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IBM Business Automation Workflow vs ProcessMaker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

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

IBM Business Automation Wor...
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
13th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ProcessMaker
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
40th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (35th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM Business Automation Workflow is 1.2%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ProcessMaker is 0.9%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Process Management (BPM) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Business Automation Workflow1.2%
ProcessMaker0.9%
Other97.9%
Business Process Management (BPM)
 

Featured Reviews

IsmailEl Dahshan - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at Exact Holding NV
Automation has transformed financial workflows and has improved revenue tracking and compliance
Regarding Watsonx, I am uncertain whether it is fully complied and fully integrated with IBM Business Automation Workflow yet. Currently, we use some AI in Enterprise Content Management, particularly when searching documents. Archiving snapshots would be very beneficial. It would be good to reduce the administration effort required to archive snapshots, as this is a main issue with the product. I would also recommend that IBM engage with customers more deeply. Rather than sending URLs or documentation for customers to solve problems independently, the support team should be more involved in addressing the client's specific issues in a targeted manner, providing clear guidance on what actions need to be taken.
UchechiSylvanus - PeerSpot reviewer
Team Lead, Process Improvement & RPA at Fidelity Bank Plc
Works well, but its interface should be a bit more user-friendly
We use it for our process flows and levels of approvals, but I am not managing it directly Its performance, stability, and security are fine. Its interface should be a bit more user-friendly. I have been using this solution for close to a year. It is stable. It is easy to scale. We currently…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This is a stable solution that we have been able to use as a distributed system."
"This product is tightly integrated with the RPA automation process."
"No matter what somebody's technical experience level is, the tool can start adding value immediately."
"It provides a solution for integration orchestration. This solution is for any organization in the banking, telecommunications, healthcare, manufacturing, and all domains and industries."
"After being acquired from Lombardi by IBM, BPA was only workflow-related, and over a period of time it evolved with a lot of capabilities added to the product, like rules, business decision-making, and now a more enhanced toolkit to build applications very rapidly."
"The most important aspect is that it helped us focus on the business process perspective."
"The workflow of BAW's automation is handled inside of BPM, so we can see what state it is at and how things are processing through."
"IBM Business Automation Workflow provides a seamless streamlined collaboration within the organizations."
"What I like most is the seamlessness of the workflow capabilities."
"Its performance, stability, and security are fine."
 

Cons

"We have found it tough to get the proper support from IBM."
"The main areas which need improvement are specifically around reporting and analytics."
"Code management lacks merging capabilities. If parallel development requires merging, improvements in this area would be beneficial."
"The SCADA Systems are very sophisticated and have a hard time integrating with our older scales. The technical support in regards to the partner side needs some improvement."
"I would like to see more streamlined install and provisioning; preferably containerized IBM BPM would be helpful."
"However, on Windows, I believe considerable administration tasks are required to maintain environment stability."
"I feel that the features are not user-friendly."
"Sometimes, you need an integrated solution. Customers don't want to have to say, "Oh, I'm acquiring this product, now I have to go build up that product. I have to go and build something else in another product and integrate.""
"This solution only supports basic text, but we would like to be able to insert components such as rich text, graphs, charts, pictures, and other objects."
"Its interface should be a bit more user-friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"While it can be quite costly, it offers significant benefits for users."
"The product is expensive."
"Our license is on a three-year term."
"Nowadays, clients are looking at pricing as one of the major factors. For IBM products, they always think it is expensive for them. We are still educating our clients on the IBM FlexPoints licensing."
"IBM Business Automation Workflow has a flexible pricing mode, but the price is expensive. The price of the solution reflects the quality of the solution which is very high. The technical support is an additional cost."
"When you compare with Laserfiche and M-Files, IBM is expensive."
"Licensing varies by use-case."
"It is on the expensive side, but it provides excellent supportability and an ecosystem that is proven to be a great fit for our organization."
"We have a yearly license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
27%
Construction Company
8%
Insurance Company
7%
Healthcare Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Outsourcing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Construction Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise17
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 interface and the BPM coach is a helpful tool. The API is very useful in providing en...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Business Automation Workflow?
The price of IBM Business Automation Workflow is on the higher side compared to the features it offers.
What needs improvement with IBM Business Automation Workflow?
Regarding Watsonx, I am uncertain whether it is fully complied and fully integrated with IBM Business Automation Workflow yet. Currently, we use some AI in Enterprise Content Management, particular...
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Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

Business Automation Workflow
ProcessMaker Workflow Management & BPM, ProcessMaker BPM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Key Bank, Barclays, Control€xpert, MIR Insurance Brokers, Conqord Oil
Tulsa Community College, Sirius College, Mcredit Vietnam, Oregon City Schools, Lakozy Toyota, HyperCube
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. ProcessMaker and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
902,894 professionals have used our research since 2012.