We use Appian for some exam results, and related material, as well as some publishing solution material.
Head of Publishing Solutions at a media company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Technical support is excellent, but it is quite expensive
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The workflow designer is the most valuable feature.
It's pretty good as it stands at the moment.
What needs improvement?
In terms of usability, there is a learning curve.
Licensing fees could be reduced.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Appian for a year.
Buyer's Guide
Appian
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Appian. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,443 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Appian is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Appian is scalable.
In our company, we have approximately 100 users.
Appian's use may be expanded in the future. It's a bit of a niche on the exam side right now.
How are customer service and support?
According to my understanding, the technical support team is quite impressive.
It's fine; there's no need to improve technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are also working with Salesforce.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is fine once you get your head around it, but there is a steep learning curve.
We have developers to maintain this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We were able to complete the installation ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could always be better.
The full user license is quite expensive. It's cheap if all you want them to do is look at things, but if more people use an Appian app to update their information, it becomes more expensive.
Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
You must consider what your use cases will be and ensure that there is a fit, because it is not a cheap option, you must ensure that you get a good return on investment.
I would rate Appian a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solution Design Expert - BPM at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Amazing support, stable, and regular feature updates and improvements
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's most valuable features are the regular periodic and quarterly updates, they are very useful updates. They keep improving the solution more often, and that helps the platform or code always be up to date with the latest features."
- "The solution could improve by being more responsive when dealing with large quantities of data. Additionally, they can make the decision or rules engine better. It cannot handle too many rules or too many decisions at once."
What is our primary use case?
Appian can be used to helps organizations build applications and workflows.
What is most valuable?
The solution's most valuable features are the regular periodic and quarterly updates, they are very useful updates. They keep improving the solution more often, and that helps the platform or code always be up to date with the latest features.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by being more responsive when dealing with large quantities of data. Additionally, they can make the decision or rules engine better. It cannot handle too many rules or too many decisions at once.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Appian for approximately six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is amazing. They have high availability when attending to tickets. The extent to which they go to support you is amazing. They go down deep into the issue you are facing and get you to the right expertise. You can access support through forums and the telephone which they respond quickly with details on a solution.
How was the initial setup?
The standalone and distributed environment installations are straightforward. There are clear instructions, documentation, and support available. However, the installation into a distributed environment can be more challenging.
What about the implementation team?
I have had assistance from Appian support for the implementations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is a bit expensive and the pricing model is sometimes confusing for new users or business users. It is difficult for them to know what volume of usage they will have to be able to purchase the best-suited license at the beginning.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Appian an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Appian
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Appian. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,443 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Technical Consultant at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Features a robust rules engine for building applications
Pros and Cons
- "Compared to other code tools that I've seen, Appian has a more robust rules engine"
- "I wouldn't say their response time is long, but it could be quicker."
What is our primary use case?
We use Appian for business process management.
What is most valuable?
I like how quickly you can build applications. The low code aspect of it is really useful to get things out to market quickly. Compared to other code tools that I've seen, Appian has a more robust rules engine.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been an Appian consultant for three years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Appian virtually has a 99.99% uptime rating. It's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Appian is very scalable. There's a lot of options for bigger enterprises, like high availability. It's enterprise-grade for smaller to mid-sized businesses.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have used their tech support, honestly, I'd probably give their support a rating of eight out of 10. They work pretty hard to try to figure out what's going on if there's an issue.
I wouldn't say their response time is long, but it could be quicker.
How was the initial setup?
There's a one-time setup fee. I think they usually set it up for you. For the typical business user, it's straightforward as they don't have to do anything.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing can be a little confusing to customers. Clients sometimes have to lay out their whole set of use cases and get them approved for specific types of licensing— it's on a case-to-case basis. I think that they're very actively working on improving this, but it can be quite difficult to work out the licensing.
What other advice do I have?
Other than the pricing concerns, it's a really great platform.
If you're considering using Appian, my advice is to work with people that have experience building solutions with it, because that's going to lead to fewer problems down the line.
Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give Appian a rating of nine. It's a great business management platform.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Acquisitions Leader at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Provides us with real-time data on all connected systems
Pros and Cons
- "It provides us with real-time data on all connected systems in terms of how they're integrated with each other and how they are performing in a workflow manner."
- "The graphical user interface could be easier to use. It should be simplified."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution to provide us with real-time data on all connected systems — for a continuous process workflow.
Within our company, there are roughly 45 people using this solution — mostly developers. We have two admins that handle all maintenance-related issues.
How has it helped my organization?
Appian has enabled us tо аutоmаtе busіnеss рrосеssеs much faster sо thаt оur usеrs саn rерlісаtе thеm аnd use them on a daily basis to improve their productivity.
What is most valuable?
The most important and the most notable feature is that it provides us with real-time data on all connected systems in terms of how they're integrated with each other and how they are performing in a workflow manner.
What needs improvement?
The graphical user interface could be easier to use. It should be simplified. When we're dealing with a large number of complex applications, the user interface is not the best. There could be a simpler design especially when it comes to providing a view on handling large users/user groups.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Appian for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable and robust. The updates definitely work. I've never had to roll back an update.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It works very well actually across systems. It can work across multiple complex systems, as well. There's no problem when it comes to scaling up and scaling out. Still, the interconnections, in terms of provisions of real-time data, can be a little clunky as the current graphical user interface has some issues.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was fairly simple and straightforward. It's pretty much plug-and-play.
Deployment time depends on the environment and the use case. It can take anywhere from two weeks to six weeks.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When it comes to connecting multiple systems, Appian fares much better compared to Pega.
What other advice do I have?
First, you have to understand the business logic behind all of your systems before you start developing and interconnecting the systems, and the process flows across the systems. That's the best advice I have.
Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of eight.
In terms of the traffic, the user interface should be improved so that it provides real-time data for complex connections between systems. If that is improved, I would give this solution a higher rating. Otherwise, it's a very stable and very robust product.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Director of national processing at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees
Easy to set up with satisfactory stability and potentially will scale well
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup was seamless. We didn't run into any hardships at all."
- "I would like to see more complete university tools. For example, with UiPath, I have had a good experience related to a free course in order to provide some users some different levels of knowledge. This extra training helps users not only use the solution but to develop further within the tool."
What is most valuable?
The initial setup was seamless. We didn't run into any hardships at all.
The solution's stability is pretty good.
While we haven't tried to scale yet, we see that there might be potential to do so in the future.
What needs improvement?
We've had some issues in regards to functionality.
We are currently facing some challenges regarding the potential of using more advanced instruction in order to compare items. We'd like to have more modules so that we can understand the solution a bit better.
I would like to see more complete university tools. For example, with UiPath, I have had a good experience related to a free course in order to provide some users some different levels of knowledge. This extra training helps users not only use the solution but to develop further within the tool.
For how long have I used the solution?
We're currently working with the solution in order to build a report on its usability. The solution is quite new to us.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability was satisfactory. We did have some issues regarding the connectivity. For example, in the conference room, there is no connection anywhere. We sometimes lose connection even when we don't have problems with our network. It's very strange. We don't know why this happens.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We believe the scalability will be good. It has a good perspective in order to escalate the durations, however, unfortunately, we haven't been able to test the market to measure the potential for expansion.
We are in the testing phase, however, if we do decide to deploy the product, our plan is to scale from 20 to 300 users in the near future.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
This is our first test regarding RPA. We don't have any other previous experience with other solutions.
How was the initial setup?
We found the initial setup to be quite straightforward and very easy. It was not complex in any way. A company shouldn't have issues implementing it.
To completely deploy everything took about a week. It wasn't too long of a process.
What about the implementation team?
We used consultants and our own IT department to handle the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing will be on a monthly basis. We are estimating that cost to be around $2000 to maybe $3,000 per month. We don't foresee any costs above that.
What other advice do I have?
We're just a customer and an end-user. We don't have a relationship with the company.
Currently, we are in the middle of a test pilot. We have about 20 users experimenting with the solution as we speak.
I would recommend the solution to others. However, I would advise them to measure the requirements associated with the complexity of implementation related to how much coding they need, how complex their interactions will be. These variables may be factors when choosing which tool to use.
I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager Software Projects at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good interface with easy integration capabilities and a helpful mobile app
Pros and Cons
- "The product has a very good mobile app."
- "We have clients that want to use Office 365, Microsoft Analytics, and Power Apps. Appian just isn't the same as using something specifically designed to cater to the Microsoft Suite."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for office automation purposes.
What is most valuable?
The Sites features are very nice. We use it extensively.
We have Tempo reports and we enjoy that it has Tempo functionality.
The interface is very good. Our clients really seem to like that.
The product has a very good mobile app.
Overall, the features of the product are very helpful.
It's a solution that doesn't really need a lot of coding, if at all. It's very drag-and-drop. That's what makes it so easy to use.
The product offers a lot of good integration capabilities.
What needs improvement?
We have clients that want to use Office 365, Microsoft Analytics, and Power Apps. Appian just isn't the same as using something specifically designed to cater to the Microsoft Suite.
The solution used to be a bit more difficult to use, but we've added Tempo and now everything is much easier. We can do things very quickly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about 15 years or so. It's been well over a decade.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
As a person that's more in development, I've never tested the stability or noted any weakness in its reliability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I'm more on the development side of things and therefore haven't really been exposed to the scalability aspect of the solution. I don't know if it's possible or not.
How are customer service and technical support?
Currently, we don't have much of a need for technical support. I personally have never been in touch with them. I can't speak to their knowledgeability or responsiveness.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't deal with the financial aspect of the solution. I'm not sure how much it costs or if it is expensive or affordable.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I want to migrate to Microsoft PowerApps. I'm actually looking for the feasibility of migrating the existing Appian objects into PowerApps.
What other advice do I have?
We are Appian integration partners.
We have multiple clients using Appian, although some want to move over to Microsoft.
I would recommend the solution. It's quite easy to use, and the drag-and-drop functionality is great. For example, we have database records, and therefore we can easily pull the data from the database and connect and run the process. It's very easy when it's compared to previous versions. One thing to note, however, is that we do have a lot of memory. The memory has to be maintained and managed properly, otherwise, the system performance will come down.
I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten. There really is nothing like it on the market right now.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
IT Senior General Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Workflow engines work extremely well to bridge the gaps of processes within our core systems
Pros and Cons
- "Good workflow engines that bridge the gaps of processes."
- "Lacks integration with other products."
What is our primary use case?
I work for the largest distributor of Toyota Lexus in the Middle East. My area is related to car motors. I'm an IT senior general manager and we are customers of Appian.
What is most valuable?
The workflow engines are a valuable feature. We use them to bridge the gaps of processes within our core systems that are either too difficult or too costly to develop within the core system. We bridge those gaps using Appian.
What needs improvement?
We'd like to see the employee experience improved, something we can integrate with SharePoint. Right now we're looking at the Power BI which belongs to Microsoft. It has a lot of good features for low-code no-code development kinds of things. I'd like to see the ability of the software itself to integrate with the core systems. It's a gap that Appian hasn't fulfilled.
I'd like to see integration with Microsoft products as an additional feature. Microsoft Team, or something like that. It's not there or if it is, it requires some work to enable easy integration with SharePoint.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for eight years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability and stability of this solution are good.
How are customer service and technical support?
I'd say that the technical support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We visited the workflows that are provided within SharePoint but they did not fulfill the kind of things that we were looking for, or the problems that we were trying to solve at that point of time. We were planning to work on specific domains, specific areas, but you cannot make it work for complex things.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is not completely straightforward but not too complex either. The deployment itself wasn't too difficult, but this is something where features evolve and the things within it over time start moving. Adapting to any new feature while continuing to work is not simple. It makes things more complex. There are around 5,000 people using the product and we have five people dealing with maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price should be lower. It's not too expensive but I believe the price could be better.
What other advice do I have?
The product needs to be supported by top management for it to work. This is one of the things that we faced at the very beginning. Second, from a technical point of view, you need to have a dedicated team taking care of this from a product management point of view, not necessarily from a technical point of view because that can be outsourced. I recommend not doing the development in-house, rather to outsource it with one or two partners and the corporate team. I recommend going for the full cloud-based solution architecture rather than having part of it inside and part of it outside. If there is no issue with data sharing then I would recommend going for a fully cloud-based solution. It gives an advantage and reduces a lot of management headaches.
I would rate this solution a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Enterprise Architect at a tech consulting company with self employed
Fast to build simple to medium complexity solutions
Pros and Cons
- "Form building capabilities and well thought out process modelling are key points to this product."
- "Authoring tool is slow to use resulted in limitations on how quickly solutions can be built."
What is our primary use case?
Process Automation and Forms Digitisation, implementation of organisational wide processes rather than use of COTS.
How has it helped my organization?
Appian was not selected by any of the organisations I've worked with to date for production use.
What is most valuable?
Form building capabilities and well thought out process modelling are key points to this product.
What needs improvement?
Support for complex models really needs significant improvement
Flexibility in the architecture is not there
Management or reusable assets is extremely limited and poorly designed
Business rules are not aligned to industry best practices
Authoring tool slow to use resulted in limitations on how quickly solutions can be built
Integration to devops (such as automated testing, ci/cd etc needs work)
For how long have I used the solution?
Trial/evaluations only.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This product is targeted to mid size companies and not highly scalable complex processes.
How are customer service and support?
Customer Service:
Average, although a small responsive team Appian has been fast growing stretching their ability to service customer needs.
Technical Support:
Reasonable, stronger than say IBM or Oracle technical support but it is still critical to engage in a full POC activity with this product to ensure it fits your needs before proceeding with an implementation. The closed nature of the platform means there is limited to no help outside of that technical support team which is already stretched based on the ever increasing customer base.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
leveraging IBM engine on other jobs with the Blueworks Live for developing processes with business.
What other advice do I have?
Compare this product closely to open source options, IBM and Pega. For simple solutions using simple models Appian may be sufficient and would provide better ROI than investing in building a team to support a more complex tool but for complex models I'd look for a stronger tool-set.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: May 29, 2025
Flag as inappropriateBuyer's Guide
Download our free Appian Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2025
Product Categories
Business Process Management (BPM) Process Automation Rapid Application Development Software Low-Code Development Platforms Process Mining Business Orchestration and Automation TechnologiesPopular Comparisons
ServiceNow
Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)
Camunda
GitLab
Control-M
Microsoft Power Automate
Microsoft Power Apps
Automation Anywhere
SAP Signavio Process Manager
Pega Platform
Bizagi
IBM BPM
Mendix
Oracle Application Express (APEX)
Salesforce Platform
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Appian Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- What is your experience working with different BPM Software?
- Is Appian a suitable solution for beginners who have no additional preparation?
- Is it easy to set up Appian or did you have to resort to professional help?
- In comparison with Salesforce Platform and similar platforms, do you think Appian is expensive?
- Which HCM solution is better for a healthcare organization: SAP HCM, Appian, or Workday?
- What are areas for improvements for established BPM software tools and vendors?
- Which do you prefer - Appian or Camunda Platform?
- How would you estimate the ROI and cost-benefit analysis of Pega BPM versus Appian?
- Do you have any recommendation for design & architecture principles when building apps on Appian ?
- When evaluating Business Process Management, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
















I am sure this comparison between Appian and Pega is going to be extremely beneficial for me to do evaluation.