What is the difference between Microsoft Power Automate and Microsoft Flow? 

Microsoft Flow and Power Automate are two distinct products from Microsoft, yet much of the information online about these two is almost the same. The truth is these are the same products and Microsoft has just updated Flow by adding some new features and rebranded it as Microsoft Power Automate.  

Here is a list of feature enhancements introduced in Microsoft Power Automate:

1. Power Automate, unlike Microsoft Flow, is focused on driving automated experiences. It is a cloud-based platform, and it helps people orchestrate workflows for different departments in an organization with no limits to team sizes.  

2. Microsoft Power Automate does not burden your computer hardware due to its cloud-based deployment. Its low-code development mechanism comes complete with pre-built templates that offer further ease in the creation of automated workflows.  

3. Unlike Microsoft Flow, Microsoft Power Automate offers the capability to synchronize low-code applications built on its platform, with other platforms including Salesforce, Google Drive, Azure, etc.  

4. Microsoft Power Automate provides future-ready capabilities for businesses that utilize assistance from solution providers such as SharePoint Designs. These include:

• API-based automation  
• UI-based automation
• Connection with APIs, databases, and SAS providers

5. Power Automate offers Robotic Process Automation (RPA) features for businesses building software solutions using modern apps with APIs. It also works with legacy applications that have missing or incomplete APIs. RPA is especially known for allowing businesses to integrate modern apps with manual processes and legacy systems through automation.

6. Microsoft Power Automate allows businesses to automate processes more safely as it comes with built-in privacy, governance, and data loss–prevention technology. For example, the ‘exception handling’ feature ensures that businesses can allow distinct levels of access to authorized employees. This prevents unauthorized people from viewing or making changes to automation flows.  

7. Power Automate also allows businesses to automate chatbots through the Power Virtual Agents. Businesses can use Power Virtual Agents authoring canvas to create automated responses to distinct actions. This way, one can create intelligent chatbots that can promptly answer questions without the need for data scientists or developers.

These were the major differences between Microsoft Flow and Microsoft Power Automate. We hope the information in this post was helpful to you.