Compare / PowerShell Universal
Comparison · checked 19 October 2026
PowerScripts vs PowerShell Universal
Both run PowerShell from a web page with role-based access. PowerShell Universal is a flexible toolkit: you build APIs, apps and dashboards in PowerShell. PowerScripts is a finished product for one job: letting the help desk run approved Microsoft 365 and Active Directory scripts safely, starting from a ready catalog.
In one minute
- Choose PowerShell Universal if you want to publish scripts as REST APIs, build custom dashboards and portals in PowerShell, run on Linux or in Docker, or start free for development.
- Choose PowerScripts if the goal is help desk delegation on Microsoft 365 and AD, you want ready-made scripts rather than building your own UI, and you want every run tied to the code version, a ticket and an undo.
Side by side
| PowerScripts | PowerShell Universal | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | PowerScripts365 | Devolutions, which announced the acquisition from Ironman Software in October 20251 |
| Built for | Delegating Microsoft 365 and AD tasks to the help desk | APIs, apps, dashboards, scheduled jobs and a portal, all built from PowerShell2 |
| Ready-made scripts | 223 scripts for Exchange Online, Entra ID, Teams, SharePoint, Defender, Copilot, AD, network and ERP | Gallery packages such as Active Directory widgets and a standard form library3; we found no Microsoft 365 script catalog |
| Forms | Generated from the script's parameters plus a small settings file: dropdowns, switches, live people and mailbox search. No UI code. | Jobs get forms from the param block; richer apps are written in PowerShell with New-UDForm and New-UDPage4 |
| Access control | Six roles plus a per-script grant to a person or an Entra ID or AD group; ungranted scripts are hidden and code is visible only to authors | Roles across scripts, apps, APIs and jobs, down to page level; local, LDAP, SAML or OIDC sign-in2, 5 |
| Run record | Who, target, inputs, full output, Git commit of the code; optional required ticket; reverse a run where the script declares its opposite | Execution history with script, parameters and who ran it2 |
| Platforms | Windows Server, one Windows service | Windows (service or IIS), Linux, Docker, Azure App Service2 |
| Database | One local file; no SQL Server | SQLite for trial and development; SQL Server or PostgreSQL recommended for production6 |
| Modules | Exchange Online, Graph, Teams and PnP included in the package | Bundled PowerShell SDK; you install the modules your scripts use |
| Price | 14-day free trial; ask us for pricing | Free developer licence for local development; Server $499.99/yr, Site $2,499.99/yr, Enterprise by quote2 |
Where PowerShell Universal is stronger
- Turning scripts into REST and WebSocket APIs with OpenAPI docs. PowerScripts doesn't publish scripts as APIs.
- Custom dashboards and multi-page apps. PowerScripts gives each script a form, not a page you design.
- Linux, Docker and Azure App Service hosting. PowerScripts runs on Windows Server only.
- A free licence for local development, and a large community and gallery.
Where PowerScripts is stronger
- Day one content. 223 Microsoft 365, AD and network scripts with forms already defined, so the help desk can start the week you install.
- No UI to build. A script's parameters become the form. Authors write PowerShell, not page layouts.
- Delegation by script. Grant one script to one Entra ID or AD group. Operators never see code or credentials.
- An audit trail you can hand over. Each run records the exact Git commit that ran, can require a ticket, and can be reversed.
- Small footprint. One Windows service and one data file, with the Microsoft 365 modules included.
Moving from PowerShell Universal
Scripts with a normal param block come across as they are: paste one in and its parameters become a form. Apps and dashboards written with Universal Dashboard commands don't carry over; for help desk tasks, the matching catalog script usually replaces them.
Start a 14-day trial Watch the demos
Sources
- Devolutions press release on the acquisition of PowerShell Universal
- Devolutions PowerShell Universal product page (features, hosting, prices as listed on 19 October 2026)
- ActiveDirectory.Widgets gallery package
- New-UDForm documentation
- PowerShell Universal role-based access documentation
- PowerShell Universal system requirements
PowerShell Universal is a product of Devolutions. Facts about it come from the public pages above as of the date shown; if something has changed, tell us at sales@powerscripts365.com and we'll correct it.