Microsoft Power Apps explained: Benefits, pricing, and examples
As businesses face mounting pressure to enhance efficiency, more are automating workflows to improve accuracy, speed and productivity. But building and deploying custom software requires significant time, a large budget and skilled developers, a luxury many teams can’t afford.
Microsoft Power Apps is one solution used by businesses worldwide, with over 48 million monthly active users. The low-code/no-code development platform allows users to create data-driven apps quickly and easily, without in-depth coding knowledge. Therefore, you get a faster and more cost-effective way to automate processes and tackle your unique business challenges.
In this guide, we’ll explore Microsoft Power Apps, including its benefits, licensing, pricing, and examples.
Table of Contents
- What is Microsoft Power Apps?
- Types of Power Apps
- Why use Power Apps?
- Power Apps licensing and pricing
- Power Apps examples
- A Power Apps success story
What is Microsoft Power Apps?
Microsoft Power Apps is a low-code/no-code tool that is part of Microsoft’s Power Platform. Businesses use it to create custom internal apps quickly and efficiently without writing a single line of code. This accessibility enables both developers and non-IT professionals, often with support from a Microsoft Power Platform expert, to create problem-solving apps.
Off-the-shelf software doesn’t always meet your organisation's needs or processes. So, Power Apps is an ideal solution for businesses that want to digitalise business processes with flexible tools and without always relying on technical teams.
Types of Power Apps
You have two options when creating Power Apps:
- Canvas apps
- Model-driven apps
With Canvas Power Apps, you can create any layout you want by using a simple ‘drag and drop’ feature. Since you’re starting with a blank canvas, you can design the app’s layout and interface from scratch. You can also integrate Canvas apps with data from third-party data sources or Microsoft’s own Common Data Service (Dataverse).
Users can then run the app in a browser, on a mobile or tablet, or embed it in SharePoint, Power BI, or Teams.
Canvas apps are highly customisable options for businesses that want complete control over functionality and a specific design. However, creating an app from scratch can be more time-consuming and require more technical expertise.
Alternatively, Model-driven Power Apps require a Microsoft Dataverse, the Power Platform's central data service. Users can develop data-first apps quickly based on existing data models. This is ideal for modelling specific processes unique to your business, such as a Customer Service Hub.
Model-driven apps are easy to modify and update, but less customisable than Canvas apps since the data model is the basis of the app’s structure.
The type of Power Apps you choose depends on your requirements. Microsoft recommends considering a model-driven app unless you have a specific need for a canvas app.
Why use Power Apps?
A key advantage of Power Apps is its accessibility. The fact that no coding experience is needed is a huge draw to using the platform. Here are some of the benefits:
1. Increased efficiency
Use Power Apps to simplify and automate processes, such as manual data entry, paper forms and document generation. With AI Builder, for example, you can choose a prebuilt model for everyday tasks such as form processing or create a custom model that meets your exact needs.
2. Integration and automation
Use Power Apps to create custom apps that automate countless business processes. By developing apps that align with your specific needs, you can simplify tasks like data entry, time tracking, inventory tracking, and managing sales activities.
Power Apps natively connects with Dataverse and integrates with other data sources, including SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and SQL Server, to bridge the gap between your business needs and technology.
3. AI-assistant
Microsoft Copilot in Power Apps helps you build apps with AI. Simply tell the chatbot what you want the app to do, and the AI will handle the rest to a certain extent. Using Copilot makes the process quicker and easier. Microsoft data shows that makers who use Copilot have a success rate 60% higher than those who don't.
4. Cost and time savings
Power Apps opens app development to more people thanks to its low-code/no-code nature, helping to lower development and maintenance costs. Features like drag-and-drop tools and templates also make app development much quicker.
Trusted managed IT providers can use their in-depth knowledge to build a tailored solution for your organisation, which speeds up deployment and gets you the best return on investment.
Power Apps licensing and pricing
You need a license to use Power Apps, and the cost depends on the plan you choose. It’s bundled with some Microsoft enterprise licenses, such as E3, but there are individual plans, including:
| Licensing Options | Pricing | Description |
| Developer Plan | Free | A free plan to get you started with building and testing, not deploying unlimited apps or automation flows. |
| Power Apps Premium | £15.40 per user/month | Use Power Apps, including unlimited app and Power Pages building, 500 AI Builder credits, and more. |
| Power Apps Premium (With 2,000 license minimum) | £9.20 per user/month | This option is the same as above, but is best for larger enterprises that want unlimited apps for their users. |
| Power Apps per app | Subject to usage | Allows a user to run one app and one portal. Includes standard connectors and 50MB Dataverse storage. Ideal for smaller teams. |
| Pay-as-you-go | Subject to usage | Billed via Azure. Flexible usage-based pricing. Ideal for short-term use or testing. No upfront commitment. |
Power Apps pricing can change, so it’s important to check with Microsoft for the latest licensing and pricing information.
Note: The actual cost of the Per App Plan and Pay-As-You-Go Plan may vary depending on your usage, billing setup, and region. Prices can be higher or lower based on how frequently the apps are accessed and the resources consumed.
Microsoft’s licensing options can be difficult to navigate, with different plans, add-ons and usage models to consider. Working with a Managed Service Provider can help ensure your organisation chooses the most appropriate and cost-effective route for using Power Apps. Get in touch with us if you’d like guidance on Power Apps licensing.
Power Apps examples
Power Apps can be used for many processes, but they’re especially ideal for automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks.
Here are a few Power Apps examples to showcase the kinds of custom apps you could create:
1. Streamline expenses
Replace expense claim processes by building an app that acts as a single point of expense management. Since Power Apps connects to other data sources, businesses can use Microsoft tools, like a SharePoint Online List, to store their expense records.
You can create an expense app to do the following, and more:
- Create custom forms to input expense details
- Automatically track the status of each expense request
- Add built-in checks to make sure entered expenses are correct
- Generate reports on expense data, such as total spending by employee or department
2. Team onboarding
Design apps or use existing Power Apps templates to optimise HR management tasks, such as team onboarding. Add features, including new employees, task assignments, attendance management, manager assignments, reminders and HR policy to your app to reduce paperwork and minimise human error.
You can also enhance the new-starter experience by ensuring new team members get the information they need in the app from day one.
3. Sales tracking
Use Power Apps to record new sales opportunities and wins with notification triggers. You can even integrate it with Dynamics or a CRM such as Salesforce.
What’s more, you can automate lead tracking for sales teams and predict future financial performance based on historical data, trends and user inputs.
If you’re unsure where to start, Power Apps training sessions can help you and your team build confidence.
A Power Apps success story
One of Texaport’s clients needed a smarter way for their field teams to capture, organise, and process the large volumes of data and photographs collected during site visits. Using Microsoft Power Apps, they created an app designed to automatically sort images and field data into predefined categories, saving valuable time and reducing human error.
While the app was well-designed, deploying the app at scale raised operational and security challenges. Device compatibility issues and compliance requirements delayed rollout.
Texaport provided the expertise needed to overcome these challenges. Our experts provided end-to-end support, beginning with hardware procurement to ensure all devices were fully compatible with the app. We then deployed the application across the client’s field devices in Kiosk mode, locking down functionality to meet Cyber Essentials compliance and protect sensitive data.
The results were immediate: manual sorting that once took hours became an automated, secure process. Field data could now be categorised instantly and transferred for lab analysis, accelerating workflows, improving accuracy, and giving the client confidence in both efficiency and compliance.
Unlock Power Apps' full potential
Our Power Apps services can help you navigate your Power Apps journey. From planning and design guidance to integration, governance, and ongoing support, we provide tailored solutions that fit your business needs. Contact us to find out more.
