To maximize ROI while maintaining compliance, enterprises should adopt a tiered strategy for Power Automate Desktop licensing:
Includes 50 MB of process mining data storage to analyze and optimize workflows.
For staff members automating their own Outlook, Teams, and Excel tasks, the license is the most cost-effective. It empowers the workforce without the overhead of server management.
With the release of Windows 10 (specifically updates in late 2020) and all versions of Windows 11, the Power Automate Desktop client is "seeded" into the operating system. It appears as a built-in application. power automate desktop license
This paper explains three core licensing tiers:
Includes 5,000 AI Builder credits monthly for tasks like document processing or text sentiment analysis.
| Feature | Free with Windows | Power Automate Premium (Per user) | Unattended Add-on (Per machine) | |---------|------------------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------| | | Individual Windows user | Business user needing attended automation | IT/Operations running scheduled automations | | Attended run | Yes | Yes | Not applicable | | Unattended run | No | No | Yes (per machine or hosted) | | Access to cloud connectors (SQL, SharePoint, etc.) | No | Yes | Yes | | Run on remote/hosted machine | No | No | Yes | | Centralized management (CoE kit, DLP policies) | No | Yes | Yes | | Price | Included in Windows 10/11 Pro/Enterprise | ~$15/user/month (via Power Automate Premium) | ~$150/machine/month (or $500 for 5 unattended add-ons) | With the release of Windows 10 (specifically updates
Allows you to trigger desktop flows from the cloud (e.g., when an email arrives).
The license allows for local execution but lacks enterprise management. The Per User license unlocks the power of the cloud for individual power users. The Unattended add-on transforms the tool into an enterprise-grade robotic workforce.
The employee wants this to run automatically every morning at 6:00 AM. | Feature | Free with Windows | Power
However, the democratization of the tool has led to widespread confusion regarding its actual licensing requirements. While the application often comes pre-installed on Windows 10 and 11, the right to execute automations—particularly within an enterprise environment—is governed by a complex matrix of subscription types, bot classifications (Attended vs. Unattended), and process limits.
Includes one "attended" bot to run flows on your own machine.