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Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs ServiceNow Now Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Oracle Application Express ...
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
3rd
Ranking in Low-Code Development Platforms
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (2nd)
ServiceNow Now Platform
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
13th
Ranking in Low-Code Development Platforms
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
No-Code Development Platforms (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is 7.6%, down from 9.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow Now Platform is 1.9%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rapid Application Development Software
 

Featured Reviews

Rodrigo-Mesquita - PeerSpot reviewer
Rapid application development empowers big projects in months
The ability to quickly develop applications without needing to code a lot is very valuable. It is very quick to create a page, and one can use AI to speed up software development. It is easy to learn. In my company, we could develop a very big application in a couple of months.
SiddharthZunjarrao - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables us to have significant improvements in operational efficiency
ServiceNow is highly scalable from a customization point of view, allowing for the building of portals, adding and configuring widgets, and designing workflows as preferred. The text-to-code feature is particularly useful for turning natural language instructions into recognizable code on the ServiceNow platform, aiding both implementation teams and customers. The case summarization feature is also great, as it summarizes user comments and agent notes into a resolution code without needing to review the entire activity history.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I like the fact that it is natively integrated into the Oracle database."
"One of the most valuable features is the ability to build very fast data-driven UIs."
"It's fairly easy to make a user-friendly interface."
"You don't have to know a lot of PL because it's built on PL/SQL. You don't need developers. You only need to design a good application that resolves a problem, or many problems, for companies and you're ready to go."
"What I like best about Oracle Application Express (APEX) is that it doesn't require hard coding for reporting and building applications. It's a GUI-based application builder that even end-users with little development and language knowledge can develop applications on Oracle Application Express (APEX). The software is also very user-friendly, which I find valuable."
"The solution can build functionalities in a very short time."
"The most valuable features are security, stability, and ease of implementation."
"It has a well-designed architecture and is a simple 3rd party application."
"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."
"In ServiceNow, the best features are the reports. We have more options there."
"It is a stable solution...It is a scalable solution."
"The integration feature has simplified our multi-tool ecosystem. The inbuilt integrations significantly improve our solution delivery timelines. Also, standardized adapters and integration adapters reduce failure rates due to compatibility. This boosts productivity and eases maintenance."
"The initial setup is very straightforward."
"Learning materials, such as online courses, are readily available."
"ServiceNow can document and produce a historical working tool that deals with projects themselves. The user interface is another strong suit."
"It is a scalable and a stable platform."
 

Cons

"Currently, APEX doesn't have a building workflow engine. I think that's the most important improvement that could be made at this point."
"There is a problem with security because the applications store passwords in the configuration files."
"The collaboration and the workflow engine could use some improvement."
"Another issue I used to encounter was with the debugging functions. I believe this is an area where Oracle APEX could improve significantly in terms of displaying error messages or error pages. It is very difficult to detect bugs or which bugs you are having when it comes to errors or which errors you have."
"Occasionally when trying to un a page, I would be faced with an error number; however, not much information would be provided on the error itself outside of the programming language. It would be nice if more information could be provided."
"It should have the functionality to develop mobile applications. It would also be good if they can improve development in videos and other formats."
"Apex has effectively incorporated new market trends into its features. The platform's user-friendly nature is notable, guiding developers through the development process. While advanced customization of the user interface with HTML and CSS is possible, the out-of-the-box options often suffice, providing 80-90% of the required functionality. The IDE is commendable, yet an enhancement in the Page Designer to allow a real-time preview of layout changes would be beneficial. Currently, running the page is necessary to visualize layout adjustments, but an immediate preview during the design phase would be a valuable improvement."
"Being able to only design with HTML and CSS can be limiting as to what can be accomplished."
"What I didn't like in the ServiceNow Now Platform is testing, particularly with Visual Studio. It had a bad integration with Visual Studio because you can't compile and run it from there. You have to debug on your own and then find out where the error is through test scripts. The testing component in the ServiceNow Now Platform isn't that great. What I'd like to see in the next version of the ServiceNow Now Platform is an improvement in testing and writing scripts, and if there was a feature to just run it from the modules, then that would be great, instead of finding the error manually and checking where it is."
"The solution’s AI and NLP features could be improved."
"We would like to see AI used to automate some of the functionality in this solution."
"It would be great if the ServiceNow Now Platform supported satellite technologies in its telecom models and integrated with tools like OpenAI, LLaMA, or any Google AI platforms such as Vertex AI or Bard."
"When it comes to integration, it can be complex compared to other tools I'm currently using."
"The analytics should be more readily available on the base product."
"The number of API calls processed by the tool, specifically when the API calls increase, will cause a lot of load on the platform, and it tends to not work very efficiently."
"The user experience could be improved. The current design of forms lacks intuitiveness, as there seems to be only one form available for all types of operations."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I believe that the solution's pricing is high."
"The pricing is very good and less expensive than Mendix or OutSystems."
"Oracle Application Express (APEX) is free, so this is another magic of the solution. You just get charged for the database license, which I don't need."
"It's a free solution with no additional costs."
"I believe APEX comes bundled with the database, including autonomous database and other related database products, so the pricing is quite reasonable."
"The solution is free."
"When buying the data license, APEX is included."
"If you have a license to Oracle database, you can access APEX."
"ServiceNow is not open source, so there is a license you must pay. As for how much it costs, what I have observed is that it often depends on your subscriptions."
"People seem to be buying the tool a lot. I think its licensing is okay."
"It's expensive and if you need some analytical views of your activity, there is an additional cost."
"I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being very expensive solution."
"I don't have much exposure to the costs attached to the solution. I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is the lowest price, and ten is the highest price since it is a costly tool."
"From what I heard, the license for the ServiceNow Now Platform is paid monthly, and on a scale of one to five, I'm rating it a three in terms of pricing, so it's on the cheaper side. I don't know of any additional costs associated with the ServiceNow Now Platform, apart from the standard licensing fees."
"The solution is expensive."
"It is expensive only."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
11%
Educational Organization
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
Oracle APEX is part of our on-premises solution included in our agreement with Oracle E Business Suite, though I don't know the cost specifics. Power BI is licensed by the user.
What needs improvement with Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
Using AI to analyze data without needing much code would be better. Also, although the interface is easy to change, it could have more features.
What do you like most about ServiceNow Now Platform?
The integration with other tools is pretty good.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ServiceNow Now Platform?
From what I have heard only from our sales team, ServiceNow Now Platform falls within the more expensive tier of a product, but I can't really judge it.
What needs improvement with ServiceNow Now Platform?
The user interface could be modernized and made more attractive for users.
 

Also Known As

Oracle APEX
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Hepart AG, pharmasol, SATLOG, Collège Bois-de-Boulogne
experian, beachbody, health partners
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs. ServiceNow Now Platform and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,687 professionals have used our research since 2012.