Power Platform consultancy cost, UKWhat a Power Platform project really costs, in pounds.
What drives the price, how fixed price compares with a day rate, why licensing is its own line and what three years of ownership looks like. Every figure on this page is either our own published from-price or clearly marked as illustrative.
Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Published by Power Platform MS.
Most Power Platform consultancies in the UK do not publish prices, so buyers searching for "how much does a Power App cost" find job-board salaries and day rates instead of project costs. This guide sets out how we price work, what moves the number up or down, and how to compare quotes from different kinds of supplier on a fair basis.
The short answer: a first working app, flow or agent on your own data starts from £4,950 with us, a full spreadsheet replacement from £6,500, and smaller first steps such as a licensing review or health check start from £395. Microsoft licensing is always a separate cost. All prices exclude VAT.
What drives cost
Six things that decide the price of a Power Platform project.
The product you build on matters less than the shape of the problem. These are the questions we ask in every scoping call.
Users and roles
One team using one screen is quick to build. Several roles with different permissions, views and approval rights take longer to design and test.
Data model
A single SharePoint list is simple. Ten related Dataverse tables with security, auditing and migration of existing records is a bigger job.
Integrations
Standard Microsoft 365 connectors are fast. Finance systems, custom APIs, on-premises databases and desktop RPA add design, testing and sometimes licensing.
Governance and environments
Building in proper dev, test and production environments with solutions and pipelines costs a little more up front and much less when you change things later.
Clarity of the process
If the process is agreed and written down, the build is predictable. If it has to be worked out during the project, discovery time goes up.
Handover and support
Documentation, training and a warranty are part of a sound build. Ongoing support after go-live is a separate, optional monthly cost.
Typical prices by project type
Our from-prices for common Power Apps and Power Automate projects.
These are our own published starting prices. Your written fixed price depends on scope and is confirmed after a free call.
| Project type | From (ex VAT) | Typical duration | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensing review | £395 | 3 working days | Written recommendation on which licences to buy, drop or switch. |
| Health check or audit | £1,450 | 5 working days | More environments, flows or agents extend the review. |
| Automation discovery | £1,750 | 2 days of workshops plus write-up | Ends with a ranked backlog and a fixed-price quote for the first build. |
| Power BI reporting | £2,950 | Typically 1 to 3 weeks | Number of data sources and how clean the data is drive the price. |
| First app, flow or Copilot Studio agent | £4,950 | 2 weeks | A working version on your data. Production rollout quoted from what you learn. |
| Spreadsheet replaced with a full app | £6,500 | 3 to 6 weeks | Roles, approvals, data migration and reporting add scope. |
| Model-driven, Power Pages or multi-system builds | Quoted | Typically 4 to 8 weeks | Fixed price after scoping. Often starts with a proof of value. |
| Ongoing support | £495/month | Monthly | Optional. Monitoring, fixes and small changes after the warranty. |
All prices exclude VAT. Final fixed price confirmed in writing after a free scoping call. See the full detail on the packages and prices page, or read more about Power Apps development and Power Automate projects.
Market context
Power Apps developer day rates in the UK
If you hire a contractor or buy time from a consultancy, you will usually see a day rate. UK contract day rates for Power Apps developers commonly sit around £400 to £550 according to job-board data such as IT Jobs Watch (October 2026). Senior architects, specialist integration work and London-based roles can sit above that range, and rates move with demand. Treat these figures as indicative, not a quote.
A day rate on its own tells you little about the final cost. Two suppliers with the same rate can deliver the same app in very different numbers of days, and the person doing the work may not be the person you met in the sales meeting. When comparing, ask for the total, the number of days behind it and who will be doing them.
Fixed price vs day rate
Fixed price Power Apps projects: when they make sense
With a fixed price, you know the cost before work starts and the supplier carries the risk of the build taking longer than planned. It works when the outcome can be described clearly: this process, these users, these screens, this data. Changes are handled openly, with a written price for each one before it is done.
Day rate, or time and materials, suits open-ended work: embedding a developer in your team, continuous improvement of a mature platform or exploratory work where the goal is still forming. You keep flexibility but carry the risk of overrun.
We use a middle path. A short, fixed-price discovery (a proof of value or an automation sprint) removes the unknowns, then the build is quoted as a fixed price. You never commit to a large number you cannot check.
Licensing is a separate line, and often the bigger one
The build is a one-off cost. Microsoft licensing recurs every month for as long as the solution runs. Apps built on SharePoint with standard connectors are often covered by the Microsoft 365 licences you already pay for. Apps that use Dataverse, Power Pages or premium connectors need premium entitlements for each user, through a per-user licence, a per-app licence or pay-as-you-go billing via Azure. Unattended RPA and Copilot Studio have their own models.
Microsoft changes prices and terms regularly, so check current Microsoft pricing before you budget. We list the licences your solution needs in the written scope, we do not resell them and we take no margin on them. The licensing calculator compares options for your user numbers, the Power Platform licensing costs guide goes deeper, and a licensing review gives you a written recommendation.
Worked example (illustrative)
Total cost over three years for a 40-user approvals app.
Round, illustrative numbers to show how the parts add up. They are not a quote and the licence figure is an assumption, not a Microsoft price.
| Cost line | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build (fixed price) | £8,000 | £0 | £0 |
| Licensing: 40 users at an assumed £10 per user per month | £4,800 | £4,800 | £4,800 |
| Support: assumed £500 per month | £6,000 | £6,000 | £6,000 |
| Total | £18,800 | £10,800 | £10,800 |
£40,400
Illustrative three-year total, ex VAT.
20%
Share of the three-year total that is the build. Licensing and support make up the rest.
£28
Per user per month over three years, everything included.
Two things stand out. First, the build is only about a fifth of the total, so a cheap build that needs more support, or premium licences it did not need, can cost more over three years than a careful one. Second, design choices change the licensing line dramatically. If the same app could run on SharePoint lists and standard connectors, the licensing line might fall to zero for users already on suitable Microsoft 365 plans, and support might be needed only for the first year. That is why we discuss licensing in the first call, not after the build.
Comparing suppliers
Large partner, offshore firm, freelancer or independent specialist?
Each model suits different needs. This is a category-level comparison to help you decide what to ask for, not a judgement on any company.
| Engagement type | Typical pricing | Who you deal with | Strengths | Often best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Microsoft partner | Day rates or larger fixed-price programmes, often with a minimum engagement | Account manager and project manager, with a delivery team behind them | Breadth across Microsoft products, capacity for large programmes, formal processes | Multi-workstream programmes, enterprise-wide rollouts, procurement frameworks that need a large supplier |
| Offshore development firm | Lower day rates, usually time and materials or fixed price per phase | Account or project manager, with developers in another time zone | Cost per day and scale for well-specified builds | Detailed specifications that need build capacity, where you can manage time-zone hand-offs |
| Freelancer or contractor | Day rate, usually time and materials | The person doing the work | Flexibility and direct contact; can join your team for a fixed period | Extra hands inside an existing team that already sets direction, standards and governance |
| Independent specialist | Published from-prices and a written fixed price per piece of work | The certified consultant who scopes, builds and hands over | Continuity from first call to go-live, Power Platform focus, smaller first steps | Organisations of 20 to 500 staff wanting a defined outcome without managing a delivery team |
Microsoft partner status reflects a company's certified headcount, customer success and licensing activity; it is a company-level designation, not a measure of who builds your app. Whichever model you choose, ask the same questions: who will do the work, what are they certified in, is the price fixed or estimated, what is included in handover, and will you own everything at the end?
We are an independent specialist. Your lead consultant holds the Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate (PL-200) certification and does the scoping, build and handover personally.
How to reduce cost
Six ways to spend less on Power Platform without cutting corners.
Most savings come from decisions made before anyone opens the maker portal.
Start with the smallest version that proves value
A two-week proof on your own data answers the expensive questions early. You stop, change direction or scale with evidence.
Write the process down before the build
A one-page description of who does what, in which order, with what exceptions, saves days of discovery. A short automation sprint can do this for you.
Stay on standard connectors where you can
SharePoint lists and standard Microsoft 365 connectors are often covered by licences you already hold. Use Dataverse and premium connectors when the requirement justifies them.
Match the licence to the usage
Per-app, per-user and pay-as-you-go suit different patterns. Choosing the right one for each group of users can matter more over three years than the build price.
Retire before you rebuild
In most estates a share of apps, flows and forms is unused. Removing them shrinks migration and support costs.
Build for handover
Solutions, environment variables, documentation and two owners on every flow mean your own staff can make small changes instead of paying someone else to.
Pricing
Low-risk ways to start, all priced in pounds.
Each of these has a published from-price and a written fixed price before work starts.
Licensing Review
A plain-English review of what you pay Microsoft for Power Platform and what you actually need.
from£395
3 working days
Automation Opportunity Sprint
We map your manual processes and rank the ones worth automating by time saved and effort.
from£1,750
2 days of workshops plus write-up
2-Week Proof of Value
A working Power App, flow or Copilot agent on your own data, built in two weekly sprints.
from£4,950
2 weeks
Spreadsheet-to-App
Replace a business-critical spreadsheet with a secure Power App, approvals and reporting.
from£6,500
3 to 6 weeks
The fee for a Licensing Review, Health Check or Automation Sprint is credited in full against a build that follows within 60 days.
All prices exclude VAT. Final fixed price confirmed in writing after a free scoping call.
Compare every package in detailHonest fit check
Is Power Platform the cost-effective option for you?
A good fit when
- You already pay for Microsoft 365 and want to use more of it
- Tens to a few hundred internal users, or a defined group of external users
- You want something working in weeks and improved in small steps
- You want to own the result and maintain small changes in-house
Probably not the right tool when
- Premium licences for every user would cost more over three years than a custom build
- A mature SaaS product already does the job at a fair price
- You need a high-volume consumer product where performance is the product
- The process is not agreed yet, so any build would automate the confusion
Not sure? Our Power Platform vs custom development comparison sets out the trade-offs.
FAQ
Power Platform cost questions
How much does a Power App cost to build in the UK?
Our builds start from £4,950 for a two-week Proof of Value and from £6,500 for replacing a business-critical spreadsheet with a full app, approvals and reporting. Larger model-driven or Power Pages builds are quoted individually. Microsoft licensing for users is a separate cost, and all our prices exclude VAT.
What is the day rate for a Power Apps developer in the UK?
UK contract day rates for Power Apps developers commonly sit around £400 to £550, according to job-board data such as IT Jobs Watch in October 2026. Rates vary with seniority, location and whether the work is inside or outside IR35. Treat these as indicative. We quote fixed prices instead of day rates.
How much does a Power Automate project cost?
A single approval or notification flow can be modest, while a multi-system process with error handling, desktop RPA and reporting costs more. Our Automation Opportunity Sprint starts from £1,750 and ends with a fixed-price quote for the first build. The sprint fee is credited against a build booked within 60 days.
Is fixed price better than a day rate for Power Apps?
Fixed price suits work with a clear outcome: you know the cost before you start and the supplier carries the risk of overrunning. Day rate suits open-ended work where the scope is still moving, such as embedding a developer in your team. For most first builds, a short discovery followed by a fixed price gives the best of both.
Is Power Platform licensing included in the project price?
No. Licences are paid to Microsoft or your licensing reseller, separately from the build. We set out the licensing your solution needs in the written scope and take no margin on licences. Microsoft changes prices and terms regularly, so check current Microsoft pricing before you budget.
Do I need a Microsoft partner to build Power Apps?
No. Anyone with the right skills can build in your tenant. Microsoft partner status is a company-level designation reflecting certified headcount, customer success and licensing activity; it is not a measure of who builds your app. Ask who will do the work, what they are certified in and whether you will own the result.
Related
Keep planning your budget
Get a written fixed price for your project.
A free 20-minute call with the consultant who would do the work. You get a rough budget for the build, an honest view of the licensing and a clear next step.