ActiveBatch by Redwood vs vCenter Orchestrator comparison

ActiveBatch by Redwood and VMware are both solutions in the Process Automation category. ActiveBatch by Redwood is ranked #9 with an average rating of 9.4, while VMware is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.1. ActiveBatch by Redwood holds a 0.7% mindshare in PA, compared to VMware’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of ActiveBatch by Redwood users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of VMware users who would recommend it.

ActiveBatch by Redwood

Read 35 ActiveBatch by Redwood reviews

2,095 Views
524 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

vCenter Orchestrator

Read 51 vCenter Orchestrator reviews

855 Views
162 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

ActiveBatch by Redwood

vCenter Orchestrator

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

vCenter Orchestrator and ActiveBatch compete in the automation software category, tailored for virtual environments. ActiveBatch holds the upper hand with superior workflow automation and integration capabilities, offering more flexibility across platforms despite its higher cost.

Features: vCenter Orchestrator specializes in virtualization with scalability, data migration, and seamless integration into VMware suites. It offers a strong set of automation and management features catering to comprehensive virtualization management. ActiveBatch focuses on robust scheduling, end-to-end workflow visibility, and integration flexibility. It effectively automates a range of processes across diverse environments, providing excellent workload management and platform integration.

Room for Improvement: vCenter Orchestrator struggles with workflow complexity and high pricing. Users desire better cross-platform integration, improved licensing models, and enhanced user guidance. ActiveBatch presents a steep learning curve due to UI complexity and integration issues. Users seek better support resources, UI enhancements, and comprehensive documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: vCenter Orchestrator is mainly on-premises, noted for solid support but needs faster response times. ActiveBatch supports Public and Hybrid Cloud environments, offering flexibility in deployments and well-regarded customer service.

Pricing and ROI: vCenter Orchestrator, although pricey, offers cost benefits in large-scale deployments with its advanced features. ActiveBatch is competitively priced with flexible licensing. While the initial setup can be complex, its pricing aligns with market expectations, delivering effective ROI for businesses needing extensive integration and automation.

To learn more, read our detailed ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. vCenter Orchestrator Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. vCenter Orchestrator

July 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

9th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Managed File Transfer (MFT) (10th), Workload Automation (9th)

vCenter Orchestrator

Ranking in Process Automation

6th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of ActiveBatch by Redwood is 0.7%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of vCenter Orchestrator is 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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.

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Gerhard Gmelch

IT architect endpoint at Rohde & Schwarz

Enhance automation efficiency with cost-effective graphical workflow design

I use vCenter Orchestrator for automation purposes, specifically to run automation workbooks The most valuable features are the graphical UI for designing the workflows and the interfaces that come out of the box. Additionally, it is included in the VMware Vitalization Stack, which means there…

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

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

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

"Using this tool, if there are any huge failures, we immediately get an email notification, and the proper team will be informed, at which time they can act accordingly."

"Since we are no longer waiting for an operator to see that a job is finished, we have changed our daily cycle from running in eight hours down to about five. We had a third shift-operator retire and that position was never refilled."

"It is very useful in sending confidential files through FPP servers."

"ActiveBatch's Self-Service Portal allows our business units to run and monitor their own workloads. They can simply run and review the logs, but they can't modify them. It increases their productivity because they are able to take care of things on their own. It saves us time from having to rerun the scripts, because the business units can just go ahead and log in and and rerun it themselves."

"There are hundreds of pre-built steps."

"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."

More ActiveBatch by Redwood pros

"We can manage and relocate resources easily."

"The DRS feature from VMware is very valuable to us because it balances workloads."

"vCenter Orchestrator is very reliable and stable."

"What I like best about vCenter Orchestrator is that it makes life easier through automation. People can request to automate all processes with vCenter Orchestrator, such as adding storage, creating VMs, removing VMs, and extending VMs."

"The implementation phase for vCenter Orchestrator was easy."

"The open, flexible architecture has brought in the agile computing environment along with better Dr capabilities. Automation management and operational tasks across VMware and third-party applications, like our HMIS and other business productivity applications, have delivered peace of mind."

"In regards to the workflows, the fact that we can actually have a full dashboard library of all the existing workflows on this is great. We can see all the workflows and what all the actions do and can work with scripts."

"The platform integration is straightforward, especially with recent updates, making connecting with various systems and streamlining workflows easier."

More vCenter Orchestrator pros

Cons

"An area for improvement in ActiveBatch Workload Automation is its interface or GUI. It could be a little better. There isn't any additional feature I'd like to see in the tool, except for the GUI, everything looks good."

"ActiveBatch is a little complex."

"They should offer pricing that is more affordable."

"There are very few documents that provide us with detailed information on the troubleshooting of errors that occur during integration with the existing environment."

"There are some issues with this version and finding the jobs that it ran. If you're looking at 1,000 different jobs, it shows based on the execution time, not necessarily the run time. So, if there was a constraint waiting, you may be looking for it in the wrong time frame. Plus, with thousands of jobs showing up and the way it pages output jobs, sometimes you end up with multiple pages on the screen, then you have to go through to find the specific job you're looking for. On the opposite side, you can limit the daily activity screen to show only jobs that failed or jobs currently running, which will shrink that back down. However, we have operators who are looking at the whole nightly cycle to make sure everything is there and make sure nothing got blocked or was waiting. Sometimes, they have a hard time finding every item within the list."

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

"Setting up the software was hard."

"The product should be improved by providing a customization option."

More ActiveBatch by Redwood cons

"The product lacks GUIs. The tool should have more GUIs available, along with easier product documentation."

"We would like more flexibility in sizing data storage and virtual machines, as the current options aren't very adaptable."

"I would like to see, from within the Web Console, being able to define the project and custom templates per user; almost like how CloudSpec has approached the solution."

"It is practically difficult at this stage to really comment on the improvisations of V central. But more tech events and PoC cases would help the EA to design better solutions and utilization."

"There are no good manuals or guidelines on integrations. Hence, you need to be asking someone."

"The scalability option provided by the solution is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

"The solution needs to integrate with Cloud facilities like AWS and Azure."

"The custom workflows are very difficult and confusing."

More vCenter Orchestrator cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It allows for lower operational overhead."

"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 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."

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

"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."

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

"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."

"vCenter Orchestrator is an expensive solution."

"The licensing cost is manageable because they have different versions available, standard, essential, and advanced."

"The solution is a bit expensive."

"vCenter Orchestrator could be more affordable."

"We provide the VMware solution to our clients, for which they pay a perpetual license."

"I rate the product price a seven to eight out of ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

"The concept of hyper-convergence is smart. I don't know if it can be applied with less cost to be more affordable for small or medium-sized companies. The cost is a very important factor for it. We are currently depending on SAN storage. However, the hyper-converged solutions are depending on the storage within the hosts, such as vSAN in the VMware. It is a smart solution."

"This solution is expensive and the licensing is more attractive for Haveri."

More vCenter Orchestrator pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

19%

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

21%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ActiveBatch Workload Automation?

I'd advise users to start by knowing what the actual requirement is and thoroughly assess the automation needs. New users should take advantage of the demos and trial versions so they get an idea o...

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about vCenter Orchestrator?

The stability of the product is very good.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for vCenter Orchestrator?

We're running a low-profile budget. This is not our main focus on investment technology, so we're trying to reduce costs due to the change from perpetual to subscription licenses.

See all answers

What needs improvement with vCenter Orchestrator?

After the change from perpetual licensing to subscriptions, the cost model changed. We are considering alternatives since we lost the perpetual aspect, and support is changing.

See all answers

Comparisons

Control-M vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 18% 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 10% of the time

Stonebranch vs ActiveBatch by Redwood

Compared 9% of the time

More ActiveBatch by Redwood Competitors

VMware Aria Automation vs vCenter Orchestrator

Compared 44% of the time

VMware Aria Operations vs vCenter Orchestrator

Compared 25% of the time

VMware Cloud Director vs vCenter Orchestrator

Compared 19% of the time

Microsoft System Center Orchestrator vs vCenter Orchestrator

Compared 12% of the time

More vCenter Orchestrator Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ActiveBatch by Redwood

July 2025

Download ActiveBatch by Redwood product report

Buyer's Guide

vCenter Orchestrator

June 2025

Download vCenter Orchestrator product report

Also Known As

ActiveBatch

No data available

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

VMware vCenter Orchestrator simplifies the automation of complex IT tasks and integrates with VMware vCloud Suite components to adapt and extend service delivery and operational management, effectively working with existing infrastructure, tools and processes.

VMware

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

Beiersdorf Shared Services

Buyer's Guide

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. vCenter Orchestrator

July 2025

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