Power Apps

What is Power Apps?

Power Apps is Microsoft’s low-code application development platform that enables users to quickly build custom business apps that connect to your data and work across web and mobile. It’s part of the Microsoft Power Platform, alongside Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Pages.

With Power Apps, both professional developers and non-technical users (also called citizen developers) can design and deploy scalable apps that automate tasks, collect data, and enhance productivity—without writing complex code.

Why Use Power Apps?

Power Apps empowers businesses to solve problems with custom solutions, without the need for traditional software development. Here’s why it’s widely used:

• Speed: Build fully functional apps in hours or days, not months.
• Ease of Use: Drag-and-drop interface with Excel-like formulas.
• Integration: Connect to over 500 data sources including SharePoint, Outlook, Excel, SQL Server, and Dataverse.
• Mobility: Apps are responsive and accessible via browser or mobile devices.
• Automation Ready: Seamless integration with Power Automate for workflows.

Whether it’s an employee onboarding tool or a service request tracker, Power Apps provides the tools to create exactly what your business needs.

Is Power Apps Free?

Power Apps offers both free access and premium plans:

Access Type	Availability
✅ Free with Microsoft 365	Basic Power Apps usage is included with Microsoft 365 (e.g., canvas apps using SharePoint or Excel data)
✅ Developer Plan	Free individual environment for learning and testing Power Apps + Dataverse
🔒 Premium Licensing	Required for advanced data connectors, model-driven apps, or Dataverse usage
📱 Mobile Access	Free Power Apps mobile app available on Android and iOS to run apps built by your org

While many users can start for free, advanced capabilities or enterprise-scale deployments require appropriate licensing.

Key Features of Power Apps

Feature	Description
Canvas Apps	Design pixel-perfect apps with drag-and-drop components
Model-Driven Apps	Build apps based on Dataverse data models with minimal design effort
Data Connectors	Connect to Microsoft and third-party services (over 500 connectors)
Power Apps Portals	Create external-facing websites for customers and partners
Dataverse Integration	Securely store and manage app data in Microsoft Dataverse
AI Builder	Embed AI-powered features like sentiment analysis and object detection
Role-Based Security	Set permissions and data access based on user roles
Cross-Platform Support	Apps run on desktop, tablets, and smartphones with no extra work

How to Access Power Apps?

You can start building or running apps in Power Apps through multiple access points:

1. From the Web
• Go to https://make.powerapps.com
• Sign in with your Microsoft 365 credentials
• Create, edit, or manage apps in your environment
2. Via Microsoft 365 App Launcher
• Sign in to https://www.office.com
• Click the App Launcher (nine dots icon) in the top-left
• Select Power Apps to launch the platform
3. From Mobile Devices
• Download the Power Apps mobile app from the App Store or Google Play
• Sign in to access and run apps published in your organization

Summary

Key Point	Details
Product Name	Power Apps
Purpose	Low-code app development for custom business solutions
Included In	Microsoft 365 (limited use), Power Apps plans, Developer Plan
Free to Use?	Yes, with limitations; premium features require additional licensing
Access Method	office.com, make.powerapps.com, Power Apps mobile app
Integrates With	SharePoint, Microsoft 365, Dataverse, Power Automate, Teams, Microsoft Graph