Fortra's Automate vs IBM Datacap comparison

Fortra and IBM are both solutions in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category. Additionally, 97% of Fortra users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of IBM users who would recommend it.

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Fortra's Automate and IBM Datacap based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortra's Automate vs. IBM Datacap Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Fortra's Automate vs. IBM Datacap

August 2026

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Helped 909,725 peers since 2012

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

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sivaprakash

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.

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Jane Rachma Kiniti

IT Project Manager at Labo des histoires

Automate has streamlined workflows and increased efficiency with powerful automation

The best features of the solution are the flexible automation features, it is rich with beautiful connectors, and it is easy to use with little to no coding knowledge required to get started, so anybody can use the tool. The intuitive interface of Automate has an intuitive design, which makes it easy to learn and use even without a strong technical background, and it has a drag-and-drop interface, which makes everything so easy and straightforward. The error handling capabilities in complex automation tasks are powerful, as it handles all types of tasks, whether complex or simple. I've never faced any problems even when dealing with complex tasks, so everything is super smooth and highly reliable, even when dealing with big tasks, as it has never slowed down. Automate's compatibility with existing IT infrastructure has impacted our business operations positively by providing smooth integration with other software that we use, such as Gmail, Jira, and Microsoft 365 apps, which gives us a unified platform instead of having to keep switching from one software to another, saving a lot of time and streamlining the whole workflows. The automated analytics have helped improve our business processes since it has increased our efficiency by automating our everyday tasks, freeing up time for us to focus more on strategic activities such as analyzing data and developing new business strategies. It is also cost-saving. By minimizing manual labor, it decreases human errors that can lead to costly mistakes. By automating the tasks, it helps to save costs, and it also improves our accuracy by reducing these errors to ensure that tasks are done almost perfectly.

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DeekshithShetty

Software Development Senior Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

High-accuracy document processing with easy integration and good image enhancement

The OCR extractions are very good, almost 100% accurate now. The integration with other tools is very easy, with inbuilt actions to configure and directly export to multiple depositories. It is also good at image enhancement, including the removal of lines, which is helpful in processing and automation and ensures very little user intervention, thus saving time.

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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

"It helps increase productivity by 20% to 30%."

"We have automated over 2000 man-hours."

"The ability to customize added automation to a lot of situations where human judgment and interpretation are not required."

"From my developer's point of view, the tool is pretty strong."

"Automation Anywhere receives high marks for its ease of use."

"Of the bots which work, they have automated three of the most time consuming tasks and completely freed up one person to do real work."

"When considering all the facts, this is one of the most user-friendly RPA tools that I have worked with."

"Object cloning is one of the main features that are using. We are very happy with it. as It has enabled us to capture a lot of things on screen and use them."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"The peace of mind I have using Automate for scheduling tasks allows me to focus on other responsibilities without worrying about operational issues."

"The most valuable features of Fortra's Automate include its FTP functionality and file manipulation capabilities."

"I find the ease of use from a programming perspective very valuable."

"I like the interface; it makes managing automation easy. We can set different schedules and templates for each task."

"The pricing is excellent. I would give them perfect marks in that regard."

"Fortra's Automate performs the job effectively and has the capability to alert us of any issues."

"I can say it's a very good product, it has very good results and it is well suited for my requirements, and everything more or less I've been able to create in line with what the client requires."

"I find it very user-friendly. Our IT department and other departments can seamlessly collaborate without requiring extensive training. As a business department, we particularly value this aspect, as our team doesn't consist of many IT users. However, we couldn't solely rely on a drag-and-drop approach to implement and utilize the solution within our departments."

More Fortra's Automate pros

"Datacap is good at processing unstructured data. You can build up some nice data flows, and it is simple to configure. The tool adopts a low-code approach, but you can do a lot of coding if you want to customize and automate your flows. Datacap also has the flexibility to integrate."

"I like Datacap's integration with FileNet because financial companies use that export. The second part is web services integration, which is effortless to implement."

"The solution offers many features that are beneficial for customers."

"The administration of the application following an error is most valuable, as we are able to know easily when something is stuck in the system."

"It is highly extensible, which we found to be most valuable. It is a very extensible solution because it is based on configurable rule sets. We were able to amend and adjust the solution and very easily add custom code and custom components. It does require some programming experience, but we found that not to be an issue. We liked its extensibility."

"Datacap as compared to other products is a cheaper product, the stability and all the features are great, and the user-friendly features look good and you have less customization."

"The standout feature of this intelligent product is its remarkable capability."

"Datacap has all of the features that we need."

More IBM Datacap pros

Cons

"The biggest issue was that the new license required upgraded hardware infrastructure so we were getting all new tech stuff procured which meant that we were getting updated RAMs and things like that. Getting the licenses was easier but building the infrastructure which was required to support the new version was difficult."

"I would like to use VB.NET native code inside of Automation Anywhere."

"From the IQ Bot perspective, frankly speaking, they still have to improve a lot... My expectation from a straight, technical, architectural point of view was that I would be able to create my own algorithm and integrate it. But with IQ Bot, I am not able to integrate anything..."

"Automation Anywhere can be improved as there are issues with the recorder, which needs enhancement to extract more fields in the property set to increase reliability across various web application platforms, such as those built on React, React Azure, and React Angular."

"I would like a couple more features where I can talk and the line comes up automatically."

"The data migration could be better."

"Sometimes, while recording, the screen hangs and we are not able to perform any actions during that time."

"Since Automation Anywhere's Japan office was only recently opened, it seems the support has not been as good as support for other package applications."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"It would be an improvement if Automate had better stability tools, whether by recommending a certain amount of memory because it can be a memory hog at times."

"One aspect I dislike about Fortra's Automate is that debugging slows me down."

"One thing I dislike about Fortra's Automate is that it does not perform well with OCR software, which is optical character recognition."

"I wish Fortra's Automate could shorten the time it takes to debug complex workflows because they tend to take much longer than expected."

"Some challenges include the system being too loaded or delayed in taking instructions and responding quickly as needed."

"I would like to see some better web automation, a wizard like the one in the product WinAutomation would be very nice."

"Automate could simplify the UI for creating a workflow for automation. As a technical person, I can understand it easily. However, there are few activities in the software that our HR department cannot understand."

"The interface of Fortra's Automate is similar to GoAnywhere; I am not completely pleased with it, although it is intuitive, but it lacks something in terms of complexity."

More Fortra's Automate cons

"Third-party integration is slow especially through API calls because if you want to integrate between Datacap and BPM, it can only be done in that direction (and not BPM to Datacap)."

"We had more experience, and we knew a lot more about the product than their first-line support did, and that's a really bad sign."

"We have page requirements where some values must be copied on each page. For example, say I need to scan a bunch of documents, and the name will be a field on every page. We don't have a default functionality in Datacap to copy the field value on the first page to all the pages. That feature would make the documents easy to prepare."

"When I scan a document in Datacap that has a watermark or the document is a little distorted, the image output is poor."

"I would like to see integration of Watson AI technology into Datacap."

"The IBM Datacap site actually is on the newer inside. They will give it as a plugin only."

"The reading efficiency of the solution needs to be improved."

"The solution's scalability needs improvement."

More IBM Datacap cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is somewhere in the middle. The price and value of Automation Anywhere are better than UiPath. The pricing is good globally. It could be a little bit cheaper, but it is good."

"I would like them to have better license management."

"The solution itself is free unless we want to add the support option but we have to pay for the bots we use."

"Whatever investment, licensing, and resource costs together are put in for development and delivery, we are still at an ROI of 250 percent."

"The pricing is fair. My company is part of a big organization, so the pricing is very advantageous."

"The licensing cost for Automation Anywhere is high."

"We have seen the tangible benefits of taking monotonous work off people's plates, creating capacity, and cost reductions."

"The starting price, which is a one-off fee is a bit high and this may deter mid and small-sized companies from acquiring and decide to shun the platform."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is quite reasonable. We can run the process with one bot. The limitation is at the server level because they have some resources, and sometimes that is enough. It isn't too expensive, so you can get a good return off of one, and you can also have a pack of five bots that is quite competitive."

"Once you buy the software, you just pay for the support for backend help."

"While solutions like UiPath and Blue Prism cost around $11,000-$12,000 for each license, this product costs around $7,000 and you can keep it forever."

"The cost is a bit high for a small business like ours, but we manage with Fortra's Automate."

"From a distributor's perspective, one of the biggest selling points of Automate is its price point."

"I'm only involved in running the product and maintaining the systems, so I can't speak to the cost."

"It comes with a package that costs approximately $20,000 USD per year."

"I like the way this solution is priced because you can buy a license, or you can buy the software outright."

More Fortra's Automate pricing and cost advice

"It is an expensive solution."

"You save a lot of time and money, but the benefit is you have people who are able to run the systems, check to see if there are any errors at all, and there are a lot less errors than a human system."

"In Egypt, we have exchange rates that change year to year, and currently, we're facing an increase in the exchange rate between our Egyptian pound and the dollar. Since we have been using IBM DataCap two years ago we had a good price, it was not expensive. However, I cannot say now if it is expensive or not because of the exchange rate. Additionally, I don't have the data of other competitors and I don't know the prices."

"If you want IBM Datacap on cloud, which is a service run by IBM, the price can be quite expensive, but if you want to just purchase the licenses and own those yourself, then the price is very competitive."

"Pricing depends on how much we use it. We pay per bulk quantity. We pay as you go. Therefore, it sort of depends on our usage of it."

"Pricing needs to stay competitive."

"This solution offers seamless integration with other enterprise products, which is my area of responsibility, focusing on government sector projects. Larger enterprise projects don't pose problems. It might be suitable for small businesses as well."

"This solution is the most expensive in the market."

More IBM Datacap pricing and cost advice

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909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Construction Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	157
Midsize Enterprise	82
Large Enterprise	558

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	32
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	12

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...

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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...

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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.

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What is your primary use case for HelpSystems AutoMate?

I use Fortra's Automate to automate our workflows and reports mainly. For example, we normally task it to generate an...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortra Automate?

When we installed Fortra's Automate, I was present. We use Automate Plus, and we are running about 20 bots or instanc...

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What needs improvement with Fortra Automate?

The interface of Fortra's Automate is similar to GoAnywhere. I am not completely pleased with it, although it is intu...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Datacap?

Pricing is in the mid-range but could be more affordable, rated at four point five.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Datacap?

IBM needs to improve on scanning and reading accuracy for unstructured documents. Additionally, an important missing ...

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What is your primary use case for IBM Datacap?

I primarily use IBM Datacap ( /products/ibm-datacap-reviews ) for data capture and scanning documents with OCR. Speci...

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Comparisons

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 9% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 6% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 3% of the time

HyperScience vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

UiPath Platform vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 8% of the time

Nintex RPA vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 5% of the time

OpenText Operations Orchestration vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 4% of the time

Blue Prism vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 3% of the time

More Fortra's Automate Competitors

ABBYY Vantage vs IBM Datacap

Compared 22% of the time

Tungsten TotalAgility vs IBM Datacap

Compared 13% of the time

OpenText Capture vs IBM Datacap

Compared 13% of the time

HyperScience vs IBM Datacap

Compared 8% of the time

Amazon Textract vs IBM Datacap

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Datacap Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

August 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortra's Automate

August 2026

Download Fortra's Automate product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Datacap

August 2026

Download IBM Datacap product report

Also Known As

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise, Agentic Process Automation System (Now Certified for WorkSpaces)

HelpSystems Automate, Automate

Datacap

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

Fortra

Demo not available

IBM

Overview

Automation Anywhere offers ease of use, robust system connectivity, and GenAI-driven document automation through a cloud-native platform, significantly enhancing productivity across multiple industries with advanced AI features.

Delivering a comprehensive suite of tools designed for easy integration and rapid deployment, Automation Anywhere drives efficiency by reducing costs and automating repetitive tasks. Its cloud-native platform supports broad industry adoption, including advanced AI features like process automation and Co-Pilot, streamlining complex workflows with minimal technical skills required. Users benefit from robust integration capabilities, which facilitate seamless interaction with multiple systems. However, there is room for improvement in areas such as user-friendliness for beginners, stability, flexible licensing, and enhanced OCR functionality. Organizations in sectors such as banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare gain from the improved operational efficiency and ROI Automation Anywhere offers.

What are the important features of Automation Anywhere?

Ease of Use: Simplifies automation tasks with a user-centric interface.
Robust Connectivity: Provides seamless integration with multiple systems.
GenAI-Driven Document Automation: Leverages AI to automate document management.
Process Automation & Co-Pilot: Enhances workflow automation with advanced AI.
Cloud-Native Platform: Enables rapid deployment and integration.

What benefits should be evaluated in reviews?

Time Savings: Automation drastically reduces manual processing time.
Cost Efficiency: Decreases overall operational costs by automating tasks.
Productivity Enhancement: Streamlines workflows with AI-driven tools.
Improved Integration: Enhances ability to work with multiple systems.
Scalability: Supports growth with a flexible cloud-native architecture.

In the insurance industry, Automation Anywhere is utilized for automating processes such as enrollment management and compliance checks. Its applications extend to supply chain management, financial transactions, and business performance monitoring across sectors like banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare, helping organizations to automate routine tasks, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.

Automation Anywhere

Fortra's Automate offers a user-friendly platform for task automation, featuring a drag-and-drop interface that aids in scheduling, file management, and integrating with services like Azure and AWS.

Fortra's Automate provides substantial ease in automating complex tasks through its intuitive design. It offers seamless integration capabilities, especially with Azure and AWS, and comes equipped with strong error handling. Cost-effective and requiring minimal coding, it supports a broad range of industries by effectively automating tasks such as HR operations, invoice management, and data processing across servers.

What features stand out in Fortra's Automate?

Drag-and-Drop Interface: Simplifies task setup and automation without deep coding expertise.
Scheduling and File Management: Ensures efficient, automated handling of tasks and file transfers.
Integration Capabilities: Works with platforms like Azure and AWS for enhanced performance.
Error Handling: Offers solid solutions to manage and resolve task execution errors.
Minimal Coding: Facilitates automation with limited coding requirements, broadening accessibility.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Cost-Effectiveness: Provides affordable licensing options for diverse businesses.
Operational Efficiency: Enhances productivity by automating repetitive tasks, reducing manual errors.
Versatility: Adapts well across sectors like banking, healthcare, and transportation.
Robust Support: Offers extensive assistance with automation features.
IT Compatibility: Easily integrates into existing IT infrastructures.

In industries such as healthcare and transportation, Fortra's Automate facilitates the automation of client management, HR operations, and data processing, boosting efficiency. Banks utilize it for managing extensive invoice workflows, while distribution sectors rely on its capabilities for insurance checks and system support. Its applicability across servers makes it a valuable tool for any sector seeking to reduce manual workload and improve task accuracy.

Fortra

IBM Datacap offers advanced OCR capabilities, auto-indexing, and integration with FileNet and web services to efficiently manage structured and unstructured data. It supports machine learning, low-code development, and streamlined workflows for improved operational efficiency.

IBM Datacap captures and processes different data types, providing extensibility and scalability for organizations aiming to enhance their document management processes. It integrates seamlessly with IBM FileNet and other platforms, while offering features like fingerprint recognition and image enhancement. Users benefit from reduced manual tasks and errors through its automated workflows. However, challenges include recognition accuracy improvements, faster scanning, and a shift towards cloud infrastructure. Third-party integrations and support services need enhancement, while increasing customization and support for the Arabic language remains essential. Enhancements in reporting, automation, and AI integration are priority improvement areas.

What features make IBM Datacap stand out?

OCR Capability: Robust text recognition for data extraction.
Auto-Indexing: Efficient categorization and data management.
Seamless Integration: Compatible with FileNet and web services.
Machine Learning: Supports intelligent data processing.
Low-Code Development: Simplifies adding custom features.

What benefits do users see with IBM Datacap?

Efficiency: Reduces manual tasks and errors.
Scalability: Adapts to organizational growth.
Extensibility: Easy to expand and customize features.
Streamlined Workflows: Facilitates smooth operations.

IBM Datacap supports industries such as insurance, banking, government services, and trade finance by digitizing and automating document capture processes. By integrating OCR-based data extraction and cloud services, organizations enhance efficiency and data management across various applications.

IBM

Sample Customers

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics

Aldergrove Financial Group, Preferred Health Professionals, Mindbeam Technologies, First Credit Union in British Columbia, Vestcom International, Prime Liberty Benefits, University of Tampa, CNLBancshares, World Precision Instruments, BJ's Restaurants, Globe Pequot Press, Accudata Technologies, Norton Healthcare, Pacific Toxicology Laboratories

Turkcell, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, Central Nacional Unimed, Conqord Oil

Buyer's Guide

Fortra's Automate vs. IBM Datacap

August 2026

Free Report: Fortra's Automate vs. IBM Datacap

Find out what your peers are saying about Fortra's Automate vs. IBM Datacap and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.

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