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IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) vs Microsoft Power Automate comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 4, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.0
Fortra's Automate significantly reduces costs and enhances efficiency, offering ROI in 90-120 days, saving millions for organizations.
Sentiment score
8.3
IBM RPA offers 20-30% ROI, short payback period, cost-effectiveness, automates tasks, and enhances client satisfaction and financial benefits.
Sentiment score
6.8
Microsoft Power Automate offers high ROI with minimal investment, improving productivity and saving costs via efficient automation under O365.
Fortra's Automate has effectively replaced the workload of an entire employee, saving us significant time and money.
Chief Technology Officer at DOB Systems LLC
It has reduced our expenditures in terms of purchasing more products and employing more technicians.
System Administrator
On a scale from one to ten, I would rate the ROI as nine.
Project Manager - DevOps Engineer at ACC
My customers have seen high ROI with IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) because it has a lower cost than other vendors.
Business Solutions Manager at valleysoft
On a daily basis, it saves about two to three hours.
Customer Solution Provider at Wema Bank
It has helped us save time, and we've saved thousands of hours through automation.
Assistant Manager, Data Science & Analytics at American International Group
There has been around 20% to 30% productivity improvement, which will definitely save money and costs.
Engineering Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.5
Fortra's Automate support is praised for promptness, knowledge, and helpfulness, despite some communication and access issues.
Sentiment score
6.6
IBM RPA offers reliable customer service, though some users seek better educational resources and more experienced level-one support.
Sentiment score
6.3
Microsoft Power Automate support varies by user, license, and region, with mixed response times and differing satisfaction levels.
They don't always understand the processes I'm trying to implement.
Senior Data Analyst at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees
They handle customers like me to get to the exact issue, detailing where that issue originates from a technical point of view, the resolution, and the summary they provided.
Software Engineer at Cateina Technologies
I would rate the technical support as a nine out of ten because it is quite fast and courteous.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
They need to improve their support by having more experienced level one support.
Business Solutions Manager at valleysoft
Having experience with coding is essential to fully utilize Power Automate.
Assistant Manager, Data Science & Analytics at American International Group
On a scale of one to ten, the technical support of Microsoft Power Automate rates as three within India, and eight or nine for support from outside India.
Power Platform Developer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
They offer 24-hour technical support that consistently answers inquiries.
Talent Acquisition Specialist at APERCE
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Fortra's Automate is scalable for organizations, supports cloud/on-premises, but can be costly and complex in enterprise settings.
Sentiment score
7.6
IBM RPA is highly scalable, appreciated for its cloud flexibility, aided by Kubernetes, microservices, and AI expansion efforts.
Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Power Automate is affordable and integrates well with Microsoft, despite challenges in complex, non-Microsoft ecosystem integrations.
The scalability of Automate also scores a ten out of ten.
IT Project Manager at Labo des histoires
I can deploy it on multiple infrastructures such as cloud, on-premises, or in a hybrid model.
Software Engineer at Cateina Technologies
It is easy to increase one bot or one studio without needing to buy another orchestrator, which can be quite expensive.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The solution is very scalable because it's supported by Cloud Pak for Automation, allowing scaling with other solutions or independently.
Business Solutions Manager at valleysoft
I would rate the scalability of IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as eight on a scale of one to ten.
executive procurement technology at a insurance company with 11-50 employees
Microsoft Power Automate is scalable enough for me and my customers.
Senior Operations and Group Information Technology Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Fortra's Automate is highly stable, highly rated for reliability, with occasional slowdowns attributed to external factors, not the software.
Sentiment score
6.9
IBM RPA is generally stable, with improved version 11, but some users report minor issues and memory concerns.
Sentiment score
7.5
Microsoft Power Automate is deemed highly stable and reliable, with minor glitches, often rated seven to nine for stability.
The stability of the solution is a ten out of ten.
IT Project Manager at Labo des histoires
For stability on a scale from one to ten, I would give it a solid nine.
Cloud Engineer - ll at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
It has very robust features, and it is not prone to instability.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has been running smoothly for four years without any errors, which indicates a high level of stability.
executive procurement technology at a insurance company with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Fortra's Automate requires improvements in web automation, interface design, OCR, logging, database integration, and support documentation.
IBM RPA needs stronger AI, better integrations, user-friendly features, and improved support to address user challenges and requests.
Power Automate needs stability, user-friendliness, better AI, integration, and comprehensive documentation, with improvements in OCR and error handling.
This is a significant concern, especially with critical workloads where visibility into errors is essential.
DevOps Engineer at Teksphere Global Services Limited
My major recommendation would be for easier upgrade paths between major versions.
Project Manager - DevOps Engineer at ACC
When new employees join our company, we created automation so they receive AWS credentials and all their AWS access and cloud access.
Cloud Engineer - ll at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
To improve IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for the next release, there should be more integration with external systems, and more integration with IBM's data and AI platforms is needed.
Business Solutions Manager at valleysoft
Developers should have discretion over which view they want to use, either the old designer view or the new designer view, as Microsoft is forcing the new designer view, which most developers don't prefer.
Power Platform Developer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It would be better to make it a wizard more than requiring coding.
Senior Operations and Group Information Technology Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
We haven't gone into depth to explore the integration with AI, so I am not really sure.
Engineering Manager at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Fortra's Automate provides flexible, cost-effective pricing, offering competitive rates and discounts for large enterprises compared to alternatives.
IBM RPA pricing is often high with annual licensing, but it offers flexibility, bundling, and a free trial.
Microsoft Power Automate offers cost-effective pricing but has licensing complexity and hidden costs for premium features.
Competitors are often more expensive than Automate.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
It offered what we wanted at a good, competitive price.
Senior Data Analyst at a financial services firm with 1-10 employees
It does a lot but also costs a lot.
Chief Technology Officer at DOB Systems LLC
The pricing of IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is an area that could be improved.
executive procurement technology at a insurance company with 11-50 employees
The price of Microsoft Power Automate was affordable for our clients, who are small companies.
Talent Acquisition Specialist at APERCE
I don't remember paying anything excessively or overpriced.
Sales Manager at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Microsoft Power Automate is reasonably priced compared to others in the market.
Senior Operations and Group Information Technology Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

Valuable Features

Fortra's Automate offers intuitive automation with drag-and-drop ease, integration versatility, and error reduction, enhancing operational efficiency.
IBM Robotic Process Automation boosts efficiency and productivity with user-friendly automation, integration, and advanced analytics features.
Microsoft Power Automate offers low-code automation, seamless Microsoft integration, easy deployment, and extensive features for efficient workflow management.
Automate's non-reliance on additional orchestrators makes it quite cost-effective.
Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
In my opinion, the best feature Automate offers is the scheduling.
DevOps Engineer at Teksphere Global Services Limited
Automate's compatibility with existing IT infrastructure has impacted our business operations positively by providing smooth integration with other software that we use, such as Gmail, Jira, and Microsoft 365 apps, which gives us a unified platform instead of having to keep switching from one software to another, saving a lot of time and streamlining the whole workflows.
IT Project Manager at Labo des histoires
We haven't encountered any errors in the last four years, which speaks to its reliability.
executive procurement technology at a insurance company with 11-50 employees
The analytics and reporting tools in IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) are the best compared to all other RPAs because all other RPAs only use dashboards while IBM is the only one to have a reporting tool that includes dashboards.
Business Solutions Manager at valleysoft
We have saved thousands of hours by automating tasks that would have been labor-intensive and error-prone if done manually.
Assistant Manager, Data Science & Analytics at American International Group
If I want to fill something in Power Platform and need to fill another item in Salesforce, instead of doing the same task in different platforms, I can directly fill it in Power Platform and integrate it with Salesforce through API in Microsoft Power Automate, and my work is complete.
Power Platform Developer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Microsoft Power Automate has positively impacted my organization as it has saved a lot of time and effort.
Customer Solution Provider at Wema Bank
 

Categories and Ranking

Fortra's Automate
Sponsored
Ranking in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (5th)
IBM Robotic Process Automat...
Ranking in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Power Automate
Ranking in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
133
Ranking in other categories
Process Mining (4th), Agentic Automation (3rd), Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category, the mindshare of Fortra's Automate is 2.7%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is 3.0%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Power Automate is 13.0%, down from 20.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Power Automate13.0%
Fortra's Automate2.7%
IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA)3.0%
Other81.3%
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
 

Featured Reviews

Jane Rachma Kiniti - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Project Manager at Labo des histoires
Automate has streamlined workflows and increased efficiency with powerful automation
The best features of the solution are the flexible automation features, it is rich with beautiful connectors, and it is easy to use with little to no coding knowledge required to get started, so anybody can use the tool. The intuitive interface of Automate has an intuitive design, which makes it easy to learn and use even without a strong technical background, and it has a drag-and-drop interface, which makes everything so easy and straightforward. The error handling capabilities in complex automation tasks are powerful, as it handles all types of tasks, whether complex or simple. I've never faced any problems even when dealing with complex tasks, so everything is super smooth and highly reliable, even when dealing with big tasks, as it has never slowed down. Automate's compatibility with existing IT infrastructure has impacted our business operations positively by providing smooth integration with other software that we use, such as Gmail, Jira, and Microsoft 365 apps, which gives us a unified platform instead of having to keep switching from one software to another, saving a lot of time and streamlining the whole workflows. The automated analytics have helped improve our business processes since it has increased our efficiency by automating our everyday tasks, freeing up time for us to focus more on strategic activities such as analyzing data and developing new business strategies. It is also cost-saving. By minimizing manual labor, it decreases human errors that can lead to costly mistakes. By automating the tasks, it helps to save costs, and it also improves our accuracy by reducing these errors to ensure that tasks are done almost perfectly.
MA
Business Solutions Manager at valleysoft
Has improved analytics and reporting but needs better integration and support
To improve IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for the next release, there should be more integration with external systems, and more integration with IBM's data and AI platforms is needed. There is an AI part in IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for Machine Learning, but IBM has another platform specifically for data and AI, which is integrated right now. More features are hoped for in the future.
Ayobami Shobaloju - PeerSpot reviewer
Customer Solution Provider at Wema Bank
Automating processes has saved time and improved communication
Something frustrates me concerning Microsoft Power Automate, and that is about the integration with Microsoft Forms and Excel. The issue now is that I don't get my responses synchronized automatically, and that frustrates me a lot. If the team could take this as feedback, the synchronization of the feedback responses from the forms and the Excel sheets should be seamless. This synchronization issue happens frequently, and it causes a lot of delays in the sense that the mails that ought to go out to the agents fail at some point. I have to reload these responses so that the agents can get their responses as when submitted. What I notice is that the responses don't go out without proper synchronization, so I reload the field responses, and this works afterwards. I would say probably a seamless walkthrough process for new users would be beneficial. For those using it for the first time, a seamless walkthrough process would be fine.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Performing Arts
6%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Insurance Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
5%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business25
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise10
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business50
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise66
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HelpSystems AutoMate?
We use it for specific cases, mainly secure file transfers, which are vital for us. And it works for us.
What is your primary use case for HelpSystems AutoMate?
I have used it mainly for internal process automation, including file transfer, data extraction, and scheduling jobs.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortra Automate?
Regarding the pricing of Fortra's Automate, I think it is neither expensive nor inexpensive. From what I have seen, i...
What do you like most about IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
Integrating the tool with SAP, EBS, or other ERPs is easy.
What needs improvement with IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
To improve IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for the next release, there should be more integration with external ...
What is your primary use case for IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
My customers' main use cases for IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) are especially in the banking industry, particu...
RPA that Bots can run without centralized control?
Yes, Attended Bots which can run without centralized control Module. RPA Tools like Automation Anywhere, uiPath ,Pow...
How do I choose between UiPath and Microsoft Power Automate?
Microsoft‌ ‌Power‌ ‌Automate‌ ‌is‌ ‌intuitive‌ ‌and‌ ‌easy‌ ‌to‌ ‌integrate‌ ‌and‌ ‌use.‌ ‌I‌ ‌like‌ ‌that‌ ‌there‌ ‌...
How is Automation Anywhere compared to Microsoft Power Automate?
‌Neither‌ ‌solution‌ ‌requires‌ ‌any‌ ‌coding‌ ‌experience,‌ ‌and‌ ‌both‌ ‌are‌ ‌easy‌ ‌to‌ ‌use‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌great...
 

Also Known As

HelpSystems Automate, Automate
IBM RPA
Power Automate, Microsoft Flow, MS Power Automate, WinAutomation by Softomotive, ProcessRobot by Softomotive, Minit
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aldergrove Financial Group, Preferred Health Professionals, Mindbeam Technologies, First Credit Union in British Columbia, Vestcom International, Prime Liberty Benefits, University of Tampa, CNLBancshares, World Precision Instruments, BJ's Restaurants, Globe Pequot Press, Accudata Technologies, Norton Healthcare, Pacific Toxicology Laboratories
The Hanover Insurance Group
1. Coca-Cola 2. General Electric 3. Siemens 4. Accenture 5. Deloitte 6. Johnson & Johnson 7. Ford 8. Nestle 9. Procter & Gamble 10. IBM 11. Amazon 12. Google 13. Microsoft 14. Adobe 15. Cisco 16. Oracle 17. SAP 18. Intel 19. HP 20. Dell 21. Verizon 22. AT&T 23. T-Mobile 24. Walmart 25. Target 26. Home Depot 27. McDonald's 28. Starbucks 29. Nike 30. Apple 31. Facebook 32. Twitter
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) vs. Microsoft Power Automate and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,853 professionals have used our research since 2012.