Robocorp vs VisualCron comparison

Sema4.ai and SMA Technologies are both solutions in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category. Sema4.ai is ranked #14 with an average rating of 9.0, while SMA Technologies is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.0. Sema4.ai holds a 1.4% mindshare in RPA, compared to SMA Technologies’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of Sema4.ai users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SMA Technologies users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 4, 2024

VisualCron and Robocorp are both automation tools with distinct market positions. Robocorp appears to have a stronger presence due to its advanced development capabilities and flexible pricing model.

Features: VisualCron provides a straightforward and user-friendly environment without requiring programming skills, making it ideal for scheduling tasks and triggering events based on specific actions, like email deliveries or file placements. It integrates smoothly with databases and Windows environments. Robocorp excels in custom development using Python, offering excellent support for AI and data science projects. It is highly flexible for creating custom libraries and automation processes, and its container-based system supports robust business process automation.

Room for Improvement: VisualCron needs to enhance log management, improve security roles, and expand user documentation. Users often find the documentation inadequate, and a more streamlined interface would be beneficial. Robocorp requires improvements in deployment processes, stability, and the addition of advanced libraries. Its documentation and UI could be enhanced to support easier code customization and comprehension.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VisualCron offers flexibility for on-premises and hybrid cloud deployments, though its customer support can be slow at times. Robocorp's deployment favors cloud environments, with users frequently praising its fast and friendly support. Both tools have active user forums, with Robocorp benefiting from a community-driven support approach.

Pricing and ROI: VisualCron offers cost-effective pricing with predictable yearly costs and simple licensing, making it suitable for businesses of various sizes. Robocorp's pay-as-you-use model is appealing for businesses with fluctuating automation needs, providing a competitive edge with its flexible pricing directly tied to usage. Both tools offer significant ROI through task automation and reduction of manual processes.

To learn more, read our detailed Robocorp vs. VisualCron Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Robocorp vs. VisualCron

September 2025

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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

Automate

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category, the mindshare of Automate is 2.0%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Robocorp is 1.4%, down from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VisualCron is 0.9%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Automate	2.0%
Robocorp	1.4%
VisualCron	0.9%
Other	95.7%

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Featured Reviews

Jane Rachma Kiniti

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.

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Sumedin Bilalic

Lead RPA developer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

Has a straightforward initial setup process and good technical support services

Adapting to Robocorp is initially challenging, especially compared to drag-and-drop automation tools like Automation Anywhere and UiPath. Writing actual code in Visual Studio Code gives freedom but also requires a learning curve. If you don't have experience with programming languages like Python, it would take six to twelve months to learn. However, once proficient, it enables faster development cycles and the ability to achieve more than traditional tools allow.

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Sourav-Dutta

Technical Lead - Database Administrator at SMART ENERGY SYSTEMS LLC

It's user-friendly, and I didn't need long to understand the process

We use VisualCron for all our automation needs, like connecting to FileZilla, calling APIs, generating PGP keys, creating encryption files with the PGP key login to Azure, etc. It can automatically log in to SQL Server and execute SQL script jobs in bulk. We had 2,000-3,000 users at my previous…

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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

"Overall, the whole product is really nice and provides significant benefits."

"The most valuable feature is the drag-and-drop interface, which is very Windows-like."

"I would recommend Automate because it has made my work much easier."

"The ability to connect to websites and pull data is the solution's most valuable feature."

"The most valuable features of Fortra's Automate include its FTP functionality and file manipulation capabilities."

"It gives us a central place to schedule tasks and run them distributed."

"The most valuable features for my client are timing and scheduling."

"Compared to other vendors, it's the scheduling tool because a lot of vendors want to charge you extra for their enterprise-level license to have a scheduling tool built in to give you the ability to set up regular schedules to run and do certain data checks."

More Automate pros

"It offers high scalability and enables automation in ways that haven't been possible before."

"The ability to create separate organizations on this platform makes it easier to bill each of the clients separately."

"It supports Python runtime because of that, runtime also improves."

"I can use it as a library by importing Python scripts, allowing me to access its many features while working with coding."

"As a developer, I found it easy to integrate third-party applications with Robocorp. I have previous experience with Selenium, and I found the Robocorp framework to be accessible because it uses Python and Selenium keywords."

"I like the fact that it's very fast. The processing speed is good, and that's what matters to me. I also like that we don't have to bother with the infrastructure setup. We don't have to care about the status of the data set, as I believe the local group will provide it. We don't care about the licensing model. We only have to care about how long we are using it."

"Robocorp is based on Python, so you can use Python scripts and create libraries for your use cases. Building libraries and custom scripts for a particular client and general use cases is easy. We can reuse those scripts for other clients, so we start seeing benefits quickly."

"The product has a valuable business process automation feature."

More Robocorp pros

"The ability to clone jobs to shorten the time it takes to implement a process has been invaluable, but its flexibility also gives us the ability to create a job that can handle a multifaceted process with a complex workflow."

"'ve only had a few cases where I've had to request support in the past 12 years of use, but the support response time and resolution were was extremely quick."

"The most valuable feature of VisualCron is its ability to schedule interactive jobs so that you can have interdependencies within the job and interdependencies of a job on another job, and so on."

"The tool has reduced our operational costs by 40%."

"I love VisualCron because we previously spent a lot of time writing Power switches to connect to SQL Server. VisualCron makes it easier to execute services or connect to FileZilla by only adding the credentials to the master credentials stored in the solution."

"We don't have to do any coding. We just plug and play and it works."

"It helped us reduce manual steps."

"VisualCron is a very powerful program to automate different steps in your business processes. We use it to automate replacing files and inform departments about the replacement."

More VisualCron pros

Cons

"Some companies have asked for voice integration. This is likely part of the roadmap."

"The documentation is not that great."

"The user interface could be slightly enhanced to make it more modern."

"The workflow for variables could be better. The input and output of task-level variables could be made a little clearer in terms of passing those around from one task to another upon success, etc. Things like that could be a little easier potentially."

"The user interface could be slightly enhanced to make it more modern."

"Regarding customer support, I face challenges sometimes. They're not always available, and you may need to wait for assistance, but overall their support is acceptable."

"I would like the updates to be easier to deploy. Integration with Amazon S3 is somewhat lacking."

"It's possible that they could use a stronger community for seeking guidance and help."

More Automate cons

"We would also like an integrated PDF reader and better integration with custom solutions. The built-in Excel customization is limited, but we can still accomplish what we want using Python. We must rely on Python to customize processes in Robocorp. I don't know about the latest IDE from Robocorp, but the old one doesn't have a lot of activities."

"Robocorp is still in development, so most of the keywords are a bit confusing. I have to alter lots of automation steps between processing and development. However, Selenium is due for an update soon, and Robcorp is addressing some of the limitations caused by the previous Selenium version."

"We use the latest version of the process studio and it takes up a lot of CPU storage. In our case, this has been up to 14 GB of storage."

"An additional feature I'm looking for in Robocorp is SAP automation."

"I preferred the user interface in the older versions. When troubleshooting, it's sometimes hard to find details about where things went wrong. You need to search a little harder. It takes more clicks to get to where you want to go. It can be somewhat confusing. When you run a process that fails, it takes you somewhere you may not expect."

"It would be better if it were more user-friendly for non-technical users. It would be better if they had some drag-and-drop features to create logic."

"The standard libraries in Robocorp should be more advanced."

"There are certain libraries in Python, such as those dealing with PDF automation and word files, that require the presence of certain external dependencies in the environment to be successfully used."

More Robocorp cons

"I want to improve the UI in VisualCron, as it's not as user-friendly, particularly when setting up the task scheduler. If you're familiar with the tool, then no problem, but if not, you'll have a problem typing text because sometimes, the cursor points to other places, so there's an issue with text box alignment in VisualCron. That was painful for me when I was just a VisualCron novice, but when you become used to it, there won't be a problem."

"VisualCron is software, and you will experience performance degradation when you scale up. VisualCron takes too much memory or CPU power. We have to increase the hardware resources of a specific server or system."

"There are some conditions in the mail trigger, but you can only use them as an "AND" condition, not as an "OR" condition. This is an improvement that could be useful. For example, some people put "invoice" in the subject and others put "invoice" in the body. If I want to make a trigger for everybody whose sending invoices, I have to make two jobs for this now."

"VisualCron's command console is a little bit difficult to understand and needs to improve."

"An area for improvement in VisualCron is its cluttered interface. It isn't always easy to find all functionalities, so what VisualCron needs is a user interface expert who can improve the interface. There's a learning curve in terms of finding what you need from the interface of VisualCron. The technical support for VisualCron also needs improvement in terms of response time. Currently, there's no live support or hotline you can call to get quick answers, so this is what I'd like to see in the next version of VisualCron. A less cluttered and more streamlined interface, where you don't need to hunt for some of the features, is also what I'd like to see in the next VisualCron update."

"I would like for VisualCron to expand audit log to show who changed job variables that are initialized per job run."

"Our suggestion to make it better and more manageable in terms of GDPR: Implement it in a very partnership way."

"The error timeout and info could be better. When making web request calls, it will time out sometimes and we won't get any useful info out of the error response."

More VisualCron cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is quite reasonable. We can run the process with one bot. The limitation is at the server level because they have some resources, and sometimes that is enough. It isn't too expensive, so you can get a good return off of one, and you can also have a pack of five bots that is quite competitive."

"From a distributor's side, one of the biggest selling points is its price point. Without going into any numbers, compared to UiPath, Automation Anywhere, and Blue Prism, we're significantly cheaper. The main difference is that other competitors usually charge you per process. However, in Automate's case, it's priced per bot. So, a bot can run multiple processes at the same time, but you are only priced for a single bot."

"From a distributor's perspective, one of the biggest selling points of Automate is its price point."

"I like the way this solution is priced because you can buy a license, or you can buy the software outright."

"It has gone up in price. The price of Fortra's Automate has increased since we first started using it. It does a lot but also costs a lot. It was a lot more affordable before Fortra owned the software."

"I believe the price falls within a reasonable range, which significantly influenced our decision regarding the product. This aspect is crucial for any technological solution, especially in our country where enterprises might be hesitant to invest heavily in something untested or uncertain about its practicality and potential returns."

"I'm only involved in running the product and maintaining the systems, so I can't speak to the cost."

"Compared to other products, the pricing model for this solution is much more convenient, flexible, and adaptable to the Portuguese reality."

More Automate pricing and cost advice

"Robocorp is much better in terms of pricing compared to UiPath."

"You don't have to pay for the license. You have to pay for the time you use it."

"The product has good pricing."

"It's a cost-effective solution."

"The price is cheaper than other competitors. I would rate the cost as one out of five."

"In terms of licenses, there is a return on investment in that area."

"The pricing is fine."

"The solution is a very affordable price."

"The price is a bit high."

"ROI is 95 percent."

"The pricing is extremely fair, and because of that I recommend purchasing multiple instances to split out the processing load across multiple application servers."

"VisualCron is correctly priced because it wasn't very cheap, and it wasn't overly expensive, so the price for it was set correctly. When my previous company bought VisualCron, it was €800 per server per year. On a scale of one to five, I would rate the pricing for VisualCron a five because it was just right. The tool was affordable, and it has one of the most competitive pricing in the market."

"ROI is one month."

"We are fine with a rather cheap setup. Licensing with VisualCron is fair. You have a simple one-year licence in different sizes. There isn't a licensing jungle with hundreds of options and opt-ins."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Performing Arts

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

27%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	18
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	5

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.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HelpSystems AutoMate?

My main use case for Automate is to deliver enterprise-scale script execution jobs, which means we are using Automate...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortra Automate?

Until now, I have not specified any other tech products except Microsoft Power Automate, N8N, and Make.com that I've ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Robocorp?

The product has a valuable business process automation feature.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Robocorp?

The product has good pricing. They offer an efficient pay-as-you-go pricing model. There are different models for ent...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Robocorp?

The platform's documentation could be better.

See all answers

What do you like most about VisualCron?

The tool has reduced our operational costs by 40%.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VisualCron?

The price is a bit high. However, it is okay.

See all answers

What needs improvement with VisualCron?

The documentation is a bit weak. The tool must provide a better set of documentation.

See all answers

Comparisons

UiPath Platform vs Automate

Compared 21% of the time

Nintex RPA vs Automate

Compared 16% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automate

Compared 15% of the time

Redwood Software - Finance Automation Edition vs Automate

Compared 9% of the time

Control-M vs Automate

Compared 4% of the time

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UiPath Platform vs Robocorp

Compared 56% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Robocorp

Compared 14% of the time

BotCity vs Robocorp

Compared 13% of the time

Automation Anywhere vs Robocorp

Compared 9% of the time

Blue Prism Cloud vs Robocorp

Compared 8% of the time

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Microsoft Power Automate vs VisualCron

Compared 34% of the time

Control-M vs VisualCron

Compared 22% of the time

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs VisualCron

Compared 9% of the time

OpCon vs VisualCron

Compared 8% of the time

Stonebranch vs VisualCron

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automate

October 2025

Download Automate product report

Buyer's Guide

Robocorp

September 2025

Download Robocorp product report

Buyer's Guide

VisualCron

September 2025

Download VisualCron product report

Also Known As

HelpSystems Automate, Automate

No data available

Overview

Automate offers a user-friendly solution with a drag-and-drop interface for efficient task automation and integration with major platforms like SAP and Azure, making it ideal for quick deployment with minimal coding and training.

Automate provides powerful features for businesses seeking efficient automation, offering compatibility with databases, email integration, and cloud platforms. Its simple interface supports both beginners and experienced users, simplifying tasks like invoice processing, HR automation, and data transformation. Cost-effective pricing and flexible licensing enhance its appeal while integration capabilities and scheduling tools ensure smooth workflow automation.

What are Automate's Key Features?

Drag-and-Drop Interface: Simplifies automation with intuitive design.
Integration Capabilities: Connects with platforms like SAP and Azure for seamless data flow.
Database and FTP Triggers: Enhances automation potential through direct data interaction.
Efficient Scheduling: Automates tasks with precise timing and control.
Web Scraping: Automates data extraction for quick analysis and reporting.

What Benefits and ROI Should Users Expect?

Rapid Deployment: Minimizes coding efforts for quick implementation.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers flexible pricing models to suit budget constraints.
Operational Efficiency: Reduces manual workloads and enhances productivity.
Comprehensive Integration: Facilitates improved data management across systems.
Scalability: Adapts to growing business needs with ease.

In industries such as healthcare, banking, and logistics, Automate is used for tasks like invoice payment automation, data transformation, and task automation. This leads to streamlined processes and reduced manual workload, illustrating its value in enhancing operational efficiency through diversified workflows.

Fortra

Most robotic process automation initiatives fail to get off the ground because the current drag-and-drop offerings are expensive and frustrating for developers. Robocorp is a Python-based open source stack for automating applications and processes. Automate any task you can imagine with hundreds of keywords and libraries with performance, scalability, and security built-in. Our cloud robots can run on any platform from any machine, and scale horizontally to ensure mission-critical processes complete as efficiently as possible. Getting started is free, and our resource-based pricing ensures your costs are always straightforward - no matter how much your implementation grows.

Sema4.ai

VisualCron offers task automation through a visual interface, eliminating the need for programming skills. With capabilities like alerting and variable usage, users benefit from integration with databases, timely task execution, and cross-platform operations.

VisualCron empowers users by simplifying complex workflows. It allows seamless task automation through features like interactive scheduling and role-based operations. Users appreciate its integration capabilities, replacing multiple tools with a comprehensive automation solution. The support system ensures quick assistance, making it a reliable choice for workflow visualization and task execution. However, areas like error handling and interface design require enhancements for improved user experience.

What are the key features of VisualCron?

Visual Interface: Users automate tasks without needing programming skills.
Integration: Connects with databases and multiple systems to streamline operations.
Alerting: Notifies users about tasks and system statuses.
Task Scheduling: Allows interactive management of automated tasks.
Credentials Management: Enables cross-platform operations securely.

What benefits can users expect when evaluating VisualCron?

Increased Efficiency: Reduces the time spent on manual processes.
Cost Reduction: Eliminates the need for multiple tools by consolidating functionalities.
Enhanced Support: Offers robust post-sales support for quicker assistance.
Streamlined Workflows: Simplifies complex task automation.

Organizations leverage VisualCron in industries like finance and logistics to automate tasks such as encryption and secure file transfers. It's also integral in managing data operations, facilitating communications between systems, and executing SQL jobs, enhancing operational efficiency across sectors.

SMA Technologies

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

Information Not Available

7 Eleven, ABB Sécheron SA, Adobe Systems Incorporated, Amazon Europe Core, Apple, Assa Abloy, Aston Martin, Banco Santander, BMW (Australia)

Buyer's Guide

Robocorp vs. VisualCron

September 2025

Free Report: Robocorp vs. VisualCron

Find out what your peers are saying about Robocorp vs. VisualCron and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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