"$200 per month for 100 users? That's robbery!"
I hear this reaction constantly. And I understand it. At first glance, Power Pages licenses look expensive.
But: Those who only see the license costs overlook 60-70% of the real value. This article shows what you really get – and why skeptics change their minds after this calculation.
License Packages Overview
Authenticated Users
per month (100-pack: $200/month)[1]
- ✓ Login with Enterprise Authentication
- ✓ Personalized Dataverse data
- ✓ 2GB database + 16GB files per pack
- ✓ Managed Security (ISO 27001)
- ✓ 99.9% Uptime SLA
Anonymous Users
per month (500-pack: $75/month)[1]
- ✓ Public content without login
- ✓ Knowledge Base, FAQs, product catalogs
- ✓ 0.5GB DB + 4GB files per pack
- ✓ CDN for global performance
- ✓ Unlimited page views
Authenticated Users: $2/Month Is Actually Cheap
Yes, I know: "$2 per user" sounds like a lot. But let's break down what's included – and what you'd pay for custom development.
✅ What's Included in $2/User/Month
1. Enterprise Authentication
Included: Microsoft Entra ID (for internal users), Entra External ID (for external customers), Multi-Factor Authentication, SSO, OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0
Custom costs: Auth system development: €15,000-25,000 + MFA integration: €10,000 = €25,000-35,000
2. Managed Enterprise Security
Included: ISO 27001 certification, SOC 2 Type II, automatic security patches, penetration testing, vulnerability management, GDPR compliance
Custom costs: Penetration test: €15,000/year + Security audit: €10,000/year + ISO 27001: €40,000 = €65,000 initial + €25,000/year
3. Managed Hosting & Infrastructure
Included: Azure hosting (EU region selectable), CDN for global performance, 99.9% Uptime SLA, automatic backups, disaster recovery, auto-scaling
Custom costs: Hosting: €300-500/month + CDN: €100/month + Monitoring: €200/month = €7,200-9,600/year
4. Dataverse Database Included
Included: 2GB relational database per 100-user pack, Enterprise features (Row-Level Security, Field-Level Security, audit trails), backup & recovery, encryption at rest & in transit
Custom costs: Azure SQL (comparable): €150-300/month + Security configuration: €5,000 = €1,800-3,600/year + €5,000 initial
5. File Storage & CDN
Included: 16GB File Storage per 100-user pack, worldwide CDN delivery, automatic compression, versioning
Custom costs: Azure Blob Storage + CDN: €50-100/month = €600-1,200/year
6. Platform Updates & Maintenance
Included: Automatic platform updates, security patches without downtime, feature releases (2x per year), no maintenance overhead for you
Custom costs: Maintenance & updates: 96 hrs/year × €80/hr = €7,680/year
💰 Total Value per Authenticated User
Power Pages:
$2/User/Month
= $24/user/year + proportional implementation
Custom development (equivalent):
~$120/User/Year
Initial: ~$800/user
→ Power Pages is ~5x cheaper in TCO over 3 years
Anonymous Users: $0.15/Month for Unlimited Knowledge Base
Anonymous Users are often overlooked – but they're the secret weapon for support savings.
📊 Calculation Example: Knowledge Base for 10,000 Visitors/Month
Power Pages Anonymous Users
10,000 visitors/month = 20 packs of 500 users
Cost:
$1,500/Month
= $0.15 per visitor
Included: Hosting, CDN, Dataverse, Security, Updates, 99.9% SLA
Custom WordPress Knowledge Base
Comparable features for 10,000 visitors/month
Cost (per month):
- • Hosting: $150
- • CDN (Cloudflare): $100
- • Security (Wordfence): $50
- • Maintenance (8h × $80): $640
- Total: $940/month
+ Risk: Security vulnerabilities, update overhead, no SLA
💡 The Difference: Power Pages costs $1,500/month, but is managed, secure, GDPR-compliant. WordPress costs $940/month, but you carry the security risk & maintenance overhead.
⚡ Use Case: Support Ticket Reduction
A mechanical engineering company has 5,000 anonymous visitors/month on their Knowledge Base. Cost: $750/month (10 packs @ $75).
Result: 40% fewer support tickets = €48,000/year savings.
ROI after 2 months. Everything after that is pure profit.
Total Cost of Ownership: Power Pages vs Custom Development
The honest 3-year calculation for a typical B2B portal (500 registered customers, 250 active/month):
| Cost Item | Custom Development (3 years) | Power Pages (3 years) | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Development | |||
| • Portal development | €80,000-120,000 | €75,000 (8-12 weeks) | €5,000-45,000 |
| • Auth & Security hardening | €15,000-25,000 | Included | €15,000-25,000 |
| • ERP/CRM integration | €20,000-40,000 | Included | €20,000-40,000 |
| Running Costs (3 years) | |||
| • Hosting & Infrastructure | €21,600-28,800 | Included | €21,600-28,800 |
| • Security & Compliance | €75,000 (annual audits) | Included (ISO 27001) | €75,000 |
| • Maintenance & Updates | €23,040 (96h/year × €80) | Included (managed) | €23,040 |
| • Licenses | — | €21,600 (250 users × $2 × 36 mo.) | -€21,600 |
| Total Cost of Ownership | €234,640-334,640 | €96,600 | €138,040-238,040 |
💰 Power Pages Savings: 59-71% lower TCO over 3 years. Plus: 3-4 months faster to market (8-12 weeks vs 6 months), minimal maintenance overhead thanks to Managed Platform, automatic updates.
The Hidden Value: What Skeptics Overlook
1 Time-to-Market: 8-12 Weeks Instead of 6 Months
Custom portal: 6 months development. Power Pages: 8-12 weeks with templates and low-code.
💡 Hidden Value:
3-4 months earlier ROI through support savings = ~€20,000-26,000 realized earlier
2 Minimal Maintenance Overhead
Custom portal: 96 hours/year maintenance (updates, security, bugs). Power Pages: Platform maintenance by Microsoft (managed), you only handle content & business logic.
💡 Hidden Value:
~80% less maintenance overhead = ~€6,000/year saved + your team focuses on business instead of infrastructure maintenance
3 Risk Reduction: GDPR Compliance Out-of-the-Box
Custom portal: Own responsibility for security gaps. Power Pages: ISO 27001, SOC 2, EU hosting guaranteed.
💡 Hidden Value:
Avoided GDPR fines (€50,000-500,000) + reputational damage priceless
4 Low-Code: In-house Customizations Without Developers
Custom portal: Every change needs developers (cost + waiting time). Power Pages: Citizen developers can customize themselves.
💡 Hidden Value:
80% of changes in-house = ~€15,000/year external developer costs saved
Still Skeptical?
In a free 30-minute call, we'll calculate together what Power Pages really costs for your specific project – and what you get for it.
Book Call Now