In recent years, the RPA (Robotic Process Automation) market has grown rapidly, driven by companies that want to improve productivity, optimize employee performance and reduce operating costs. According to Gartner's Magic Quadrant, UiPath and Power Automate lead the market for robotic process automation solutions, and many companies find themselves having to choose which of the two software can be the answer to their needs. In this article we will try to clarify the issue a bit by analyzing the pros and cons of both to find out which of the two solutions may represent the best choice for your business.
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Companies have always sought a solution to the ever-current challenge of managing repetitive and monotonous activities within the organization. Employees hate them, and businesses waste precious time and productivity that could be spent on more important tasks.
The solution? Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Since its introduction, RPA has been hugely successful, echoing Amber Rudd's famous words: “Automation is driving the decline of mundane, repetitive activities.”
According to estimates, the global RPA market was valued at 10.01 billion dollars in 2022. It is expected to reach 50.50 billion dollars by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.3% — an impressive growth. However, precisely because of this development, the market is saturated with different RPA tools and technologies, making it difficult for companies to choose the most suitable solution.
Two of the most popular and dominant RPA tools on the market are UiPath and Microsoft Power Automate and those who are approaching this type of tool for the first time may find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to understand which of the two may represent the best choice. So let's take a closer look at the two solutions in greater depth in the next sections.
But before starting with the direct comparison, let's take a moment to present them individually and understand what are the characteristics that define these powerful automation solutions.
UiPath Inc. was founded in 2005 in Bucharest, Romania, by Daniel Dines and Marius Tîrcă. Since then, the company has moved its headquarters to New York City. UiPath's growth in the RPA market has been rapid and today it is used by more than 10,000 companies around the world. The platform is particularly suitable for various industries and complex automation use cases.
UiPath's products focus on automating digital tasks using artificial intelligence and machine learning, with applications ranging from internal processes such as accounting to customer management. In addition to its core capabilities, UiPath includes advanced features such as data extraction, machine learning integration, and analysis.
UiPath has received positive feedback from a variety of industries for its ease of use, reliability, and strong integration capabilities. However, pricing remains a significant issue, especially for large businesses. Some users have also experienced issues with OCR capabilities and execution speed, describing them as “a bit flawed.”
Let's now look at some of the key features of the UiPath's offering below.
Microsoft Power Automate, formerly known as Flow, is a cloud-based platform offered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). It is designed to optimize and automate workflows. The tool allows consultants to automate processes that seamlessly integrate various applications and services.
It's a versatile tool that allows users to design RPA processes from start to finish. The activities are customized based on the company's workflow needs. Whether you want to automate the routing of your emails categorically or deal with form approvals, Power Automate can easily handle those needs and much more.
Power Automate is appreciated for its no-code philosophy, which makes creating workflows accessible even to beginners. Users appreciate its versatility and integration with external applications, with many finding the interface “intuitive and easy to learn.” Many also liked the templates, tutorials, and other resources available within the Microsoft community.
According to a study, 93% of Fortune 500 companies take advantage of Power Automate's automation capabilities, and according to Gartner Peer Insights, 84% of Power Automate customers would recommend this platform.
Gartner notes that the increase in platform availability contributed to a 125% growth in Microsoft's RPA operations between 2021 and 2022. Gartner also praises its intuitive design and competitive pricing strategy.
Now let's see some of the key features that define the Power Automate offer:
Now that we know the two better, it's time to compare them.
In this comparison, we focused on what can be considered the key aspects to take in consideration when choosing a dedicated RPA software and we will try to understand which of the two solutions may represent the best choice for your business.
Both Microsoft Power Automate and UiPath offer both unmanned and manned bot orchestration, and provide AI solutions for businesses.
Power Automate is probably the most “professional” solution — anyone can use it, but advanced users will be more successful. It's an advanced technical tool for developers who know what they're doing and what they want to achieve. The learning curve may be slightly steeper, but this makes it an extremely powerful RPA tool. UiPath, on the other hand, has an apparently simple interface that is not always the easiest to use.
By creating customized AI solutions or pre-built models, companies can gain greater insights from the data they have.
With Microsoft's offering, developers can access AI Builder, integrating artificial intelligence into everyday workflows. Similarly, UiPath's AI Center offers the same drag-and-drop functionality seen across the platform to introduce machine learning models into automation workflows.
Power Automate hasn't been on the market as long as UiPath, and in some areas this is still a small Achilles' heel.
For example, while UiPath has a very active developer community that creates new flows every day, the Power Automate community is still growing, so there are fewer user-generated flows available. On the other hand, UiPath's “long service” experience brings with it some difficulties; it's not always the most accessible or easy-to-use RPA tool.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the two concerns how each manages computer vision.
This is the ability of a platform to 'see' and 'understand' changes on a website or within a system, adapting automation accordingly.
With UiPath, this functionality is available as a free additional tool; using Power Automate, it is possible to access the Azure cognitive service API as a connector, but it is not natively integrated into the system.
As expected, Power Automate connects seamlessly to a number of other Microsoft products, including all Power Platforms, Azure, SharePoint, Power BI, OneDrive, and even Teams. The tool will help in discovering insights and will personalize and extend capabilities across the ecosystem of Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Azure.
Workflows can be connected to hundreds of data sources through a library of connectors, including popular platforms such as Salesforce and Trello, as well as the Microsoft Dataverse. You can see the full list of Power Automate integrations hither.
UiPath also integrates natively with a wide range of business applications, including some widely used in business such as Oracle, Salesforce and SAP. As for Power Automate, we leave the complete list at the link provided hither.
UiPath has demonstrated a strong commitment to information security and data management. According to the company, processes have been implemented to protect the data, including “physical security measures, access control, organizational security measures, and incident management procedures.”
Most automated workflows require an unlocked screen to run. However, UiPath includes the option to allow a flow to run behind a locked screen, for greater privacy. Further increasing security, there is the option to encrypt and store credentials on a centralized server.
As expected, at a time when data privacy dominates the front pages of newspapers, Microsoft is equally committed to security, offering on its platform “the most comprehensive set of compliance offerings (including certifications and attestations) of any cloud service provider.”
Within the RPA tool, there is granular control over user privileges, so that only people who need to access the data can do so. Like UiPath, Microsoft also has a 'trust center' where more information is available.
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We dedicate a separate mention to the pricing aspect, generally considered to be the key factor in choosing any software solution.
You can try both Power Automate and UiPath for free. However, be careful, because some functionality is limited in the trial version of UiPath.
In the industry, Microsoft Power Automate is generally considered cheaper than UiPath, and it is also possible to add more users (6000 versus 9000) to the system.
Regardless of the choice, both products require a subscription.
UiPath charges based on the number of robots, with additional costs for additional systems for unattended automation. Implementation costs are between 60,000 and 100,000 dollars (or their equivalent in euros), while online users say that annual license fees can vary between 3,000 and 6,000 dollars per year, depending on business needs.
The pricing structure of Microsoft Power Automate is clearer:
So, to recap the pros and cons of each of the two solutions, let's look at the summary table below:
So we come to the fateful question: which one to choose?
Powerful in different ways, your choice will depend as always on your current and future needs. If you haven't already considered where you are and where your business needs to go, now is the perfect time.
Microsoft Power Automate is cheaper to deploy and is easier to start using it. This makes it the best choice for focused automated tasks, where it is necessary to start small, perhaps creating one or two flows and then developing the workflows as the need grows.
It also offers several advantages that make it an attractive choice for companies looking to simplify their workflows and automate repetitive tasks. One of its main advantages is precisely its user-friendly interface. The platform is designed to be intuitive and accessible, allowing non-technical users to easily navigate the tool.
This low barrier to entry means that organizations can empower their employees to create automation solutions without the need for in-depth training or programming skills, thus increasing overall productivity.
Another notable benefit of Power Automate is its strong integration with Microsoft products. For organizations that already use Microsoft 365, Power Automate offers a seamless connection to a range of applications, including Outlook, SharePoint, and Teams.
This integration allows users to easily automate tasks on these platforms, creating a cohesive workflow that improves efficiency. In addition, the predefined templates and connectors available in Power Automate can speed up the configuration process, allowing companies to quickly implement automation solutions customized to their needs.
UiPath, on the other hand, is designed to manage complex processes that often involve multiple systems and applications, making it an ideal choice for larger companies that want to simplify complex workflows and may be the preferred choice for large companies that aim to implement comprehensive automation strategies across departments.
A notable drawback is its learning curve. While UiPath offers powerful functionality, maximizing its capabilities often requires a certain level of technical expertise. This can be a challenge for organizations with limited IT resources or those that rely on non-technical personnel to create and manage automation solutions. As a result, organizations may need to invest in training or hire specialized personnel, resulting in increased operating costs.
In addition, the cost of UiPath can be a significant consideration. The platform generally has a higher price than other automation tools, which can be prohibitive for small businesses or startups operating on tight budgets.
And while online users appreciate the frequent updates to UiPath's functionality, Microsoft Power Automate is identified as the most suitable tool to meet business objectives, probably the most important factor when choosing between different RPA tools.
Automation was once the preserve of a few large companies that could afford customized solutions that were extremely expensive and demanding to develop, but with the technological advancement of recent years, the landscape has drastically changed.
It is now essential for businesses of any type and size to automate their operations and software such as Power Automate can represent an excellent choice for companies that want to adopt solutions that are both fast and efficient to achieve this goal, with the certainty that their automations can grow with their needs.
And with the right consultant partner, your journey into the world of automation accompanied by Power Automate can be even simpler and at the same time richer, allowing a degree of customization and adaptation of the implemented solutions that guarantees the maximum return on your investment. Try it to believe it.
1. What is a Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
RPA is a technology that automates repetitive, rules-based tasks through software robots, reducing manual errors, execution time, and operational costs.
2. What is the main difference between UiPath and Power Automate?
UiPath is better suited for complex, large-scale automations, while Power Automate is ideal for quickly launching automations integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem, even with limited technical skills.
3. Are UiPath and Power Automate both RPA tools?
Yes. Both offer RPA capabilities, but Power Automate combines RPA, workflow automation, and low-code/no-code integration within the Microsoft Power Platform.
4. Is Power Automate suitable for non-technical users?
Yes. Power Automate is designed to be accessible to business users thanks to an intuitive interface, prebuilt templates, and a no-code approach, while still offering advanced features for developers.
5. Is UiPath more powerful than Power Automate?
It depends on the context. UiPath is more powerful for managing complex, multi-system processes at high scale. Power Automate is more effective for fast, integrated automations focused on business productivity.
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