IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs ServiceNow Now Platform comparison

Why PeerSpot?

IBM and ServiceNow are both solutions in the Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies category. IBM is ranked #33, while ServiceNow is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.4. IBM holds a 0.9% mindshare in BOAT, compared to ServiceNow’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of ServiceNow users who would recommend it.

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM Cloud Pak for Automation and ServiceNow Now Platform based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. ServiceNow Now Platform Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. ServiceNow Now Platform

September 2026

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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

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies category, the mindshare of Automation Anywhere is 6.0%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is 0.9%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow Now Platform is 2.1%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Automation Anywhere	6.0%
ServiceNow Now Platform	2.1%
IBM Cloud Pak for Automation	0.9%
Other	91.0%

Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies

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.

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SYEDMUJTABA

Vice President - Digital Automation Services at Techvista Systems

Effectively handles parallel instances effectively

I find it quite straightforward, perhaps around 8.5 out of 10 in terms of ease. When we upgraded from the old version of IBM BPM to the new one within IBM Cloud Pak for Automation, we didn't encounter any major issues. There were some minor ones, but they were easy to overcome.The migration process was part of our deployment strategy. We had a plan to migrate two processes per week from on-premises to the cloud. The migration involved taking the instances and migrating them to the new environment. There is an inbuilt feature in IBM Cloud Pak for Automation that facilitates the migration process, although I personally haven't conducted it myself; it's managed by my team. Overall, the setup process was relatively smooth.

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Vishal Savajiani

Senior Analyst at DXC Technology

Low-code workflows have transformed how we automate processes and build enterprise apps

First and foremost, ServiceNow Now Platform allows us to do a low-code or no-code platform, which is the wonderful first feature. On top of that, if you want to do some customization along with the low-code and no-code, you can do it. Beyond that, if you write a full-fledged customized code and make your functionality, you can do it. Workflow is there, and we can automate our workflows. Flow is there as an option. Apart from workflow and flow, we have many business rules and script includes. These are all the technical components and features of ServiceNow Now Platform that allow us to achieve our objective. ServiceNow Now Platform offers a very easy feature that we call workflow or flow. Using workflow or flow, we can customize industry workflows. The development on that flow is very simple, and you can use drag and drop functionality. If you want to do some scripting, you can do it. This is an awesome feature of ServiceNow Now Platform that allows us to develop or automate any flow in quick time. Internally, ServiceNow Now Platform uses a lot of AI features and machine learning features. This makes it more wonderful. AI and machine learning are the core of ServiceNow Now Platform, and they are using it heavily. It is making a lot of impact on deliverables. You can develop anything whatever you want on ServiceNow Now Platform. If you understand ServiceNow Now Platform capabilities, you can develop a full-fledged application on ServiceNow Now Platform easily. You don't have to write scratch code or do any database operations. You just need to create tables and forms, which are very easy to develop if you are familiar with ServiceNow. Everything is on one platform, so it is a single source of data that you can find on ServiceNow itself for the overall enterprise. ServiceNow Now Platform offers a reporting feature very well. Along with the reporting, they are offering workspace and dashboard. All these UI interfaces you can use to extract precise information for your customer. This is really helping the customer make decisions with the precise and versatile reports. You can have a list report view, a graph report view, or a pie chart. All these features can be developed quickly and used in ServiceNow. This is where ServiceNow Now Platform makes a lot of difference.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We have saved customers 400% in terms of time saved by implementing this product."

"Other products are more low-code, whereas Automation Anywhere is no-code making it easier to learn and user-friendly."

"In human resources, we created several core SAP systems so that the basic users in human resources can reduce redundancies by 10 times with very little cost."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to transform data into clusters."

"A has a bouquet of features that can be used in our projects. We have utilized all the features in our existing projects. It may be task bots, meta bots, or IQ bots. The features in the AA bots may be object cloning or security features where the bots can be triggered only from the control room and will help clients to maintain their security concerns."

"It is easy to fix bug issues which you encounter in the post-production process."

"All customers were happy after automating using AA because of the better accuracy, it's easy to develop and manage, and it's easy to manage the orchestrator."

"The saving of efforts within my project has been to the tune of 20% as of now and I am sure that it will improve as we explore the tool more and automate many more processes."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"What this product allows us to do is to move from on-prem instances where we are running independent instances of FileNet, Datacap, and ODM. It allows us to leverage container-based resiliency and availability modeling so that we have some visibility across the CP4BA ecosystem. We're now migrating all of our data to be in the Cloud Object Storage, and we can now use some of the features of Azure in terms of how we store and retrieve content for our members and our providers."

"I believe two significant features of IBM Cloud Pak for Automation are the focus on SLA management and the capability to handle parallel instances effectively. Parallel instances, for instance, are valuable when dealing with a large number of users, enabling tasks to be performed concurrently for efficient system operation. The SLA aspect is crucial for tracking and ensuring timely completion of tasks. Additionally, the cloud compatibility of IBM BAW allows for seamless migration from on-premises to the cloud. This version also includes a business rule management system for storing and managing business rules effectively."

"We work on it directly to send out tickets, it enables us to work seamlessly, we don't need to send them out manually, and we can create a ticket and assign it in the system."

"The primary feature we find valuable is data management."

"The level of automation within the platform is great."

"The integration feature has simplified our multi-tool ecosystem. The inbuilt integrations significantly improve our solution delivery timelines. Also, standardized adapters and integration adapters reduce failure rates due to compatibility. This boosts productivity and eases maintenance."

"You can develop anything whatever you want on ServiceNow Now Platform."

"This solution is very reliable, and they are proactive."

"It is a scalable and a stable platform."

"ServiceNow is a vast application, but thankfully there are a variety of different solutions that can be easily adopted and managed according to your particular organizational structure."

More ServiceNow Now Platform pros

Cons

"It is not able to use OCR effectively and has limited usability."

"The initial setup was complex because we had to make sure all the security aspects were approved by our leadership."

"I noticed that from version 10.5 to 11.3 the number of clicks to start a bot through the Control Room and Schedule Manager have increased. In certain cases, I would like to see that become simpler, faster, and easier."

"Queues are great but need improvement. They are helpful because most of the automations are transaction-based."

"One way Automation Anywhere can be improved is in ticketing."

"Automation Anywhere can be improved in terms of complex logic implementation."

"The optical character recognition of various documents and templates, particularly when using the Arabic language, has room for improvement."

"It is very difficult to create and automate timetables because they are modal, and it would be helpful if the bot could assist us with this."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"I believe there is room for improvement in the user interface, particularly in the Process Portal that customers use to view and manage their tasks. The UI of the Process Portal needs enhancement. Additionally, in the next release, I would like to see improved compatibility with Angular, allowing for direct integration with front-end systems. It would be beneficial to have built-in GUI features based on Angular within the system, rather than developing separate applications externally. This, in turn, would provide a more seamless and enhanced front-end experience."

"One of the challenges we're having is finding vendors who have experience in developing on the cloud. We can find developers on the old platform, but it is leading-edge technology. So, we are having some challenges, and IBM is assisting us to find vendor partners. To be able to leverage all the capabilities of the new platform, we have to upgrade our existing ecosystem of FileNet applications. Upgrading to the new platform while trying to modernize is always challenging because it is like you have a moving target."

"Upgrading to the new platform while trying to modernize is always challenging because it is like you have a moving target."

"The UI and mobile UI need to be improved."

"If AI were better integrated into ServiceNow, it would lower the RPA costs and make the platform more accessible."

"The price is a bit high and can be a bit of a barrier for some customers."

"However, nothing can be ideal, so there is a scope of improvement."

"The reporting capabilities need to be improved, otherwise we need to pay for performance analytics."

"ServiceNow Now Platform's technical support needs to improve."

"The solution's user interface is very average, and it needs to be more enriched and user-friendly."

"The UI is not intuitive."

More ServiceNow Now Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing is a bit high when compared to other available tools; however, the tool is worth the cost."

"The setup cost for this is onetime and licensing is based on your choice of product."

"They are already coming out with a community license, which is really good. That's something that I wish to have."

"Complaints are generally about the cost of IQ Bot, which is higher than its competitors. The base model’s pricing is comparable to other platforms with attended, unattended, and IDP capabilities as well."

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

"We purchase on a bot basis. Our costs are approximately $5,000."

"If we talk about the automation RPA. it definitely has worked very well for us. I'm talking about giving good savings, about more than 180 FTE savings, after implementing more than 200 plus bots. It has worked well. As an organization, it has supported us very well, and also for our customers."

"It's a bit expensive compared to other RPA tools on the market."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"Its cost is almost the same or comparable to what we pay with FileNet, but I'm not sure what we pay a year. A good part of CP4BA is the CPU-based licensing model. When we're dealing with 50,000 dentists, for example, if we were to use Salesforce, we would be hit with the licensing of 50,000 dentists, whereas when we build out in CP4BA, it is just based on our CPU usage, not on individual licenses."

"IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is relatively expensive, especially considering it is designed for long-living processes, not for normal automation needs. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the pricing at around 9. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees, but IBM has multiple pricing models that make it expensive in its own way. Different plans are available, but overall, the experience suggests it is a costly solution."

"I don't have much exposure to the costs attached to the solution. I rate the product's price a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is the lowest price, and ten is the highest price since it is a costly tool."

"It is expensive only."

"I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being very expensive solution."

"People seem to be buying the tool a lot. I think its licensing is okay."

"ServiceNow is not open source, so there is a license you must pay. As for how much it costs, what I have observed is that it often depends on your subscriptions."

"The pricing of this solution is done annually and it is very expensive."

"From what I heard, the license for the ServiceNow Now Platform is paid monthly, and on a scale of one to five, I'm rating it a three in terms of pricing, so it's on the cheaper side. I don't know of any additional costs associated with the ServiceNow Now Platform, apart from the standard licensing fees."

"It's expensive and if you need some analytical views of your activity, there is an additional cost."

More ServiceNow Now Platform pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Construction Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Outsourcing Company

11%

Wholesaler/Distributor

Outsourcing Company

13%

Construction Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Comms Service Provider

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	15
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	36

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...

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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...

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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.

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Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ServiceNow Now Platform?

I do not know the setup cost details. I am not at that level where I make decisions on the cost.

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What needs improvement with ServiceNow Now Platform?

There are areas of ServiceNow Now Platform that could be improved or enhanced in the future. So far, I do not have ma...

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What is your primary use case for ServiceNow Now Platform?

As a customer of this solution, I use it as a ticketing platform in my projects. I have multiple use cases for Servic...

See all answers

Comparisons

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

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

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Appian vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 14% of the time

IBM BPM vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 12% of the time

Camunda vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 12% of the time

Nintex Process Platform vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 8% of the time

Azure Automation vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Cloud Pak for Automation Competitors

Airtable vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 15% of the time

Unqork vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Pega Platform vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 4% of the time

ServiceNow vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 4% of the time

More ServiceNow Now Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

October 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

Process Automation

October 2026

Download IBM Cloud Pak for Automation product report

Buyer's Guide

ServiceNow Now Platform

September 2026

Download ServiceNow Now Platform product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

IBM

Demo not available

ServiceNow

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

IBM Cloud Pak for Automation enhances efficiency with a comprehensive suite of tools designed for business process automation and optimization. It offers robust features that streamline workflows, help in faster decision-making, and foster agility.

IBM Cloud Pak for Automation provides a modular platform for businesses aiming to automate operations and orchestrate workflows seamlessly. It integrates AI-powered solutions to handle repetitive tasks and enable intelligent automation across the enterprise. With cloud-native architecture, it supports rapid deployment and scalability, making it adaptable to evolving needs. Its flexibility allows for the integration of third-party applications, ensuring a customizable approach that meets diverse automation requirements. Its compatibility with Kubernetes further boosts its deployment capabilities, enabling businesses to manage workloads more efficiently.

What features make IBM Cloud Pak for Automation stand out?

AI-Powered Automation: Uses machine learning to streamline tasks.
Workflow Orchestration: Organizes business processes for swifter management.
Robust Integration: Seamlessly integrates with third-party tools for enhanced workflows.
Cloud-Native Architecture: Ensures scalability and adaptability to changing conditions.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Increased Efficiency: Automation of repetitive tasks leads to improved workflow speed.
Reduced Costs: Less manual intervention saves resources and operational costs.
Agility: Quick adaptation to business changes due to seamless integration and orchestration.
Scalability: Designed to grow with business demands, supporting expansion without disruption.

IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is extensively implemented in industries such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. In finance, it automates back-office operations, thereby increasing processing speed for transactions. Healthcare leverages it to manage patient data and streamline administrative tasks, which enhances both efficiency and patient care. In manufacturing, it drives production line automation, enabling better quality control and faster time-to-market. Its industry-specific applications underline its adaptability and effectiveness in automating and optimizing enterprise processes.

IBM

ServiceNow Now Platform enhances IT service management with request cataloging, incident handling, and knowledge management. Its low-code environment, integration capability, and flexible workflow automation offer a smooth user experience and scalable solutions for enterprises.

ServiceNow Now Platform is designed for seamless integration across IT service management, including incident, problem, and change management. Known for stable performance and a user-friendly interface, it supports flexible workflow automation, efficient report generation, and comprehensive data management. The platform's scalability and low-code customization create opportunities for innovative process automation, enriching user experience. While its licensing and pricing models could be more user-friendly, enhancements in mobile capabilities, AI integration, and modern UI are on demand. Additional improvements in ERP integration and technical support are also needed. The platform serves multiple sectors with configurations for enhanced process automation and service orchestration.

Which features stand out?

Request Cataloging: Streamlines service requests efficiently.
Knowledge Management: Enhances information sharing and resource access.
Incident Handling: Smooth and effective incident resolution.
Workflow Automation: Supports flexible and adaptive process flows.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with existing systems.
IT Service Management: Comprehensive management features for IT services.
Low-Code Environment: Allows for simple and rapid application development.
Custom Scripting: Offers tailored scripting for specific needs.

What benefits can be achieved?

Efficiency: Boosts operational efficiency with integrated workflows.
Scalability: Supports growth with scalable solutions.
User Experience: Provides a smooth and intuitive user experience.
Automation: Increases productivity with automation capabilities.
Data Management: Enhances data handling and report generation.

In diverse industries, ServiceNow Now Platform supports a variety of functions such as IT service management, customer support, workflow automation, and service delivery. Organizations employ it for HR processes, analytics, asset management, and compliance. Its strong integration capabilities allow it to be paired with existing tools, offering flexible configurations and end-user support on a global scale, making it suitable for companies across sectors.

ServiceNow

Sample Customers

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

Information Not Available

experian, beachbody, health partners

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. ServiceNow Now Platform

September 2026

Free Report: IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. ServiceNow Now Platform

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