Blog · · 1 min read
Power Platform premium licensing: when you need it and when you don't
The question that changes a Power Platform project the most is not technical. It is “which licenses do you have?” The answer shapes the architecture, the timeline and the client’s monthly bill.
What Microsoft 365 already includes
Microsoft 365 business plans include Power Apps and Power Automate with standard connectors: SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, Approvals, OneDrive, Excel and many more. You can build request apps, approval flows, forms and notifications with nothing beyond what the company already pays.
What needs premium
- Dataverse as the app’s database.
- Premium connectors: SQL Server, the HTTP trigger, custom connectors and third-party systems such as Salesforce.
- Offline mode in canvas apps.
- Triggering desktop bots (RPA) from cloud flows.
Microsoft’s list prices, in US dollars before tax, are $20 per user per month for Power Apps Premium and $15 per user per month for Power Automate Premium. Unattended bots are licensed per bot. Enterprise agreements may differ, so check Microsoft’s page before quoting.
How to decide
- First design what works with what the client already pays for. A well-modeled SharePoint list and a flow with standard connectors often do the job.
- Premium comes in when the gain pays for the license. For 20 field inspectors without signal, offline mode can be worth every cent. For an office form, rarely.
- Put it in the proposal. The client should know, before signing, what they will pay Microsoft every month.
And for development?
The Power Apps Developer Plan is free and gives you developer environments with the same features as paid plans, Dataverse included. It requires a work account and cannot be used in production.