AutoSys Workload Automation vs VisualCron comparison

Broadcom and SMA Technologies are both solutions in the Workload Automation category. Broadcom is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.6, while SMA Technologies is ranked #17 with an average rating of 9.0. Broadcom holds a 7.0% mindshare in WA, compared to SMA Technologies’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Broadcom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SMA Technologies users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2026

AutoSys Workload Automation and VisualCron are competing in the workload automation category. AutoSys seems to have the upper hand due to its reliability and scalability, making it suitable for large enterprises managing complex workloads.

Features: AutoSys Workload Automation offers strong scheduling capabilities, seamless integration with multiple platforms, and high scalability for complex environments. VisualCron boasts flexibility with a wide range of tasks, ease of use, and powerful script execution options, appealing for diverse task management.

Room for Improvement: AutoSys could benefit from quicker integration with new market trends and improved deployment agility. Enhancing its user interface to be more intuitive and accessible could also be beneficial. VisualCron might improve by enhancing its robustness for handling very large-scale operations. Providing more in-depth documentation and scaling its solution to meet enterprise-level demands could further enhance its offering.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: AutoSys has a traditional deployment model that often requires significant time and expertise, but it offers solid troubleshooting support. VisualCron offers a simpler deployment process and is more accessible for smaller teams. Its customer service is praised for responsiveness and accessibility, creating a smoother overall experience.

Pricing and ROI: AutoSys generally involves a higher setup cost aligning with its enterprise focus and long-term scalability benefits. VisualCron presents a cost-effective alternative for smaller organizations or those starting without heavy infrastructure commitments, offering quick returns on investment with lower initial expenses and simpler setup processes.

To learn more, read our detailed AutoSys Workload Automation vs. VisualCron Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

AutoSys Workload Automation vs. VisualCron

April 2026

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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

JAMS

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Workload Automation category, the mindshare of JAMS is 3.0%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of AutoSys Workload Automation is 7.0%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VisualCron is 1.8%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Workload Automation Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
JAMS	3.0%
AutoSys Workload Automation	7.0%
VisualCron	1.8%
Other	88.2%

Workload Automation

Featured Reviews

Latha Viswanathan

Principal Data Base And Infrastructure Engineer at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees

Automation has replaced nightly monitoring and delivers reliable, unified job scheduling

We have really enjoyed working with JAMS in terms of notifications, alerts, and streamlining. There used to be a process with Automate, which is another product from Fortra, but even before that, the other division of the company that we were merging with had a tool that was built in-house called a file handler or file distributor. It was an in-house developed tool, but it was not as streamlined or as efficient as JAMS is. We literally had to have a dedicated nighttime person monitoring. Although we are 24/7, the divisions of the company that we were using JAMS for have been small scale. While we have automated it, we have streamlined it in such a way that notifications go out and alerts go out, but if there is anything, then we get paged and alerted, and if anything needs to happen at midnight, we can wake up. On the other hand, with the tool I mentioned, the file handler and distributor, we used to have a dedicated nighttime person that had to be sitting and monitoring it to see when a file arrived, whether it met the conditions, and then execute the next particular job. By using JAMS, we have gained a lot more efficiencies in terms of all of those to streamline it, and there is no necessary need for having an overnight engineer just keeping an eye on all of this.

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Pavan Katta

Assistant VP at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Experience significant automation with robust integration and user-friendly interfaces

There are areas of AutoSys Workload Automation that have room for improvement. They are implementing good enhancements in the R24 release. The web UI needs some improvement. Cloud integrations are limited to 25 or 30 configurable plugins and integrations to the cloud. They can improve in that area. They have separate tools, not AutoSys Workload Automation, such as Atomic and other SaaS-based solutions that can run inside the cloud. AutoSys Workload Automation can be configured in the cloud, but it requires a substantial number of VMs depending on the load. For on-premises deployment, it is a very good solution. They need to increase their footprint in the cloud and improve the web UI. They are making excellent progress in the R24 release.

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Sourav-Dutta

Technical Lead - Database Administrator at SMART ENERGY SYSTEMS LLC

It's user-friendly, and I didn't need long to understand the process

We use VisualCron for all our automation needs, like connecting to FileZilla, calling APIs, generating PGP keys, creating encryption files with the PGP key login to Azure, etc. It can automatically log in to SQL Server and execute SQL script jobs in bulk. We had 2,000-3,000 users at my previous…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"One of the things I like the most, as a SQL DBA, is the fact that we can manipulate tables in the background. Also, the fact that you can have your own views and work with the product the way it fits best is a very helpful feature."

"The code-driven automation for more complex scheduling requirements frees up time because it's really easy to use... It's almost like a stand-alone software that we can't live without."

"The interface is good, and it's very easy to define and create jobs. If a job is not running or there is an error, the solution will send an email. That's all very good and very useful."

"Fortra's JAMS helped us centralize job management across our platforms and applications. This is critical because we schedule tasks across multiple applications and operating systems, using triggers and start dates to coordinate their execution."

"I like how you can add new execution methods on the fly. It isn't overly complex to add Python script support to an execution method in the JAMS system. The scheduling is excellent. You can schedule a maintenance window and take that resource unit out of everything. It halts all of the jobs."

"It's a full-featured job scheduling tool. The part that I liked the best was the support team. This tool was new, and we were all learning it and setting up the different jobs that were complex in nature. Their support team was very responsive in helping us out through the setup and resolving the issues. They have been incredibly awesome."

"Our company is based on data. Everything we do is data-driven, so it has been very valuable having one place where we can process all of the data and do batch schedules with chunks of data."

"I appreciate JAMS for its readily available templates that allow me to create and deliver stand-up presentations within minutes quickly."

More JAMS pros

"It works constantly and is pretty seamless. You do not have to open up many support tickets."

"The web UI is beneficial and the granular security policies allow us to cover all of our audit requirements."

"It has helped to simplify cross-dependency between MVS and Open systems jobs."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of coding up schedules to run jobs in both the mainframe and distributed environments."

"Visibility into the workflow and ease of use to be able to schedule have improved our organization."

"The flexibility in solving job scheduling challenges allows us to successfully integrate an acquired business’ fiscal close with our own, even though there is a lot of variance as to when they run in the calendar month."

"The features that I have found most valuable with AutoSys are that it is scalable, easy to use, fast, and always available. That's very important because if it's not steady then it's a real problem. So, at this point, we are satisfied with it."

"It allows you to automate tasks, and reduce headcount, prevent errors, self-heal."

More AutoSys Workload Automation pros

"We don't have to do any coding, we just plug and play and it works."

"We don't have to do any coding. We just plug and play and it works."

"'ve only had a few cases where I've had to request support in the past 12 years of use, but the support response time and resolution were was extremely quick."

"VisualCronv is currently handling so many different critical processes for our company, it's become a key factor in our livelihood and success."

"It has improved our organization with more automation within the business departments and less administration and development in the IT department. Usually, as the IT department, we are the bottleneck for many requirements within the business. With this tool, the business departments are able to perform many task themselves."

"VisualCron is a very powerful program to automate different steps in your business processes."

"VisualCron makes everything clearer and easier to maintain."

"VisualCron is a handy tool that we (the IT department) provide for the business departments to obtain easy access when automating and scheduling."

More VisualCron pros

Cons

"The ACL or access permission area needs to be improved. When it comes to defining and providing security permissions, it's a bit confusing if you are new to JAMS. JAMS needs to improve the features for security access or permissions."

"I would like to see the ability to interface with Microsoft group-managed service accounts, but they're still in the research phase. They need to ensure everything's legit and safe. The report designer and dashboards could also be improved. We're running 7.3, so I don't know if they have updated the reporting in 7.5, but I think the reports and dashboards could be better."

"With no programming experience, I find JAMS code-driven automation challenging due to the required PowerShell scripting."

"The client is horrible. Every time JAMS puts out a survey on what they can improve, I always say, "The client: When you are setting up jobs, it is quite horrible." The response has been, "Well, we are just using the Windows foundation," and I am like, "Why isn't it only your product?" We can get around it now that we know its quirks, but it is not the most user-friendly of tools out there. The UI is completely unintuitive. We had to go and open up a support ticket with JAMS just to get something back. It is not user-friendly at all."

"All my machines at work are Macs. JAMS client is a Windows-based thing."

"It does validations when you try to delete an object and if there are any dependencies in place, the deletion process will not proceed... there is no information provided as to what it was that caused the validation to fail... it's quite a tedious process to find which object is getting in the way."

"Sometimes the UI is not the most responsive I've ever used. But because it does its job, I don't complain."

"The documentation is not super... It's not as quick and slick as I'd like it to be."

More JAMS cons

"This product needs to improve its graphical user interface."

"SQL server clustering is not supported."

"Quick search feature and job analysis could be improved."

"It's hard to tell what needs to be improved."

"To make it a lot more user-friendly, in order to make it so other people can use it without having to do much training with it; the more user-friendly it is, the easier it is to work with."

"The installation process is complex, and is pretty archaic."

"The GUI/Workstation is weak and needs to be improved."

"Needs better documentation with fully explained examples for some of the job types."

More AutoSys Workload Automation cons

"I want to improve the UI in VisualCron, as it's not as user-friendly, particularly when setting up the task scheduler."

"VisualCron is software, and you will experience performance degradation when you scale up. VisualCron takes too much memory or CPU power. We have to increase the hardware resources of a specific server or system."

"The documentation is a bit weak."

"The only problem I face when I use the tool is that it doesn't contain much documentation or it doesn't have many video tutorials on its features."

"VisualCron's command console is a little bit difficult to understand and needs to improve."

"Our suggestion to make it better and more manageable in terms of GDPR: Implement it in a very partnership way."

"I want to improve the UI in VisualCron, as it's not as user-friendly, particularly when setting up the task scheduler. If you're familiar with the tool, then no problem, but if not, you'll have a problem typing text because sometimes, the cursor points to other places, so there's an issue with text box alignment in VisualCron. That was painful for me when I was just a VisualCron novice, but when you become used to it, there won't be a problem."

"The error timeout and info could be better. When making web request calls, it will time out sometimes and we won't get any useful info out of the error response."

More VisualCron cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's certainly a lot cheaper than Tivoli and Control-M. In comparison to them, you get a lot more bang for your buck. You get pretty much the whole functionality and more, in some cases, when compared to Control-M, but at a fraction of the price."

"For what it does, the product is priced very well."

"The product is reasonably priced, and we don't have any add-ons."

"All licensing models are a little overpriced, but JAMS offers a good value, especially given their support response times and ability to handle unforeseen issues like the SFTP transfers. I hope to find more use cases to get a better bang for our buck."

"The pricing is very fair. We have seen very minimal to no price increases over the years. We are not banging down the door of support all the time either. I would imagine if we were a company that submitted a dozen support tickets a week for the last nine years, then it might be a little different because we would be eating up everybody's time. However, for what we get out of it, the pricing is extremely fair. Back when we were originally looking and brought in JAMS, we were looking at a couple of the other competitive products that were in this space, but the pricing from JAMS was far and away better than what the other competitors could offer for the same functionality."

"Fortra's JAMS pricing structure has deteriorated significantly since its acquisition by Fortra."

"Take advantage of its scalability. You can start small. The initial cost is very reasonable. Once you have started picking up the tool and adopting it, then you can scale up from there and buy more agents."

"Definitely check how many single processes you want to run and count them as jobs. That is how you would work out your pricing on JAMS. For example, if you're running a number of commands and you can put them all into one script and run that script, you can count that as one job."

More JAMS pricing and cost advice

"The return on investment would be very high because doing things manually without this product would be extremely expensive."

"I certainly think the pricing is worth the value."

"I don't have information on the exact licensing cost of AutoSys Workload Automation because that's managed by the tools and financing teams. For agents, it's close to $4,00, but for the server setup, it's usually a one-time license initially, and it's AMC which is paid every year and comes close to $8,000 to $10,000."

"We paid to use the solution monthly."

"The pricing needs to be improved. Some of my client's complained that it was too expensive."

"There is an annual license to use AutoSys Workload Automation."

"The price of this solution is reasonable and there is an annual license required."

"It is overpriced."

More AutoSys Workload Automation pricing and cost advice

"ROI is one month."

"VisualCron is correctly priced because it wasn't very cheap, and it wasn't overly expensive, so the price for it was set correctly. When my previous company bought VisualCron, it was €800 per server per year. On a scale of one to five, I would rate the pricing for VisualCron a five because it was just right. The tool was affordable, and it has one of the most competitive pricing in the market."

"We are fine with a rather cheap setup. Licensing with VisualCron is fair. You have a simple one-year licence in different sizes. There isn't a licensing jungle with hundreds of options and opt-ins."

"ROI is 95 percent."

"The price is a bit high."

"The pricing is extremely fair, and because of that I recommend purchasing multiple instances to split out the processing load across multiple application servers."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

39%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Retailer

Computer Software Company

25%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	19

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	79

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	5

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JAMS?

I believe the pricing and licensing were fair. I was not here when that process took place and do not know exactly, b...

See all answers

What needs improvement with JAMS?

When it comes to improvements for JAMS, I think upgrading and migrating some of the current processes could benefit f...

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What is your primary use case for JAMS?

Our main use case for JAMS is to automate our data pump backups for our PeopleSoft Oracle system, as well as run a my...

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How does Control-M compare with AutoSys Workload Automation?

Control-M acts as a single, centralized interface for monitoring and managing all batch processes, which is helpful b...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AutoSys Workload Automation?

It is reasonably priced compared to the market.

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What needs improvement with AutoSys Workload Automation?

There are areas of AutoSys Workload Automation that have room for improvement. They are implementing good enhancement...

See all answers

What do you like most about VisualCron?

The tool has reduced our operational costs by 40%.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VisualCron?

The price is a bit high. However, it is okay.

See all answers

What needs improvement with VisualCron?

The documentation is a bit weak. The tool must provide a better set of documentation.

See all answers

Comparisons

Control-M vs JAMS

Compared 12% of the time

Stonebranch vs JAMS

Compared 8% of the time

Redwood RunMyJobs vs JAMS

Compared 7% of the time

Automic Automation vs JAMS

Compared 6% of the time

Tidal by Redwood vs JAMS

Compared 5% of the time

More JAMS Competitors

Control-M vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 23% of the time

Stonebranch vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 10% of the time

Automic Automation vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Workload Automation vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 5% of the time

Astro by Astronomer vs AutoSys Workload Automation

Compared 3% of the time

More AutoSys Workload Automation Competitors

UiPath Platform vs VisualCron

Compared 8% of the time

Control-M vs VisualCron

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs VisualCron

Compared 7% of the time

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs VisualCron

Compared 7% of the time

Tidal by Redwood vs VisualCron

Compared 2% of the time

More VisualCron Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

JAMS

May 2026

Download JAMS product report

Buyer's Guide

AutoSys Workload Automation

May 2026

Download AutoSys Workload Automation product report

Buyer's Guide

VisualCron

April 2026

Download VisualCron product report

Also Known As

No data available

CA Workload Automation, CA Workload Automation AE

No data available

Interactive Demo

JAMS Software

Demo not available

Broadcom

Demo not available

SMA Technologies

Overview

JAMS is an automation and job scheduling solution designed for workflow optimization, catering to businesses large and small with flexible licensing and integration options.

Offering both Core and Advanced packages, JAMS supports a range of environments from small teams to large-scale operations. Its standout features include integration with platforms like PowerShell, SQL, and SAP, coupled with capabilities such as dependency management and natural language scheduling. JAMS simplifies job management, centralizes workflows, and boosts productivity with its robust automation features. Customizable workflows and insightful logging make it adaptable for diverse needs, supported by responsive customer service ensuring seamless operations.

What are JAMS's key features?

Automation & Scheduling: Flexible automation helps manage complex job schedules efficiently.
Integration: Connects seamlessly with platforms like SQL Server, SAP, and Python for diverse applications.
Centralized Job Management: A unified interface for handling thousands of jobs daily.
Dependency Management: Supports complex workflows with efficient dependency tracking.
Insightful Logging: Provides detailed logs and notifications for precise task execution.

What benefits should users look for in JAMS reviews?

Enhanced Productivity: Automates repetitive tasks, freeing up resources for strategic initiatives.
Scalability: Flexible licensing models grow with business size and needs.
Efficient Workflow Automation: Streamlines job orchestration across environments.
Responsive Support: Helps ensure smooth operations with quick troubleshooting.

In industries, JAMS is employed for automating workflows and managing batch jobs. Organizations utilize it for SSIS, SQL Server tasks, file transfers, and integrating with vendor systems, achieving efficient file automation and data management. Scheduler enables precise execution of thousands of tasks daily, enhancing operational efficiency.

JAMS Software

AutoSys Workload Automation delivers comprehensive scheduling capabilities and integration features, offering users scalability and efficiency in automation across platforms. Its enhanced user-friendliness and security make it a reliable choice for job scheduling and workload management.

AutoSys Workload Automation is well-regarded for its stability and intuitive graphical interface which facilitates efficient job scheduling across platforms. Users find its security features effective in ensuring controlled access, and appreciate its ability to handle high volumes of jobs while providing seamless orchestration and monitoring. However, the interface could benefit from modernization. Enhancements are suggested for reporting features and job flow clarity. Its integration with mobility and cloud platforms requires improvement as current support remains limited. Improving monitoring capabilities, managing cross-application dependencies, and simplifying upgrades are essential. Additionally, addressing the costly licensing model and enhancing high-level system process views are significant for maintaining competitiveness in automation.

What are AutoSys's key features?

Scheduling Capabilities: Provides robust and flexible scheduling options across platforms.
Integration Features: Allows seamless automation with diverse systems.
Security Measures: Ensures controlled and secure access to resources.
User-Friendly Interface: Offers an intuitive GUI for simplified use.
High Job Volume Support: Efficiently manages a large number of jobs with ease.

What benefits can users expect?

Reduced Manual Efforts: Automates processes minimizing the need for manual intervention.
Enhanced Visibility: Improves oversight and monitoring of tasks.
Effective Troubleshooting: Streamlines troubleshooting with well-organized workflows.
Scalability: Scales across diverse environments to meet enterprise demands.
Improved Efficiency: Increases operational efficiency with optimized automation.

AutoSys Workload Automation is extensively used in industries like banking, insurance, and retail for job scheduling, batch management, and server workload automation. It supports data processing for enterprise tasks, monitors tasks, and manages cross-platform dependencies, proving to be a reliable tool for complex job orchestration in these sectors.

Broadcom

VisualCron offers task automation through a visual interface, eliminating the need for programming skills. With capabilities like alerting and variable usage, users benefit from integration with databases, timely task execution, and cross-platform operations.

VisualCron empowers users by simplifying complex workflows. It allows seamless task automation through features like interactive scheduling and role-based operations. Users appreciate its integration capabilities, replacing multiple tools with a comprehensive automation solution. The support system ensures quick assistance, making it a reliable choice for workflow visualization and task execution. However, areas like error handling and interface design require enhancements for improved user experience.

What are the key features of VisualCron?

Visual Interface: Users automate tasks without needing programming skills.
Integration: Connects with databases and multiple systems to streamline operations.
Alerting: Notifies users about tasks and system statuses.
Task Scheduling: Allows interactive management of automated tasks.
Credentials Management: Enables cross-platform operations securely.

What benefits can users expect when evaluating VisualCron?

Increased Efficiency: Reduces the time spent on manual processes.
Cost Reduction: Eliminates the need for multiple tools by consolidating functionalities.
Enhanced Support: Offers robust post-sales support for quicker assistance.
Streamlined Workflows: Simplifies complex task automation.

Organizations leverage VisualCron in industries like finance and logistics to automate tasks such as encryption and secure file transfers. It's also integral in managing data operations, facilitating communications between systems, and executing SQL jobs, enhancing operational efficiency across sectors.

SMA Technologies

Sample Customers

Teradata, Arconic, General Dynamics, Yum!, CVS Health, Comcast, Ghiradelli, & Boston’s Children’s Hospital

Gaumont, Mercantil do Brasil, CCEE, Hanwha Life

7 Eleven, ABB Sécheron SA, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Amazon Europe Core, Apple, Assa Abloy, Aston Martin, Banco Santander, BMW (Australia)

Buyer's Guide

AutoSys Workload Automation vs. VisualCron

April 2026

Free Report: AutoSys Workload Automation vs. VisualCron

Find out what your peers are saying about AutoSys Workload Automation vs. VisualCron and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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