AWS Step Functions vs ActiveBatch by Redwood comparison

ActiveBatch by Redwood and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are both solutions in the Workload Automation category. ActiveBatch by Redwood is ranked #19, while Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.4. ActiveBatch by Redwood holds a 2.8% mindshare in WA, compared to Amazon Web Services (AWS)’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of ActiveBatch by Redwood users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users who would recommend it.

ActiveBatch by Redwood

Read 35 ActiveBatch by Redwood reviews

1,943 Views
1,477 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

AWS Step Functions

Read 14 AWS Step Functions reviews

2,374 Views
546 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

ActiveBatch by Redwood

AWS Step Functions

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between ActiveBatch by Redwood and AWS Step Functions based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Workload Automation solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS Step Functions vs. ActiveBatch by Redwood Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

AWS Step Functions vs. ActiveBatch by Redwood

September 2025

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Helped 869,513 peers since 2012

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

ActiveBatch by Redwood

Ranking in Workload Automation

19th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Process Automation (34th), Managed File Transfer (MFT) (18th)

AWS Step Functions

Ranking in Workload Automation

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Process Management (BPM) (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Workload Automation category, the mindshare of ActiveBatch by Redwood is 2.8%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of AWS Step Functions is 1.6%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Workload Automation Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
AWS Step Functions	1.6%
ActiveBatch by Redwood	2.8%
Other	95.6%

Workload Automation

Featured Reviews

Shubham Bharti

Senior Analyst at Capgemini

Flexible, easy to use, and offers good automation

Occasionally, I find myself contemplating if there is room for improvement in the user interface (UI), and envisioning that with certain enhancements. The UI could potentially offer a more refined and user-friendly experience, fostering smoother interactions and facilitating easier navigation for users engaging with the application. New users might encounter a minor setback due to the absence of readily accessible training videos, which could have otherwise proven to be an invaluable resource in aiding their initial familiarization with the platform, potentially hindering their seamless onboarding process and delaying their ability to harness the software's full range of capabilities to its utmost potential.

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Carlos Alberto Marangon

Senior AWS Tech Lead at Nextios

Automate complex workflows with seamless AWS integration

Step Functions provide seamless integration with AWS services, which enhances the speed of application development. The JSON app launched recently allows us to define data execution more easily. The Standard Workflows feature includes error replay capabilities, which are crucial for efficient error management. The Amazon State Language (ASL) in JSON format facilitates workflow automation and accelerates the deployment of Step Functions.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The user interface is really incredible."

"One of the most valuable features of this solution is the versatility of the prebuilt jobs."

"We use the main job-scheduling feature. It's the only thing we use in the tool. That's the reason we are using the tool: to reduce costs by replacing manual tasks with automated tasks and to perform regular, repetitive tasks in a more reliable way."

"We leverage the solution's native integrations regularly. We have to get files from a remote server outside the organization, and even send things outside the organization. We use a lot of its file manipulation and SFTP functionality for contacting remote servers."

"One of the most valuable features is the job templates. If we need to create an FTP job, we just drag over the FTP template and fill out the requirements using the variables that ActiveBatch uses. And that makes it reusable. We can create a job once but use it for many different clients."

"Approximately ~20 hours of manual effort have been reduced to ~5 hours with the help of ActiveBatch."

"It has helped with scheduling complex jobs with simple scripts."

"The software offers real-time monitoring and reporting features that let IT teams keep tabs on the progress of their batch operations and workflows."

More ActiveBatch by Redwood pros

"The JSON app launched recently allows us to define data execution more easily."

"It's a general solution that you can adapt to your own needs and is simple to use. We like that it can be integrated with everything in the AWS suite, and that the creation of the pipeline can be done using the graphical user interface."

"AWS Step Functions was stable, and there were no problems that I can recall."

"The integration capability is easy, whereas building state machines is tricky."

"It is a scalable solution."

"It's Amazon, it's scalable."

"AWS Step Functions acts as a high-level layer, allowing us to seamlessly integrate with microservices."

"The solution is stable...The solution is easy to scale."

More AWS Step Functions pros

Cons

"Providing some detailed training materials could be very helpful for new users who have very limited technical information about the tool."

"Except for the GUI, everything looks good."

"They have some crucial design flaws within the console that still need to be worked out because it is not working exactly how we hoped to see it, e.g., just some minor things where when you hit the save button, then all of a sudden all your job's library items collapse. Then, in order to continue on with your testing, you have to open those back up. I have taken that to them, and they are like, "Yep. We know about it. We know we have some enhancements that need to be taken care of. We have more developers now." They are working towards taking the minor things that annoy us, resolving them, and getting them fixed."

"I have faced struggles to understand, set up the tool, and implement it in my early days as a new user."

"I can't get the cleaning up of logs to work consistently. Right now, we are not setup correctly, and maybe it is something that I have not effectively communicated to them."

"The monitoring dashboard could have been more user-friendly so that in the monitoring dashboard itself we can see the total number of jobs created in the system and how many were currently active/scheduled/chained."

"Whenever there is an overload, we are seeing crashes happening."

"The reporting needs improvement. There is a real need for the ability to generate audit reports on the fly. It needs to be a lot easier than what I can do right now. This is a major item for me."

More ActiveBatch by Redwood cons

"Setup took about one day. We had some errors to understand in the beginning, but now everything is working good."

"The interface can sometimes feel limited, as we're unable to see what AWS is running behind the scenes."

"One area for improvement is the payload size. Currently, I sometimes have to save data as a file since I cannot pass it within Step Functions, necessitating caching in processes."

"Increasing the payload size would be beneficial."

"It is hard to coordinate the declaratory language."

"I would like to see more data transformation features in Amazon Step Functions like additional operators and logic."

"It wasn't easy to understand the licensing model. It's like if you use just a little, it's cheap, but it becomes more expensive as you use more. It's like a hook that ties you inside the Amazon ecosystem. So, it creates a dependency."

"The pricing of the solution can be improved."

More AWS Step Functions cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price was fairly in line with other automation tools. I don't think it's exorbitantly expensive, relatively speaking."

"The pricing was fair. There are additional costs for the plugins. We have the standard licensing fees for different pieces, then we have the plugins which were add-ons. However, we expected that."

"It allows for lower operational overhead."

"I don't think we've ever had a problem with the pricing or licensing. Even the maintenance fees are very much in line. They are not excessive. I think for the support that you get, you get a good value for your money. It's the best value on the market."

"ActiveBatch is currently redesigning themselves. In the past, they were a low cost solution for automation. They had a nice tool that was very inexpensive. With their five-year plan, they will be more enhancement-driven, so they're trying to improve their software, customer service, and the way that their customers get information from them. In doing that, they're raising the price of their base system. They changed from one pricing model to another, which has caused some friction between ActiveBatch and us. We're working through that right now with them. That's one of the reasons why we're why we were evaluating other software packages."

"If you compare ActiveBatch licensing to Control-M, you're looking at $50,000 as opposed to millions."

"I like ActiveBatch Workload Automation's licensing model because they're not holding you down on an agentless model or agent model, where every server needs to have an agent. That's the main selling point of the solution and I hope they stay that way."

"Currently, we are paying approximately $7,000 yearly, which includes support."

"The solution's price is reasonable."

"The solution is expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Financial Services Firm

28%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	46

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	5

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ActiveBatch Workload Automation?

Managing the workload and monitoring the tasks were very difficult with manual interventions. Now, by using ActiveBatch, the process is automated and it runs tasks on a scheduled basis.

See all answers

What needs improvement with ActiveBatch Workload Automation?

After upgrades we are facing a few issues and errors triggered, so focusing on this would be appreciated. Some of the advanced features in the user interface are a bit confusing even after referrin...

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What is your primary use case for ActiveBatch Workload Automation?

ActiveBatch helped us to streamline our IT workflows and improve overall efficiency. It is the most essential tool in our Infrastructure now. The best part of ActiceBatch is its user-friendly Inter...

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What do you like most about Amazon Step Functions?

The integration capability is easy, whereas building state machines is tricky.

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What is your primary use case for Amazon Step Functions?

My customer's usual use cases for AWS Step Functions that I've been working with include orchestration, flows, diagram creation, and creating a flow for multiple Glue jobs to run a single pipeline.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Amazon Step Functions?

I use the Visual Workflow Editor feature of AWS Step Functions. I mainly work through code and then improve it through the visual aspect. There are two ways to do orchestration: through code and th...

See all answers

Comparisons

Control-M vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 16% of the time

MuleSoft Anypoint Platform vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 13% of the time

Redwood RunMyJobs vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 10% of the time

AutoSys Workload Automation vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 8% of the time

Stonebranch vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 8% of the time

More ActiveBatch by Redwood Competitors

Camunda vs AWS Step Functions

Compared 27% of the time

Control-M vs AWS Step Functions

Compared 15% of the time

IBM BPM vs AWS Step Functions

Compared 12% of the time

AutoSys Workload Automation vs AWS Step Functions

Compared 8% of the time

Pega Platform vs AWS Step Functions

Compared 7% of the time

More AWS Step Functions Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ActiveBatch by Redwood

October 2025

Download ActiveBatch by Redwood product report

Buyer's Guide

AWS Step Functions

October 2025

Download AWS Step Functions product report

Also Known As

ActiveBatch

Amazon Step Functions, Step Functions

Overview

ActiveBatch by Redwood enhances efficiency with features like job scheduling, integration, and real-time monitoring. It supports diverse platforms, automates tasks, and offers a single-pane view with robust security.

ActiveBatch streamlines automation by offering drag-and-drop functionality, pre-built job steps, and native integrations. Its customizable workflows and alert system aid in managing complex workloads like data processing and server monitoring across hybrid environments. While it effectively reduces manual errors and enhances productivity, areas like navigation and support for cloud platforms need enhancement. New users may face challenges due to its complexity and steep learning curve, and further improvements in reporting, mobile access, and training could provide additional support to users.

What important features does ActiveBatch offer?

Comprehensive Job Scheduling: Manages and automates complex workloads efficiently.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly connects with different platforms and applications.
Real-time Monitoring: Offers a single-pane view for quick issue identification.
Customizable Workflows: Tailors processes to specific organizational tasks.
Robust Alert System: Ensures timely notifications for critical events.
Data Protection: Incorporates strong security measures for secure operations.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating ActiveBatch?

Enhanced Efficiency: Automates repetitive tasks, reducing manual intervention.
Improved Productivity: Streamlines processes across hybrid environments.
Error Reduction: Decreases likelihood of manual errors.
Platform Support: Provides integration with diverse systems.

In finance, ActiveBatch is implemented for orchestrating batch processes and data management. The healthcare industry utilizes it for automating patient data updates and server monitoring, while the retail sector benefits from file transfers and inventory management automation.

ActiveBatch by Redwood

AWS Step Functions integrate seamlessly with other AWS services to offer efficient pipeline and workflow management. Its intuitive design allows for streamlined orchestration, easily handling complex tasks.

AWS Step Functions provide robust orchestration and automation capabilities, simplifying the creation of workflows with graphical and JSON-based designs. It excels in managing tasks through advanced parallelization and error handling features. Automatic scaling further enhances performance, ensuring reliability in varied environments. However, improvements are needed in IDE integration, larger data handling, and fault tolerance. Users find value in its capacity for microservice orchestration and data integration, although dependency on the Amazon ecosystem and limited third-party integrations pose challenges.

What are the key features of AWS Step Functions?

Integration with AWS Services: Facilitates seamless coordination with AWS offerings like Lambda and Glue.
Graphical and JSON-Based Design: User-friendly interfaces simplify workflow design and management.
Advanced Orchestration: Efficiently manages task execution with parallelization and error handling.
Automatic Scaling: Ensures optimal performance by adjusting resources as needed.
Microservice Integration: Supports smooth microservice communication and operation.

What benefits should organizations assess when considering AWS Step Functions?

Enhanced Efficiency: Automates and streamlines task execution across platforms.
Scalability: Adapts to workloads, providing flexibility in resource management.
Improved Workflow Management: Facilitates reliable and error-free operations.
Visualization and Automation: Simplifies complex processes with visual tools.
Data Validation and Script Execution: Integrates data operations smoothly within data lakes.

In industries managing data pipelines, AWS Step Functions orchestrate workflows, execute parallel ETL jobs, and integrate various AWS services, enabling smoother operations and efficient data migration. Companies benefit from streamlined processes and robust handling of interdependent tasks.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Sample Customers

Informatica, D&H, ACES, PrimeSource, Sub-Zero Group, SThree, Lamar Advertising, Subway, Xcel Energy, Ignite Technologies, Whataburger, Jyske Bank, Omaha Children's Hospital

Alpha Apps, The Guardian, SGK, Bigfinite

Buyer's Guide

AWS Step Functions vs. ActiveBatch by Redwood

September 2025

Free Report: AWS Step Functions vs. ActiveBatch by Redwood

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