ACCESS VS POWER APPS: WHICH SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Both come from Microsoft, both can sit over the same data - the right choice depends on who uses the system and how.

What Power Apps is good at

A modern, mobile-friendly interface your team can use on phones and tablets
Tight integration with Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Dataverse
Low-code development for straightforward forms and workflows
No desktop install required - it runs in a browser or the Power Apps mobile app

What Access is still good at

Desktop-class reporting - genuinely complex, print-ready reports are still faster to build in Access
Complex business logic via VBA, where a low-code tool starts to feel restrictive
Lower ongoing licensing cost - Power Apps per-user/per-app licensing adds up quickly at scale
Faster development for intricate, desktop-style systems that don't need a mobile front end

The hybrid option most businesses don't know about

You don't always have to pick one. A common approach is keeping Access (or moving the data to SQL Server) for the heavy reporting and business logic, with a Power Apps or PWA front end for the parts of the system your team needs on the move. See legacy system modernisation for how this fits together.

Working with businesses across Solihull, Birmingham, Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, in person or remotely.

Areas of Expertise

MS Access database design and development

Power Apps development

Mobile and PWA front ends

Hybrid Access / Power Apps architectures

Honest licensing cost comparison

SQL Server / Dataverse back ends

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Years of Experience

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Happy Clients

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Programming Languages

CONTACT

LOCATION

9 Blacksmiths Lane, Hockley Heath, Solihull, West Midlands. B94 6QP
Mobile: 07815 849467

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