Power Apps or a custom application: which one to choose?
Power Apps is often the first instinct when you already live in Microsoft 365. Sometimes it is the right choice. Here is how to tell when it no longer is.
By Jean Lussier · 2 min read
What Power Apps does well
Power Apps and Power Automate let you quickly build small applications and automations without coding everything. For a form, a simple approval or a shared list in SharePoint, they are often enough, especially if your Microsoft 365 licences already include them.
Where the limits show up
- A licence per user, every month. As soon as the application serves many people, or uses advanced features, licence costs climb.
- Capped data capacity. Beyond a certain volume, you have to buy extra capacity.
- Complex logic that is hard to maintain. As business rules pile up, the application becomes hard to understand and change, often by a single person.
- Complicated access for external users. Opening the application to your clients or partners is rarely simple.
What a custom application changes
A custom application can keep everything that works well in Microsoft 365: sign-in with existing accounts, documents in SharePoint, notifications in Teams and Outlook. It replaces what holds you back, with no per-user licence, and it belongs to you: source code, documentation and data.
How to choose
| Your situation | The best choice |
|---|---|
| A simple form or approval, for an internal team | Power Apps or Power Automate |
| Many users, or external users | Custom application |
| Complex business rules that change often | Custom application |
| Data that grows fast | Custom application |
| A need to test quickly before investing | Power Apps, migrating later if needed |
There is no universally wrong answer. During the assessment, we will tell you honestly which option suits you, even if it is Power Apps.