Power Automate splits cloud and desktop. Cronable runs the whole workflow on your machine.
Microsoft Power Automate is two products under one name: cloud flows that run in Microsoft’s cloud, and Power Automate for desktop, which drives apps on a Windows PC. Cronable is one engine, on a machine you choose, running every step of a workflow in one place.
The short answer
Power Automate is built around Microsoft 365. Cloud flows run in Microsoft’s cloud. Reaching a file share or database on your own network takes an on-premises data gateway installed on Windows. Running something on a PC takes a desktop flow on a Windows machine. And premium connectors, the gateway and unattended desktop runs each need a paid licence.
Cronable puts all of that in one engine on one machine — a Mac or Windows app, or a server. One workflow can read a local folder, call an API, run a script, query a database and post to Teams, with every step on one canvas and in one run history, each firing only when the one before it succeeded.
Pricing is one plan sized by the number of jobs — not per user, per bot or per request — and runs are never counted. You build it by describing it: the assistant writes the whole workflow, schedule and error handling, for you to check on the canvas.
Cronable vs Power Automate
Where Cronable and Power Automate actually differ, capability by capability.
| Capability | Cronable | Power Automate cloud flows | Power Automate for desktop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Your own Mac, Windows machine or server | Microsoft’s cloud | A Windows PC or Windows Server |
| Operating systems | A Mac or Windows app, or a server | Built in a browser; runs in the cloud | Windows only |
| Reach local files and private hosts | Yes — it is already on your machine and network | Through an on-premises data gateway installed on Windows | Yes, on the machine it runs on |
| Run scripts and command-line tools | Shell and SSH steps, on your machine, as you | By calling a desktop flow or another service | Yes — PowerShell, Python, JavaScript, .NET and DOS command actions |
| Record and replay clicks in desktop apps | No — it works through APIs, commands, files and integrations | By calling a desktop flow | Yes — UI automation for Windows, web and terminal apps |
| Build it by describing it | The assistant builds the whole workflow, on every plan | Copilot builds a cloud flow from a description | Copilot builds a desktop flow from a description (preview), plus recorder and designer |
| Integration library | 123 integrations, plus HTTP, shell, code and AI steps | 1,500+ connectors on Microsoft’s Power Automate connector list | 400+ prebuilt actions |
| Pricing meter | Number of jobs you define; runs unmetered | Per user ($15/month Premium, billed yearly) or pay-as-you-go per run; every action counts toward request limits | Free for local runs you start yourself; unattended runs need a Process licence ($150/bot/month, billed yearly) |
| Premium connectors and on-premises data | Every integration on every plan; webhook triggers from Basic | Need a Premium licence; Microsoft 365 includes standard connectors only | Starting it from a cloud flow needs Premium, or Process for unattended runs |
| Chain on success, branch on failure | Yes — parent-success chains and handler jobs | Yes — “Configure run after” and try/catch scopes | Retry on error and “On block error” handling inside the flow |
| Where job definitions live | One YAML file per job in your git repo, on every plan | Dataverse solutions; Git integration needs Managed Environments | Dataverse with a work account; OneDrive with a free personal account |
| Governance | SSO, role-based access, audit trail and four-eyes change approval on Business | Data policies and Managed Environments, with Entra ID | Data policies can restrict desktop flow actions too |
| Runs while your machine is off | Only if you run it on a server | Yes | On Microsoft-hosted machines, with Hosted Process ($215/bot/month, billed yearly) |
Where it runs
Cronable
Your own Mac, Windows machine or serverPower Automate cloud flows
Microsoft’s cloudPower Automate for desktop
A Windows PC or Windows ServerOperating systems
Cronable
A Mac or Windows app, or a serverPower Automate cloud flows
Built in a browser; runs in the cloudPower Automate for desktop
Windows onlyReach local files and private hosts
Cronable
Yes — it is already on your machine and networkPower Automate cloud flows
Through an on-premises data gateway installed on WindowsPower Automate for desktop
Yes, on the machine it runs onRun scripts and command-line tools
Cronable
Shell and SSH steps, on your machine, as youPower Automate cloud flows
By calling a desktop flow or another servicePower Automate for desktop
Yes — PowerShell, Python, JavaScript, .NET and DOS command actionsRecord and replay clicks in desktop apps
Cronable
No — it works through APIs, commands, files and integrationsPower Automate cloud flows
By calling a desktop flowPower Automate for desktop
Yes — UI automation for Windows, web and terminal appsBuild it by describing it
Cronable
The assistant builds the whole workflow, on every planPower Automate cloud flows
Copilot builds a cloud flow from a descriptionPower Automate for desktop
Copilot builds a desktop flow from a description (preview), plus recorder and designerIntegration library
Cronable
123 integrations, plus HTTP, shell, code and AI stepsPower Automate cloud flows
1,500+ connectors on Microsoft’s Power Automate connector listPower Automate for desktop
400+ prebuilt actionsPricing meter
Cronable
Number of jobs you define; runs unmeteredPower Automate cloud flows
Per user ($15/month Premium, billed yearly) or pay-as-you-go per run; every action counts toward request limitsPower Automate for desktop
Free for local runs you start yourself; unattended runs need a Process licence ($150/bot/month, billed yearly)Premium connectors and on-premises data
Cronable
Every integration on every plan; webhook triggers from BasicPower Automate cloud flows
Need a Premium licence; Microsoft 365 includes standard connectors onlyPower Automate for desktop
Starting it from a cloud flow needs Premium, or Process for unattended runsChain on success, branch on failure
Cronable
Yes — parent-success chains and handler jobsPower Automate cloud flows
Yes — “Configure run after” and try/catch scopesPower Automate for desktop
Retry on error and “On block error” handling inside the flowWhere job definitions live
Cronable
One YAML file per job in your git repo, on every planPower Automate cloud flows
Dataverse solutions; Git integration needs Managed EnvironmentsPower Automate for desktop
Dataverse with a work account; OneDrive with a free personal accountGovernance
Cronable
SSO, role-based access, audit trail and four-eyes change approval on BusinessPower Automate cloud flows
Data policies and Managed Environments, with Entra IDPower Automate for desktop
Data policies can restrict desktop flow actions tooRuns while your machine is off
Cronable
Only if you run it on a serverPower Automate cloud flows
YesPower Automate for desktop
On Microsoft-hosted machines, with Hosted Process ($215/bot/month, billed yearly)What you get by running it on your own machine
It runs where your work already is
Cronable installs on the machine you actually use — a Mac or Windows app, or a server you own. A job can open your files, use the CLIs you are already signed in to, and reach anything on your network, because it is running as you, on your box.
Chains that wait for success
A step fires only when its parent succeeded, receives the parent’s output, and a failure branches to a handler job instead of running the rest on broken state. Agent steps sit next to shell, HTTP, database and integration steps in one workflow, on one canvas.
Runs are not metered
Plans are sized by how many jobs you define — 6 on Free, up to 1,000 on Business — not by how often they fire. A job that runs every minute costs the same as one that runs monthly. The one thing that is counted per use is the AI assistant, which has a daily message allowance per plan.
Say what you want; it builds the pipeline
Type “every morning, check yesterday’s Stripe refunds and post the total to Slack” and the built-in assistant builds the whole job — the steps, the schedule, the credentials it needs and what happens when one fails — wired and ready to run. You review it on the canvas and change anything. On every plan, including Free.
One YAML file per job, in your git repo
Every job is a file in a git repository you own, two-way synced. Review a change as a diff, roll one back, or grep the lot. The definitions are yours whether or not you keep paying us.
SaaS webhooks reach your machine
Give Stripe, GitHub or a form tool a URL and the hosted relay forwards the event to your install — again with no port opened and nothing exposed to the internet. Each install gets its own partition, and jobs fire the moment the event lands. Basic and up.
Cronable and Power Automate
Does Cronable run on a Mac?
Yes. Cronable comes as a Mac or Windows app, or installs on a server. Power Automate for desktop lists only Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server in its requirements; on a Mac, Power Automate means cloud flows in a browser.
Can Cronable click through a desktop app the way a desktop flow does?
No — Cronable does not record or replay clicks. It automates through APIs, command-line tools, files, databases and its built-in integrations, which covers most back-office work without a bot driving a screen, and keeps working when a button moves.
Does Cronable work with Microsoft 365?
Yes. It has integrations for Outlook mail and calendar, Excel, OneDrive and Microsoft Teams, and a database step that can query SQL Server. On Business, people can sign in to Cronable with Entra ID single sign-on.
How does the pricing compare?
Cronable plans are sized by how many jobs you define — 6 on Free, 35 on Basic, 250 on Plus, 1,000 on Business — with caps on users, machines and inbound webhooks. Runs are not counted at all: a job that fires every minute costs the same as one that fires monthly. There are no per-bot licences and no per-run charges.
Can my team share it?
Yes. Plus adds up to 5 users and Business up to 20. Business adds OIDC single sign-on — Entra ID, Okta, Google or Keycloak — role-based access, an audit trail, and four-eyes approval, so a job change needs a second admin before it goes live.
Can I reach it from outside my network?
Yes, from Basic up. Remote control lets you drive your install from a browser anywhere, and the hosted relay forwards webhooks from your SaaS tools — in both cases the machine dials out, so you never open a port.
Automate your operations.
Cronable is launching soon. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment self-serve accounts — and the apps for Mac, Windows and Linux — go live.