Azure Logic Apps and Azure Functions Comparison

High-Level Comparison

Feature	Azure Logic Apps	Azure Functions
Primary Use Case	Visual workflow & integration automation	Custom code-based event-driven processing
Audience	IT Pros, Integrators, Citizen Developers	Software Developers
Development Model	Low-code / no-code (visual designer, JSON behind the scenes)	Code-first (C#, JS, Python, etc.)
Trigger Types	600+ connectors (HTTP, Blob, Outlook, Salesforce, etc.)	HTTP, Timer, Queue, Event Hub, Blob, etc.
Custom Logic	Limited, declarative conditions or calls to Functions/APIs	Fully programmable, custom logic
Pricing	Per-action or fixed (Standard plan)	Per execution time (Consumption), fixed (Premium/Dedicated)
Workflow & Orchestration	Strong (built-in parallelism, looping, conditionals)	Weak (requires Durable Functions for orchestration)
Built-in Retry/Error Logic	Yes, built-in to every action	Manual, unless implemented in code or Durable Functions
CI/CD Support	Yes (via ARM/Bicep templates, Logic App Standard supports code)	Yes (code repo integration, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps)
Monitoring & Logging	Azure Portal run history, Log Analytics	App Insights, custom logging via ILogger

When to Use Each

When To Use Azure Logic Apps

• You need to connect different services or systems easily (SaaS, on-prem, APIs)
• You're building workflow-style automation (approvals, alerts, ETL)
• You prefer visual tools over writing code
• You want built-in connectors for things like SharePoint, SAP, SQL, ServiceNow, etc.
• You’re implementing business process automation, integration pipelines, or light orchestration

Example:

"When a file is uploaded to OneDrive, extract its data, insert it into a SQL table, and send a Teams notification."

When To Use Azure Functions

• You need to write custom, complex business logic
• You need full control over flow, data structures, and performance
• You're building microservices, API backends, or real-time data processing
• You're handling high-throughput, latency-sensitive workloads
• You want code reusability, testing, and CI/CD pipelines

Example:

"Process an uploaded CSV file, validate its content, normalize data, and call external APIs for enrichment."

They Can Work Together

Often, Logic Apps will orchestrate the process, and Functions will do the heavy lifting:

• Logic App handles the trigger and flow: "When email arrives → call Function to parse attachment"
• Azure Function parses, processes, and returns a response

This combo gives you the ease of integration + power of code.

Visual Analogy

• Logic Apps: Drag-and-drop Lego blocks with predefined shapes and connectors
• Functions: A 3D printer — make any part you want, but you write the instructions

Example: HTTP Workflow Comparison

Logic App

• Trigger: HTTP POST
• Step 1: Validate input
• Step 2: Call API
• Step 3: Email result

Takes 5–10 minutes to configure in the Portal — no code.

Azure Function

[FunctionName("MyFunction")]
public static async Task<IActionResult> Run(
    [HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Function, "post", Route = null)] HttpRequest req,
    ILogger log)
{
    var input = await new StreamReader(req.Body).ReadToEndAsync();
    // Validate input
    // Call an API
    // Send email (via SendGrid SDK or external service)
    return new OkObjectResult("Success");
}

Takes more time and skill, but offers flexibility and testability.

Summary

Goal	Use This
Connect systems & automate workflows	Logic Apps
Write custom logic & algorithms	Azure Functions
Mix of both	Use Logic Apps to orchestrate + Functions to process