IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs ServiceNow Now Platform comparison

IBM and ServiceNow are both solutions in the Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies category. IBM is ranked #30, while ServiceNow is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.1. 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: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. ServiceNow Now Platform

June 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 August 2026, in the Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies category, the mindshare of Automation Anywhere is 6.3%, down from 7.5% 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 1.2% 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	6.3%
ServiceNow Now Platform	2.1%
IBM Cloud Pak for Automation	0.9%
Other	90.7%

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

"If we want to read a scanned PDF, we use IQ Bot. Using the cognitive detail of IQ Bot and some machine learning abilities, we can train the IQ Bot to process all scanned PDF documents and give the results in an Excel file. This is a very good feature introduced by Automation Anywhere. IQ Bot is doing well."

"The Control Room for the bots and its ability to connect bots with APIs are the most valuable features."

"The core functionality, the ability to automate these tasks and to interact, both with our own in-house software solutions as well as with our customers' and vendors' solutions and portals, has been incredibly valuable for us."

"Now, we can have the bot check all of them."

"We recently switched to document automation that comes with the bundle. It is a good feature because earlier, we needed to purchase a separate license for IQ Bot, but now the enterprise license includes the DA license. This eliminates the need for an additional license for document automation."

"Automating a tedious manual process has helped to reduce manual work and the time taken to process the records."

"What I appreciate the most about Automation Anywhere is its ease of use."

"It extracts what the IQ Bot does, converting it and ensuring the entire process right from the input to the output and is fully automated. It is digitizing a particular process, which is really great."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"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."

"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."

"ServiceNow Now Platform is clearly more futuristic and much better to integrate with all other applications."

"ServiceNow Now Platform is very powerful in terms of data management."

"The integration with other tools is pretty good."

"The solution has more products than being an ITSM tool. Big customers such as those from Telcom tend to like it. Some of our customers use AI-based chatbots."

"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."

"What I appreciate best about ServiceNow Now Platform is that they are self-sufficient, they have a good ecosystem built around it, and they integrate with a lot of standard partners, which is a great thing to talk about."

"The tool helps to automate IT service management processes. It's the market-leading technology. It can provide the company with chatbots and a unique process or workflow orchestration. It can be customized to the customer's specific needs, enabling semi-automatic or full automation processes. It integrates fully with SAP and offers a wide range of advantages for both us and our clients."

"Aside from the fact that the license module is very expensive, it's a great product."

More ServiceNow Now Platform pros

Cons

"Currently, there are some vulnerabilities in security that need attention in Automation Anywhere."

"As a developer or user, I feel that the performance of the overall package could be made a little better or reliable."

"I have noticed that after the bots have been delivered to run in a production environment, there are issues in terms of quality and performance."

"Unwanted windows are popping up. We have to train a bot to recognize the window if it comes up, know what it is, and click it. If it is interrupting our bot, I just want to avoid that window, because I am getting failed logs."

"Right now, we are using a VM with Automation Anywhere installed inside it, but it would be nice if the solution could be used on macOS."

"The Excel part needs improvement because we use it as a database. Right now, we are using UiPath for this feature, as that RPA tool allows us to sort, search, and filter in Excel databases."

"There could be more training provided by Automation Anywhere."

"One day, there will be a message box saying that the application is down or not available on a weekend. The instructions will say read the information and click, "Okay." But a bot doesn't understand the instructions because it is not the IQ system."

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."

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

"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."

"We would like to see AI used to automate some of the functionality in this solution."

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

"The solution doesn't allow users to create custom tables, which would be a big improvement."

"From an improvement perspective, the product's complicated initial setup phase can be made a bit easier."

"The basic reporting system is rather static."

"ServiceNow Now Platform's adoption seems to be a main challenge for our clients."

"In ServiceNow Now Platform, UI is an area with certain shortcomings requiring improvements."

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

More ServiceNow Now Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The current pricing for Automation Anywhere seems a little higher compared to competitors Power Automate or UiPath. Automation Anywhere is perceived as pricey due to the support model charges ranging from 20% to 30% based on the plans."

"The ROI is really good. We have saved time and money."

"This solution costs approximately $3,500 USD per license."

"On a scale of one to ten with ten being the most expensive, I rate the price of Automation Anywhere an eight out of ten."

"We are not receiving the right information about their features, e.g. Automation Anywhere University, or anything that they are selling. They need to improve their documentation."

"Including the AWS setup and everything per license, it costs us around $10,000 on an annual basis. I believe that is pretty reasonable considering the teams that we have."

"The pricing is fair. My company is part of a big organization, so the pricing is very advantageous."

"It is not cheap, but we are able to get an ROI."

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."

"Pricing is based on the number of users and user licenses, but the product is 20% to 30% more than the competition."

"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."

"Most of the features are included in the licensing cost. However, if we need extra plugins that are not available at the ServiceNow Hub or store, then we have to pay extra for those."

"The solution is expensive."

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

"It is expensive only."

"The product is very expensive."

"The solution is expensive, and I rate it a ten for pricing."

More ServiceNow Now Platform pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Construction Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Construction Company

12%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Construction Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	157
Midsize Enterprise	82
Large Enterprise	558

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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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 many areas where ServiceNow leverages AI or machine learning to enhance the features, and they are already ...

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What is your primary use case for ServiceNow Now Platform?

ServiceNow Now Platform has many use cases available. It allows significant customization and integration capabilitie...

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Comparisons

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 9% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 6% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 3% of the time

WorkFusion vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

Appian vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 16% of the time

IBM BPM vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 13% of the time

Camunda vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 13% of the time

Nintex Process Platform vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 9% of the time

Azure Automation vs IBM Cloud Pak for Automation

Compared 8% of the time

More IBM Cloud Pak for Automation Competitors

Airtable vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 6% of the time

Pega Platform vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 5% of the time

ServiceNow vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 4% of the time

Unqork vs ServiceNow Now Platform

Compared 4% of the time

More ServiceNow Now Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

August 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

Process Automation

July 2026

Download IBM Cloud Pak for Automation product report

Buyer's Guide

ServiceNow Now Platform

July 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

June 2026

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

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. ServiceNow Now Platform and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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