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Appian vs Microsoft Copilot Studio comparison

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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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Automation Anywhere
Sponsored
Ranking in Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
666
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Management (BPM) (2nd), Robotic Process Automation (RPA) (2nd), Process Mining (1st), Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) (1st), Agentic Automation (1st), AI Legal & Compliance (1st), AI Finance & Accounting (2nd), AI Procurement & Supply Chain (1st)
Appian
Ranking in Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies
16th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
65
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Management (BPM) (6th), Process Automation (6th), Rapid Application Development Software (14th), Low-Code Development Platforms (10th), Process Mining (6th)
Microsoft Copilot Studio
Ranking in Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies
21st
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Chatbot Development Platforms (3rd), AI Agent Builders (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies category, the mindshare of Automation Anywhere is 6.0%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Appian is 7.1%, down from 8.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Copilot Studio is 1.2%. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Automation Anywhere6.0%
Appian7.1%
Microsoft Copilot Studio1.2%
Other85.7%
Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies
 

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sivaprakash - PeerSpot reviewer
Management Consultant at Accenture
Has significantly improved document-driven workflows and reduced processing time across finance and HR functions
Automation Anywhere has evolved significantly and upgraded itself to provide agentic AI and AI-based automation solutions for document automation. The product has matured considerably over time. We can create workflows that can call an API. We can include prompts in particular workflows for ChatGPT-related functions, connecting to an LLM and RAG to perform tasks. For document automation, modern features are available to train documents, ensuring high accuracy and repeatability over time. The system is very easy to use. I recently completed a course in document automation, typically designed for people involved in coding and technical aspects. Though I understand coding comprehensively, I don't do actual coding. The course was very accessible. Currently, extensive coding isn't necessary due to the hybrid model incorporating GenAI aspects, low-code, no-code capabilities, APIs, and numerous pre-built objects in Automation Anywhere. The features include GenAI-driven prompting methods and workflow creation capabilities. In these workflows, we can create decision boxes and call APIs without coding. We simply pull objects, drop them, connect them, and add minimal coding when needed. The most crucial aspect isn't coding but rather sizing the automation and fleshing out the details. Automation Co-pilot takes notes and performs automated analysis. It can extract details from videos, summarize conversations, and provide detailed information. During calls, it identifies instructions and performs tasks such as preparing reports and reconciliation. Automation Anywhere can also connect with Microsoft Co-pilot. Through Co-pilot, real-time operations can be executed, allowing direct interaction between vendors and automation through this component.
SB
Finance Specialist at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
Automated remittance workflows have boosted speed and accuracy but still need geo-tagging improvements
Remittance is a crucial part of my integral operation, so any disruption would majorly impact our clients. After switching to Appian, we never faced any disruption as it is reliable and we can generate data at any point in time, quite faster than other tools in my personal opinion. Regulators can ask for data from us at any time, and with Appian, we download data from our Appian tools to share it with them whenever they ask. I would share a real-life example: a customer's transaction processed more than a year ago. Suddenly the customer came back asking for all the details. In our previous tool, it was quite difficult to generate transaction details from over a year ago; however, while using Appian, we can pull up data using different key search fields, such as a customer's cell phone number, remittance tracking number, or MT103 reference number. We shared it with the customer instantly, and the customer was surprised we could provide all the details in such a short time. It added reputational value for our organization, thanks to Appian.You have pointed out two major things: time-saving and reduction of error, which are key points while processing remittance. Previously, while using another tool, it was quite time-consuming to process remittance, but after switching to Appian, it can extract data from MT103, eliminating the need for manual data entry. The process has become fully automated. Previously we could process only five to ten transactions within an hour, but now, after switching to Appian, we can process about 100 transactions in an hour, making it 10 times faster. In terms of error detection, since Appian extracts data from MT103, the extraction rate is quite good, and the error rate is negligible, lower than 0.001%. We can share accurate, error-free data with the regulator, which is essential for us. Appian benefits us significantly. After receiving an MT103, we check what the remitter is, the amount, if it is under threshold for processing, and if it is from a high-priority remitter or client. Since Appian extracts data from MT103 messages and identifies top-level clients from the database, it can notify us to process their transactions with priority. Due to automated data extraction, there are fewer instances of error. In our previous tool, we reported regulatory data to the central bank manually and often received complaints about invalid purpose codes due to manual data entry. Appian handles this automatically, and after switching, our error rate has dropped significantly, resulting in positive feedback from the Central Bank of Bangladesh regarding our reduced error rates. This has greatly enhanced our organization's reputation. Appian is fully on-premises, and we have our own system.
Shrikant Pillay. - PeerSpot reviewer
Architect at kyndryl
Has helped automate repetitive tasks and streamline content summarization across teams
For analytics, I prefer using the Power BI platform instead of Microsoft Copilot Studio. When it comes to analytics, though it gives the right insight, the visuals are not of great quality, or sometimes they don't appear at all. For instance, when creating charts of sales on a quarter-on-quarter basis or month-on-month basis in a bar graph or pie chart, Microsoft Copilot Studio doesn't perform adequately. Anything requiring image creation or graphs and plots is not optimal. The graphing features are missing in Microsoft Copilot Studio. Although image creation is available, it lags at times, similar to any other LLM module. When creating content based on graphs or CIO presentations, these features are not developed to a great extent.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Because of this product's features, I would rate Automation Anywhere as a game changer."
"There are things that used to take us a lot of time, like manual entries or HR queries, but now that the bots are in place, we are saving a lot of time."
"We have more than 50 bots in the company, the FTE and ROI are very good, and in the future we have many projects in pipeline that we are about to implement, so definitely there is a good ROI and FTE savings for us."
"My experience with the deployment of the solution is positive; it's fast, and we have not encountered any problems related to that."
"My understanding is that the initial setup is pretty straightforward."
"It is easy to use and deploy."
"It is really helpful that this solution is deployed in the cloud."
"Efficiency is something that has increased a lot. Productivity has increased a lot too."
"Where Appian stood out was the full stack integration."
"Appian has enabled us to automate business processes much faster so that our users can replicate them and use them on a daily basis to improve their productivity."
"There is a version coming out every six months with performance improvements."
"When it comes to speed of development, system integrations, BMPS workflows, and digitization of manual processes, Appian is possibly the best choice there is."
"There is no need to worry about vulnerabilities in the system, because Appian built a secure system​."
"The initial setup was seamless. We didn't run into any hardships at all."
"It is easy for me to define the process and create configurable workflows."
"Appian has many valuable features, the first being the ease of development—rapid development. Second, the process of learning the product and tool is faster when compared to its peers in the market. It's closer to low-code, and while it's still not very easy, it's more low-code than other products in the industry. Appian has a good user interface, a seamless model user interface, which comes without additional coding. It can also integrate with multiple systems."
"Microsoft Copilot Studio has helped enhance my development process quite a lot."
"The integration part in Microsoft Copilot Studio is something I really appreciate because it's very easy to integrate with anything, and the main reason we chose this Studio is its simplicity in developing and building workflows and interconnecting things, especially when it comes to public cloud; life is quite easy."
"Starting with Microsoft Copilot Studio for product projects, especially for POC and MVP, accelerates the creation and demonstration to clients, helping them interact with and understand the solution before discussing further improvements."
"We have achieved approximately 60 to 70% productivity gain using Microsoft Copilot Studio."
"The use case involves intelligent code assistance, UI, UX, and integration parts."
 

Cons

"Support is not very satisfactory."
"We are having some challenges when it comes to stability."
"I think the pricing model should be more flexible."
"One way Automation Anywhere can be improved is in ticketing."
"Product support for our customers needs improvement. They should increase the support personnel."
"The solution doesn't offer all the capabilities that we need, so we have to use it in conjunction with other software."
"The AI centricity is a bit behind compared to the way we see Microsoft and AWS doing it. This is the feedback that I have also given to them. They need to expand themselves to provide more services than just RPA. Only RPA may not be enough for us, and it would not be our preferred choice for an automation tool."
"I would like the support to be faster. Their response time is one to two days. Their customer care could be faster."
"We'd like improved functionality for testing new devices."
"The main challenge with Appian has been our inability to customize the user interface."
"If that had more DevOps capabilities, it would be an excellent product."
"Appian is a great tool for internal use cases where the users are company employees, but it has room to improve for use cases where the users are public facing, where anonymous users could come to a site and run a business workflow or interact with some data."
"If there is a very complex process that includes a lot of data transitioning and memory-centric processes, it consumes a lot of memory."
"Customer service is poor, very helpful at times and willing to go above and beyond, but very expensive, so overall poor."
"I would like to see more features for enterprises. They would also benefit from adding documentation and training on their site."
"There are four areas I believe Appian could improve in. The first is a seamless contact center integration. Appian does not have a contact center feature. The second is advanced features in RPA. The third would be chatbot and email bot integration—while Appian comes with chatbot and email bot, it's not as mature as it should be, compared to the competition. The fourth area would be next best action, since there is not much of this sort of feature in Appian. These are all features which competitors' products have, and in a mature manner, whereas Appian lacks on these four areas. I see customers who are moving from Appian to Pega because these features are not in Appian."
"The price for Microsoft Copilot Studio can definitely be improved, as small organizations find it very difficult to manage the subscription."
"I feel that the pricing and licensing methods of Microsoft Copilot Studio are not very conducive."
"While Microsoft Copilot Studio can create documents and add information, it does not do so accurately, and this is an area that needs improvement."
"For analytics, I prefer using the Power BI platform instead of Microsoft Copilot Studio."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"On a yearly basis, our licensing costs are about $80,000. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees."
"I'm not sure what the monthly licensing cost is, as that is taken care of by another team, but I would say it's around $100,000."
"The pricing is reasonable and one can achieve ROI faster when compared to other tools."
"It's a bit expensive compared to other RPA tools on the market."
"The price of Automation Anywhere is a little higher than some of the competition, such as UiPath. However, depending on the use case and other factors we are able to receive some discounts."
"The product starts at $10,000 and then it's up to you regarding how much you can consume."
"We were paying approximately $30,000 for a year license."
"Licensing for Automation Anywhere (AA) is paid on a yearly basis. Out of all the RPA tools, it has the most value for money, e.g. what you pay is what you get."
"The price of this solution is a little high here in Mongolia."
"Licensing of Appian is less expensive when compared to other BPMs in the market."
"It is fully managed, and I don't believe there are any additional expenses."
"I'm sure it is cost-effective, but right now, we're just toying around with it. So, I don't have any hard numbers."
"BPM done right is a huge value proposition for almost any company, and with Appian's low code rapid development model, the ROI can be huge, while the break-even point should be accelerated tremendously."
"Appian is very flexible in their pricing. In general, Appian's pricing is much, much lower when compared to competition like Pega or other products. Appian also has a flexible licensing model across geographies. Pega usually goes with a single licensing cost—which is a US-based cost—for all global customers, and it's costly. Whereas Appian has a different regional licensing cost model and it can be cheaper, depending on geography. So Appian's licensing is very flexible, and cheaper when compared to other competition."
"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."
"The pricing can be a little confusing to customers."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Outsourcing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business161
Midsize Enterprise85
Large Enterprise561
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise46
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business1
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?
It depends on your use case. Is it simply to automate a couple of processes? Is it to augment a human team? AA is ver...
How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?
From my experience using AA tool, it depends on the applications that you want to automate, because there some applic...
How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?
It is a highly preferred RPA tool. You can check my Automation Anywhere Review to know more.
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 Microsoft Copilot Studio?
While Microsoft Copilot Studio can create documents and add information, it does not do so accurately, and this is an...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Copilot Studio?
Microsoft Copilot Studio is implemented for different scenarios, including straightforward and common scenarios. Howe...
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Copilot Studio?
The predictive analytics features in Microsoft Copilot Studio are rated at the highest level because there is the abi...
 

Also Known As

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise, Agentic Process Automation System (Now Certified for WorkSpaces)
Appian BPM, Appian AnyWhere, Appian Enterprise BPMS
No data available
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics
Hansard Global plc, Punch Taverns, Pirelli, Crawford & Company, EDP Renewables, Queensland Government Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (, Bank of Tennessee
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Find out what your peers are saying about Appian vs. Microsoft Copilot Studio and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.