Best Automation Tools for Small Business (Starting With What You Already Pay For)

Aug 10

Every "best automation tools" list on the internet starts the same way: assume you're buying something new, rank 10-14 options by feature count, bury the free option you already own somewhere around slot 7.

Here's a different starting point. Before you add a single subscription, check what's already inside the tools you're paying for right now. For a large share of small businesses — anyone on Microsoft 365 Business Standard or above — that's Power Automate, a full workflow automation platform sitting inside a subscription you already have. Most owners have never opened it.

This isn't a ranked list of 14 tools. It's a shortlist organized by what your business actually needs to do, starting with the tool most likely to be free.

Step 1 — Check What's Already Included in Your Subscriptions

Before comparing anything, look at what you're already paying for:

Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium ($12.50+/user/month) — includes Power Automate with the full connector set and unlimited runs. If you have this, you likely already own a complete workflow automation platform.
QuickBooks, FreshBooks, or Wave — most have built-in recurring invoicing and reminder features that don't need a separate automation tool at all.
HubSpot, Zoho, or a CRM with a free tier — many include native form-to-CRM automation without needing a connector tool.

This step alone eliminates a new subscription for a meaningful share of small businesses. It's also the step every affiliate-driven "best tools" list skips, because there's no commission on a tool you already own.

If you're not on Microsoft 365, or your workflow needs to connect apps outside the Microsoft ecosystem that Power Automate doesn't reach well, keep reading — Zapier and Make are genuinely the right call for plenty of businesses. The point isn't "always use Power Automate." It's "check before you add a new line item."

General Workflow Automation: Power Automate, Zapier, Make

This is the category everyone means when they say "automation tool" — the thing that watches for a trigger and runs a sequence of actions.

Power Automate — Built by Microsoft, included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard and above at no additional cost. Best fit if your business runs on Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, and Planner — which describes most small businesses already on Microsoft 365. Connects natively to those tools without a third-party connector. The tradeoff: fewer non-Microsoft app connectors than Zapier, and the free standalone tier caps how many flows you can run.

Zapier — The broadest reach, with thousands of app connectors. Best fit if your stack is scattered across non-Microsoft tools — a website builder, an email platform, a scheduling tool, a CRM that isn't Dynamics or Dataverse. Free tier covers light, simple automations; paid plans start around $20-30/month for anything beyond basic single-step zaps.

Make — Similar reach to Zapier with a more visual, flowchart-style builder, which some people find easier for multi-branch logic (if this, then this, unless that). A reasonable middle ground if you want more control over complex flows without writing code. Pricing is comparable to Zapier's paid tiers.

The honest take: if you're on Microsoft 365 Business Standard or above, start with Power Automate before paying for anything else — you already own it. If you're not on Microsoft 365, or a specific connector you need only exists on Zapier or Make, that's when the subscription is worth it. I've built with all three; the workflow logic is nearly identical across them. The connector list and what you already pay for should drive the choice, not brand reputation.

Accounting and Invoicing Automation

Before adding a workflow tool for invoicing, check your existing accounting software first — QuickBooks, FreshBooks, and Wave all have built-in recurring invoices and payment reminders that cover the basics without any automation platform involved.

Where a workflow tool earns its place: connecting invoicing to something outside the accounting software itself. A job marked "complete" in your project tracker automatically generating and sending the invoice. A payment reminder sequence with a stop-if-paid condition that checks a status field your accounting software doesn't natively track the way you need. That's the layer Power Automate, Zapier, or Make sits on top of — not a replacement for your accounting tool, a connector between it and the rest of your workflow.

CRM and Lead Automation

For a business capturing a modest volume of leads, you have three real options, not fourteen:

Dataverse or SharePoint (Microsoft 365) — Structured enough to function as a lightweight CRM, and Power Automate writes to it natively. Works well for businesses that don't need a dedicated CRM's sales-pipeline features, just a reliable place to store and route leads.

A dedicated CRM with native automation — HubSpot's free tier, Zoho, or similar platforms often include form-to-CRM automation, tagging, and basic follow-up sequences without needing a separate workflow tool at all.

A connected CRM via workflow tool — If you're already committed to Salesforce, Dynamics 365, or another CRM, Power Automate (or Zapier/Make) connects your forms, email, and notifications to it without replacing the CRM itself.

The mistake I see most: businesses buying a "lead automation" tool that duplicates what their existing CRM or Microsoft 365 subscription already does. Check the native automation features of whatever CRM you already have before adding a layer on top of it.

Project and Team Automation

This category covers status updates, task assignment, and internal notifications — the connective tissue between "something happened" and "the right person knows."

Planner + Power Automate — For Microsoft 365 businesses, this combination handles onboarding checklists, task assignment on triggers, and Teams notifications without a separate project tool.

Whatever project tool you already use (Asana, Monday, Trello) — Most have built-in automation rules for common actions (move a card, assign a task, send a notification) that don't require an external workflow tool. Check the "Automations" or "Rules" section before adding Zapier on top.

Zapier/Make as the connector — Worth adding when you need to bridge two tools that don't talk to each other natively — a form tool feeding into a project tool that isn't part of the Microsoft stack, for instance.

How to Choose (A Decision Framework, Not a Ranked List)

Skip the "best tool" question. Ask these instead, in order:

1. What am I already paying for? Check Microsoft 365, your accounting software, your CRM, and your project tool for built-in automation before adding anything new. This step alone resolves the choice for a meaningful share of small businesses.

2. What does my stack actually consist of? If you're mostly Microsoft 365 apps, Power Automate covers the most ground for the least additional cost. If you're spread across non-Microsoft tools, Zapier or Make's broader connector list earns its subscription cost.

3. How complex is the logic? Simple, linear workflows (trigger → action → action) work fine in any of the three. Multi-branch logic with several conditions is often easier to build and maintain in Make's visual builder, though Power Automate and Zapier both support it.

4. Who's building and maintaining it? If it's you, pick whichever tool matches software you already use daily — the learning curve is shorter. If you're bringing in help to build it, the specific tool matters less than finding someone who documents the build clearly, so it doesn't become a black box only one person understands.

Answer these four and you'll land on the right tool for your specific business — which is a more useful outcome than a ranked list of 14 tools built for nobody's business in particular.

Frequently Asked Questions

What automation tools do small businesses actually use?

Most end up using two or three: a general workflow tool (Power Automate, Zapier, or Make) for connecting apps and triggering actions, whatever accounting software they already have for invoicing and reminders, and a CRM for tracking leads and clients. The tools that stick long-term are usually the ones already part of the business's existing subscriptions.

Are there free automation tools for small businesses?

Yes. If you're on Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium — which most small businesses already pay for — Power Automate's full connector set is included at no additional cost. Zapier and Make both have free tiers for simple, low-volume automations, usually capped at a few hundred tasks a month.

What automation tool works best with Microsoft 365?

Power Automate, because Microsoft built it specifically for that ecosystem. It connects natively to Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Planner, Excel, and Dataverse without a third-party connector, and the functionality is already included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard and above.

How do I choose between automation tools?

Start with what you already pay for, not a feature comparison. If you're on Microsoft 365 Business Standard or above, Power Automate covers most workflow needs at no added cost. If you're not on Microsoft 365, or you need connectors Power Automate doesn't support well, Zapier or Make are the better starting points.

Not Sure What You're Already Paying For?

That's the first 10 minutes of the Hour Audit call — checking what's already sitting inside your current subscriptions before we talk about anything new. Most businesses I work with own more automation capability than they realize.

No pitch. No obligation.

Tristan Broyles https://broylesdigital.com