Hornbill Systems Supportworks vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX) comparison

Hornbill Systems Supportworks vs. OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Download the complete report

Helped 915,341 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.

Read full review

it_user1262703

Service Desk Team Leader at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Excels in call logging and call flows but is limited in terms of scalability

I'd advise others to map their processes out before starting with the solution. Hornbill has recently generated a new version of its product and it meets some of the requirements that we would have been looking for. It's a bit more scalable, a bit more responsive to a customer-focused model for support, and they've improved a lot of things like process flow and self-service. In terms of rating the solution, it's difficult to grade. It really depends on the size of the organization that's trying to use it as that tool. One of the reasons why we're looking to shift is because we've grown quite a bit over the years that we've had it, which makes it difficult for it to meet our demands. However, for an organization the size of what we were when we started our journey with it, I'd rate it ten out of ten. Where we are now, with our company size and needs, I'd rate it six out of ten.

Read full review

HugoAlmeida

Head Of Delivery at Timestamp ITM

Centralized service processes have improved cross‑department visibility but reporting still needs work

The machine learning capabilities in OpenText Service Management (SMAX) are somewhat not published the way they should be. They work pretty well, but they are not used as much in the current experience of our customers. They have them; the solution has them, but they usually go a little bit below the radar in terms of visibility. I believe there is room for improvement when it comes to machine learning capabilities. OpenText Service Management (SMAX) has room to improve mainly on reporting components. The reporting components include dashboards, and while OpenText Service Management (SMAX) has a reporting module, it's somewhat limited, so I believe it has room to improve there, with more inclusion of artificial intelligence in the models and more in project management and portfolio management capabilities. We want to see better use and more functionalities enabled with the already existing capabilities such as AI and reporting in the next OpenText Service Management (SMAX) release, but one important thing we think should be included is a module for metrics, similar to Google Analytics, that focuses on the metrics of the tool usage. The module shouldn't just report on the components of OpenText Service Management (SMAX) but also track how the tool is used by end users, for example, what functionalities users utilize more frequently, the performance of those functionalities, and how long it takes them to open a ticket or log in, focusing on applicational monitoring metrics and performance management metrics.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution is valuable because it can automate tasks which would otherwise be left for us to process manually."

"What I appreciate most about Automation Anywhere is the ease of use. Everything is easy to set up. I also appreciate the extensibility that it has."

"There are instances where use cases and opportunities have arisen as a result of having Automation Anywhere and RPA in place that have come about through very casual conversations and have actually resulted in increased revenue opportunities that we didn't realize."

"Automation Anywhere is excellent for integrating with other solutions. It provides the ability to leverage the APIs of third-party solutions. We use some of the already built-in MetaBots to then scrape the data and manipulate independent data that we need in order to integrate with other third-party solutions."

"We simply train the Bot by uploading sample files, and it then begins classifying, processing, and extracting the data within a short span of time."

"Automation Anywhere and even previous versions, which I've worked on, have good core functionality. The core functionality of being able to automate and build a solution that is local and low code is one of the key differentiators that's allowed us to find success."

"Automation Anywhere has saved us a lot of time."

"The features I most appreciate are the built-in version control system, historical log, audit trail features, and the breadth of RPA action commands included out of the box."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"We've definitely seen an ROI; we've had the system in place for eight years, and it's provided a solid platform for us to deliver our services during that period."

"It is quite user friendly to use and has a lot of very useful features that makes the analyst/technician's life easier."

"The solution's business process flow is quite strong. Its reporting is quite good. The standard, basic ITSM functionality like call logging and call flow, for example, are areas the solution really excels in."

"OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is evolving in addressing the needs across different sectors like IT or HR."

"OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is effective for all sectors, such as IT and HR."

"OpenText Service Management Automation X provides valuable features such as topic analytics for incident and problem management. It also includes natural language processing for analyzing technical descriptions. Additionally, it features a virtual chatbot capable of processing natural language to interact effectively with end users. This service enhances customer support and is not subject to the limitations often found in offerings from other vendors."

"I've used this kind of application for more than 20 years and from my perspective, SMAX is one of the best products on the market."

"The customization features are quite good, and we have a very good local vendor helping us in this regard."

"It offers a range of tools for sales and configuration. It's like a business process improvement platform, suitable for various lines of business operations."

"The tool is very easy to use."

"This is a cordless application that can be used throughout any organization."

More OpenText Service Management (SMAX) pros

Cons

"With respect to the user interface, everything works well, but the community expects more clear documentation with respect to use cases and end-to-end use cases, so one can understand how to handle these scenarios effectively."

"I would like them to add OCR features. This would help us deal with unstructured data and we can get more data out of images."

"Automation Anywhere has to improve its technical features."

"The REST API could be improved."

"Maybe not improved but I heard that the 2019 version is going to look more like UiPath, which is not ideal for a typical/classic developer."

"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."

"The older versions, like version 8 and 9, were not very stable."

"Providing a desktop version rather than focusing on the cloud is essential. Only UiPath offers a studio environment for desktop application development."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"It's worked well for us for a significant period of time. However, we are kind-of outgrowing it at the moment. We're struggling a bit with making it meet our requirements."

"Customer Service: I'd rate it as a 5/10 or 6/10."

"The contract management feature can be improved."

"The product's connectivity with third-party products is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"SMAX lacks in integrations as well as written documentation."

"The tool has negatively impacted our productivity."

"The solution lacks sufficient documentation."

"The initial setup of Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX) is complicated, but once it is set up the configuration is straightforward to adapt to the users' or customers' needs."

"OpenText Service Management (SMAX) has some stability challenges that are crashable and not stable at times."

"The reporting functionality is not the best as it is not easy to use."

More OpenText Service Management (SMAX) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It looks like it will be right around $115,000, not counting IQ Bot, which we won't renew until later."

"Its cost is good."

"We're just starting to renew our license, and we were quoted $115,000 without the IQ Bot. The IQ Bot is another $30,000. This is with very limited pages, as we go through our first projects. The majority of the cost was for ten days of onsite training."

"It is cost-efficient in terms of licensing. I found their support good when I was working for the airline client. However, I hear from my managers here that the support price for Tier 3 or premium is a little higher. That is why we are not going for Automation Anywhere. Its price was okay for our client, but for us, it seems expensive."

"We have seen about a 10 percent monetary savings."

"The Community Edition is a good offering from the company."

"AA comes at a more affordable price than the other tools."

"Automation Anywhere is flexible in terms of costing and licensing."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"Our organization pays about $40,000 annually. There are ongoing consultancy costs and if we want to change anything, we're charged a day rate. Other than that, there are no other extra costs involved in working with the solution."

"The solution is somewhat cheaper than the competitors."

"The cost of the license for SMAX varies depending on the configuration, including the number of seats for users and the customer's specific requirements. It's not a fixed cost and can vary."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which IT Service Management (ITSM) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

No data available

Comms Service Provider

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Government

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	161
Midsize Enterprise	85
Large Enterprise	561

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

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.

What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

We mostly deal with OpenText Service Management (SMAX), Service Management, and UCMDB, the UD Discovery, Unified Disc...

What advice do you have for others considering Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

We are still working with OpenText and Splunk. I remember that Splunk is now with what Cisco AppDynamics bought. We a...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is okay, not expensive and not the cheapest. It is overall good.

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

Comparisons

Compared 11% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 5% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 3% of the time

Appian vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

ServiceNow vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 17% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 15% of the time

Zendesk vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 5% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 5% of the time

Clarity SM vs Hornbill Systems Supportworks

Compared 5% of the time

More Hornbill Systems Supportworks Competitors

ServiceNow vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 15% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 11% of the time

Ivanti Voice vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 11% of the time

TOPdesk vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 4% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 4% of the time

More OpenText Service Management (SMAX) Competitors

Product Reports

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Automation Anywhere

October 2026

IT Service Management (ITSM)

Download Hornbill Systems Supportworks product report

OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Download OpenText Service Management (SMAX) product report

OpenText Service Management (SMAX) report

Also Known As

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

Supportworks

OpenText Service Manager, Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

Hornbill Systems

OpenText

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

Hornbill Systems Supportworks is a flexible IT service management tool designed to manage complex IT environments with ease.

Designed for IT service management, Hornbill Systems Supportworks facilitates efficient operation within complex environments. With customizable workflows and automation capabilities, it addresses detailed requirements for seamless process execution.

What are the standout features of Hornbill Systems Supportworks?

Customizable Workflow: Offers tailored workflows to fit precise IT management needs.
Automation Capabilities: Enhances efficiency through task automation, reducing manual intervention.
Integration Options: Supports integration with third-party applications, ensuring interoperability.
User Management: Streamlines user role assignments and access provisions.
Reporting Tools: Provides comprehensive reporting for data-driven decision-making.

What benefits can you expect when evaluating reviews of Hornbill Systems Supportworks?

Scalability: Adapts to growing business demands without performance issues.
Cost Efficiency: Lowers operational costs through automation and effective resource management.
Enhanced Productivity: Increases productivity by minimizing downtime and improving process flows.
Improved Service Delivery: Elevates the quality of IT services with enhanced management tools.
Time Savings: Reduces time spent on troubleshooting and routine tasks.

Hornbill Systems Supportworks is implemented across industries such as finance, healthcare, and education, where streamlined operations and reliable service management are critical. Its adaptability ensures it meets sector-specific compliance and operational challenges effectively.

Hornbill Systems

OpenText Service Management Automation X delivers efficient service management automation with user-friendly configurability across IT, IoT, HR, and finance sectors. It enhances business processes through integrated incident management and natural language processing with virtual chatbots.

OpenText SMAX blends user-friendly design with broad language support and robust storage. It enables organizations to deploy in both on-premise and cloud environments using Kubernetes. SMAX excels in business process improvement, incident management, and uses intelligent agents for autonomous alerts and issue resolution. However, it requires enhancements in integration capabilities and documentation, third-party product connectivity, and contract management. Users face challenges with process automation and search functionality, demanding greater customization and flexibility.

What are the key features of OpenText SMAX?

User-Friendliness: Simplifies service management across departments.
Configurability: Allows customization to meet specific needs.
Adaptability: Effective across IT, IoT, HR, and finance.
Language Support: Broad language capabilities for diverse users.
Storage Capabilities: Efficient and reliable data management.
Process Improvement: Tools for streamlining business operations.
Incident Management: Effective handling and resolution of issues.
Natural Language Processing: Chatbots that enhance customer support.
Automation: Facilitates seamless logistics and service catalog management.

What benefits and ROI should users evaluate?

Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlines service management processes.
Improved Customer Support: Virtual chatbots provide superior assistance.
Scalability: Adaptable to growing business needs.
Cost Reduction: Optimizes resource usage and reduces operational costs.
Employee Onboarding: Simplifies and accelerates onboarding processes.

Banks and telecom companies primarily employ OpenText SMAX for service management automation, leveraging its ESM and ITSM capabilities. Deployed on-premise and via cloud, organizations in regions such as Saudi Arabia focus on integrations and upgrades, using SMAX as an end-user portal for incident management.

OpenText

Sample Customers

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

Aylesbury Vale District Council

Zurich Airport, Envirosuite, Norsk Helsenett, Achmea, University of Milan, World Vision, Petroleum Development Oman, Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT).

Hornbill Systems Supportworks vs. OpenText Service Management (SMAX)