Sharelio vs Power Apps: which one for internal tools on SharePoint?
Last updated:
The honest answer up front: Power Apps is the better tool for complex multi-step workflows, mobile apps and connections to systems outside Microsoft 365. Sharelio, the AI platform for building SharePoint tools, is the better tool when the goal is internal tools that live inside SharePoint pages — trackers, forms, dashboards, directories — built in minutes, looking native, at a flat predictable price.
Cost is the sharpest difference: Power Apps Premium runs about €19 per user per month (≈ €9,500/month for a 500-person company if everyone needs access), while Sharelio costs €300/month per tenant regardless of users or number of components. They are not mutually exclusive — many organisations use both for different jobs.
| Power Apps | Sharelio | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing model | Per user (~€19/user/month Premium; basic tier included in Microsoft 365) | Per tenant: €300/month flat, unlimited users |
| Cost, 500 users, Premium needs | ~€9,500/month | €300/month |
| Time to build a tool | Days to weeks (someone builds the app) | Minutes (describe it in plain language) |
| Inside a SharePoint page | Embedded app in its own container; slower load, own look | Native web part; inherits the page |
| Complex workflows / approvals chains | Excellent (with Power Automate) | Basic (simple approval flows) |
| External connectors (ERP, APIs) | Hundreds of connectors (Premium) | No — SharePoint lists only |
| Mobile apps | Yes, native strength | No — SharePoint pages (responsive) |
| Maintenance | Each app maintained by its maker | None — managed, audited runtime |
Where Power Apps wins
Power Apps is Microsoft's low-code platform and the natural choice when the requirement is bigger than a SharePoint page: multi-step approval workflows orchestrated with Power Automate, standalone mobile apps for field teams, or forms that read and write to Dataverse, SQL or third-party systems through its connector catalogue. If your scenario needs any of that, Power Apps is the right call and no SharePoint web part builder replaces it.
Its costs are real, though: Premium connectors are licensed per user (~€19/user/month), building a polished app takes days to weeks of a trained maker's time, and every app becomes something that person maintains — the classic governance challenge of citizen development.
A worked cost example
A 500-employee company needs an incident tracker, a holiday request form and a project dashboard, all used company-wide. With Power Apps Premium licensing for all staff: ~€9,500/month (€114,000/year). Restricting licences to 50 heavy users cuts it to ~€950/month but excludes everyone else. With Sharelio: €300/month (€3,600/year) for all 500 users and as many further tools as you create. For SharePoint-page tools used broadly, the per-tenant model is structurally cheaper; for a single team's complex workflow app, per-user licensing can be fine.
Can you use both? (Yes — and it's common)
- Sharelio for the recurring queue of SharePoint-page tools: trackers, forms, dashboards, directories, portals.
- Power Apps for the handful of genuinely complex workflow or mobile scenarios that justify per-user licences.
- Custom SPFx development (or Sharelio's fixed-price done-for-you service) for one-off components with deep integrations — see the SPFx cost comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is Power Apps included in Microsoft 365?
A basic tier is: apps using standard connectors (including SharePoint lists) are included in most Microsoft 365 enterprise plans. Premium connectors, Dataverse and standalone app licensing cost roughly €19 per user per month.
Can a Power App look like a native SharePoint web part?
Not really. An embedded Power App renders inside its own container with its own styling and loading time. It works, but users notice the seam. Sharelio components are actual web parts, so they inherit the SharePoint page's layout and theme.
Does Sharelio handle approval workflows?
Simple ones, yes — for example a holiday request form with manager approval. For long multi-step approval chains with escalations and integrations, Power Apps plus Power Automate is the stronger tool, and the honest recommendation.
Which is faster to get a working tool?
Sharelio, by an order of magnitude, for tools it covers: a described component is published in minutes. A comparable Power App typically takes days to weeks of a maker's time, plus per-user licensing decisions before rollout.
Do Power Apps and Sharelio conflict in the same tenant?
No. Sharelio is a standard SPFx package and doesn't interact with Power Platform components. Many organisations run both, each for the scenarios where it's strongest.