Which fits your Power Automate renewal: Activepieces or staying put
If your Power Automate renewal is coming up, or a licensing or data residency question has made you look again, the short answer is this: Power Automate fits organizations that are deeply invested in Microsoft 365 and Dataverse, need desktop RPA, and already have makers trained on its builder. Self-hosted Activepieces fits teams whose flows must run inside their own infrastructure, who want Zapier-style cloud flows, and who want cost that does not rise with per-user licensing. Most organizations will split the answer by flow, not by company.
Start by sorting your flows into two groups. Flows that move data between Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, Dataverse and Dynamics usually depend on Microsoft connectors and approval actions that Power Automate handles natively, and rebuilding them elsewhere is a cost you should price honestly. Flows that connect SaaS tools, internal APIs or databases inside your network are where Activepieces can run on your own servers with the Community edition as the automation core. Confirm each connector you need against the Activepieces repository before deciding, because piece coverage changes between releases.
The decision turns on four questions. First, which connectors and data sources does each flow need, and where does that data have to stay? Second, do you have any desktop automation of legacy Windows applications, which Activepieces does not replace? Third, do you require single sign-on, audit logs or SCIM provisioning, and which plan includes them? The Activepieces pricing page places SSO on the Team plan and audit logs and SCIM only on Ultimate, so check that against your own requirements. Fourth, who will operate the platform: your platform team, a business unit, or a partner under a fixed-scope engagement.
Which option fits which scenario
This table matches common Power Automate use cases to the platform that fits each one better and names the condition that makes the difference. Read each row against your own flows, owners and network constraints, since the right answer depends on which conditions apply to you. Treat the table as a starting point for a flow inventory, not a final decision.
| Scenario | Better fit | Reason and the condition that matters |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 approvals and SharePoint flows | Power Automate | Native connectors and approval actions sit inside the Microsoft 365 tenant. This matters most when the approvals depend on Teams, SharePoint lists or Outlook and the people involved already hold Microsoft licenses. |
| Third-party SaaS integrations | Activepieces | The community-maintained piece library, with more than 280 integrations, covers many SaaS apps. Confirm each specific app and action you need exists as a piece before committing. |
| Business users building their own flows | Activepieces | A no-code builder designed for makers without a Microsoft licensing model per user. Check whether your makers need Power Platform governance features that Activepieces does not replicate. |
| Desktop RPA on legacy Windows apps | Power Automate Desktop or Robot Framework | Activepieces automates through APIs and pieces, not keyboard and mouse control of desktop software. Where no API exists, a desktop RPA tool remains necessary. |
| Flows that must run in your own network | Activepieces (self-hosted) | Self-hosting keeps the runtime and data inside your infrastructure. Confirm which connectors still need outbound internet access and which edition your install uses. |
| Advanced governance, SSO and audit logs | Power Automate, or Activepieces Ultimate | Activepieces lists SSO from the Team plan, while audit logs, SCIM and external secret managers appear only on Ultimate. Ask Activepieces to confirm what each plan includes for your deployment. |
| Teams with no platform operators | Power Automate (managed by Microsoft) | Microsoft operates the cloud service. A self-hosted Activepieces install needs someone to patch, back up and upgrade PostgreSQL, Redis and the application. |
| Teams with platform engineers who can run containers | Activepieces (self-hosted) | Docker Compose or the Helm chart give a straightforward path to self-hosting. Confirm your edition, since community-maintained templates usually ship the Community edition. |
How Activepieces licensing and editions differ from Power Automate
The Community edition is the automation core that most self-hosted teams run. Its source is MIT licensed, so you can install, modify and run it inside your own network without a per-user subscription from Activepieces. The installation overview documents Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and Redis, and a Helm chart covers Kubernetes.
- License: The MIT (Expat) license covers the code outside
packages/eeandpackages/server/api/src/app/ee. - Hosting path: Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and Redis is the documented route, with a Helm chart for Kubernetes deployments.
- Costs you carry: Servers, PostgreSQL, Redis, backups, upgrades, monitoring and the staff who operate them are your costs, and they recur every month.
- Community templates: Community-maintained hosting templates usually ship this edition, so confirm which build a template deploys before you rely on it.
Check the Activepieces LICENSE file and the installation overview before you standardize on a build, because the commercial code paths are separate from this edition.
Enterprise features sit in separate directories under a commercial license, not under the MIT terms that cover the rest of the repository. Using them is therefore a licensing question for Activepieces, and your legal team should review the terms before any of those features reach production. Confirm the scope of the license in writing so that auditors and procurement see the same facts you do.
- Scope: Enterprise code lives in
packages/ee, and some server code sits underpackages/server/api/src/app/ee. - Governance features: The pricing page places audit logs, Git sync and releases, SCIM and external secret managers only in the top tier.
- Contract terms: Ask whether the license covers self-hosting, how many instances it allows, what support it includes and how long it runs.
- Upgrades: Confirm whether a commercial feature changes upgrade, rollback or backup steps in your environment.
Ask for the commercial license terms in writing and map each feature your audit team needs to a specific edition before you plan the rollout, so the evidence matches what you actually run.
The hosted plans bill by credits and users, and the listed figures below come from the pricing page. A hosted plan suits teams that want Activepieces operated for them, while the Community edition suits teams that want to run it themselves. Compare the two on operations and data location as well as on price.
- Free: 1,000 credits a month and up to 5 users.
- Plus: 20 US dollars a month on the pricing page.
- Team: 200 US dollars a month with up to 25 users.
- SSO: Single sign-on starts at the Team plan, so teams that need it cannot stay on Free or Plus.
Check the Activepieces pricing page for current credit definitions and plan details, since credits decide how far a plan stretches for your flow volume and what each run costs.
The top tier is custom priced and can run in the cloud or on premises, so its cost depends on a negotiated quote rather than on a published list. Embedding is a separate product line for putting Activepieces inside another application. Both are priced by sales conversations, so define your scope before you ask for a number.
- Custom quote: The top tier has no published price and includes the governance features listed on the pricing page.
- Governance features: Audit logs, Git sync and releases, SCIM and external secret managers are available only at this level.
- Embedding: The white-label builder and SDK start at 36,000 US dollars a year on the pricing page.
- Recurring cost: Both the top tier and embedding recur, so ask for the renewal terms and any usage limits in the quote.
If you only need flows for internal staff, compare the Team plan and the self-hosted Community edition against your required governance features before you request a quote for these options.
Power Automate licensing depends on who builds and runs flows. Cloud flows are generally licensed per user, and desktop flows are generally licensed per bot. These terms change, and included capabilities vary by Microsoft 365 and Power Platform plan, so treat any summary as a starting point rather than a quote from Microsoft.
- Per user: Premium connectors and some cloud flow features are typically tied to the person who builds or owns the flow.
- Per bot: Unattended desktop automation is typically licensed per bot, which adds cost as you add machines.
- Included capabilities: Confirm which connectors and limits your existing Microsoft 365 licenses already include.
- Who to ask: Your Microsoft account team or licensing partner can confirm the current terms for your tenant.
Pull your current Power Automate terms from Microsoft and compare them line by line with the Activepieces costs above, including the users, bots and connectors you expect to run each month.
Where flows run, where data sits and what compliance readiness requires
Power Automate and Activepieces place flows, connections and logs in different parts of the stack, so the same workflow can carry very different data residency and audit obligations. The cards below cover where execution happens, what Activepieces self-hosting asks of your team, and what an assessor will expect to see as evidence.
Power Automate runs in Microsoft's cloud
Cloud flows execute in Microsoft's cloud, and the on-premises data gateway is the bridge to internal databases and file shares. Data passes through Microsoft's service on every run, so residency depends on your tenant's region and the connectors involved. Confirm with Microsoft which regions host your environments, which connectors send data outside them, and who in your organization owns each gateway.
Activepieces self-hosting components
A self-hosted Activepieces deployment runs on Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and Redis, or on Kubernetes with the Helm chart. Your team then owns the database backups, Redis availability, upgrades and TLS termination. Before you commit, confirm which installation method your platform team will support and where the PostgreSQL and Redis instances will reside.
Community edition hosting templates
Community-maintained hosting templates usually ship the Community edition, which covers the automation core but not the enterprise features under packages/ee. If your compliance design depends on SSO, audit logs or SCIM, the template you deploy may not include them. Ask whoever maintains your templates which edition they install and confirm the feature list against the pricing page before writing controls.
Identity and SSO implications
In Power Automate, flows run under the maker's or a service account's Microsoft Entra identity, so conditional access and MFA already apply. In Activepieces, sign-in and connection credentials sit in a separate identity layer, and SSO is listed from the Team plan upward on the pricing page. Map every flow owner and connection to a named identity, and decide how departing makers are removed.
Audit logs and evidence collection
Power Automate records run history and admin activity within Microsoft's audit tooling, which your compliance team may already export. In Activepieces, audit logs are listed only for the Ultimate plan, so a Community deployment needs logs shipped to your own SIEM from PostgreSQL and container output. Define which run records, connection changes and approvals must be retained, and for how long, before you choose the edition.
What DeployOpen prepares and what auditors decide
DeployOpen plans, hardens and documents the Activepieces environment, and prepares the controls and evidence an assessment will request. DeployOpen does not issue audit reports, attestations or certifications; independent auditors and certification bodies make those decisions. Agree the assessment scope with your auditor first, then ask us for a written scope that maps each control to a system, owner and evidence item.
What each option costs to own: components, one-time and recurring
This table breaks total cost into components, showing who is paid, whether each cost is one-time or recurring, and what drives it up or down. Use it to build a like-for-like comparison, then ask each vendor or partner for the quote lines shown in the last column.
| Cost component | Who is paid and what it covers | One-time or recurring | What drives it, and what to request in a quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Automate licensing | Microsoft, per user or per bot for premium cloud flows and desktop RPA, and add-ons such as Process Mining. Confirm current SKUs with your Microsoft reseller or agreement. | Recurring | Number of makers and bots, premium connector use and add-ons. Request a line-by-line licensing quote for each user type and bot, and the renewal terms. |
| Activepieces subscription (cloud or Ultimate) | Activepieces, on the Plus, Team or custom Ultimate plans. Pricing page lists Plus at 20 US dollars a month and Team at 200 US dollars a month (25 users); Ultimate is custom-priced. | Recurring | User count, credit volume and whether you need SSO, audit logs or on-premises Ultimate. Request the plan tier that includes each feature you need in writing. |
| Activepieces Community self-hosting | No license fee for the MIT-licensed core. Enterprise features in packages/ee require the commercial license. | Recurring infrastructure only | Confirm which features your flows need are in the Community edition. Ask any hosting partner whether their template ships Community or a licensed edition. |
| Servers and compute | Your cloud account or data center, or a managed hosting provider you pay directly. | Recurring | Number of concurrent flows, workers and environments (dev, test, prod). Ask for sizing based on your flow volume and a backup target. |
| PostgreSQL and Redis | Your database and cache services, either self-operated or as managed cloud services. | Recurring | Managed services cost more per unit but reduce patching work. Request backup, high availability and restore test scope. |
| Kubernetes (if used) | Cluster hosting and the staff time to operate it. Activepieces offers a Helm chart, but the cluster is yours to run. | Recurring | Only adds cost if your platform team already runs Kubernetes. Otherwise, Docker Compose is the documented install path to compare against. |
| Migration and rebuild effort | Implementation partner or internal team rebuilds cloud flows in the Activepieces builder and maps connectors and approvals. | One-time | Number of flows, connector mix and approval paths. Request an inventory-based estimate with flows grouped by complexity and a fixed-scope deliverable list. |
| Maker training | Internal time or a training provider to teach business users the new builder. | One-time, with refresher work | Number of makers and their prior Power Automate experience. Ask for training materials and a plan for shadowing and support after go-live. |
| Ongoing operations and upgrades | Your platform team or a retainer partner for patches, backups, upgrades and connector maintenance. | Recurring | Release cadence, number of community pieces you depend on and the testing you require before upgrades. Request an upgrade and support scope in writing. |
What moving business-built flows to Activepieces involves
The sequence turns flows that business users built in Power Automate into a tested, owned set of Activepieces flows, with each Microsoft 365 workflow either rebuilt or deliberately kept in place. Each step closes with a check so the team knows when it can move on.
Inventory flows by owner and environment
Start by listing every cloud flow across your Power Platform environments, noting the owner, the trigger, the connectors used, the approvals involved and how often each flow runs. Business-built flows often have owners who have left or who do not know the flow exists, so this list also surfaces orphaned automations. The owner of each flow, or the process lead who depends on it, should confirm which flows still matter. The step is done when every flow has a named owner, a business purpose and a keep, rebuild or retire decision.
Decide which flows stay in Microsoft 365
Not every flow should move. Flows that depend heavily on Microsoft 365 features such as Teams approvals, SharePoint lists, Outlook actions or Power Apps triggers may be better left in Power Automate, because the connector depth there is the main reason to keep them. Other flows, such as those that call third-party SaaS APIs or move data between line-of-business systems, are good candidates for Activepieces. Record the decision for each flow with the reason. The output is a migration list that the platform owner and the business owners have both signed off on.
Stand up a test Activepieces instance
Install a non-production Activepieces instance inside your own infrastructure, following the official installation overview, which covers Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and Redis and a Helm chart for Kubernetes. Confirm which edition you are running, since community-maintained hosting templates usually ship the Community edition, and check that the features your flows need, such as SSO or audit logs, are available on that edition. The check is a working test instance with backups configured, reachable only from the networks your makers use.
Rebuild triggers, actions and approvals
Rebuild each approved flow in Activepieces using the Power Automate export as a reference only. Power Automate exports do not import into Activepieces, so each trigger, action, condition and approval step is recreated by hand, and each Activepieces piece is checked for the operations you need. Approval logic is usually the hardest part because it often relies on Microsoft 365 identities and Teams messages, so test it with real reviewers. The output is a rebuilt flow with a short test note describing the input, the expected result and any behavior that changed.
Recreate connections and secrets
Power Automate connections do not carry over, so each app connection must be created again in Activepieces using service accounts or delegated credentials that your identity team approves. Store API keys and tokens in the secrets approach your organization has chosen, and confirm with the Activepieces documentation whether your edition supports external secret managers. Record which connection belongs to which flow and which account owns it. The check is that every rebuilt flow runs successfully against the test systems with connections owned by accounts, not by an individual maker.
Train makers on the builder
Business makers who built flows in Power Automate will need guidance on the Activepieces builder, including how pieces, steps and data mapping work, and how the team reviews and publishes changes. Run short working sessions using flows from your own inventory, not generic demos, so makers practice on the processes they own. Agree on naming, documentation and ownership rules before the first production flow goes live. The step closes when each maker has rebuilt or reviewed at least one flow and the team has a written build standard.
Run both platforms in parallel
Keep the original Power Automate flows active while the rebuilt Activepieces flows run in parallel for the processes you have chosen to move. Compare outputs for the same inputs, watch for missed triggers, duplicate actions and failed approvals, and log any differences for the owner to resolve. Parallel running is what shows whether a rebuilt flow matches the old behavior under normal load. The check is a defined period with no unresolved differences that the business owners have accepted in writing.
Switch off migrated flows and confirm retention
Once parallel running is accepted, turn off the Power Automate flows that have been replaced, and keep the exports, inventory and test records as a retention set in line with your records policy. Remove unused connections and confirm that no migrated flow still depends on a Power Automate connection or a personal account. Update the process documentation and the flow inventory so it reflects the new owners. The output is a closed migration record that shows which flows moved, which stayed and why.
What happens to desktop flows when you choose Activepieces
Power Automate desktop flows have no direct equivalent in Activepieces. They drive Windows applications by mimicking keyboard and mouse input on a machine that has the app open, so they work even when the target system has no API. Activepieces is an integration builder that calls services over their APIs and webhooks, so a desktop flow cannot be moved into it as a like-for-like rebuild. Before you decide anything, list every desktop flow and the legacy application each one drives. Confirm with the flow owners whether that application has a supported API, export or database interface, and whether the vendor still supports it.
You have three realistic paths. The first is to keep desktop flows on Power Automate, which means your Microsoft licensing and its desktop runtime stay in place for those flows while cloud flows move to Activepieces. The second is to replace a desktop flow with an API integration wherever the target system offers one, which is often the lower-maintenance fix because it removes the screen-scraping dependency altogether. The third is to evaluate Robot Framework, an open-source framework for test automation and RPA, as a separate track for flows that still need UI automation. Robot Framework is a different tool with its own skills, scripts and runners, so treat it as a new project with its own owner, not as a drop-in for the Power Automate designer.
Whichever path you choose, desktop automation carries machines and upkeep that cloud flows do not. Attended or unattended runs need a Windows machine or virtual desktop per bot, with the target application installed, licensed and configured, plus access to a session that stays signed in. Each application update, theme change or layout change can break a recorded UI path, so budget for regression testing and for a named person who fixes broken flows. Ask Microsoft for the current licensing terms for desktop and process bots, and ask whoever runs your Windows estate about patching, credential handling and where those machines sit on your network.
Questions buyers ask before choosing Activepieces over Power Automate
How much effort does rebuilding Power Automate flows in Activepieces take?
The effort depends mostly on how many flows you have, how many connectors and approval steps each one uses, and how many of them carry business-critical logic. Simple notification or copy flows between Microsoft 365 apps and a few SaaS tools move quickly, while flows with nested conditions, custom connectors, Dataverse lookups or approval chains need more design and testing. Start with an inventory that records each flow's owner, triggers, connectors and run frequency. Then ask any implementation partner for a fixed-scope estimate built from that inventory, with the number of flows in each complexity band, the connectors to verify against Activepieces' piece catalog, and the testing and cutover steps included.
Can our team self-host Activepieces without outside help?
Yes, a capable team can run the Community Edition alone, provided it is comfortable operating containers and a database. Activepieces recommends self-hosting with Docker Compose using PostgreSQL and Redis, and it offers a Helm chart for Kubernetes. Community-maintained hosting templates usually ship the Community edition, so confirm which edition a template installs before you rely on it. Outside help is most useful for the first deployment, backup and restore testing, upgrade planning and hardening. DeployOpen plans, implements, hardens, backs up, upgrades and documents self-hosted platforms inside your own infrastructure, and that work is set out in a written scope before it starts.
What does the work need from our platform and security teams?
Platform engineers need to provision the hosting environment, PostgreSQL, Redis, TLS termination, backups and monitoring. Security staff need to review how credentials are stored, which network paths reach Microsoft 365, SaaS APIs and internal systems, who can publish flows, and how audit records are kept. Ask your security team to confirm the following before build starts: the identity provider used for sign-in, the secrets storage approach, the outbound network rules, and the data classes each flow touches. Remember that SSO and several governance features are listed only on specific Activepieces plans, so decide early which controls you need.
How long should a parallel run last, and what sets its length?
Run old and new flows side by side long enough to cover your full business cycle, including month-end, quarterly approvals and any flow that fires rarely. The length is set by the least frequent critical flow, not by the average. Compare outputs for each flow, record every mismatch and its cause, and switch off the Power Automate version only after the owner signs off. Keep the Power Automate flows disabled but not deleted until exports and the cutover record are archived. Your own change calendar and risk appetite should set the final window, so agree it in writing with the business owners before the run starts.
Can Microsoft 365 approvals and Dataverse flows move to Activepieces?
Some can, and some should stay where they are. Activepieces has integrations for many third-party and Microsoft services, but you must confirm for each connector you need whether a piece exists, which actions it exposes and whether it covers the approval pattern you use. Approvals tied to Microsoft 365 identity, Teams cards or Dataverse business rules often depend on Microsoft-native behavior that has no direct equivalent. Keep those flows in Microsoft 365 where they are tightly coupled to Dataverse tables, and move flows that only read from or write to external systems. Export single flows and Dataverse solutions as a reference before any change, because neither format imports into another tool.
Do SSO and audit logs require the Ultimate plan?
Not for SSO. The Activepieces pricing page lists SSO starting at the Team plan, while audit logs, Git sync and releases, SCIM and external secret managers are listed only for Ultimate. The self-hosted Community Edition is the automation core on its own. Check the current pricing page before you decide, since plan contents can change, and ask Activepieces to confirm in writing which features your self-hosted deployment will receive. If audit logging is a control requirement, factor the Ultimate plan into your licensing estimate, or plan your own logging from the platform's database and reverse proxy logs with a documented limitation.
What does a DeployOpen engagement cover for an Activepieces migration?
A DeployOpen engagement is fixed-scope and agreed in writing before work starts. Depending on what you choose, it can cover planning, implementation and integration of Activepieces inside your own cloud account, data center or air-gapped network, flow rebuilds and connection setup, hardening, backup and restore, upgrades, and documentation for your assessors. It can also include security testing of the flows and their integrations. DeployOpen does not issue audit reports or certifications; it prepares systems, controls and evidence that your independent auditors review. Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as retainers. DeployOpen does not publish a price list, so a quote follows from the written scope.
A decision checklist for the renewal window
Settle the connector inventory before anything else. Export a list of every cloud flow, the connectors each one uses and the owner of each flow, then check every third-party app and Microsoft 365 connector against the Activepieces piece list in the activepieces/activepieces repository. The repository lists more than 280 pieces, but a piece being listed does not confirm that it covers the actions and triggers your flows use, so test the specific operations. Mark any flow that depends on a Microsoft 365 connector with no equivalent, and count desktop flows separately, because desktop flows have no Activepieces equivalent and need their own decision.
Next, map identity and audit requirements to plan tiers. The Activepieces pricing page places SSO at the Team plan and lists audit logs, Git sync and releases, SCIM and external secret managers only for Ultimate, so confirm whether your identity provider, audit evidence and secret storage rules require those features. Check the current pricing page before the renewal meeting, because tier contents change. Then decide who will run the platform. Self-hosting the Community Edition, which is MIT licensed, means someone owns upgrades, the docker compose stack with PostgreSQL and Redis, backups and access control. Name that owner, a backup owner and the people who will build flows, and ask any partner for the operating model in writing.
Finally, let the renewal date set the timeline. Note the exact license end date and the notice period in your Power Automate contract, then work backward to a parallel-run period in which both platforms execute the same flows. Confirm with Microsoft whether flows can keep running on Power Automate until the end date and what happens to flows and data afterward. If the migration cannot finish in time, ask for a short extension rather than a rushed cutover. If the flow inventory shows that most logic is generic API work, compare n8n as a sibling option and the Power Automate to n8n and migration pages before you commit to one target. Either open-source platform can take the flows that fit it, and the checklist answers apply to both.
How DeployOpen helps evaluate, implement or migrate Activepieces
DeployOpen plans, implements, customizes, integrates, hardens, backs up, upgrades, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure. For Power Automate vs Activepieces, we start by confirming which flows, connectors and desktop automations are in play, then agree the written scope before any work begins.
How we scope
- We inventory which cloud flows, approvals and Microsoft 365 connectors your business users rely on today.
- We agree which flows move to Activepieces, which stay in Power Automate, and which need a different tool.
- Engagements are fixed-scope, with deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts.
- We confirm the Activepieces edition, licensing and SSO requirements against your identity and audit needs.
How we build
- We deploy Activepieces in your cloud account or data center using the Docker Compose or Kubernetes install paths.
- We rebuild priority flows, map connectors and test each trigger and action against the source behavior.
- We configure PostgreSQL and Redis, secrets handling, access controls and backups as part of the deployment.
- We run security testing of the flows and the connector credentials they hold before go-live.
How we hand over
- We document each rebuilt flow, its owner, connections and the Microsoft 365 dependencies that remain.
- We train makers on the Activepieces builder using the flows they will maintain themselves.
- We prepare runbooks for upgrades, backups and restores so your team can operate the platform.
- We deliver evidence and configuration records that your compliance leads and auditors can review.
How we support
- Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as a retainer after handover.
- We track Activepieces releases and plan upgrades in your environment on an agreed schedule.
- Ask any quote to state what is in the fixed scope and what a retainer would cover after go-live.
- Desktop flows that need Robot Framework or another tool are scoped as separate work with their own agreement.
