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Fortra's Automate vs ServiceNow Now 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.7
Organizations achieve significant ROI in three months using Fortra's Automate through labor savings, productivity boosts, and efficiency enhancements.
Sentiment score
6.2
Large enterprises benefit from ServiceNow's platform ROI, while smaller companies may struggle to justify the cost without full use.
Fortra's Automate has effectively replaced the workload of an entire employee, saving us significant time and money.
Chief Technology Officer at DOB Systems LLC
It has reduced our expenditures in terms of purchasing more products and employing more technicians.
System Administrator
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate the ROI as nine.
Project Manager - DevOps Engineer at ACC
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.5
Fortra's Automate support is responsive and knowledgeable, though improvements in user interface and navigation are suggested.
Sentiment score
7.2
ServiceNow Now Platform offers effective, knowledgeable support, praised for expertise, though sometimes varies with regional availability and support level.
They don't always understand the processes I'm trying to implement.
Senior Data Analyst at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees
They handle customers like me to get to the exact issue, detailing where that issue originates from a technical point of view, the resolution, and the summary they provided.
Software Engineer at Cateina Technologies
I would rate the technical support as a nine out of ten because it is quite fast and courteous.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
They generally know what they are talking about.
Associate director at Accenture
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Fortra's Automate is scalable, flexible, cost-effective for SMBs, with high availability, failover support, but limited to Windows.
Sentiment score
7.8
ServiceNow Now Platform is scalable, customizable, and adaptable, supporting thousands of users with effective integration and minimal performance issues.
The scalability of Automate also scores a ten out of ten.
IT Project Manager at Labo des histoires
I can deploy it on multiple infrastructures such as cloud, on-premises, or in a hybrid model.
Software Engineer at Cateina Technologies
It is easy to increase one bot or one studio without needing to buy another orchestrator, which can be quite expensive.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Users can build and modify the platform according to their needs.
Associate Director at KPMG India
It is easily scalable and very powerful in this direction.
Product Owner at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Fortra's Automate is reliable, resource-heavy, stable, and support-assisted, with infrequent issues, particularly on large files or tasks.
Sentiment score
8.1
ServiceNow Now Platform is praised for stability, impressive uptime, AI automation performance, and reliable cloud support with integration assistance.
The stability of the solution is a ten out of ten.
IT Project Manager at Labo des histoires
For stability on a scale from one to ten, I would give it a solid nine.
Cloud Engineer - ll at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
It has very robust features, and it is not prone to instability.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
I haven't had any situations where it would be unavailable for our calls, so I don't have complaints there.
Product Owner at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
ServiceNow Now Platform has improved it since then.
Assistant Manager at Wipro Limited
 

Room For Improvement

Fortra's Automate struggles with an outdated interface, limited integrations, high pricing, and lacks robust features and community support.
ServiceNow's platform needs enhancements in licensing, UI, mobile capabilities, integration, automation, customization, and pricing to improve user experience.
This is a significant concern, especially with critical workloads where visibility into errors is essential.
DevOps Engineer at Teksphere Global Services Limited
My major recommendation would be for easier upgrade paths between major versions.
Project Manager - DevOps Engineer at ACC
When new employees join our company, we created automation so they receive AWS credentials and all their AWS access and cloud access.
Cloud Engineer - ll at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
Historical data isn't as easily available as expected and it requires buying additional licenses for more features.
Senior IT consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It lacks support for rollbacks in case of complex customer processes.
Associate Director at KPMG India
The user interface could be modernized and made more attractive for users.
Product Owner at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Setup Cost

Fortra's Automate offers budget-friendly pricing per bot, cheaper than competitors, with options for single or unlimited use.
ServiceNow's pricing is high but justified by functionality, with costs varying by user count, modules, and features used.
Competitors are often more expensive than Automate.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It offered what we wanted at a good, competitive price.
Senior Data Analyst at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees
It does a lot but also costs a lot.
Chief Technology Officer at DOB Systems LLC
ServiceNow Now Platform is an expensive product.
Senior IT consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
ServiceNow Now Platform falls within the more expensive tier of a product.
Product Owner at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Fortra's Automate provides an intuitive, flexible platform with low-code automation and seamless integration, boosting productivity across various industries.
ServiceNow Now Platform excels in reliability, automation, and integration, offering robust incident management and user-friendly, scalable solutions.
Automate's non-reliance on additional orchestrators makes it quite cost-effective.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
In my opinion, the best feature Automate offers is the scheduling.
DevOps Engineer at Teksphere Global Services Limited
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.
IT Project Manager at Labo des histoires
The most valuable features are the ease of use, stability, and the ability to change or upgrade seamlessly.
Senior IT consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The text-to-code feature is particularly useful for turning natural language instructions into recognizable code on the ServiceNow platform, aiding both implementation teams and customers.
Associate Director at KPMG India
It is extremely powerful and very much customizable, which allows for quick building of solutions around it.
Product Owner at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortra's Automate
Ranking in Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) (4th)
ServiceNow Now Platform
Ranking in Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies
14th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
Rapid Application Development Software (14th), Low-Code Development Platforms (9th), No-Code Development Platforms (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies category, the mindshare of Fortra's Automate is 1.8%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow Now Platform is 1.7%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Fortra's Automate1.8%
ServiceNow Now Platform1.7%
Other96.5%
Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies
 

Featured Reviews

Jane Rachma Kiniti - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Mayur Patil - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistant Manager at Wipro Limited
Has supported day-to-day operations through reporting, ticketing, and automation features
I am still using ServiceNow Now Platform. I have worked with Qualys in one of my customers, but not much. I wanted to know whether there is any module of Rubrik in ServiceNow Now Platform. I am an end user and do not work with the solution provided for ServiceNow Now Platform separately. I work with ServiceNow Now Platform. I have not worked with app development capabilities. Regarding the integration capability of ServiceNow Now Platform, I can say it is compatible with most of the technologies for my connectivity with other systems. I cannot comment on analytics insights, as I have not worked on it, so I cannot say it improved my service efficiency. I do not remember if I have worked with something different for the same purpose. My overall rating for this review is eight out of ten.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
6%
Performing Arts
6%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business25
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise34
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for HelpSystems AutoMate?
I use Fortra's Automate for IT operations as an automated repetitive workflow task, handling tasks like file transfer, job scheduling, SAP data pools, and system notifications.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortra Automate?
I am somewhat aware of Fortra's Automate's pricing, and I can say it is budget-friendly—not too cheap or too high. The pricing is on point.
What needs improvement with Fortra Automate?
Fortra's Automate is good overall, but the advanced logic is somewhat challenging. Some of the more complex branching and error handling require digging into documentation or trial and error before...
What do you like most about ServiceNow Now Platform?
The integration with other tools is pretty good.
What needs improvement with ServiceNow Now Platform?
I do see some negative sides and room for improvement. I think there may be some integration with AI and a smart way of reporting, reporting mechanisms, and automation mechanisms on the inputs from...
 

Also Known As

HelpSystems Automate, Automate
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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
experian, beachbody, health partners
Find out what your peers are saying about Fortra's Automate vs. ServiceNow Now Platform and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.