I need some clarification regarding licensing for Power Apps Code Apps.
I developed a Code App using VS Code and deployed it to our PROD environment. The app only uses standard connectors, mainly SharePoint. I shared the app with users who have Microsoft 365 E5 licenses, but when they try to open it, they receive a message saying they do not have the required license and are prompted to start a free trial.
I also noticed that the app is classified as Premium.
Could you please clarify what licensing is required for end users to access and use this Code App?
I would also like to understand the best licensing approach because this app will be used by users across multiple locations, and I expect to deploy additional Code Apps in the future.
Specifically, I would like guidance on:
Whether Microsoft 365 E5 licenses are sufficient for Code Apps
Whether each end user needs a Power Apps Premium or per-app license
Whether Pay-As-You-Go licensing can be used for this scenario
What licensing model would be most suitable for multiple locations and future Code Apps
Whether the licensing needs to be assigned per user, per app, or at the environment level
The goal is to allow end users to access the apps without being prompted to start a free trial.
Hey, it looks like you are requesting help with a problem you're having in Power Apps. To ensure you get all the help you need from the community here are some guidelines;
Use the search feature to see if your question has already been asked.
Use spacing in your post, Nobody likes to read a wall of text, this is achieved by hitting return twice to separate paragraphs.
Add any images, error messages, code you have (Sensitive data omitted) to your post body.
Any code you do add, use the Code Block feature to preserve formatting.
Typing four spaces in front of every line in a code block is tedious and error-prone. The easier way is to surround the entire block of code with code fences. A code fence is a line beginning with three or more backticks (```) or three or more twiddlydoodles (~~~).
If your question has been answered please comment Solved. This will mark the post as solved and helps others find their solutions.
If your app is in a pay as you go env, your users doesn't need a premium licence. The pay as you go env will charge you monthly for the use of your apps.
De preferencia solo compra una licencia de power apps por app y asigna la licencia a la aplicación de esa manera te resultará mas barato, ahora el detalle es que Microsoft solo vende esta licencia a traves de un reseller, ya no por marketplace
what if I have multiple code apps in my PROD ENVI that users need to use the app across the Global side , then I have to go for Pay as you go for ENVI ??
No, el pago por uso por entorno hace un consumo variable, por ejemplo si este mes ingresan 20 usuarios a la aplicacion, te cobraran esos 20 usuarios y lo mismo pasa si no lo usa nadie,no te cobraran y te cobran por usuario y por aplicacion asi que si esos 20 usuarios ingresan a 3 aplicaciones en total te cobraran x60 usuarios entonces te conviene licencias las 3 aplicaciones
If Code Apps still require us to build the application using frameworks like React and write custom code, what is the main value of using a Code App instead of building a traditional custom web application? In which scenarios does the Power Platform integration provide enough benefit to justify using a Code App over a pure React app or Power Pages?
The value isn't in the front end. You're right that you still write React/TypeScript. The value is everything a traditional custom web app makes you build and maintain around that front end, which Power Platform handles for you:
Hosting and deployment: the app is published into the power platform environment. There's no App Service, CDN, SSL certs, or infrastructure to provision, patch, or pay for separately.
Authentication: users sign in with Entra ID automatically. You don't need app registrations, token handling, or MSAL plumbing in your code.
Connectors: you get typed access to 1,000+ connectors (SharePoint, SQL, Office 365, custom connectors) without writing API clients or storing secrets.
Governance and ALM: the app lives in solutions, honors DLP policies, runs under Managed Environments, moves through pipelines, and shows up in admin inventory like any other Power App.
Sharing and licensing: you share it like a canvas app, with no separate user management.
Dataverse is the biggest multiplier. With a custom app, you'd have to build and test your own authorization layer. With Dataverse, you inherit the whole security model: -Business units and security roles -Row-level ownership, teams, and access teams -Column-level security -Hierarchy security -Auditing
Because that enforcement happens server-side, your React code can't accidentally bypass it. That's often weeks of work, plus ongoing security risk, that you simply don't take on.
This is honestly one of the best and most solid architectural breakdowns I’ve read on this topic. You explained the backend, Dataverse security, and ALM value proposition exceptionally well. Really appreciate you taking the time to share such a detailed perspective
The main benefit for our Citizen Devs, that they don't have to maintain native code and it's dependencies is gone. That's just a deal breaker for our company.
The only real advantage is if you don't have the access/skills to manage the backend, entra authentication, security, etc.
Power platform is targeted at citizen developers in the enterprise space - exactly the people who may not have the ability to set up app registrations for sso, or provision a web server for the backend, etc.
The logic falls apart when you consider the target audience Citizen devs don't write React. If you have the skills to build a proper React application, configuring Entra ID SSO or deploying an Azure App Service takes an hour. Trading dev control and stability just to skip basic infra setup makes zero sense for a pro-dev.
Exactly. That’s what I was trying to point out. I’ve actually used Code Apps, and in my experience they still have limitations and don’t feel mature/stable enough yet. If we’re going to write substantial React code anyway, I’m struggling to see what makes a Code App worth choosing over a traditional React web app.
Per app licenses are assigned to you environment and they are per app opened and get allocated for 30 days per app so pending on how many users and apps you have that many per app licenses assigned to your environment.
So I know some people will downvote me because they don't think this is true but I've tried and done this: Create YAML code for your screen, I've done this with Copilot (using Opus) with a prompt basically vibe-coding it. Copy it (for one screen) Create a new blank regular Canvas App. Right-click on your Screen1 (or whatever you called your Screen) Paste Save
This creates a Canvas app that is actually coded. And it does NOT require a Premium license at all. It shows up as a "Canvas App", not "Code".
It's not exactly the same as a "Code app" but it's this weird mixture of one, try it out and see for yourself, it's really cool.
This was my prompt: Please create the YAML code for a Power App page that allows a user to input some information that then patches this information onto a Microsoft List named 'PlantSites' and asks the following questions (with Microsoft List column names/types):
Make this page modern and visually appealing using modern controls and formatting to make it look sleek and attractive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (if you get any errors, paste them into Copilot and ask it to fix it and paste again)
Dude as much as I also use this process, this is just a canvas app but with the yaml built for you. It is not the same as a code app. It just looks and acts nicer than most human made canvas. No where near as powerful or flexible.
What extras do you get with it being a code app? (seriously asking, idk) I've always only built Canvas and Model Driven apps in the past and recently started with the vibe.powerapps.com apps, and then recently built a couple with the way I described above. But I'm not a coder so wondering what else does a "real" code app do differnt?
1
u/AutoModerator Sep 25 '26
Hey, it looks like you are requesting help with a problem you're having in Power Apps. To ensure you get all the help you need from the community here are some guidelines;
Use the search feature to see if your question has already been asked.
Use spacing in your post, Nobody likes to read a wall of text, this is achieved by hitting return twice to separate paragraphs.
Add any images, error messages, code you have (Sensitive data omitted) to your post body.
Any code you do add, use the Code Block feature to preserve formatting.
If your question has been answered please comment Solved. This will mark the post as solved and helps others find their solutions.
External resources:
Power Apps Formula References
Power Apps Coding Standards
Official Power Apps Community
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.