It might be easiest to understand the difference between cloud flows and desktop flows by looking at when to use which. Microsoft often uses the umbrella term ‘Power Automate’ when talking about two different things: Power Automate cloud flows and Power Automate Desktop. Before we look at how that works, let’s clarify a common confusion point.

Technically, there is no Microsoft Power Automate free license, but many users get a Power Automate license at no additional cost because they already pay for another Microsoft product (such as Dynamics 365 Sales). That post also gives some concrete examples of how Power Automate can “level up” various processes - making your team even more efficient. In my recent article outlining what Power Automate is (and why your Sales team needs it to stay competitive), I show how it connects seamlessly to your Dynamics 365 Sales environment. It allows business users without developer expertise to create “flows” that automate time-consuming, routine tasks using a drag-and-drop designer. Power Automate is Microsoft’s no-code/low-code automation platform and one of the five applications included in the Power Platform. In this post I clearly break down the user and subscription models, explain who qualifies for a Power Automate free license, and summarize the current Power Automate license costs. Understanding the Power Automate license model can be confusing, even for veteran Microsoft users.

Windows 11 power automate desktop