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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Appian

    Score7.9 out of 10
    N/AAppian 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

    SS&C Blue Prism

    Score9.4 out of 10
    N/ASS&C Blue Prism provides a combination of technologies that offer intelligent automation to deliver transformational business value.N/A

    VisualCron

    Score7 out of 10
    N/AVisualCron is an automation, Integration and Task Scheduler tool. VisualCron combines many features into one product. VisualCron was founded in 2004. Through scheduling users can set Jobs to run on a specific time or event with the help of Triggers. The Tasks in each Job automate scripts to eliminate human errors. Through various Tasks users can integrate different systems through file transfer, encryption, compression and…N/A
    Pricing
    AppianSS&C Blue PrismVisualCron
    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
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AppianSS&C Blue PrismVisualCron
    Free Trial
    YesNoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee$1,499 per Server
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AppianSS&C Blue PrismVisualCron
    Considered Multiple Products
    Appian
    Chose Appian
    Have not used many BPM tools but we are using RPA to automate many technologies and business processes. We are also using Servicenow for incidents and change management.
    Incentivized
    Chose Appian
    Pega Platform is a flat tool.
    Incentivized
    Chose Appian
    We are using it along with Appian.
    Incentivized
    Chose Appian
    Perceived as easier to operate and significantly lower cost to implement when originally implemented. I do believe Pega has become more competitive in this regard.
    Incentivized
    SSC Technologies
    Chose SS&C Blue Prism
    It’s more robust for enterprise usage; UIPath had an awful demo when we talked to them. Automation Anywhere focuses on desktop automation with its recorder capabilities. Work Fusion focuses on intelligent use cases as opposed to automating the commonly used manual processes. …
    Incentivized
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    38 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    32 Answers
    89%
    Delivers good value for the price
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    37 Answers
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    25 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    30 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    6 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    AppianSS&C Blue PrismVisualCron
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Appian and SS&C Blue Prism and VisualCron
    Feature
    Appian
    8.1
    9 Ratings
    4% above category average
    SS&C Blue Prism
    -
    Ratings
    VisualCron
    7.7
    1 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Dashboards8.29 Ratings00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Standard reports8.59 Ratings00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Custom reports7.69 Ratings00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Process Engine
    Comparison of Process Engine features of Appian and SS&C Blue Prism and VisualCron
    Feature
    Appian
    7.4
    9 Ratings
    2% above category average
    SS&C Blue Prism
    -
    Ratings
    VisualCron
    4.2
    1 Ratings
    54% below category average
    Process designer7.99 Ratings00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Process simulation6.49 Ratings00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
    Business rules engine6.49 Ratings00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
    SOA support8.29 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
    Process player7.39 Ratings00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Form builder7.69 Ratings00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
    Model execution8.59 Ratings00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Appian and SS&C Blue Prism and VisualCron
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    SS&C Blue Prism
    -
    Ratings
    VisualCron
    3.5
    1 Ratings
    70% below category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
    Business Process Automation
    Comparison of Business Process Automation features of Appian and SS&C Blue Prism and VisualCron
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    SS&C Blue Prism
    -
    Ratings
    VisualCron
    4.3
    1 Ratings
    46% below category average
    Business Process Modeling00 Ratings00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Decision Modeling00 Ratings00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
    Code-Based Automation00 Ratings00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    No-Code Automation00 Ratings00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AppianSS&C Blue PrismVisualCron
    Small Businesses
    Bizagi
    Score8.3 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Bizagi
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
    Score9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
    Score9 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AppianSS&C Blue PrismVisualCron
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.4
    (139 ratings)
    9.0
    (19 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.5
    (19 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    8.7
    (95 ratings)
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.4
    (118 ratings)
    7.5
    (2 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    1.0
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AppianSS&C Blue PrismVisualCron
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    Blue Prism Cloud is an ideal cloud automation solution for organizations with a significant number of remote workers or geographically disparate teams since its accessible from any web browser. It is also beneficial for organizations that need to quickly outsource part of their process automation without having to purchase additional software licenses and equipment.

    However, Blue Prism Cloud is less suited for companies that have large volume data processing needs as its base cost may quickly become prohibitive in those situations. Additionally, this solution may not be suitable for organizations that need more complex solution-specific configurations since its integration options are limited.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    VisualCron does accommodate continuous file processing. Like packing and unpacking compressed files, splitting or merging files, sending E-mail's and executing queries on databases. VisualCron in less suitable for performing very complex operations on files like, arithmetic with numbers, dates or amounts. Very complex job scripts become cluttered. Debugging Job scripts is not easy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    • Storing information from email in a standard data set
    • Auto reply to emails tailored to the email so that it doesn't feel like a robotic or generalized response
    • Workflow creation is simple and easy, the flow structure is easy to read and can be directly used in presentation to customers and management
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    • VisualCron can pack and unpack files from many types of packing methods.
    • Clear job scripts with complex constructions can be written in VisualCron
    • VisualCron provides a clear graphical overview of the situation of all jobs.
    • VisualCron clearly indicates when a job has run into an error.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    • Surface Automation - The tool is not working well with certain applications hosted on Citrix
    • Provide more integrations with excel as majority of the business process use excel
    • Community Support- unlike other development tools we do not have a lot of help topics available on Google.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    • VisualCron should more specifically indicate the root cause of an error.
    • If copying a file goes wrong, VisualCron reports 'can't copy file'. I expect 'no read permissions from original' or 'no write permissions from destination'.
    • VisualCron offers no way to execute a Job script line by line
    • In VisualCron, nested loops cannot be created.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    Usability wise the Blue Prism tool can be utilized to its 100% which include the control room, schedulers, work queues, Release managers, studio for process and object development, we use all the features in blue prism and is well suitable for the development and deployment, All the system are wisely controlled and connected the same SQL database and all the data can be accessed with ease and all the things can achieve in the systematic order.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    Support is good and now with time online support in other forums is becoming available as well. Blue Prism support in itself is also good. Documents and blogs can help to find the solution. Since it's relatively new, sometimes if I'm stuck it can take time to find the solution or connect to their team.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    Questions and problems can be addressed to VisualCron 's support department via E-mail. I usually get a good answer from them fairly quickly. There is also a VisualCron forum where you can ask questions that will be answered by other VisualCron users.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    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]?
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    Better User Interface.Better customer service.Easier to learn and use. But has greater risk compliances. Less preloaded automation. Less editing features and a big no while working on big projects. Fluidmesh is better in pricing and better management of multiple projects but I believe Blue Prism is perfect for beginners and small-scale companies.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    For simple processes, VisualCron is easier to use and maintain. For complicated processes, Quadient Inspire offers more options. The graphical representations of waiting, running or completed jobs is adequate for both products. The logging of job actions is better in Quadient Inpire as in VisualCron.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SSC Technologies
    • For a level of medium projects, Blue Prism performs well, and the speed of execution is good. In our organization, we are applying for medium projects, where we can increase the workforce of our employees.
    • Blue Prism's Client Server Architecture is good, because we need such a feature to implement automation.
    • When it comes to pricing, I personally feel that it is costlier.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    NetCart DBA VisualCron
    • With VisualCron, I need 3 times less time to get file processing right.
    • If a VisualCron job goes wrong I need twice as much time to find the problem.
    • Visualcron does not run on Linux but on Windows which can make an upgrade and reboot take up to 6 times as long.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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

    SS&C Blue Prism Screenshots

    Screenshot of WorkHQ - Agentic Automation DashboardScreenshot of WorkHQ - Agentic WorkflowsScreenshot of WorkHQ - Agentic Workflows - Dark ModeScreenshot of WorkHQ - AI Agent Studio - Dark ModeScreenshot of WorkHQ - Agentic Automation Dashboard - Dark Mode

    VisualCron Screenshots

    Screenshot of Job - CPU usageScreenshot of Job - execution timeScreenshot of Job - ROI resultScreenshot of Main windowScreenshot of Main window - right clickScreenshot of Output - as table