Appian vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Appian
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Appian is a low-code development and business process management platform. It features drag-and-drop design for app building, automated work processes, unified data management, and cloud-based deployment.
$0
IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
IBM Cloud Pak for Automation allows the user to design, build and run automation applications and services on any cloud, using pre-integrated automation technologies and low-code tools. IBM Cloud Pak is the latest deployment option of the IBM automation platform for digital business, available on Red Hat OpenShift.N/A
Pricing
AppianIBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
Editions & Modules
Appian Community Edition
$0
Application - Input-Only
$2
per month per user
Application - Infrequent
$9
per month per user
Application - Standard
$75
per month per user
Platform
Custom Quote Priced per user with unlimited apps.
minimum 100 users, no maximum
Unlimited
Custom Quote Priced per development with unlimited apps.
unlimited
Platform
Custom Quote Priced per user with unlimited apps.
Minimum 100, no maximum
Unlimited
Custom Quote Priced per development with unlimited apps.
Unlimited
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AppianIBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AppianIBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
AppianIBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
Low-Code Development
Comparison of Low-Code Development features of Product A and Product B
Appian
9.1
75 Ratings
6% above category average
IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
-
Ratings
Visual Modeling8.873 Ratings00 Ratings
Drag-and-drop Interfaces8.972 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform Security9.171 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform User Management8.872 Ratings00 Ratings
Reusability9.475 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform Scalability9.473 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Appian
-
Ratings
IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
7.3
1 Ratings
18% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Appian
-
Ratings
IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
6.4
1 Ratings
14% below category average
Dashboards00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings6.41 Ratings
Process Engine
Comparison of Process Engine features of Product A and Product B
Appian
-
Ratings
IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
7.5
1 Ratings
18% above category average
Process designer00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Process simulation00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Business rules engine00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
SOA support00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Process player00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Form builder00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Model execution00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Business Process Automation
Comparison of Business Process Automation features of Product A and Product B
Appian
-
Ratings
IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
7.5
1 Ratings
21% above category average
Business Process Modeling00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Decision Modeling00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Code-Based Automation00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
No-Code Automation00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
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AppianIBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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Medium-sized Companies
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Score 9.8 out of 10
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User Ratings
AppianIBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(139 ratings)
9.3
(42 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.5
(19 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(95 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.4
(118 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
6.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
1.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AppianIBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
Likelihood to Recommend
Appian
Appian works great for automating manual processes and integrating multiple systems through its toolset. It gives great flexibility for establishing rules for approvals, routings, escalations, and the like. Because of the low code toolset, it's very easy to deploy and make changes as needed as processes evolve and as the organization learns to utilize the system better. Minimal maintenance is required to support the applications build on the platform. Some of the automated testing integration with tools like Jenkins is limited so that may be an issue for some.
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IBM
Well Suited Scenarios IBM Cloud Pak shines in scenarios where complex workflows, such as project management in web design, require automation. It's also highly effective for collaborative content creation, enabling seamless content approval. Less Appropriate Scenarios Conversely, it may be less suitable for organizations with simpler task management needs that do not fully leverage its robust capabilities. Also, companies with limited IT resources might face challenges during setup and customization.
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Pros
Appian
  • Allows at a glance workflow documentation which assists in the need we have for information readiation.
  • Drag and drop interface for workflow development greatly speeds our apps time to market.
  • Using the advanced features of Appian, we are able to create working sites in a fraction of the time it would take to do so using "traditional" development.
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IBM
  • I like how this tool provides us with automation capabilities to all our business processes hence improves our productivity.
  • Helps us to analyze complex workflows for our clients.
  • Accelerate our growth to digital transformation.
  • Reduce clients wait time. Hence we are able to deliver on time.
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Cons
Appian
  • Search issues when type ahead and database search are used in the same field.
  • Buttons implementation where user is require[d] to click on the button description - if clicks on the button outside that text - button will not work.
  • Problems with using certain off-the-shelf performance tools like WebLoad or Neoload. That is because of different dynamic variables being used internally in Appian - which these tools are unable to correlate. We are still investigating using other tools like Jmeter to overcome dynamic correlation problem for performance testing.
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IBM
  • For heavy load, the performance should be improved
  • The integration with the messaging system is a bit tricky and hence example documentation could be provided
  • It is a very nice and powerful tool however still not very known, marketing needs to be improved
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Likelihood to Renew
Appian
We recently renewed our license with Appian. We are convinced that its flexibility, relative ease of use, the support they provide, there mobile advancements and their general willingness and desire to see us succeed all contributed to our reason to renew our agreement with Appian
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IBM
IBM Cloud Pak provides modernization in collecting, organizing and analyzing data. This product provides to unify market leading services such as data management, DataOps, governance, business analytics and automated AI. IBM Cloud Pak is best for resource and infrustructure optimization. IBM Cloud Pak is capable to accomodate our business automation needs.
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Usability
Appian
Appian is a low code environment, because of this, a very good visual interface is required. Appian is providing a feature-rich dashboard [that] we can use for building the dashboards and other interfaces. Appian also provides patches and releases to enhance these features. A developer can start off development just by going through a basic course from the Appian learning community.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Appian
Appian is one of the leading low code business automation platforms that support RPA, decision rules, case management, workflow automation, and machine learning all in a single bundle. But it is also harder to implement and replace the traditional business process.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
Appian
As analyst I participated in a developer boot camp. At times it was hard to keep up but most of the time it made sense. Trainer took the time to explain and slowed pace down to answer questions etc.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Appian
Very boring; hard to get through quickly, but rather effective in demonstrating the use of the platform.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Appian
It was really seamless. SaaS in the true definition of the word. We logged on and started using the product. Very easy.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Appian
Appian has enormously transformed and keeps on updating the product every quarter to meet the latest needs of the world with new innovations & technologies being integrated within the platform. What gives more pleasure than a product that keeps on continuous[ly] improv[ing]?
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IBM
There are various products that are similar to IBM Cloud, but IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation stands out overall. IBM Cloud offers valuable features such as analytics, cognitive abilities, and data management capabilities. Additionally, it places a strong emphasis on security and compliance, with features such as role-based access control and encryption. Moreover, it allows for easy integration with other systems and platforms.
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Return on Investment
Appian
  • I believe it has negatively impacted our release dates. There may have been a misunderstanding as to the learning curve, even though it is "low code."
  • The look and feel of the applications created using Appian have uniformity and it's easier to have "reuse" between applications.
  • There is less developer control when it comes to features. I think this mainly has to do with the amount of plugins available. I would think there should be many more available plugins. But again, our use case is probably different than most others.
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IBM
  • Quick to automate repetitive tasks and finish them with speed and accuracy hence saving time and operational cost.
  • Bots are life saviours because they are able to learn fast without feeding any information most of the manual work is done accurately and diligently.
  • Reduce human errors by reducing how we manually input data into all our business processes.
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ScreenShots

Appian Screenshots

Screenshot of Low-Code DevelopmentScreenshot of Business Process Management SuiteScreenshot of Dynamic Case ManagementScreenshot of Mobile App DevelopmentScreenshot of Appian RPA with Blue Prism