Microsoft Power Apps Pricing: What Business Central Customers Really Need to Know (2025)
Microsoft Power Apps has become one of the most valuable tools for Business Central customers who want to extend their ERP without waiting for long development cycles. It lets you create simple, intuitive apps that support warehouse teams, field staff, finance users, and managers in ways that Business Central cannot always deliver out of the box.
With that flexibility comes the big question. How much does it actually cost to use Power Apps with Business Central, and what should you expect when planning your project?
This guide breaks everything down in a simple, human way so you can budget confidently and avoid surprises later on.
Why Power Apps Matters So Much for Business Central Users
Business Central is a great ERP, but it cannot capture every single workflow your business relies on. There will always be niche processes, quick tasks, or department specific steps that do not justify a full Business Central customisation.
Power Apps gives you the freedom to build clean mobile tools for these gaps. You can create apps that scan stock, capture photos, handle approvals, or collect data from staff who rarely touch the ERP. Everything can feed back into Business Central in real time, which makes your whole operation feel faster and more connected.
Power Apps Licence Pricing
Power Apps Developer Plan
Power Apps Developer Plan allows developers to build and test an unlimited quantity of power apps. It's great for trying out the feature for free and seeing whether it works for your organisation.
Unfortunately, you cannot deploy any power apps with this plan, so you would need to upgrade in order to make these apps live within your business.
Power Apps Premium
Power Apps Premium is the main license required for any business that wants to actually deploy their custom apps. Every user who will run a Business Central connected app needs this licence.
The price is typically around £15 to £20 per user per month depending on region and currency. With this licence, users can build and run unlimited apps, which removes the stress of worrying about how many tools you may need in the future, and means you can fully optimise your business processes without the fear of rising license costs.
What about the Power Apps features included in Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 offers limited Power Apps capabilities, but they only support standard connectors such as SharePoint and Excel. They cannot connect to Business Central, so they are not useful for organisations planning any ERP integrated workflows.
It is helpful to be aware of them, but they do not reduce your licensing requirements when Business Central is involved.
What Actually Impacts Licensing Cost
Because Power Apps Premium includes unlimited apps, only one factor truly affects your licensing cost.
- How many users need to run Business Central connected apps
That is it. Nothing else changes the monthly licence fee.
Workflow complexity does not change the licence cost.
Dataverse usage does not change the licence cost unless you purchase additional storage.
The number of apps does not change the licence cost at all.
This makes budgeting far easier than most people expect.
How Power Apps Enhances Business Central in Real Scenarios
The best way to understand the value is to look at the simple moments where Power Apps makes your Business Central experience smoother.
Warehouse Scanning App
Staff can scan items, check stock, and post updates into Business Central from a mobile device.
This reduces paper errors and saves time walking back to a desktop.
Purchase Approval App
Managers approve requests quickly on their phones, and Business Central updates instantly.
This keeps purchasing moving and avoids bottlenecks.
Field Service Data Capture
Engineers can submit photos, notes, and job updates from a Power App, and the data flows straight into Business Central.
This removes messy admin work at the end of the day.
These apps are quick to build, easy to use, and make Business Central feel more personal to the way your business operates.
How Power Apps Affects Your Business Central Implementation Costs
While licensing is simple, implementation costs can vary depending on how much work is required to design, build, and connect your apps. This is where most customers need clarity because the effort involved can sit outside a standard Business Central setup.
Several factors influence the implementation cost:
- The workflows your apps will follow
- The complexity of the logic or automation required
- Whether the app needs multiple screens, camera input, barcode scanning or offline capability
- The amount of data flowing between Power Apps and Business Central
- Whether your partner needs to configure Dataverse tables or environments
- Training and testing across different teams
Some apps are incredibly quick for a partner to create, especially simple approval tools or basic data entry apps. Others require deeper design work because they replace manual processes, improve stock handling or restructure field reporting.
It is normal for a Business Central implementation that includes Power Apps to cost more than a standard setup. This is because you are expanding the system and tailoring it around real world processes rather than relying solely on the ERP’s built in features.
A Closer Look at Dataverse Storage and Why It Matters
Dataverse is included with Power Apps Premium and gives you a secure, structured way to store app data outside Business Central. Most organisations stay within the included storage, especially when apps are light and transactional.
If your apps collect large amounts of information such as photos, inspection records or high volume operational data, you may eventually need extra storage. This is not a licensing cost but an add on that sits alongside your Power Apps environment.
It is something to keep an eye on as your usage grows, especially if you roll out multiple data heavy workflows.
What You Should Budget for as a Business Central Customer
When planning Power Apps alongside Business Central, think about your costs in two simple buckets.
1. Licensing Costs
Each user who needs to run a Business Central connected app requires a Power Apps Premium licence.
This usually comes to £15 to £20 per user per month.
2. Implementation Costs
This varies depending on the number of apps, the complexity of each workflow, and how much configuration your partner needs to do.
It is normal for implementations that include Power Apps to be more expensive than a standard Business Central setup because they cover additional build work, integration, testing and user training.
Most partners can give you accurate estimates once they understand your workflows and the problems you want to solve.
How to Keep Costs Predictable and Still Get Great Results
Power Apps does not need to become an expensive add on. A bit of planning goes a long way.
- Start with the highest impact app that will deliver immediate value
- Add more apps gradually as your team becomes comfortable
- Reuse logic and components across apps to reduce build effort
- Work closely with your partner to design workflows that stay simple and effective
This approach helps you get strong improvements without overwhelming your users or your budget.
Power Apps gives Business Central customers a flexible way to modernise processes and create tools that feel like they were built specifically for their organisation. The licensing model is simple, and although implementation may require extra investment, the gains in efficiency and user adoption are usually worth it.
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