ActiveBatch by Redwood vs Microsoft System Center Orchestrator comparison

ActiveBatch by Redwood and Microsoft are both solutions in the Process Automation category. ActiveBatch by Redwood is ranked #34, while Microsoft is ranked #19 with an average rating of 9.0. ActiveBatch by Redwood holds a 0.8% mindshare in PA, compared to Microsoft’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of ActiveBatch by Redwood users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 33% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

ActiveBatch by Redwood

Read 35 ActiveBatch by Redwood reviews

1,943 Views
486 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft System Center Orc...

Read 2 Microsoft System Center Orchestrator reviews

987 Views
987 Comparison Views

33% willing to recommend

ActiveBatch by Redwood

Microsoft System Center Orc...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

ActiveBatch by Redwood and Microsoft System Center Orchestrator are competing products in the IT automation space. ActiveBatch is often preferred for its robust support and cost-effectiveness, while Microsoft System Center Orchestrator is favored for its expansive features, making it a worthwhile investment.

Features: ActiveBatch offers extensive scheduling and monitoring tools, support for diverse job scheduling, and cost-effectiveness. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator provides strong integration capabilities with existing Microsoft environments, a feature-rich platform, and system cohesion.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ActiveBatch has a straightforward deployment process and strong client support. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator integrates seamlessly into Microsoft environments but has less proactive customer service offerings.

Pricing and ROI: ActiveBatch presents a more appealing cost structure and quicker ROI, making it attractive for those concerned with budget constraints. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator might entail higher initial costs, but its feature-rich platform can justify the expense through long-term functionality and system cohesion.

To learn more, read our detailed ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

September 2025

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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 Process Automation

34th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Managed File Transfer (MFT) (18th), Workload Automation (19th)

Microsoft System Center Orc...

Ranking in Process Automation

19th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of ActiveBatch by Redwood is 0.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft System Center Orchestrator is 1.1%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Process Automation Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft System Center Orchestrator	1.1%
ActiveBatch by Redwood	0.8%
Other	98.1%

Process 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.

Read full review

Dan Campeanu

Security Engineer at ProVision

Automates tasks and manages multiple servers from a central location

The initial setup was quite complex. It required careful preparation of installation steps, as many tasks were not automated as expected. Special attention was needed to prepare groups, users, and permissions at each step to ensure a smooth setup process. Please do so accurately to avoid having to start over. Challenges encountered during deployment included issues with installation and configuration and difficulties detecting machines and executing tasks as expected. Some solutions were found through trial and error during installation, while others were discovered through recommendations from other users. Despite these challenges, the deployment and rollout of Orchestrator took approximately one and a half months to ensure proper functionality.

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

"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."

"ActiveBatch has reduced work by providing automated workflows across several different applications."

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

"As far as centralization goes it's nice because we can see all these processes that are tied to this larger process. The commissions, FTP processing, the reporting, the file moves to the business users — all that is right there. It's very easy to read. It's easy to tie it together, visually, and see where each of these steps fits into the bigger picture."

"ActiveBatch provides summary reports and logs for further analysis and improvements in monitoring servers, which is very handy."

"I found ActiveBatch Workload Automation to be a very good scheduling tool. What I like best about it is that it has very less downtime when managing many complex scheduling workflows, so I'm very impressed with ActiveBatch Workload Automation."

"We are able to integrate it into multiple third-party tools like email, backup, tracking systems, SharePoint, Slack alerts, etc."

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

More ActiveBatch by Redwood pros

"It can manage multiple servers and workstations from a single location."

"Automation is the most valuable feature of the solution."

Cons

"Setting up the software was hard."

"ActiveBatch UI could use a little more help, and video tutorials would be greatly appreciated for user guides."

"One thing I've noticed is that navigation can be difficult unless you are familiar with the structure that we have in place. If someone else had to look at our ActiveBatch console and find a job, they might not know where to find it."

"The thing I've noticed the most is the Help function. It's very difficult, at times, to find examples of how to do something. The Help function will explain what the tool does, but we're not a Windows shop at the data warehouse. Our data warehouse jobs actually run on Linux servers. Finding things for Linux-based solutions is not as easy as it is for Windows-based solutions. I would like to see more examples, and more non-Windows examples as well, in the Help."

"Some improvements can be made to the user interface."

"We have faced a couple of issues where we were supposed to log a defect with ActiveBatch. That said, the Active batch Vendor Support is very responsive and reliable."

"Any product is going to have some room for improvement, no matter what. I see the company has already ventured into AWS and they're constantly trying to improve the managed file transfer which they have recently improvised. I think they bought a software called JSCAPE and they're trying to improve it, which is good. I am not sure if JSCAPE would be part of the base product but currently, you have to buy a separate license for it, which doesn't make sense. If it was Microsoft, ServiceNow, or integrating with other software vendors, I would understand but JSCAPE is now in-house and I'm not sure if they can justify having a separate license for JSCAPE. I would probably expect them to be packaging JSCAPE into the base product. They did switch over from a perpetual license model to a subscription model, which hurt the company a little bit. Nobody is offering the perpetual model anymore. As long as the transition is fair for both the companies, I think it should be fine and not burn us out."

"The user interface can be improved so that it is more appealing and accessible to new users."

More ActiveBatch by Redwood cons

"The product's management aspect needs enhancement."

"I find the Orchestrator UI to be problematic."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

"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."

"It allows for lower operational overhead."

"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."

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

"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."

"We obtained a license that bundled Windows Server with System Center at no additional cost."

"I give the cost of the solution a five out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Financial Services Firm

17%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Insurance 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

No data available

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Microsoft System Center Orchestrator?

It can manage multiple servers and workstations from a single location.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft System Center Orchestrator?

The platform was almost free of cost for us. We obtained a license that bundled Windows Server with System Center at no additional cost.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft System Center Orchestrator?

The product's management aspect needs enhancement. It affects the visibility of powerful scripts that were previously accessible. Furthermore, the focus is shifting towards cloud-based features, sp...

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 9% 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

ServiceNow Orchestration vs Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

Compared 16% of the time

Rundeck vs Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

Compared 14% of the time

Camunda vs Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

Compared 13% of the time

vCenter Orchestrator vs Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

Compared 11% of the time

BMC TrueSight Orchestration vs Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

Compared 10% of the time

More Microsoft System Center Orchestrator Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ActiveBatch by Redwood

October 2025

Download ActiveBatch by Redwood product report

Buyer's Guide

Process Automation

October 2025

Microsoft System Center Orchestrator report

Download Microsoft System Center Orchestrator product report

Also Known As

ActiveBatch

MS System Center Orchestrator

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

As an IT administrator, you probably perform a lot of tasks and procedures to keep your computing environment healthy. You may have automated individual tasks, but typically, not the whole process. With System Center - Orchestrator you tie disparate tasks and procedures together using a graphical user interface Runbook Designer to create reliable, flexible, and efficient end-to-end solutions in your IT environment.

Microsoft

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

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

September 2025

Free Report: ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator

Find out what your peers are saying about ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. Microsoft System Center Orchestrator and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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