Premium connections in Power Automate cost between $15 and $100 per month, depending on which connector you use and your subscription tier

A premium connection in Power Automate is a link to an app or service that requires a paid license to use within your automation. Unlike standard connections (which come free with most Power Automate plans), premium ones charge per connector per user per month. The exact price depends on which service you're connecting to — Salesforce costs differently than SAP, for example — and whether you're on a cloud flow or desktop flow.

If you're building automations that touch only free connectors like Gmail, OneDrive, or SharePoint, you pay nothing extra. The moment you add a premium connector, that monthly charge appears on your bill. Microsoft doesn't charge a single flat rate; instead, each premium connector has its own price, and you pay for each one you actually use in a flow.

Key Takeaways

  • Premium connectors cost $15 to $100 per month each, with the price varying by which service you're connecting to, not by Power Automate itself.
  • You pay per connector per user, so if three people in your organization use the same premium connector, that's three separate charges.
  • Standard connectors like Gmail, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams have no premium cost and work with any Power Automate plan.
  • The Microsoft Power Automate pricing page lists which connectors are premium and their exact monthly cost in your region.
  • Some premium connectors offer a 30-day free trial, but the charge begins automatically after that period ends unless you remove the connector.

How premium connector pricing actually works

When you build a cloud flow (a cloud-based automation) and add a premium connector, Microsoft charges your organization $15 to $100 per month for that specific connector. You don't pay per flow or per run — you pay per connector per user who has access to it. If your flow uses two premium connectors, that's two separate monthly charges.

The pricing model is per-user, meaning if you have five people in your organization using the same premium connector in different flows, you're charged five times. If one person uses two different premium connectors, that's two charges for that person. Microsoft bills these charges to your tenant monthly, usually appearing on your Azure invoice or Power Platform billing statement.

Desktop flows (also called robotic process automation or RPA flows) have a different cost structure. They require a separate desktop flow license that costs $150 per user per month, and that license covers all premium connectors you use within that desktop flow. You don't pay extra per connector if you already have a desktop flow license.

Which connectors are premium and which are free

Standard connectors that cost nothing include Gmail, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Excel Online, SQL Server, and Dynamics 365. These come with most Power Automate plans and have no additional monthly charge no matter how many flows use them.

Premium connectors that carry a monthly cost include Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, Workday, Slack (in some regions), Zendesk, Jira, and many enterprise applications. The full list changes periodically as Microsoft adds new connectors and reclassifies existing ones. The easiest way to check is to open the Power Automate designer, search for the connector you need, and look for a small "premium" label next to its name.

Some connectors sit in a middle category: they're free to use, but only if you already own a license to the underlying service. For example, Dynamics 365 is free if your organization has a Dynamics 365 license, but you can't use it without one. These don't charge an additional Power Automate fee on top of your existing service license.

Regional variation and trial periods

Premium connector prices vary by region. A connector that costs $15 per month in the United States might cost a different amount in Europe or Asia-Pacific, usually reflecting local pricing norms. When you check the pricing page, make sure you're looking at the price for your region, not a global average.

Many premium connectors offer a 30-day free trial. During the trial, you can build and test flows using that connector without being charged. Once the trial ends, the monthly charge kicks in automatically unless you delete the connector from your flows or remove the user's access. There's no grace period or warning — the charge simply begins on day 31.

If you're testing whether a premium connector will work for your use case, build your flow during the trial period and make sure it does what you need before the 30 days end. After that, you're committed to the monthly cost for as long as that user has access to that connector in any active flow.

How to see what you're being charged

To view your current premium connector charges, go to the Power Platform admin center, select your environment, and look at the "Resources" section. This shows you which premium connectors are in use and how many users are consuming them. You can also check your Azure invoice or Power Platform billing page to see the actual charges.

If you see a charge for a connector you don't recognize or no longer use, the connector is likely still present in a flow somewhere, even if that flow isn't running. Deleting the connector from all flows will stop the charge in the next billing cycle. Disabling a flow doesn't stop the charge — you have to remove the connector itself.

Ways to reduce premium connector costs

The most direct way to reduce costs is to use standard connectors wherever possible. For example, if you need to send notifications, Teams or email (both free) often work instead of a paid third-party service. Before adding a premium connector, check whether a free alternative exists that solves the same problem.

Consolidate users where you can. If multiple people are using the same premium connector, consider whether one person could run the flow on behalf of the group, reducing the number of per-user charges. This works best for scheduled flows or flows triggered by a single owner rather than flows that many people trigger manually.

Use desktop flows only when you truly need RPA. Since a desktop flow license covers all premium connectors, it can be cost-effective if you're using three or more premium connectors in that flow. But if you only need one or two premium connectors, paying per connector might be cheaper than the $150 desktop flow license.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I pay for a premium connector if I don't use it in any flows?

No. You only pay when the connector is actually present in an active or inactive flow. If you delete the connector from all your flows, the charge stops in the next billing cycle. Simply having the connector installed in your environment doesn't trigger a charge — it has to be used in at least one flow.

Can I use a premium connector with a free Power Automate plan?

Yes, but you'll still pay the monthly premium connector fee. The Power Automate plan (free, cloud, or premium) and the connector cost are separate charges. A free plan user can use a premium connector; they just can't use certain advanced features like business process flows or custom connectors that require a paid plan.

What happens if I stop paying for a premium connector?

If a charge fails or you don't pay, flows using that connector will stop running. Microsoft typically gives a grace period before disabling the connector, but you should resolve billing issues immediately to avoid automation downtime. Contact your billing administrator or Microsoft support if you see a failed payment.

Is there a way to test a premium connector before committing to the monthly cost?

Yes, most premium connectors include a 30-day free trial. Use this period to build and test your flow thoroughly. After 30 days, the monthly charge begins automatically, so plan accordingly. If you decide not to use the connector, delete it from all flows before the trial ends to avoid the charge.

Do I pay per flow or per connector?

You pay per connector per user, not per flow. One user using the same premium connector in five different flows pays once per month for that connector, not five times. But if five users each use that same connector, that's five separate monthly charges.