Cereal vs Power Automate Desktop: free and cross-platform, not Windows-only.
Power Automate Desktop is Microsoft's RPA tool — Windows-only, tied to a Microsoft account, with the useful parts (unattended runs, scheduling, premium connectors) behind a paid license. Cereal is a free desktop app that runs automation scripts on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with no account and no premium gate.
The short version.
Cereal runs everywhere
Native on macOS, Windows, and Linux. If you're on a Mac or Linux box, Cereal works — Power Automate Desktop simply isn't available to you.
PAD is Windows-only
Power Automate Desktop ships only for Windows 10/11. There's no macOS or Linux build, so it locks your automation to the Microsoft platform.
Cereal is free, end to end
The app is free forever — including scheduling and unattended runs. Only some marketplace scripts cost $3–5/month, cancel anytime.
PAD gates the useful parts
Basic attended flows are free on Windows, but unattended automation, scheduling without you present, and premium connectors need a paid Power Automate license.
Cereal gives you ready-made scripts
Install from a marketplace of ready-made automations and configure in minutes — no building flows from scratch unless you want to.
No Microsoft account
Cereal needs no account of any kind. PAD requires a Microsoft account and binds your automations to that identity and ecosystem.
Where Power Automate Desktop is the better choice.
If you're a Windows-only shop already living in Microsoft 365, PAD is a serious, capable RPA platform — deep Windows UI automation, native Excel and Office control, a huge action library, and tight integration with the rest of the Power Platform for enterprise workflows and approvals. For corporate desktop RPA on managed Windows machines, that ecosystem is hard to beat. Cereal isn't trying to replace enterprise RPA. It's for people who want automation that runs on any OS, costs nothing, needs no account, and comes as ready-to-install scripts rather than flows you build yourself.
How they compare.
| CEREAL | POWER AUTOMATE DESKTOP | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | Windows only |
| Account required | None | Microsoft account |
| Pricing | Free app; scripts $3–5/mo | Free attended on Windows; paid for unattended/cloud |
| Unattended / scheduled runs | Included, free | Requires premium license (~$150/mo per bot) |
| Getting started | Install ready-made scripts | Build each flow in the designer |
| Best-fit user | Individuals, deal-hunters, scrapers | Windows / Microsoft 365 enterprises |
| Data privacy | Everything stays on your device | Local flows, but Microsoft-cloud integrated |
| Marketplace of automations | Curated, ready-to-run scripts | No equivalent (you build flows) |
| Coding required | No (Kotlin SDK for developers) | No (visual flow designer) |
| Best for | Price alerts, drops, scrapers, claimers | Windows desktop & Office RPA |
Pick the right tool.
Choose Cereal if you want to…
Automate on a Mac or Linux machine, avoid a Microsoft account, schedule unattended runs without paying for a license, or just install a ready-made price monitor, drop alert, or scraper and have it working in minutes — all locally and for free.
Choose Power Automate Desktop if you want to…
Automate Windows desktop and Office tasks inside a Microsoft 365 organization, build bespoke RPA flows with deep Windows UI control, and connect to the broader Power Platform for enterprise approvals and cloud flows.
Q/01 What is the main difference between Cereal and Power Automate Desktop?
Q/02 Does Cereal run on Mac and Linux?
Q/03 Is Power Automate Desktop free?
Q/04 Do I need a Microsoft account to use Cereal?
Q/05 Do I have to build automations myself, or are there ready-made ones?
Q/06 Where does my data go with Cereal vs Power Automate Desktop?
Automation that isn't locked to Windows.
Free forever. No Microsoft account. macOS, Windows, and Linux. Download Cereal and install a script in minutes.