Power Automate Desktop: Pros and Cons

User-Friendly Interface
- Power Automate Desktop (PAD) offers a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy for non-developers to automate tasks.
Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem
- Seamlessly connects with Microsoft 365 apps like Excel, SharePoint, Teams, and Power Apps.
Low-Code/No-Code Development
- Enables users to create automation workflows with minimal coding knowledge.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Capabilities
- Automates both web-based and desktop applications, allowing legacy system integration.
Attended and Unattended Automation
- Supports both attended (human-involved) and unattended (fully automated) bot executions.
Cloud and On-Premises Automation ☁️
- Can automate tasks both on local machines and cloud-based applications.
Error Handling and Exception Management
- Provides error-handling mechanisms like “Try-Catch” to manage automation failures.
Free with Windows 10/11
- Microsoft offers PAD for free with Windows 10 and Windows 11, making it accessible to many users.

Limited Actions in Free Version
- Some advanced features, like unattended RPA, require a premium license.
Learning Curve for Complex Workflows
- While simple automation is easy, complex workflows require deeper knowledge of Power Automate Desktop.
Performance Issues with Large Automations
- May experience slow performance when handling extensive automation tasks or high-volume data.
Limited Cross-Platform Support
- Mainly built for Windows, with limited support for Mac or Linux.
Web Automation Can Be Unstable
- Automating web pages may break if websites change their structure (e.g., different HTML elements).
Reliance on UI Elements
- Automation based on UI elements (clicks, keystrokes) may fail if screen resolution or UI design changes.
Requires a Microsoft Ecosystem for Best Use
- Works best with Microsoft apps; third-party integration can be less efficient.
Cost for Advanced Features
- The free version has limitations, and full-scale enterprise automation requires additional licensing.