop flows need a Process license at $150 per bot / month, and the machine must be registered by a Premium user.
- The desktop app runs only on Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server, and devices with ARM processors are not supported.
- The standalone iOS and Android app reached end of support on August 31, 2026; Microsoft points mobile users to the browser portal and Teams.
Nintex
- No price is published; the pricing link goes to a contact page.
- Separate editions exist for cloud, K2 and Salesforce.
- Free trials are listed per product.
Key features
Microsoft Power Automate
- Cloud flows
- Automated, scheduled and instant flows connect cloud apps, and on-premises services through a data gateway. Microsoft cites more than 1,400 prebuilt, certified connectors, and custom connectors can be built.
- Desktop flows (RPA)
- Power Automate for desktop builds or records flows that operate Windows and web applications through their interfaces. Attended runs happen with a person present; unattended runs need a Process license.
- Copilot authoring
- Copilot in Power Automate creates, edits and extends flows from a natural-language description, in both the cloud designer and the desktop app.
- Process and task mining
- Analyzes how a process actually runs to find steps worth automating. Premium includes 50 MB of mining data per user, and a tenant-wide add-on provides 100 GB.
- Microsoft 365 integration
- Flows can be built and run from inside Teams, Excel, SharePoint and OneDrive. Microsoft 365 licenses include the right to create and run cloud flows with standard connectors.
- Governance and hosted machines
- Managed Environments and data loss prevention policies give admins control over flows. Hosted Process runs unattended bots on virtual machines that Microsoft manages.
Nintex
- Workflow
- Nintex Automation CE manages and automates business processes and workflows.
- Process management
- Maps, documents and optimizes business processes.
- Document automation
- Generates documents, also inside Salesforce.
- eSign
- Electronic signatures are part of the cloud platform.
- RPA
- Robotic process automation is listed on the platform.
- Self-hosted K2
- Nintex Automation K2 is self-hosted software for workflow and app development.
Plans
Microsoft Power Automate
Power Automate Free$0
Free license described in Microsoft's licensing docs: cloud flows with standard connectors only, no sharing, and desktop flows run locally in attended mode.
Power Automate Premium$15
per user / month, paid yearly
Cloud flows with standard, premium and custom connectors, attended desktop flows, process and task mining with 50 MB of data, and 250 MB of Dataverse database capacity.
Power Automate Process$150
per bot / month, paid yearly
One bot for unattended desktop flows, or a license for a cloud flow that any number of users can run, with up to 250,000 actions a day.
Power Automate Hosted Process$215
per bot / month, paid yearly
Unattended desktop flows on a virtual machine that Microsoft manages and hosts on Azure, so there is no machine of your own to maintain.
Process Mining add-on$5,000
per tenant / month, paid yearly
Add-on for the Premium plan only: 100 GB of process mining data, with 2 GB of Dataverse database and 1 TB of file capacity.
Nintex
Pricing could not be confirmed. See nintex.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Power Automate or Nintex?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Microsoft Power Automate starts at $15 per user / month, paid yearly, and Nintex has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Microsoft Power Automate or Nintex?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft Power Automate has a free plan. Nintex does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Microsoft Power Automate and Nintex run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Microsoft Power Automate lists a Windows app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.