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Appian vs IBM WebSphere BPMS vs Nintex Process Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of Appian is 5.9%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM WebSphere BPMS is 0.2%, down from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nintex Process Platform is 1.8%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Process Automation
 

Featured Reviews

Nitin-Agarwal - PeerSpot reviewer
Seamless integration enhances workflows while memory optimization can improve complex processes
I am working with all of these products: Pega, Appian, and OutSystems. I use Appian as a process orchestrator for workflow and rule-based routing, and it is preferred when I am developing an enterprise-wide application. The application is mobile-friendly, allowing me to use it across any device…
CB
Developers gain flexibility to build custom controls with numerous integration options
Looking forward, IBM WebSphere BPMS could add more adapters to integrate with SAP or Salesforce integrator in upcoming releases. Regarding AI-driven process optimizations, we have not implemented these features with IBM WebSphere BPMS. In recent versions, IBM has introduced some generative AI features, and we plan to migrate to the newer versions within approximately one year.
Vitor Medeiros - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers capacity to integrate with external platforms but technically difficult
There is room for improvement in the user experience in the forms. When we need to develop the forms, we don't have much customization, and I think we need more flexibility there. It's technically difficult, but it would be great to be able to develop our own code and integrate it into the platform. We could then run our own code for specific actions and requests or even develop a page or form. So, if I can ask Nintex for something, it would be a way to integrate our own code for specific actions. When it comes to integration, it could have more options for custom requests.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's heavy on business processing in terms of logic, process workflows, and primarily on the process design modeler. Appian is really great at that. In terms of the full stack set from a low-code platform perspective, it's definitely an eye opener since it can be deployed via mobile app and on the web as well."
"The application life cycle is very clear. I started learning it and giving some workshops to my team. Creating the users and the building is very structured. Documentation is nice and it's easy to learn."
"The technical support is excellent."
"The solution has a lot of strong features for the financial industry, it is very easy to use."
"I find the BPM the most valuable feature."
"Write to Data Store Entity - Saving data in SQL databases is done easily using entities. Entities (CDTs in Appian terminology) define relationships and target schema tables via XSD files."
"The most valuable features are the low coding and low code data."
"The application is mobile-friendly, allowing me to use it across any device, whether mobile, laptop, or desktop."
"We like the feature in which we can trace back instances."
"The most valuable feature of IBM WebSphere BPMS is the systematic framework it provides for building different systems."
"IBM WebSphere BPMS provides significant return on investments, especially in the BAW component."
"The UI capabilities of the solution are great. The speed of delivery is good."
"This product is flexible in its ability to integrate processes and it can be extended and integrated with other software."
"Our solutions using Nintex has been most successful in automating HR processes because it allows you to easily and rapidly build solutions that conform to the unique business processes for each entity."
"It is very easy to use."
"I think the initial setup is fine."
"The product's primary advantage is its low-code nature which allows for rapid development without extensive coding."
"It leverages the out-of-the-box SharePoint back-end. This means that you don’t need to install or deploy additional infrastructure to support Nintex Workflow, unlike some of its competitors."
"NWC forms could be better. Also, the ability to build workflows that are not dependent on SharePoint is very desirable. The forms feature just isn’t as functional as the forms for SharePoint."
"It is very easy to create and deploy. I am very happy with how user-friendly Nintex Workflow is."
"I like the feature of getting an email for a workflow error, then I do not have to go through every instance."
 

Cons

"The product’s pricing could be improved from the developers' perspective."
"A point of improvement would be the SAIL forms. The built-in tool used to generate forms does not have debugging support (to view local variables as they change on live preview, and step-by-step valuation) which is a big drawback for form development. Moreover, the script language used to build SAIL forms does not support inheritance or lambda expressions (functions as arguments of other functions), which makes the code base more verbose."
"From a reseller's point of view, subscription licensing could be improved to be more cost-effective, especially for new prospects and smaller investments."
"The solution could use some more tutorials to help brand new users figure out how to use the product effectively."
"If we could calculate the amount of data that will be realized, it would help us a lot."
"I wouldn't say their response time is long, but it could be quicker."
"One room for improvement is the ease of UI UX development, like in OutSystems and Mendix."
"Lacks integration with other products."
"The solution lacks acceptable stability."
"The user interface could be improved, and although integration opportunities are good, they could be improved further."
"There is a need for more capabilities in low-code and no-code development to increase efficiency and make implementation simpler."
"Looking forward, IBM WebSphere BPMS could add more adapters to integrate with SAP or Salesforce integrator in upcoming releases."
"Sometimes there are tasks that failed without any reason."
"Unfortunately, Nintex Workflow is not that stable. We are looking at shifting to another tool."
"We would like to design parallel workflows and long-running workflows, along with new features for connecting to cloud-based systems."
"The user interface in Nintex needs improvement. It is not very intuitive and requires changes."
"The solution does not integrate with many platforms."
"User interface could use some improvement. Perhaps integration with Visual Studio or SharePoint Designer would be useful."
"The interface could be better and more language support is needed in the development environment or in the solutions platform in general."
"The cost of the solution is high and has room for improvement."
"The security features for this solution need to be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing of Appian is less expensive when compared to other BPMs in the market."
"The cost is a bit higher than other low-code competitors, OutSystems and Mendix. The price needs to be more competitive."
"The solution offers a monthly subscription model. That's what we use. I recall it being about $90 a month. They do have different tiers."
"I think that if somebody is really serious at looking at business value, then by all means, the product is well worth the value. You get representative business value for the price that you pay for the product, and for the implementation of the product."
"It is fully managed, and I don't believe there are any additional expenses."
"Product pricing compared to some of the earlier vendors, like IBM, CA, and Oracle, is quite well-priced. Although, we do feel that as we increase the number of users and the workload increases, we will have to spend more."
"The license is not very cheap. It's on the expensive side."
"We will have to have a dialogue or negotiate a price for future use. To start with, it is a reasonable price. As we go ahead, we will have to make sure the costs are inline with our expectations as we grow our user base and workloads."
Information not available
"The annual support costs are expensive."
"There is an initial fee when purchasing and a fee for maintenance afterward."
"We pay on a yearly basis. It's my understanding that we pay approximately $11,000/year."
"The price of this solution is affordable but the problem in Algeria is our community is a bit slower. The new clients might feel the solution is a bit expensive."
"Offering a licensing model that allows for multiple small workflows would be a huge improvement to an already great platform."
"Prices for licenses of K2 are high."
"The enterprise version has some additional features that I would like to use, but the price is not fair."
"For the initial hundred users, the cost is $21,000 per year, which I find too high."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
22%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
No data available
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
19%
Educational Organization
7%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

Which do you prefer - Appian or Camunda Platform?
Appian is fast when building simple to medium solutions. This solution offers simple drag-and-drop functionality with...
Is Appian a suitable solution for beginners who have no additional preparation?
Appian is actually pretty big on educating its users, including with courses that reward you with certifications. The...
Is it easy to set up Appian or did you have to resort to professional help?
We had some issues when we were setting up Appian. It was quite surprising, since this is a low-code tool which, in i...
What needs improvement with IBM WebSphere BPMS?
Looking forward, IBM WebSphere BPMS could add more adapters to integrate with SAP or Salesforce integrator in upcomin...
What is your primary use case for IBM WebSphere BPMS?
IBM WebSphere BPMS allows users to build workflows and dashboards. It is a developer-friendly product. The product fe...
What advice do you have for others considering IBM WebSphere BPMS?
Understanding the benefits and improvements that come with using the product is essential. IBM WebSphere BPMS is perf...
What do you like most about K2?
The latest version of Nintex has many features. We have a clear roadmap and the necessary application to integrate it...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for K2?
Nintex Process Platform is expensive. Prices relate to both features and the professional services necessary due to o...
What needs improvement with K2?
The user interface in Nintex needs improvement. It is not very intuitive and requires changes. Additionally, the depl...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

Appian BPM, Appian AnyWhere, Appian Enterprise BPMS
WebSphere BPMS
K2 blackpearl, K2 Five, Nintex Workflow
 

Overview

Information not available
 

Sample Customers

Hansard Global plc, Punch Taverns, Pirelli, Crawford & Company, EDP Renewables, Queensland Government Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (, Bank of Tennessee
Schahin Group, Korean Credit Card Company, Versicherungskammer Bayern, Biogrid Australia
SEA Corp, Omnicom Group, Verizon, STIHL
Find out what your peers are saying about Camunda, BMC, Temporal Technologies and others in Process Automation. Updated: June 2025.
862,514 professionals have used our research since 2012.