Estimated monthly cost comparison — not just the headline price
Prices change often — confirm on the vendor's site before buying. Report incorrect pricing →
Quick Take
n8n has the lower estimated monthly cost (~44%)
Based on advertised price plus documented recurring fees, not your exact usage.
Best for Power Automate
Microsoft's workflow automation platform. Per-user pricing at $15-$40/user/mo with premium connector
Best for n8n
Open-source workflow automation with self-hosted and cloud options. Free to self-host but server cos
Microsoft's workflow automation platform. Per-user pricing at $15-$40/user/mo wi...
Advertised
$15
/month
Estimated monthly cost
$540
/month (illustrative)
Premium Connector Paywall
Standard connectors (Office 365, SharePoint) are included. Premium connectors (Salesforce, SAP, Data...
Process Mining Add-On
Process Mining capabilities for analyzing business processes cost $40/user/mo — the premium tier. Re...
AI Builder Credits Consumed Fast
AI Builder (document processing, prediction) uses credits that deplete quickly. Base allocation ofte...
Open-source workflow automation with self-hosted and cloud options. Free to self...
Advertised
$24
/month
Estimated monthly cost
$300
/month (illustrative)
Self-Hosted Server Costs
Community Edition is free but requires infrastructure: VPS ($20-100/mo for adequate CPU/RAM), Postgr...
Execution Limits on Cloud
Cloud Starter: 2,500 executions/mo. Pro: 10,000. A single workflow running every 5 minutes = 8,640 e...
No Support on Community
Self-hosted Community Edition has no official support — only community forums and GitHub issues. Pro...
DevOps Maintenance Overhead
Self-hosted requires: updates, security patches, monitoring, backup management, and scaling. Budget ...
$20/mo annual
$50/mo annual
$100/mo annual
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission
Power Automate advertises $15/mo. n8n advertises $24/mo.
Power Automate has 3 documented hidden fees. n8n has 4.
Power Automate confidence: 73%. n8n confidence: 74%.
| Metric | Power Automate | n8n | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $15/mo | $24/mo | Power Automate |
| Estimated Monthly Cost | $540/mo | $300/mo | n8n |
| Recurring Extra Fees | +$525/mo | +$276/mo | n8n |
| One-Time Costs | $0 | $0 | — |
| # Documented Fees | 3 | 4 | — |
| Pricing Tiers | 3 | 4 | — |
| Affiliate Program | None | 20% recurring for 12 months | — |
Try the tool that fits your needs. Both offer free trials or free tiers.
From $24/mo
✓ ~44% lower estimated monthly costAffiliate link — we may earn a commission
Power Automate advertises $15/mo and n8n advertises $24/mo. Power Automate has 3 documented extra fees (recurring: +$525/mo), while n8n has 4 (recurring: +$276/mo). On these illustrative assumptions, n8n has the lower estimated monthly cost (about 44% less). Your real cost depends on seats and usage — use the calculator for your numbers.
Power Automate has 3 documented extra fees: Premium Connector Paywall, Process Mining Add-On, AI Builder Credits Consumed Fast. Recurring fees add roughly $525/mo on top of the $15/mo advertised price.
n8n has 4 documented extra fees: Self-Hosted Server Costs, Execution Limits on Cloud, No Support on Community, DevOps Maintenance Overhead. Recurring fees add roughly $276/mo on top of the $24/mo advertised price.
Choose Power Automate if: Microsoft's workflow automation platform. Per-user pricing at $15-$40/user/mo with premium connector. Choose n8n if: Open-source workflow automation with self-hosted and cloud options. Free to self-host but server cos. The right choice depends on your team size, usage volume, and which features you need most.
This comparison is compiled from public vendor pricing pages and documentation. It uses illustrative assumptions (see "Cost Comparison Summary"), not your exact seats or usage, and vendor prices change often. Confirm current prices on each vendor's site, and use our calculator with your own usage for a closer estimate. Spotted an error? Email hello@trulycritic.com.
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