Microsoft Power Apps vs Oracle Application Express (APEX) comparison

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Executive Summary
Updated on Mar 15, 2022

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Powerapps and Oracle Application Express (APEX) based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Microsoft PowerApps users feel the solution is user-friendly, straightforward, and very easy to set up. You do not need to be an expert to deploy Microsoft PowerApps. Oracle Application Express (APEX) users felt the setup was neither easy or complex, but somewhere in the middle. You do have to have some level of technical expertise to get this solution deployed properly.
  • Features: Microsoft PowerApps users liked the flexibility of the solution and how simple it is to create an app from start to finish. Microsoft PowerApps offers the Model-driven or Canvas application-making platforms that make the entire process go very fast. Microsoft PowerApps users tell us the solution can be a bit buggy, though, and needs some refinement to ensure things consistently run smoothly. The threshold limits could be improved, as they can be very constricting and problematic.

    Oracle APEX users like that the solution is very stable, scalable, secure, and helps keep their teams very productive. You don’t need to know PL, because Oracle APEX is built on PL/SQL. Oracle APEX users felt the solution could be buggy, though, and felt that some of the HTML code generated did not work well with all browsers. Oracle APEX users would like to see improved reporting and better integration with non-Oracle databases.
  • Pricing: Users of both solutions felt the prices are on the high side.

  • Service and Support: Users of both solutions were satisfied with the support they received and mentioned that both of these solutions offer very good online and community support, making it super easy to resolve any issues very quickly.

Comparison Results: Microsoft PowerApps finished ahead in this comparison. Microsoft PowerApps offers slightly better integrations with 3rd party applications and is considered to be more user-friendly. As Microsoft is a very popular ecosystem with many of our users, it is the simple choice for better seamless integration. Oracle’s APEX limitations outside of the Oracle universe presented too many challenges for our users.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Power Apps vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX) Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"Power Automate has been the most valuable feature.""I can have a SharePoint list and connect with users through PowerApps to present the information.""The most valuable feature is the completeness of the concept. It is not restricted by where you are allowed to use it and that is its greatest strength.""When I am developing any user UI, it gives me complete flexibility. I can manage in any way I want.""Microsoft PowerApps's most valuable features we found are that it's very similar to the other Microsoft products, you can do the basic automation quite quickly. The interface is similar to the other Microsoft products which makes it easy to navigate around because we are used to Microsoft products.""It's a very workable solution because it's an automated way of making applications. You have a template, you have the application know-how,""There is value in being able to collect and compare information in real-time to present alternatives for correcting vulnerabilities.""Generating reports is very fast with Microsoft PowerApps. It's stable and scalable as well."

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"A user interface is relatively simple to create.""Oracle Application Express is easy to use, people don't have to be developers to use it.""Oracle APEX improved our organization by making it possible for us to implement agile project development.""Oracle APEX allows our company to complete webpage projects easily in a fast turnaround time.""I like that Oracle Application Express (APEX) is powerful and attractive, allowing my organization to modernize forms within two months. I also found its PWA feature very powerful because you can produce substantial mobile applications.""The solution is easy to handle. The tool has helped us develop many applications since it supports SQL and NoSQL languages. We are familiar with this language. Also, the solution’s interface design and database design are very easy. It is not so much complex. I have no experience working with other solutions.""We set up the HTTP server and installed the Apex Xamarin DB using the Mark Hill SQL packages for an older version. That's the extent of our configuration.""The most valuable feature of Oracle APEX is its comprehensive set of features for creating user-friendly and visually appealing applications."

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) Pros →

Cons
"They probably need to improve intelligent document processing.""I have heard from developers that there is documentation missing in the reporting.""The solution could improve by having more connectors for different solutions in a way to create custom connectors. Additionally, they should make HTTP Connectors free again because it was not always a premium feature. These HTTP connectors allow you to send API requests which can be important.""The scalability of the solution could improve.""The stability of this solution could be better.""Microsoft PowerApps is not responsive in nature.""The area where this product can be improved is the documentation. When we get stuck it's with the documentation when we are not able to find the codes we need.""In an upcoming release, I would like to see custom APIs, better integration with other solutions, and more connectors available."

More Microsoft Power Apps Cons →

"I would like to see easier integration into active directory authentication. Also, maybe integration of JavaScript frameworks would resolve some issues.""Oracle should implement vertical and horizontal data segmentation in APEX's security framework, so Dev teams don't need to do any heavy lifting in the APEX screens. This is a common issue in enterprise apps. It would be nice to seamlessly integrate Git repositories into the development process since the current solution can result in overlapping work or an eventual overwrite. The provided example apps are great, but they could benefit from some added documentation in the "explanation screens".""The solution has some stability problems that need to be resolved.""An area for improvement in Oracle Application Express (APEX) is the slow reporting because pulling the report for two months, one year, three years, etc., is very slow. It takes more than thirty minutes to download the report. There's also room for improvement in integrating Oracle Application Express (APEX) with other vendors, such as open-source solutions through API integration. I believe Oracle is working on this feature, or the issue could be because my organization is using an older version of Oracle Application Express (APEX). The Oracle database also has to be improved because it's still lacking in some packages, triggers, and indexes.""I don't like the URL syntax.""When exporting, we can't export dynamic reports, only static reports. For example, when we want to export charts or tables it is only exported as a static report so we can't drop down on these reports; however, we can see this information when we are on the dashboard itself.""The solution does not include a default or custom template like other products.""Connecting with Oracle and the relation with Oracle at the database as a procedure needs improvement."

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "If you start to use any premium connectors that are not stored in a SharePoint list or on an Excel workbook, then it costs $4 per user per month. If you want unlimited, it's about $16 per month for unlimited apps, and unlimited connectors."
  • "The company has a subscription where you can use certain features for free, but there are features that require a premium subscription to use."
  • "The enterprise-level costs a great deal of money, and you have to purchase additional licenses to scale it."
  • "We use the Office 365 package, and Microsoft PowerApps is a part of the package. We don't pay any separate price for this. There are no additional costs. We just pay for the Office 365 package."
  • "There are two licensing costs, one is pay-as-you-go, or you can develop it for one year."
  • "This is not an expensive product and there are no licensing fees."
  • "It is not expensive. There is no licensing cost."
  • "The pricing is too expensive and the licensing system is complicated. There are many pages of instruction on how to do the calculations for the price."
  • More Microsoft Power Apps Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "APEX itslelf is a free product, but you will need to license peripheral components."
  • "When buying the data license, APEX is included."
  • "We have a full Oracle E-Business Suite license, and we use that license to develop applications. There's no license required for developing Oracle applications."
  • "There is a trial version available that can be used free of charge."
  • "Pricing is expensive, overall on an enterprise system but we consider that it gives corresponding value in the product."
  • "It's a free solution with no additional costs."
  • "We have an Oracle basic product license, and then we can use Oracle APEX for free. We have many licenses for Oracle for approximately 20 processors."
  • "The solution is free."
  • More Oracle Application Express (APEX) Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer: I think it depends on your use case. If your organization uses Microsoft Enterprise products, PowerApps will work better in your environment. Similarly, if you have a Salesforce integration in… more »
    Top Answer:Hi Netanya I will choose ServiceNow because ServiceNow is a very good tool compared to Microsoft PowerApp.  Because ServiceNow has a very strong module (Performance Analysis) reporting which will… more »
    Top Answer:Microsoft Azure App Service is helpful if you need to set up temporary servers for customers to run their programs in locations that other cloud providers do not cater to. When servers are closer to… more »
    Top Answer:One standout feature of Oracle APEX is its seamless integration with backend procedures, allowing for quick updates without changing the front-end interface.
    Top Answer:The solution is moderately priced, where it is neither cheap nor expensive. The solution's pricing depends on how it is going to be utilized. Almost 5GB to 20GB of database would be free. Anything… more »
    Top Answer:One area for improvement in Oracle APEX is its workflow orchestration capabilities. While it excels in forms and reports, handling complex workflows with waiting states and asynchronous responses… more »
    Ranking
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    7.8
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    8.0
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    PowerApps, MS PowerApps
    Oracle APEX
    Learn More
    Overview

    Microsoft Power Apps is a rapid application development software and low-code development platform. The solution consists of a suite of apps, services, connectors, and a data platform. It provides an environment for building custom apps which is suitable for different businesses.

    Microsoft Power Apps allows users to not only build applications, but also connect them to Microsoft's other sources, including the underlying data platform Microsoft Dataverse, as well as online and on-premise sources such as SharePoint, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365. The applications built using Microsoft Power Apps have a responsive design that makes them suitable for work in browsers and on mobile applications on different devices.

    The no-code side of the product makes it suitable for complete beginners to app building, allowing them to easily create fully functional applications with many features. The solution also has a specialized platform for developers where specialists can access data and metadata, create custom connectors, integrate with external data, and apply business logic. The solution allows users to create three types of apps: canvas, model-driven, and portal. They are made using:

    • Power Apps Studio: Canvas apps are designed through Power Apps Studio. This app designer is suitable for complete beginners, as the app creation process resembles the building of presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint.

    • App Designer: Model-driven apps are created through App Designer. The creation process allows users to define the sitemap and add components to build the application.

    • Power Apps Portals Studio: This is a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) design tool. It is suitable for portal applications, as it allows users to add and configure web pages, forms, components, and lists.

    Microsoft Power Apps Features

    The three different design tools of the solution, Power Apps Studio, App Designer, and Power Apps Portals Studio, come with various features which allow users to utilize the tools. Some of these features include:

    • Common Data Service (CDS): The data storage feature of the solution allows users to store and manage the data used for business applications securely. The data within the feature is stored among a set of entities, including a base set of standard entities as well as user-made custom ones, using Power Query. The data within CDS can be used to build apps.

    • Cloud connectivity: Microsoft Power Apps has the ability to connect with various types of cloud services. It can connect with MS CDS, as well as SQL, DropBox, and Google Drive.

    • Sharing feature: The tool has a feature for sharing built applications. Users can share the app they have created with users within the same organization as them.

    • Role-based feature: The product allows organizations to assign their employees roles within the platform. This is done to create customization based on the assigned roles, potentially eliminating issues that a completely free access can create.

    • AI automation: The tool has a feature that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI). It provides users with an AI builder and pre-built AI components to facilitate the application building process.

    • APIs feature: Microsoft Power Apps facilitates the app-building process through application program interfaces (APIs).

    • Collaboration support: The tool supports collaboration within the organization in the application building process. Through this feature, multiple employees can contribute to the creation of an app.

    Microsoft Power Apps Benefits

    The product brings various benefits to organizations and individuals who utilize it. Some of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Power Apps include:

    • The solution saves time for organizations by eliminating manual coding and providing ready-to-use solutions.

    • Applications built on the product can be made compatible with various platforms, including the web, Windows, Android, and iOS.

    • The premium connectors and wide integration of the platform allow developers to use data from Microsoft and from third-party services to build their applications.

    • The no-code capability enhances mobility and innovations within companies.

    • The AI feature of the product allows companies to increase their productivity through prebuilt AI scenarios.

    • The tool offers various ways to follow the data from the created applications, allowing companies to benefit from the reports of the performance of their apps.

    • Professional developers receive a platform to follow crucial metrics and access the application development in detail.

    • Power Apps can be connected across the entire Microsoft Power Platform, allowing organizations to utilize all features that the provider offers.

    Reviews from Real Users

    An IT Specialist (INFOSEC) at a government appreciates this tool because it is low-code, low learning curve, and reduces manpower.

    Rafael T., a data engineer at NTT Security, likes Microsoft Power Apps, because it is great for making apps quickly, has helpful support, and integrates with Power BI.

    Oracle Application Express (APEX) is a low-code development platform that enables users to build enterprise apps securely and scalably. APEX, which offers world-class features, can be deployed anywhere. As part of the Oracle Database, developers can develop superior apps 20x more quickly by using all of the tools provided in a single, extensible platform.

    Oracle APEX, a cloud platform that has been around for over 20 years, eliminates complexities associated with app building while delivering results faster and at a lower cost. The low-code aspect offers developers a visual approach to app development that accelerates the development process. Oracle APEX also provides a lively, global, and growing community of developers that can connect and share resources with each other.

    Features of Oracle Application Express (APEX)

    App building requires complexities and expert knowledge in vast web technologies. With Oracle APEX, these complexities involved with multi-faceted applications are reduced, and developers are provided with the rich features they need to fix business problems and create solutions. These features include:

    • Data: Oracle APEX offers revolutionary functionality to enable developers to turn data into information, no matter where that data is from. Under this functionality, you can display, chart, manipulate, and process data effortlessly and accurately.
    • Accessibility: Developers can build highly accessible and inclusive web apps for users with various abilities and requirements. Oracle APEX aims to provide a good user experience for everybody, with accessibility bug fixes and continuous improvements of their testing strategies.
    • Globalization: Oracle APEX provides the ability to create a framework to maintain well-performing applications in multiple languages and environments.
    • Smart Filters and Search: users can rapidly reduce searched data and remove clutter with search terms and filter suggestions for a more simplified user experience.
    • Security: Oracle APEX empowers web application builders to develop apps without compromising on security. Despite the constant increase of attacks and modification of web standards, developers can stay focused on their tasks without leaving applications exposed.
    • Monitoring: Monitoring and logging are built into Oracle APEX, which provides valuable insight into how users interact with your applications, as well as any hacking attempts, application errors, and performance issues.
    • User Interface: Developers can build modern web applications that are responsive, easily customizable, highly accessible, and simple to maintain with Universal Theme, a user interface for Application Express.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Oracle Application Express is a favorite among developers looking to create web applications quickly and securely for many reasons, which include its ease of use and the ability to quickly create public applications

    A senior database developer at a tech services company notes, "This is a good application for quickly creating public applications."

    Alvaro L., an intelligence coordinator at Grupo Orbis, writes, "Oracle Application Express is easy to use, people don't have to be developers to use it."

    Sample Customers
    TransAlta, Rackspace, Telstra
    Hepart AG, pharmasol, SATLOG, Collège Bois-de-Boulogne
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Manufacturing Company13%
    Insurance Company9%
    Outsourcing Company6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company12%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Government10%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    REVIEWERS
    Healthcare Company13%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Energy/Utilities Company10%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization26%
    Government10%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business31%
    Midsize Enterprise19%
    Large Enterprise50%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise12%
    Large Enterprise68%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business42%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise42%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business17%
    Midsize Enterprise32%
    Large Enterprise51%
    Buyer's Guide
    Microsoft Power Apps vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX)
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Power Apps vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX) and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Microsoft Power Apps is ranked 1st in Rapid Application Development Software with 77 reviews while Oracle Application Express (APEX) is ranked 2nd in Rapid Application Development Software with 52 reviews. Microsoft Power Apps is rated 7.8, while Oracle Application Express (APEX) is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Microsoft Power Apps writes "Low-code, low learning curve, and reduces manpower". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Oracle Application Express (APEX) writes "Very stable and efficiently translates languages for the whole user interface in minutes". Microsoft Power Apps is most compared with Mendix, ServiceNow, Appian, OutSystems and Microsoft Azure App Service, whereas Oracle Application Express (APEX) is most compared with Salesforce Platform, Mendix, Oracle Visual Builder Cloud Service, Microsoft Azure App Service and OutSystems. See our Microsoft Power Apps vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX) report.

    See our list of best Rapid Application Development Software vendors and best Low-Code Development Platforms vendors.

    We monitor all Rapid Application Development Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.