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IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs WorkFusion comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 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 Cloud Pak for Automation
Ranking in Process Automation
21st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WorkFusion
Ranking in Process Automation
12th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) (9th), Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is 0.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WorkFusion is 0.5%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Process Automation
 

Featured Reviews

SYEDMUJTABA - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Arijit-Ghosh - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud platform orchestrates business processes with AI capabilities
I find the capabilities that a normal orchestrator should have to be valuable in WorkFusion. The WorkFusion 10 cloud-based platform is different from the earlier on-prem version, WorkFusion 9. The platform now includes auto machine learning and AI capabilities. We haven't used these extensively, but they are a nice feature they are working on. The platform remains stable with well-designed processes, despite being a complex and technical tool.

Quotes from Members

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

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."
"WorkFusion's RPA Express's ability to scale across multiple geographies with limited impact on additional IT Hardware requirements. This has enabled the scaling of Robotics capabilities and solutions across all our entities."
"The most valuable feature is that it is easy to use."
"The platform remains stable with well-designed processes, despite being a complex and technical tool."
"We have been very pleased with the speed and decisiveness of WorkFusion, which is able to quickly provide a disposition note or escalate to a human for additional review."
"We have seen Workfusion improve on accuracy and compliance... With the Workfusion model, we reduce human error and the need for further QC. We switch more to a QA process where we're testing whether the model is effective."
"It is useful that WorkFusion provides the entire infrastructure, which allows me to focus on writing code without worrying about maintenance."
"It is useful that WorkFusion provides the entire infrastructure, which allows me to focus on writing code without worrying about maintenance."
"The dashboard is the solution's most valuable feature. When clients want to look at the data it's very easy for them to do so. The dashboard for the IT manager is very useful if there are issues and to create and follow processes."
 

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."
"If we're talking from a developer perspective, the task of actually building automation is not ideal. That's not their strong side."
"There could be better version control through their web platform. That is something that could be improved on. Integration from the IDE, e.g., from WorkFusion Studio directly into Control Tower, would be nice to have too."
"This is a Java-based application that takes up a lot of space and when it runs, consumes a lot of memory. This affects the reliability because it gets to a point where it hangs."
"One thing we didn't like was their OCR solution. We felt it's somewhat inefficient."
"We are having some database issues, but we are addressing them."
"I would like WorkFusion to improve the automation rate when evaluating unstructured text."
"I frequently face issues with infrastructure and some WorkFusion-related problems, such as login issues."
"I would like it if they provided a more detailed roadmap in terms of where they are going with the product. As we are trying to make decisions about the things that we are going to do to try to augment our capabilities, we could know whether they are thinking about the same things or not."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"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."
"One upgrade took a year to do, from the first server being built to the last bot being migrated. This was because we had to migrate all our existing bots. This is the same process and time frame that we are expecting towards the upcoming upgrade. I will end up spending half a million dollars to do an upgrade."
"The solution was not the cheapest, but it was also not the most expensive. Workfusion was very open to negotiating pricing and to working within the objectives of our firm."
"As a first-time customer who wants to engage with WorkFusion, not working for my company, then I would want to do a PoC. The cost is prohibitive because they will ask me to get infrastructure with six or seven servers. Then, you must buy a WorkFusion license to do a PoC, which is expensive. I would then have to set up a team to build the PoC and see the benefits. That is very prohibitive."
"The overall cost could come down a bit in terms of maintaining the servers. Because it can handle complicated things in big use cases, the infrastructure is also correspondingly big. It would be nice to bring that cost down."
"We are on an annual contract to use the solution."
"It is not the most expensive solution, but it is also not the cheapest."
"In addition to the licensing fee, there is also an implementation cost for each use case and technical support costs."
"Find it online."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
30%
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
8%
Insurance Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Cloud Pak for Automation?
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, ar...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Cloud Pak for Automation?
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 pr...
What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Pak for Automation?
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. ...
What do you like most about WorkFusion?
If you compare it to its competitors in the market, it is more Java-native.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for WorkFusion?
WorkFusion is cheaper than Kofax, but I cannot compare it to UiPath ( /products/uipath-reviews ) without exact pricing. It is worth the money as a tool.
What needs improvement with WorkFusion?
In low-code automation, most parts are not customizable, particularly when Excel is involved, which increases complexity. The system can break down, requiring numerous exception cases, thus complic...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Deutsche Bank, Amerant Bank, Bank of Asia, Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal, LPL Financial, Carter Bank & Trust, Selective Insurance, HPE, Canadian Tire, Standard Bank, Humana, New York-Presbyterian, Houston Methodist, Six Financial, State Street
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. WorkFusion and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
859,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.