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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)
14th
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 August 2026, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM Business Automation Workflow is 1.2%, down from 2.1% 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

"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 is a good tool provided you can use it cross-platform where there are a lot of features."
"It gives us the ability to create toolkits and use them across many different applications. It allows us to write things one time, instead of having to write a diary for every single different application. We can write at once and reuse it."
"IBM Business Automation Workflow has a flexible pricing mode, but the price is expensive, and the price of the solution reflects the quality of the solution which is very high."
"The most valuable feature is automation, which is quite strong and we are quite happy with it."
"It has increased productivity on the development side, we have been able to move applications from thought to production quicker, the solution saves time in development as well as with time to deploy, and it has been able to reduce operating costs."
"The system is fully customizable, very resilient, and fault-tolerant."
"This product is tightly integrated with the RPA automation process."
"Its performance, stability, and security are fine."
"What I like most is the seamlessness of the workflow capabilities."
 

Cons

"IBM Business Automation Workflow could be more intuitive, with more advanced low-code features and services definition."
"If the issue needs escalation to level two or level three, it can take time on a case-by-case basis."
"The main areas which need improvement are specifically around reporting and analytics."
"The development UI is sometimes a little slow."
"Code management lacks merging capabilities. If parallel development requires merging, improvements in this area would be beneficial."
"The initial setup is actually a really complicated process."
"The monitoring features must be improved."
"However, on Windows, I believe considerable administration tasks are required to maintain environment stability."
"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

"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."
"When you compare with Laserfiche and M-Files, IBM is expensive."
"Licensing varies by use-case."
"Our license is on a three-year term."
"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."
"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."
"The product is expensive."
"The solution has saved us time."
"We have a yearly license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
23%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Construction Company
8%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Outsourcing Company
12%
Construction Company
11%
Computer Software 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: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.