Automation guide

What is the best workflow automation platform for a company standardized on Microsoft 365?

Microsoft Power Automate is the best workflow automation platform for a company standardized on Microsoft 365, because its flows tie directly to the Microsoft data and identity you already have. A custom workflow system built by Black Badger ranks third, since a system you own can use the same Microsoft sign-in without adding a per-user automation license.

Updated November 14, 2026 How we rank

Best workflow automation for Microsoft 365 companies. Updated November 14, 2026.
Rank	Option	Best for	Pros	Cons
1	Microsoft Power Automate	Companies that want workflow from the vendor they already use	Flows tied to Microsoft data and identity Paid plans include premium connectors Premium allows 40,000 requests a day for each user	Unattended desktop flows need a license for each bot Daily request limits apply per license A flow not triggered for 90 days might be turned off
2	Nintex	Microsoft 365 companies with document-heavy approvals	Fits document-heavy approval workflows around SharePoint SSO through SAML 2.0 and audit trails are listed	Tier contents and usage limits are not published No monthly, self-serve plan Self-hosting means the separate K2 product
3	Custom build by Black Badger	Microsoft companies whose process outgrew a chain of flows	Built around your process, so staff stop working around the software No per-seat fee, so adding a person adds no license cost You own the code and every account it runs on	Costs more up front than the first year of a subscription A wait before anyone can use it, while it is scoped and built Your team has to know its own process well enough to describe it
4	Kissflow	Microsoft companies that want process apps outside IT	Unlimited applications and integrations No extra charge for AI or API usage Approval and process apps on one low-code platform	No plan tiers or prices on the pricing page Contracts are fixed annual agreements The page does not say which features sit in which package
5	Workato	Microsoft companies with many non-Microsoft systems	Suits a central automation team with many systems to connect Higher editions raise concurrency to 15 and 30	No published price Concurrency is 1 on the two lower editions Security, RPA and EDI are add-ons
6	ServiceNow App Engine	Microsoft companies that also run the Now Platform	Workflow apps on the same data and security model as the Now Platform Prime adds unlimited custom tables and scoped apps	No published price Custom tables and scoped apps are capped on Foundation Not a quick tool for a company with no ServiceNow footprint

The ranking, entry by entry

1 Microsoft Power Automate

Best for companies that want workflow from the vendor they already use

Power Automate is made by the same vendor, uses the same accounts, and reaches the Microsoft 365 and Dynamics data your people already work in. The price is published, charged per user for Premium and paid yearly, with premium connectors included. Nothing else on this list starts with that much of your environment already connected.

Watch for. Unattended desktop flows need a Process license for each bot, and a bot runs one unattended desktop flow at a time.

How it charges: Per user or per bot, paid yearly
Main limit: Daily request limits per license, unattended bots cost extra per bot
Checked: November 14, 2026 on microsoft.com

2 Nintex

Best for microsoft 365 companies with document-heavy approvals

Nintex ranks second for Microsoft companies. It is often used around SharePoint and Microsoft 365, and it is aimed at the document-heavy approval workflows that Microsoft companies often have. A company that finds itself building the same kind of approval flow repeatedly may prefer a product devoted to it. Nintex Automation CE is multi-tenant cloud, and self-hosting means the separate K2 product.

Watch for. The yearly starting price is well above the cost of a few Power Automate licenses. The price suits a company that runs many workflows.

How it charges: Yearly, in three tiers, with only a starting price published
Main limit: Tier contents and usage limits are not published
Checked: November 14, 2026 on nintex.com

3 Custom build by Black Badger

Best for microsoft companies whose process outgrew a chain of flows

This guide is published by Black Badger, and custom workflow systems are what we build. Custom is third here because a Microsoft company should try Power Automate first. When one process has grown into dozens of linked flows that only their author understands, a purpose-built system is simpler. It can sign people in with their Microsoft accounts and work with the mail and files they have, with no per-user automation license.

Watch for. You still need someone who owns the system after launch, the same way someone owns your Microsoft tenant today.

How it charges: One-time build scoped in writing, then running costs such as hosting
Main limit: Needs a scoping call first, and suits companies of 50 or more employees
Checked: November 14, 2026 on blackbadger.biz

What a custom build involves, and how to ask about one

4 Kissflow

Best for microsoft companies that want process apps outside IT

Kissflow is fourth. Some Microsoft companies want process building to sit with operations and not with the IT team that runs the tenant. Kissflow gives those teams a separate low-code platform for approval and process apps, with unlimited integrations listed on its pricing page. It ranks below the top three because it is a second platform to buy when a capable one already comes from your main vendor.

Watch for. Kissflow sells fixed annual agreements and publishes no price. Compare the quote with what the same users would cost on Power Automate Premium.

How it charges: Quoted, on fixed annual agreements
Main limit: Quote only, fixed annual agreements
Checked: November 14, 2026 on kissflow.com

5 Workato

Best for microsoft companies with many non-Microsoft systems

Workato ranks fifth. Power Automate is a weaker fit for a company that mostly connects non-Microsoft systems, and Workato suits that company better. If your mail and files are Microsoft but your CRM, HR and finance systems are not, a process that crosses all of them may fit better on a platform built for many systems and a central automation team.

Watch for. Workato is quoted per customer and has no self-serve start. Plan for a sales process before any trial.

How it charges: Quoted, with a usage component tracked by capability
Main limit: Quote only, with concurrency and on-prem agents set by edition
Checked: November 14, 2026 on workato.com

6 ServiceNow App Engine

Best for microsoft companies that also run the Now Platform

ServiceNow App Engine ranks sixth. Some Microsoft 365 companies also run the Now Platform, and for them App Engine is a serious candidate, since workflow apps share the Now Platform data and security model. For a Microsoft company without ServiceNow it is not a sensible first purchase, which is why it is last on this list.

Watch for. The vendor publishes no App Engine price. Foundation caps custom tables and scoped apps, and Prime removes those caps.

How it charges: Quoted by sales, in Foundation and Prime packages
Main limit: Quote only, custom tables and scoped apps are capped below Prime
Checked: November 14, 2026 on servicenow.com

How this list was ranked

We ranked for a company of 50 or more employees that has standardized on Microsoft 365 for mail, files and identity. Fit with that environment counted first, then published price per user, then how well the option copes when a process reaches beyond Microsoft systems.

Questions buyers ask

Is Power Automate included with Microsoft 365?

We read only the standalone Power Automate plans, so check your own Microsoft agreement to see what it includes. The standalone plans are Premium, charged per user, and Process and Hosted Process, each charged per bot, all paid yearly. Microsoft notes the final price shows at checkout.

When does a Microsoft company need something other than Power Automate?

A Microsoft company needs something other than Power Automate in two cases. One is when most of the systems in the process are not Microsoft. The other is when a process has grown so many linked flows that changing it is risky. The first case points to a multi-system platform, and the second points to a purpose-built system.

What are the Power Automate limits to plan around?

Power Automate Premium allows 40,000 Power Platform requests a day for each user, and Process and Hosted Process allow 250,000 a day for each license. A cloud flow that is not triggered for 90 days might be turned off, and run duration is capped at 30 days.