# Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere: which do AI models recommend for RPA, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Robotic process automation. Eight of fourteen models named Microsoft Power Automate first on the direct prompt; one named Automation Anywhere. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/operations/robotic-process-automation/microsoft-power-automate-vs-automation-anywhere/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Power Automate | 51% | #1 of 6 | 6% | 72 | 14 of 14 |
| Automation Anywhere | 4% | #3 of 6 | 11% | 63 | 14 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Gemini 3.5 Flash: microsoft power automate first (first choices: Microsoft Power Automate) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, Make, UiPath, Zapier, iNymbus)
- Mistral Small: microsoft power automate first (first choices: Microsoft Power Automate) (alternatives: UiPath, Zoho RPA)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: microsoft power automate first (first choices: Microsoft Power Automate) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, UiPath, Zoho RPA)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: microsoft power automate first (first choices: Microsoft Power Automate) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, UiPath)
- Kimi K2: microsoft power automate first (first choices: Microsoft Power Automate) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, UiPath, Zoho RPA)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: microsoft power automate first (first choices: Microsoft Power Automate, UiPath) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism)
- MiniMax M2.5: microsoft power automate first (first choices: Microsoft Power Automate) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, ElectroNeek, UiPath)
- GPT-6 Luna: microsoft power automate first (first choices: Microsoft Power Automate) (alternatives: UiPath)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: automation anywhere first (first choices: Automation Anywhere, UiPath) (alternatives: IBM Robotic Process Automation, Microsoft Power Automate)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither first, one named (first choices: UiPath) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, Enate, Microsoft Power Automate, RaftLabs)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither first, one named (first choices: UiPath) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, Microsoft Power Automate)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: UiPath) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, Microsoft Power Automate, Rocketbot)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: UiPath) (alternatives: Automation Anywhere, ElectroNeek, Microsoft Power Automate, Zoho RPA)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: UiPath)

## What the models said about Microsoft Power Automate

- "if your environment is not already Microsoft-centric, because its value is strongest inside the Microsoft ecosystem, and costs can rise quickly" (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Be cautious for heavy non-Microsoft estates or complex attended/unattended enterprise governance." (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "it may not be suitable for organizations that do not use Microsoft 365" (Llama 4 Maverick, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "the best RPA platform is usually one of these two: 1. Microsoft Power Automate — best if your company already uses Microsoft 365/Windows and wants a low entry cost" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget prompt, first choice)
- "mid-market companies evaluate Microsoft Power Automate (especially if you are already heavily invested in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem)" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)
- "If your company is already using Microsoft products, Power Automate is likely the most cost-effective and easiest to implement." (Mistral Small, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Automation Anywhere

- "It is also considered expensive, with no public pricing available. It is suitable for enterprise buyers but may not be suitable for smaller organizations." (Llama 4 Maverick, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Be cautious if you need best-in-class AI document understanding today, low cost for small teams, or out-of-the-box ERP/CRM connectors." (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Choose Automation Anywhere if you want a cloud-first, web-based RPA with strong document AI and pre-built Bot Store assets." (Muse Glimmer 30B, direct prompt, first choice)
- "would be UiPath, Automation Anywhere, or IBM Robotic Process Automation" (Llama 4 Maverick, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Focus on platforms like UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Microsoft Power Automate, or Blue Prism, which suit mid-market needs." (Grok 4.1 Fast, scale prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.