Power Apps vs Power Automate vs Superblocks: Key Differences 

Power Apps and Power Automate are separate tools in the Power Platform, but they’re often used together. You might use Power Apps to build a form or Power Automate to create the logic behind the scenes (like approvals, emails, database updates). 

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Superblocks, on the other hand, brings both app building and automation into a single platform. You get enterprise-grade security, full-code flexibility, and the speed of an AI-native dev experience, all without being locked into a single vendor ecosystem.

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In this article, we’ll cover: 

• The core differences between Power Apps, Power Automate, and Superblocks
• How much each tool costs
• Which tool is best for different use cases and teams

Let’s start with a quick comparison.

Power Apps vs Power Automate vs Superblocks: Quick comparison

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of each tool, here’s a quick comparison to help you see how Power Apps, Power Automate, and Superblocks stack up at a glance:

Power Apps

Power Apps is Microsoft’s low-code development platform. It lets users build simple business applications, primarily CRUD apps (Create, Read, Update, Delete), without writing much code. Power Apps is part of the Power Platform, alongside Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents.

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Power Apps is mostly used by organizations that are already all-in on Microsoft 365 and want to:

• Build internal tools or data entry apps
• Customize SharePoint, Teams, or Excel workflows
• Enable business users to build without IT involvement

Features

• Canvas apps: Build drag-and-drop apps from scratch using a visual editor. This is similar to PowerPoint combined with Excel logic.
• Microsoft ecosystem integration: Deep native connections to SharePoint, Excel, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, and more. It also supports third-party connectors like Salesforce, SAP, and Twilio.
• Power Fx logic: App logic is written using Power Fx, a formula language inspired by Excel. Doesn’t support popular scripting languages like JavaScript or Python.
• Cross-platform support: Apps work on mobile and desktop, but design flexibility is limited. You don’t get full CSS or pixel-perfect control.
• Dataverse backend: Microsoft’s hosted database (250 MB database and 2 GB file) that powers model-driven apps. Also supports external data sources like SQL Server and SharePoint lists.
• RBAC and compliance: Role-based access control and environment-level separation included. Integrates with Azure AD for single sign-on and enterprise security policies.

Pricing

Power Apps offers a free developer plan designed for building and testing apps in a personal environment. For full functionality, the Power Apps Premium plan is priced at $20/user/month. This plan gives users access to prebuilt, custom, and on-premises connectors, Dataverse storage, and unlimited Power Apps and Power Pages. 

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Enterprise customers can get discounted pricing at $12 per user, per month, but that requires a minimum of 2,000 seats.

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Watch out for cost creep. Once you add flows (via Power Automate), AI credits, and storage, the bill can balloon quickly.

Power Automate

Power Automate is Microsoft’s tool for automating workflows across applications and services.

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You can use it to:

• Automatically move data between systems
• Send notifications and approvals
• Trigger actions based on emails, form submissions, file changes, etc.
• Even run robotic process automation (RPA) to handle legacy desktop apps

Features

• Flow builder: Automate tasks with a drag-and-drop interface using triggers, conditions, loops, and branches.
• Cloud flows: Trigger flows from events, buttons, scheduled times, or other systems.
• Desktop flows (RPA): Automate manual tasks on Windows desktops using screen recording and UI controls.
• AI builder integration: Access to prebuilt AI models for form processing, sentiment analysis, and prediction.
• Approvals engine: Built-in support for multi-step approval workflows across teams and apps.
• Audit logs and monitoring: Track flow performance and failures through Power Platform Admin Center.
• RBAC & Azure AD: Manage user roles, single sign-on, and access permissions through Azure Active Directory.
• Power Platform integration: Natively connects to Power Apps, Power BI, and Dataverse for full workflow automation.

Pricing

Power Automate offers two main pricing models: per user and per bot. The per-user plan is $15 per user per month and allows each licensed user to run cloud flows and attended desktop flows. 

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For shared automations that aren’t tied to a specific user, the per-bot plan is priced at $150 per flow per month. It includes cloud flows and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in unattended mode.

Superblocks

Superblocks is an enterprise-grade application platform designed to accelerate the development of internal software. It’s built for developers and semi-technical users who need to move quickly while maintaining control, flexibility, and security.

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Development begins with Clark AI, an AI agent that allows users to generate and modify applications using natural language. From there, you can refine the apps in a visual drag-and-drop editor or fully customize them using Superblocks’ React-based code mode. This provides an easy transition from low-code to full-code as needed. 

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In addition, Superblocks provides tight governance and security, with built-in support for RBAC, audit logs, SSO, and even a lightweight on-prem agent for sensitive environments.

Features

• Clark AI agent: Use natural language to build and modify apps, workflows, and logic. Clark understands your data sources, permissions, and design tokens.
• Visual editor: Modify UI with customizable drag-and-drop components or start from prebuilt templates.
• Enterprise React: Switch to full-code mode and customize apps using a React-based framework. Export to your IDE when needed.
• Unlimited apps and workflows: No cap on how many apps, workflows, or scheduled jobs you create.
• Comprehensive integration library: Integrate with REST, GraphQL, SQL/NoSQL databases, cloud apps, AI models, and more.
• Centralized governance: Supports role-based access control, SSO, audit logs, and integrates with your observability stack.
• Public apps: Option to publish apps that can be shared externally.
• On-premise agent: Keep data in-network without managing a full local deployment using the lightweight open-source OPA.
• Change and release management: Manage deployments across environments with built-in support for Git-based version control, staging/production environments, and CI/CD workflows.

Pricing

Superblocks pricing is transparent and usage-based. There are no per-flow or per-app caps, and you won’t get charged extra for each integration. It offers a generous free tier with unlimited apps and workflows for up to 5 users.

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The paid plans start at $49 per creator per month and $15/end-user/month. Pricing is customized for enterprises.

Which should you choose?

Choose Power Apps if:

• You’re deep in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem (SharePoint, Excel, Teams).
• Your use cases are mostly form-based business apps or quick data entry tools.
• You’re targeting non-technical users (citizen developers) and don't need full design or logic control.
• You’re okay with working inside Microsoft’s UI limits and formula language (Power Fx).

Not ideal for complex UIs, developer workflows, or multi-cloud integrations.

Choose Power Automate if:

• You want to automate routine tasks like file syncs, approvals, or Slack notifications.
• You rely heavily on Microsoft tools and want to automate across SharePoint, Outlook, Excel, etc.
• You need lightweight RPA for older systems or desktop processes.

Gets pricey fast with RPA. Also, if you have a dev-centric team or are building complex orchestrations, you may need to consider Power Automate alternatives.

Choose Superblocks if:

• You’re building internal tools that need to hook into varied backend systems, workflows, and data, not just Microsoft-based tools.
• You need to move fast using AI (Clark) while keeping things secure and compliant.
• You care about customization and want full-code freedom when you need it.
• You want to avoid lock-in.

Overkill if you just need a couple of forms inside SharePoint.

Next steps: Try Superblocks for free

While Power Apps and Power Automate are solid choices for building simple apps and automations, they’re tightly coupled to the Microsoft ecosystem. For teams already all-in on Microsoft 365, that might be just fine. But for enterprises that need flexibility across a more diverse tech stack, it’s limiting.

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Superblocks is designed for enterprise teams that want more flexibility. It works across cloud providers, supports open standards, integrates with a wide range of APIs and databases, and gives teams full control over how and where apps run.

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That flexibility shows up in every part of the platform:

• One platform for apps and logic: Build frontends, backend logic, and scheduled workflows in a single platform, using one consistent security and governance model.
• AI-native: Clark AI lets you generate, update, and secure applications using natural language. And it does this with full awareness of your company’s security policies, design tokens, and data sources.
• Flexible for every skill level: Non-technical users can build visually, while developers can dive into full React code through the Enterprise React framework.
• Enterprise-grade governance: RBAC, SSO, audit logs, and observability are built in and centrally managed.
• Hybrid deployment model: Keep your data in-network with a lightweight on-premise agent. No full self-hosting required.
• Portability and zero lock-in: Applications can be exported as React code and deployed to your own infrastructure if needed. You own your stack.

In short, if you're evaluating platforms based on developer velocity, security posture, and infrastructure freedom, consider Superblocks. Check out our 5-minute Quickstart guide, or better yet, try Superblocks for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Power Apps and Power Automate?

Power Apps is for building apps, mostly form-based business tools with a UI. Think data entry screens, approval dashboards, or custom SharePoint apps.

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Power Automate is for building automations like moving data between systems, sending notifications, or scheduling tasks. It runs behind the scenes, often triggered by events like new files, form submissions, or calendar changes.

Can I use Power Apps and Power Automate together?

Yes. Power Apps handles the interface, and Power Automate powers the logic behind the scenes.

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For example, you might build a Power App that submits a form, which then triggers a Power Automate flow to send an email, update SharePoint, and log it in Excel.

How is Superblocks different from Power Platform tools?

Superblocks is open, flexible, and built for scale, unlike Power Platform tools, which are tightly tied to Microsoft services. It supports full-code customization, AI-native development, and enterprise-grade governance, and it works across any cloud or API, not just the Microsoft ecosystem.

Which tool is best for building internal apps with APIs?

Superblocks. It was built for this, whether you’re connecting to REST, GraphQL, SQL, or internal APIs. You can authenticate securely, manage secrets, define reusable queries, and build complex workflows all in one place.

What’s the most secure low-code tool for enterprise automation?

Superblocks is the most security-focused platform in this comparison. Here’s why:

• Full RBAC, SSO, audit logging, and observability are built in.
• It supports on-prem deployment via agent, so your data never leaves your network.
• Governance is centralized across apps, workflows, permissions, and environments.