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IBM BPM vs Nintex Process Platform vs Oracle BPEL 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:
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of IBM BPM is 6.1%, down from 10.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nintex Process Platform is 1.9%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle BPEL is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Process Automation Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM BPM6.1%
Nintex Process Platform1.9%
Oracle BPEL0.7%
Other91.3%
Process Automation
 

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Kamran - PeerSpot reviewer
Has efficient processes and intuitive workflow with many valuable features
You will have access to make any needed changes. Additionally, the review will be published on PeerSpot.com in written or audio format, available to other people. You can stay anonymous if you wish. Notifications and the use of the review are subject to PeerSpot's terms of use, which you can find at PeerSpot.com/TOS. I would give the solution an overall rating of ten out of ten points.
Satya Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good integration capabilities and easy to learn and good stability
Nintex is still at the starting point of integrating with AI. It has integrated with a very small piece of artificial intelligence., like only integrated with the Google Cloud. There is a benefit, like a no-code and low-code solution. But, again, if you are a developer, especially if you are a hardcore developer, you are using your code knowledge, its skills, and all. And, suddenly, you are moving into the low-code solution, and then you will feel, like, so many things you can't achieve with the low-code solution. And in that case, you are looking for some custom development. And it's a little bit difficult in the Nintex area. Because they are totally dependent on the low-code solution, and you are looking at where you can implement your custom things. However, you can do that thing, but that will be a difficult task. Also, the outcome, whatever you are trying to get from such kind of custom development, will be a little bit difficult. Let's suppose, like, if you are working with a medium level of data or a small level of data that will be easier to handle with the Nintex. However, the bulk data on a high level of data would be difficult. I have been working with Nintex for the past three years. I've been able to create some really good products in different domains, including banking and insurance. Everything seems achievable, but there are a few things I'm missing. First, debugging can be a bit difficult in Nintex. You can't debug forms and workflows easily. This is something that could be improved in future releases. It requires some R&D. Second, I would like to see more integration with AI. There is some custom integration available through the gateway, but it would be great to have more AI-related features built into the platform.
JI
Support for human tasks despite challenges with protocols and adapters
It depends on your needs. Oracle BPEL is suitable for enterprise-wide systems. However, if you're building something smaller or don't know precisely what you need, it's better to start with something smaller. Oracle is a comprehensive bundle, and buying it exclusively for Oracle BPEL doesn't make sense. I'd rate the solution six out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"IBM BPM is stable."
"I rate the technical support a ten out of ten...The product's installation was easy."
"The integration capabilities of IBM BPM are excellent."
"The solution is more customizable than IBM FileNet."
"The integration capabilities of IBM BPM are excellent."
"It has an elaborated way to explore the IBM BPM processes."
"IBM BPM should become cloud-native. It should also add a cloud deployment feature."
"The solution is stable."
"Allows us to provide desktop/laptop and mobile solutions to our users."
"Allows to use workflow for simple approvals and LazyApproval. The feature is easy to implement for mobile approval."
"It has helped us a lot, especially during the initial phase of a project where most of the things are done on paper."
"The technical support is very good."
"The solution helped us automate several processes we used to do manually."
"It can scale well."
"K2 is reasonably priced."
"I find it useful to utilize LDAP query action to find out the status of a particular user."
"What I find the most valuable about Oracle BPEL is that it saves me time."
"The solution is very seamless and fast."
"The product has everything we need."
"The most valuable feature is the support for human tasks."
 

Cons

"There is room for improvement in the stability."
"It might not be suitable for entry level clients because it comes with a huge number of modules for processing that at times might not be necessary for upcoming clients."
"I would like to see a lot more case studies."
"The initial setup was complex."
"We had hoped that the product would provide us with plug-ins like Salesforce. Its development environment needs to improve. We expect to see elastic features like containerization. We don't just need an on-prem virtual machine."
"We thought there might have been a little more discussion early on about, "Hey, if you're doing this, set it up this way," or some best practices or some guidance that we didn't get."
"One downside is that changing intermediate steps after you've finalized your flow can be challenging. Also, the integration with identity management could be easier. It would be helpful to have role-based access functions, allowing for specific custom models associated with certain streamlines in the IBM dashboard. Also, a simpler way to integrate some notation with other middleware platforms would be beneficial."
"The constant switch between Eclipse and its web versions can be annoying and confusing."
"We cannot use the same solution on cloud."
"The security features for this solution need to be improved."
"Currently, a notable challenge lies in the alignment of user experiences across the eight or nine applications within the suite. Transitioning between applications can be somewhat cumbersome due to varying user interfaces. However, the provider is actively addressing this concern by consistently rolling out updates every four to five months, aimed at harmonizing and streamlining the interfaces. This ongoing effort is expected to enhance the user experience over time. In terms of functionality and features, the platform stands out, offering flexibility with the option for both on-premises and cloud deployment. This flexibility extends to the RPA tool, providing clients with choices tailored to their preferences. An advantage lies in the shared security and data infrastructure across the toolset, facilitating smooth data transfer between applications. This contrasts with experiences with Oracle, where data transfer may involve complexities such as the need for intermediary file formats like TXL or SCZ."
"The user interface in Nintex needs improvement. It is not very intuitive and requires changes."
"Hawkeye is emerging as a reporting solution, but as a V1 product it’s not very useful yet."
"Built-in reporting on-prem is limited and clunky at best."
"The solution is a bit too expensive. It could be cheaper."
"The product’s support for the mobile platform and its ability to handle artificial loads could be better."
"In the next release, I would like to see REST improved and new technologies for microservices. I'd like to see more containers for separating containers."
"They need to have support for new protocols like GraphQL and possibly some out-of-the-box adapters for SAP and other big systems."
"The solution's integration with SAP should be seamless because some formats are not accepted in SAP but are accepted in Oracle BPEL."
"Some user-defined functions for transformation must be added to the next release of the solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is on the higher side, and it can be improved. Its licensing is on a yearly basis. There are no additional costs."
"I wish it was less expensive. I don't know why their pricing model is so high for a piece of software that could benefit so many. It just seems to me that they could have a lower cost, maybe with fewer features or whatever, but it should be possible to do a lower cost workflow software that uses the same interface and underlying engine but does not cost so much that you have to be a Fortune 50 company to buy it. It is annoying to me. There are a lot of solutions that IBM has that are really powerful but nobody can afford them. They know their business, but I still feel that there are a lot of customers who would benefit from this sort of thing. I don't know what this elitism is all about. I am sure they have people doing the money numbers, but it seems like you can make a lot more money by selling it to way more people for a little bit less."
"It should provide more flexibility to connect with external systems, and there should be in-built services that can be used to integrate with other systems quickly."
"The pricing is quite high, I would rate it two out of five."
"​We have definitely seen ROI. When we first kicked it off, we said it had to pay for itself within three years, and it did."
"We have a yearly licensing model. It is not expensive. There are no addition costs to the standard license."
"Price wise, IBM BPM is cheaper than other similar solutions and has excellent pricing."
"The pricing is very high."
"Our maintenance costs are reduced."
"There is an initial fee when purchasing and a fee for maintenance afterward."
"It's more suited for enterprise level, not for small or medium-sized businesses (SMBs)."
"Prices for licenses of K2 are high."
"Nintex is around INR 200 per license in India, which is much cheaper. Smaller organizations are always looking for cost-effective solutions, and Nintex provides local solutions with very low pricing."
"Certainly. Notably, in terms of cost, this solution presents a substantial advantage, being approximately forty percent more economical compared to Oracle. It offers flexibility with two deployment options, catering to both cloud and on-premises preferences. Moreover, within each deployment option, there are two variations available. For organizations with limited IT resources and relying on citizen developers—individuals from the business side comfortable with technology—the platform allows for a more hands-on approach. These users can independently implement solutions without extensive coding or custom development. In contrast, the KQ solution at Symantec is adept at addressing the needs of sectors like banking, where extensive custom development is required for seamless integration with existing applications, websites, and ensuring robust security measures."
"Nintex products are expensive, but valuable. Licensing in on-premise was historically based on a perpetual model, where you’d license per Web front-end. However, they are switching exclusively to a consumption (subscription) model, where you purchase the number of workflows you think you’ll use in your environment, and can scale up from there."
"Comparatively, it's expensive."
"The solution's pricing is moderate and not expensive."
"The product is moderately priced."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
28%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
18%
Educational Organization
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Performing Arts
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise71
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise24
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better, IBM BPM or IBM Business Automation Workflow?
We researched both IBM solutions and in the end, we chose Business Automation Workflow. IBM BPM has a good user inter...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM BPM?
Once it is installed, maintaining it is not a big issue.
What do you like most about K2?
The latest version of Nintex has many features. We have a clear roadmap and the necessary application to integrate it...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for K2?
Nintex Process Platform is expensive. Prices relate to both features and the professional services necessary due to o...
What needs improvement with K2?
The user interface in Nintex needs improvement. It is not very intuitive and requires changes. Additionally, the depl...
What needs improvement with Oracle BPEL?
They need to have support for new protocols like GraphQL and possibly some out-of-the-box adapters for SAP and other ...
What is your primary use case for Oracle BPEL?
We primarily use Oracle BPEL for process automation. It is used for workflows for documents, data transfers, and othe...
What advice do you have for others considering Oracle BPEL?
It depends on your needs. Oracle BPEL is suitable for enterprise-wide systems. However, if you're building something ...
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager, IBM WebSphere Process Server
K2 blackpearl, K2 Five, Nintex Workflow
BPEL Process Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Barclays, EmeriCon, Banca Popolare di Milano, CST Consulting, KeyBank, KPMG, Prolifics, Sandhata Technologies Ltd., State of Alaska, Humana S.A., Saperion, esciris, Banco Espirito Santo
SEA Corp, Omnicom Group, Verizon, STIHL
Nacional Monte de Piedad IAP, Bimbo S.A. de C.V., Intelligent Pathways, DVZ Datenverarbeitungszentrum Mecklenburg-Vorpommern GmbH, Arqiva
Find out what your peers are saying about Camunda, BMC, Temporal Technologies and others in Process Automation. Updated: August 2025.
867,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.