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Robotic Process Automation Developer at Bulwark Technologies L.L.C.
Real User
Mar 22, 2023
Is a very good solution for no-code automation and reduces human error
Pros and Cons
  • "The best feature of Automate is its ease of use, which is a major selling point."
  • "The documentation for errors needs improvement as many of the error messages we receive are very vague."

What is our primary use case?

My company, where I work, is a value-added distributor for Fortra's Automate. We distribute Automate and other solutions to various customers, each with a different use case. We develop a proof of concept solutions and full projects for them. We have done projects for hospitals for insurance eligibility checking, HR automation, and price comparisons for vendors. A specific use case is the insurance eligibility checking we have done for a hospital chain in the region. Whenever a front desk employee takes a person's ID, they enter the identifying number and our bot picks up the ID from the back end, searches the insurance portal for the ID, and finds out if they are eligible, what their copay is, what their coverage is, and what network they are in.

The solution can be deployed on-prem or on the cloud depending on the organization's requirements and preferences.

How has it helped my organization?

For no-code automation specifically, Automate is very good. It is all just drag and drop, so developers do not need to see any of the underlying code that is going on behind the scenes. This makes it very user-friendly, so no one needs to be highly technically proficient to start developing solutions with Automate, which is a great benefit. However, if someone is a more proficient developer who wants to use a more traditional coding language, they can still integrate it into their workflow, as Automate has actions for that.

No-code drag-and-drop and form-based development are very useful for clients who don't want to dedicate a lot of technical resources to developing and automating. We have seen this in our clients, where they have their regular IT staff who are not doing a lot of coding but are still able to get Automate up and running quickly and start working with it. This is a big selling point, but there are some clients who are more used to traditional scripting languages and are less willing to try out Automate. It varies on a case-by-case basis, but in the majority of cases, having no-code automation is a major advantage.

Fortra offers a free Automate Academy on its website, which includes multiple modules and hours of videos covering the basic and advanced concepts of Automate, such as working with workflows and more technical aspects. Customers can also get certified through the Academy. Additionally, the Bot Store provides pre-built bots that can be freely modified, edited, and used for specific use cases. Most of the bots in the Bot Store are free. Combining both of these resources provides a good amount of support for training. However, the amount of time it takes to learn Automate depends on the individual and their technical background. Those with a developer background may find it easier to pick up and use Automate, as they will already have the concepts of loops and if statements. With a few hours of training and practice, they should be able to use Automate effectively. Fortra also provides additional resources to fill in any gaps.

Automate is pretty good at reducing human errors. Whatever we set up, it is done and it's functioning logically. If there are any errors that come through, it is almost always due to gaps in the logic of the implementation that we have done, which can be hard to detect. That is where most of the errors come from. There could also be some edge cases that we don't consider while developing, which might be causing some errors. But if we set it up correctly, it's usually quite effective. The other source of errors could be if we're using OCR or something similar, as there is inherently some ambiguity which can lead to incorrect readings. That is also a potential source of errors.

Automate reduced errors by 90 to 95 percent, which is an estimate based on my observation of the insurance equity process. In most cases, this estimate is accurate.

The biggest advantage of Automate which saves us time and money is that it is easy to automate any repetitive manual tasks. This means a quick return on investment can be achieved. However, my advice to companies planning to use Automate is to not just automate a single process but to also invest in maintaining and scaling Automate. They should set up an automation center of excellence and consider automating processes in other departments such as HR and finance. Automate is also easy to use compared to other solutions, so it does not require a lot of technical expertise to get started. This is the biggest selling point of Automate.

What is most valuable?

The best feature of Automate is its ease of use, which is a major selling point. It has a drag-and-drop interface, so bots can be quickly deployed. This means implementation time is relatively short, making it an even more attractive option. Additionally, the web browser of Automate is also quite good, making it easy to set up web scraping and log into websites to pick up information. All of these features make Automate a great choice.

What needs improvement?

The documentation for errors needs improvement as many of the error messages we receive are very vague. For example, an error message might simply say, "The workflow has run into an unknown status," which does not provide any insight into how or why the failure occurred. As a developer, it can be difficult to debug these errors due to the lack of information. 

The logging and failure notifications could be improved because we can set up logging for each step, but we have to manually add it to each task. Similarly, we can set up an action so that when the task fails, a screenshot is taken and an email notification is sent, but we have to go into the task and build a condition for that. It would be better if the logging and error failure notification could be done at a global level, rather than having to go inside the code and adjust each task.

The stability could be improved slightly. This is not a major issue, but we do occasionally lose connectivity. For example, the main central server for Automate is the developer console we are working on. If the developer console loses connection to the main console, this can happen occasionally without us realizing it until later. We may think our task is being saved, but it is not actually being saved on the server and we can lose some data. These occurrences are not frequent, but they do happen. Additionally, there are occasional crashes, although these are not too frequent. 

I would like to have more third-party integrations, as Automate already has a lot, such as Microsoft Dynamics and SharePoint. However, it would be nice to have native actions built into Automate for further third-party integrations.

The community portal is not very active, so it is not a large community. Therefore, if we encounter an issue, we cannot simply search for a solution on Stack Overflow or a similar platform.

Buyer's Guide
Fortra's Automate
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortra's Automate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
902,456 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for 14 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Automate is a highly scalable solution. As I mentioned previously, we also have an unlimited bot version, so we can deploy multiple agents. We can use load balancing across these agents. We can also set up agent groups, where we have an agent group running a certain task and a load balancer to distribute that task among these agents. We have failover and high availability support.

How are customer service and support?

The tech support from the vendor side has been excellent. We can submit a support ticket and we will receive a response within four hours. As a distributor, we also have direct email access to some of their technical support personnel based in Europe. They are usually very responsive and can usually help us with any issues we encounter.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We need to install the solution and open a few ports. The deployment can be completed in one hour on my own.

Automate doesn't make much of a distinction between attended and unattended bots. They are essentially the same thing, just with different workflows. For example, if we are setting up an attended workflow, there will be some actions that require user input. An unattended workflow, on the other hand, is completely automated. The pricing for both is the same and it is relatively easy to deploy. Once we have developed the bot, we can set up a skill, trigger, or file and it will run on time.

Once we have Automate up and running, we can begin working on it if we have a developer console. Setting Automate up is part of the process. So, once it is set up, we can start developing from there. A simple task, such as reading an email and moving the file to a folder, can be developed in two hours. However, this is a very basic task.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation is completed in-house.

What was our ROI?

We can usually see a quick return on investment with Automate after implementation. It is relatively easy to develop, so solutions can be deployed quickly. However, there may be times when maintenance is required. From what I have seen in organizations, there is usually a quick return on the initial investment, although there is ongoing maintenance needed to keep it running.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

From a distributor's perspective, one of the biggest selling points of Automate is its price point. Compared to UiPath, Automation Anywhere, and Blue Prism, Automate is significantly cheaper, as it is priced per bot rather than per process. This allows a single bot to run multiple processes, but still, be priced as a single bot. Additionally, Automate is the only vendor to offer an unlimited option, where customers can have unlimited bots and each bot can do an unlimited number of tasks. Overall, Automate is very competitive in terms of price.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

Automate has a recorder feature, but I don't use it much as most actions we can do with the recorder can be done with regular drag-and-drop actions. I don't think the recorder makes it significantly easier to use.

Our clients usually deploy in one location only. I don't have much experience with clients deploying in multiple locations, but the only thing I can say is that it is only supported for Windows, so there is no Mac or Linux support. However, I have only seen them deployed in a single location. I have seen them use multiple servers, but they are all local servers.

We served customers of all sizes, from enterprise-level to small and medium. The biggest selling point for small and medium customers is that they find solutions such as UiPath and Blue Prism to be too expensive for their smaller scale. In these cases, they find Automate's pricing to be more competitive. As I mentioned, we have provided services to customers of all sizes, from enterprise-level to small and medium.

We offer two pricing models: a subscription model, where an annual cost is paid each year, and a perpetual model, where an initial deposit is paid followed by an annual maintenance cost.

I highly recommend Automate as it is a great product at an affordable price, especially for small and medium-sized customers. My biggest suggestion is to invest internally in the organization so that employees can create their own bots for their own use cases. The great thing about Automate is that it is easy to use and learn, unlike many of our competitors where highly certified individuals are needed to develop. Therefore, investing in our people so they can develop is key. Our employees who do the day-to-day work know what they can and cannot automate, so investing in automation and embracing it fully, not just as a small part of the organization, is essential.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: distributor
PeerSpot user
Katie R Thompson - PeerSpot reviewer
Katie R ThompsonMarketing Manager at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
Top 20Real User

Thank you for taking the time to review Automate! It’s great to see you're enjoying the no-code automation including Automate's drag-and-drop & form-based development features. We're happy to hear you're utilizing both Automate Academy and Fortra's Digital Market Place (formally known as the Bot Store) as additional resources at your disposal. Also, thanks for your feedback on the documentation of errors. I have shared this information with our product team. If you ever find you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to Support as they are always at your disposal. Thank you again! 

reviewer2291022 - PeerSpot reviewer
Continuous improvement coordinator at a insurance company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Nov 20, 2023
Boosts productivity with cost-effective, easy-to-use automation software
Pros and Cons
  • "I find it very user-friendly. Our IT department and other departments can seamlessly collaborate without requiring extensive training. As a business department, we particularly value this aspect, as our team doesn't consist of many IT users. However, we couldn't solely rely on a drag-and-drop approach to implement and utilize the solution within our departments."
  • "I believe we need to test various OCR tools that assist in evaluating, let's say, six different customer resyncs. We analyze their spending patterns and documentations, but current OCR support has limitations, requiring highly standardized documents, which isn't always the case. With a more advanced OCR system, we could improve processes related to credit risk management and legal matters. We're exploring how to integrate Fortra's Automate with our CRM platform, taking cues from instances where Salesforce seamlessly merged with Automate. However, we use a different CRM, Insight for New Enterprise, and we're seeking ways to connect the automation process within our CRM. We aim for the automation to continue smoothly, even in instances where traditional automation methods might face hurdles."

What is our primary use case?

Before we started using Fortra's Automate, we developed a business case in collaboration with the enterprise to determine how to implement the solution in our business. 

We explored ways to monetize our automation efforts and considered whether to create a specialized automation department or have multiple employees across various departments working on automation. We decided to appoint one dedicated person to focus on teaching and troubleshooting issues related to the Fortra Automate solution, while employees from different departments would engage in building and refining the RPA processes.

How has it helped my organization?

We automated processes across security, IT, and credit cards, addressing numerous time-consuming manual tasks such as modifying credit card parameters and managing user passwords within the IT department. With Fortra's Automate, we've significantly streamlined these processes, enabling a much faster and more transparent workflow for both the IT team and the employees involved in these processes.

What is most valuable?

I find it very user-friendly. Our IT department and other departments can seamlessly collaborate without requiring extensive training. As a business department, we particularly value this aspect, as our team doesn't consist of many IT users. However, we couldn't solely rely on a drag-and-drop approach to implement and utilize the solution within our departments.      

What needs improvement?

I believe we need to test various OCR tools that assist in evaluating six different customer resyncs. We analyze their spending patterns and documentation, but current OCR support has limitations, requiring highly standardized documents, which isn't always the case. With a more advanced OCR system, we could improve processes related to credit risk management and legal matters.

We're exploring how to integrate Fortra's Automate with our CRM platform, taking cues from instances where Salesforce seamlessly merged with Automate. However, we use a different CRM, Insight for New Enterprise, and we're seeking ways to connect the automation process within our CRM. We aim for the automation to continue smoothly, even in instances where traditional automation methods might face hurdles.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Fortra’s Automate for more than a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a distinct challenge. We lack a direct path to the internet; instead, our server connections pass through Argentina, and our Microsoft server is situated in Brazil or the United States. This setup sometimes causes connectivity issues, leading to timeouts. We're actively addressing these concerns within our cloud environment, but overall stability relies heavily on our internet infrastructure, which currently impacts the functioning of our entire setup.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Based on our records, I'd rate it around nine to ten, which is excellent. However, our on-premise servers need improvement, consistently posing challenges, prompting our decision to transition away from this setup. I'd rate on-premise performance at around five at most.

How are customer service and support?

They are good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

This is our very first solution in this category.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was challenging as we, being the first bank in the country, had limited knowledge about transitioning to the cloud. Obtaining authorization from the central bank was a critical step. With significant assistance from the enterprise and Microsoft, leveraging Azure, setting up on the cloud posed its difficulties. Although Fortra's Automate is on-premise, our CRMs are cloud-based. We're in the process of using APIs to bridge our CRM with the on-premise database, creating a hybrid solution, although the CRMs are entirely cloud-based.

What was our ROI?

Regarding the return on investment, I may not have the exact figures at the moment, but our primary focus is on enhancing efficiency. We are actively measuring and analyzing the efficiency gains we've achieved, and the results have been quite promising.

We are currently engaged in several automation projects, and we are closely tracking the benefits and returns generated by our automation efforts.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We conducted research on various solutions, but we were already familiar with Fortra as we had previous positive experiences using it in different organizations.

What other advice do I have?

Firstly, it's crucial for individuals to understand the essence of automation and why it's necessary for their tasks. Many express the need for automation without a clear vision of their existing processes or the roadmap towards automation. It's essential to have a clear understanding of current workflows and the desired destination before considering solutions to facilitate that transition.

Overall, I would rate it 8 out of 10.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Fortra's Automate
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about Fortra's Automate. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
902,456 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2143353 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Consultant
Apr 20, 2023
Provides a central place to schedule tasks and has good monitoring features and support
Pros and Cons
  • "It gives us a central place to schedule tasks and run them distributed."
  • "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."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for running reports.

How has it helped my organization?

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

It's fairly important to us that it's based on a drag-and-drop, form-based development. It required very little training.

It has helped to reduce human errors. I can't provide the metrics, but humans are prone to creating errors when doing things manually.

It hasn't recently helped reduce our organization's need to hire more people to process repetitive tasks. That's because it's a mature instance that we're supporting.

What is most valuable?

Some of the monitoring features and the dashboard are valuable.

What needs improvement?

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.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for about four months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's fairly stable. We're seeing some issues. I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It seems scalable to an extent. We've 15 users using this solution.

How are customer service and support?

I've contacted them. They were very helpful. I'd rate them a ten out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've used other solutions, but there wasn't another one I know of doing this work at this company.

How was the initial setup?

I wasn't a part of the deployment process. It was done several years ago, and I joined the team just this year.

In terms of the setup and the environment, it's virtualized on-premises. We have three EXE servers, one service box, and one server that we run the client on.

In terms of maintenance, I'm not aware of any maintenance requirements.

What other advice do I have?

To those evaluating this solution, I'd advise having your migration plan in place.

I played around with a few of the things, and it seems like a viable option for building and creating automation using no-code automation, but it also depends on the use case.

I'd rate Fortra's Automate an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1652418 - PeerSpot reviewer
Clinical business analyst senior at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Aug 20, 2021
Reasonably priced with responsive technical support and good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "We have found the pricing to be very reasonable."
  • "We've automated all the vendor processes so that we don't have to manually load any files."
  • "The documentation is not that great."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution either for uploading and downloading files on vendor SFTP sites, reading data and files and looking at files to alert and take action, and internally moving files such as data extract and reports from one destination to another, including moving into a network folder or server.

We also use it for data transformation and manipulation, such as converting files from text to Excel or CSV, unzipping files, leading rows and columns, reformatting rows and columns, and combining files.

And then we also use the solution to connect them to databases to execute SQL statements to produce reports.

How has it helped my organization?

We've automated all the vendor processes so that we don't have to manually load any files. Basically, it just automates the entire process for over 70 vendors, which is great.

What is most valuable?

The file interaction features are the most valuable aspect for us. We use them a lot and data interaction is our main use case.

Technical support is responsive.

The initial setup is straightforward.

The stability is very good.

We have found the pricing to be very reasonable.

What needs improvement?

The OCR needs improvement. 

The solution needs image recognition to integrate front-end and back-end workflows. They need to offer better organization of image capturing for image recognition.

The documentation is not that great. There have been times where I've had to reach out to HelpSystems to just try to accomplish what we're looking for. I've used other solutions that have much better documentation available.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for five years. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We haven't really tested the scalability. We haven't tried too many integrations, for example.

We have six full-time users on the solution right now.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've used tech su[pirt in the past and I have found them to be helpful and responsive. I'm satisfied with the level of service they provide. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is probably pretty straightforward, or, at least, that's my understanding. We had people System Engineers that we're able to set up pretty easily.

The biggest part about deployment is setting up the dedicated servers, which we're actually installing on the services, and therefore it is pretty painless.

What was our ROI?

We have seen ROI in terms of saving and cutting down on resources related to specific workflows. You don't have to have IT staff to manipulate files or pick them up or automate some things for end-users. Since they don't have to perform those actions, we get ROI savings there.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay the licensing fees on a yearly basis. The pricing is good.

What other advice do I have?

We're just a partner and an end-user.

We don't really use the reporting or the dashboards within the product, although they are available. 

There are other solutions that companies can use to integrate with AutoMate. I would recommend that organizations also look to pair it with other solutions like the AutoMate Intelligent Capture Solution as that can integrate very well with the RPA product.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've been very happy with its capabilities.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1550007 - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager - RPA at a security firm with 11-50 employees
Reseller
Apr 10, 2021
Great technical support, with lots of features added regularly and very good scalability capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is continuously adding more integrations to help with workflows and bot and task creation."
  • "I can say it's a very good product, it has very good results and it is well suited for my requirements, and everything more or less I've been able to create in line with what the client requires."
  • "Some companies have asked for voice integration. This is likely part of the roadmap."
  • "Each RPA product is not mature enough."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use the solution for giving the sessions to the clients and trying to get them to set up AutoMate in their organization and also help them to design and create a workflow.

For example, one of our clients, for a healthcare chain, was having a lot of COVID patients coming in in 2020. Their SAP systems are on 15(16) Field information had to go on to the Department of Health site, as all the blood samples are tested in the government hospitals. There were lab technicians keeping the SAP application open and they were copying all these 15(16) Fields of 2000 patients end of the day into the DOH website. That was taking them a lot of time. Two other people were hired to help. 

What we did for them was automate the process. We went into the SAP system and every three hours would download that information, then, we would go to the DOH site, upload these 15 Fields for all of the patients.

After two days, we could go to the DOH website, and download their PDF document, which was a report on whether they had detected COVID or not. For the data we download we would enter the date into that Excel file for the hospital and attach that PDF document onto the top record of the patient. This way, there's complete information about the patient. With this solution, the cycle was complete.

What is most valuable?

I can say it's a very good product. It has very good results and it is well suited for my requirements. Everything more or less I've been able to create, in line with what the client requires. If the clients have been stuck within everything I've been able to give them a solution on how to automate what is required. 

The solution is really pushing into cybersecurity and working to improve this aspect of the product.

They always check quarterly with the customer to find out what the customer wants to be enhanced in AutoMate. They make sure they try to put that into their roadmap. They are not complacent like some of the other RPA products which already are in the market. They're working on building out more automation so there are fewer bottlenecks in the future.

Technical support is very, very good.

We often get a sneak peek into what they will be releasing. We get to know about it first.

The solution scales extremely easily.

The stability of the solution is very good.

The implementation process is quick and easy.

The solution is continuously adding more integrations to help with workflows and bot and task creation.

What needs improvement?

So far, for two years, I have not found anything amiss.

That said, nothing is 100%. Each RPA product is not mature enough. There are always have to find innovative ways of automating. There are always challenges for automation. It is a continuously growing process. The majority of the clients want more automation in AutoMate and they want that in the roadmap. 

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

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for the last two years or so. It's been a while.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is excellent. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is excellent. It's a very good selling feature for the product. If a company needs to scale, it can do so with ease.

The companies we work with are rather large enterprises.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is very good and very prompt. They have a chatbot for partners and clients. Anybody who goes to the website can interact with the chatbot. All queries get a response within 24 hours. Their SLA is a 24 hour response time if the chatbot can't immediately connect you to someone. 

We have our own discussion portal on which we can post things and immediately there's a solution. Or if there's no solution they let us know about it and will work on a proper response. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very, very simple. In fact, one of the banks that is a client of ours for some other products plans to move from UiPath to AutoMate mostly due to the complex implementation process involved with UiPath. They have asked us to wait actually until the business comes up and then they will move to AutoMate.

It does not take a long time to set up. We have only one server, and any number of workflows can be created with one license depending on the size of the file and aspects like that. You just need a one-server setup. You don't need different kinds of products when your number of workflows increases. That is a real added advantage ofthe implementation. Our USP is, easy to implement, fast return on investment, and scalability.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

While I'm not sure of the exact pricing, it's my understanding that the solution is one the cheapest compared to UiPath, Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism, or the other tier-one options.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I'm aware of UiPath, Automation Anywhere, and Blue Prism and have done some pricing comparisons. HelpSystems is much cheaper than these options.

What other advice do I have?

We are a distributor - a value-added distributor that has the knowledge and expertise. We will combine products of HelpSystems and give to clients the tools as they require them. Many clients have more than one HelpSystems product, for example.

Overall, I would rate the solution nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Distributor
PeerSpot user
RPA Architect & RPA Product Owner at Francisco Sosa
Real User
Dec 30, 2020
Affordable with good licensing and good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The licensing of the product is very good; you only need to license it once and then you have it forever, which makes the product quite affordable."
  • "The solution has a very weak knowledge base."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to automate some repetitive tasks which we execute in IT areas, such as backups, for instance. Also, we developed a systems support enterprise related to the transport industry that captures information that comes from electronic sources like Excel and other types of forms. In addition, we also make prototypes supporting the inbox and in the backend. The system looks for information that the user requests.

How has it helped my organization?

The OCR functionalities already embedded, and you can also use the command-line functionality such as those provided by Google, IBM, or others, even AWS

What is most valuable?

The licensing of the product is very good. You only need to license it once and then you have it forever. You don't need to keep paying for it like you would if you went with Blue Prism or a solution like that. It makes the product quite affordable.

What needs improvement?

In the case of health systems, particularly the OCR functionality is not available. You need to buy a separate license for OCR. 

Sometimes and the server loses contact with the agents installed in the equipment. That's something that I personally worry about due to the fact that, when the agent loses contact with the server, you stop receiving the locks of the receiver of the program.

The solution has a very weak knowledge base.

Much like Automation Anywhere, the product could offer virtual development via the web. AA has a web browser interface that allows users to deploy from the web using AWS. It's less reliant on on-premises technology.

The solution should have stronger password management. This should be centralized.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for about a year at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is quite good. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's not buggy and doesn't seem to have glitches. We find the performance to be reliable so far.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is quite good, however, it can be a little bit expensive. If you want to expand, it will cost more.

While I'm not working with the organization that uses this solution anymore, at the time, about six months ago, there were about seven people on the product.

How are customer service and technical support?

While, in general, technical support was good, the knowledge base on offer was awful.

The online support, that kind of information you could find in the knowledge base is good. However, the shape of the knowledge base is actually awful due to the fact that you have systems that have many publishing systems. It makes it so that you have to dig around to look for the actual correct answer. 

They do have chatbots that do offer quick responses. That is hit and miss. Sometimes you get an answer right away, other times, nothing happens. The system might ask you to check back in later. It's not the best.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did use other solutions, however, we appreciated that with this product we paid once and had it forever, whereas with others we had to keep paying. At the end of the year, you'd look and see you've tried a bunch of other options and have been charged again and again and those costs add up.

We've worked with UiPath and Blue Prism.

How was the initial setup?

The Initial setup was not complex in any way. It was pretty straightforward. We didn't really have any issues with it.

In terms of deployment, everything happened quite rapidly. You can basically download it and install it and then you can work with it immediately. Then, around 50 days later, this system will ask if you want to continue working with it. If you do, you can send just an email and it can be used permanently. It was very simple.

What about the implementation team?

We have a strong relationship with health systems in Mexico and had some health systems providers help us a bit with the implementation. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution has a one time licensing cost that makes it very affordable.

Other options, like Blue prism, have an ongoing cost, which means the price begins to add up over time and ultimately costs more.

While solutions like UiPath and Blue Prism cost around $11,000-$12,000 for each license, this product costs around $7,000 and you can keep it forever.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at about three or four other options, including something from Microsoft before deciding to go ahead with this option.

What other advice do I have?

We're currently using some version of release 8 or nine. I can't recall the exact version.

The company I worked for was a consulting firm.

I'd recommend the solution as it is it's a very good tool. If you want to try it, you can simply download it and use it contract-free for about a month. That can be expanded to maybe another 30 days if you really want to test the tool to see what it can do for you. It's very useful and easy to use.

I'd work to develop a relationship with the local representative as they can answer any questions a company might have and can give some really good advice as well.

Overall, I would rate the solution at a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Senior Principal @ Trexin - an Architecting Delivery Executive and Fairy Duster in Chief at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Real User
Oct 17, 2020
Good scheduling features, but there is no auto-record functionality and it needs to be more user-friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features for my client are timing and scheduling."
  • "They do not encrypt passwords, so this is an issue with HIPAA compliance."
  • "There are many things that need to be improved. The security needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider and this is one of the RPA products that we have evaluated for our clients. We do have experience with it because one of our clients has been using it. However, this is not the right tool for our clients and I would not be comfortable bringing it up.

It is used for very rudimentary stored-procedure automation. Basically, it is for running scripts.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features for my client are timing and scheduling. They are not using it to its full potential, so this is what is most important for them.

What needs improvement?

There are many things that need to be improved.

The security needs to be improved. They do not encrypt passwords, so this is an issue with HIPAA compliance.

They don't have an auto-recording capability, which means that you have to program everything.

The impression that we had and the feedback that we received is that the interface is confusing and there are too many things that you have to do. It can be a very intimidating UI for a lot of people. They have drag-and-drop features, but they are not all that great. The interface needs to be streamlined and if they want broader adoption in a company then they need to do a better job at taking the technology out of it.

Unlike many of the larger competitors, they do not have a Community Edition where you can deploy it and test it out. You might be able to run it for a month or a couple of weeks, but that is not enough. I think that this is something they could improve on.

For how long have I used the solution?

My client has been using HelpSystems AutoMate for more than a year.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scaling this product can be very complicated and confusing.

We only have a single client using it.

How are customer service and technical support?

We had Professional Services included and from a service perspective, I think that they are good. However, they are definitely focused on the smaller scale, technical RPA work, rather than the holistic, large-business process market.

I would say that the support is fine and the knowledge is there, but they have a very technical skillset.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The licensing fees are comparable with the other products in the market. It comes with a package that costs approximately $20,000 USD per year.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

HelpSystems Automate is a niche player in the RPA market and not very well known.

One key difference is that more mature tools will have an auto-record feature, where you can press a button and it will record what you're doing. The security is also better in other products.

Competing products have better drag-and-drop capabilities.

One of my clients recently implemented UiPath, rather than this product.

What other advice do I have?

HelpSystems is a smaller company, so they are able to give their customers a lot of attention. I would say that on a small scale, this is a good low-code alternative. On the other hand, if you are looking for something more mature then it is not the right company.

I would rate this solution a four out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Principal at Adaptive Growth, Inc
Reseller
Sep 2, 2020
Good technical support and the drag and drop interface makes it easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the drag-and-drop interface, which is very Windows-like."
  • "Customers of AutoMate will realize their ROI within 90 to 120 days from their go-live date."
  • "The vendor is currently working on a solution that allows us to automatically create a process that is based on a document that we receive via email."

What is our primary use case?

Adaptive Growth is a reseller for HelpSystems' AutoMate Robotic Process Automation software system. Our primary target markets are manufacturing and distribution companies. We also feel that nursing homes and trucking companies are markets that RPA will provide tremendous benefits in operational cost reductions. HelpSystem's PDF and email integration into business software workflows is a great benefit for most any company. 

How has it helped my organization?

As a reseller of HelpSystems' AutoMate RPA the product will grow our business because of the dramatic operational cost reductions it offers to our customers. Especially when a buyer of AutoMate can grow their business without the associated cost of hiring new employees--a tremendous benefit of RPA. 

Companies that take the time to learn and understand AutoMate RPA will want to invest in the product for the benefits it offers, the operational cost reductions it provides and its quick ROI.

What is most valuable?

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

Technical support and marketing support is terrific.

The documentation is online and it's very good.

The integration is excellent. For example, it will integrate with SAP very easily. It's  API 

(application programming interface) is easy to use when and where where required.

What needs improvement?

Adaptive Growth finds that AutoMate satisfies the workflow and repetitive business processes of most any company we would address. The product's improvement will come mostly from its users which has been the case. 

For how long have I used the solution?

Adaptive Growth has been working with HelpSystems AutoMate for about nine months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

AutoMates scalability will satisfy most any company's growth requirements.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is terrific.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We worked with company a company that sold and implemented UiPath and AGI had a trial version of Kofax RPA

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and very easy. A user company just needs to follow the the implementation steps. 

What about the implementation team?

Adaptive Growth implemented AutoMate without outside help. 

What was our ROI?

Customers of AutoMate will realize their ROI within 90 to 120 days from their go-live date. However, that is dependent on the business requirements for a specific project's workflow is properly defined and documented so it meets that workflows business expectations,

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We especially like the way AutoMate is priced. Our customers can license it or pay a one-time purchase price dependent on the number of users. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We were looking at UiPath and Kofax, and we chose HelpSystems and AutoMate because the product is so Windows like and easy to use.

What other advice do I have?

Our advice for any company who is implementing RPA including AutoMate is to make sure that the requirements for a specific process are clearly defined and documented.

Overall, we find that this is a good product and it's easy to learn and implement. A buyer of Automate RTA never has to become dependent on an RPA implementation company or a consulting firm and its associated costs. 

That said, the principals at AGI have been in the software industry for 35 plus years selling and implementing software systems that address critical business requirements and expectations, we know that a software project will fail when those expectations are not met. 

We would rate this solution a eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. AGI is a reseller of Help Systems' Automate
PeerSpot user
Chief Technology Officer at LIbi Technologies
Real User
Top 10
Jun 4, 2020
An interface that is intuitive and easy to use, and it saves us time spent on manual processes
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface is simple, user-friendly, and very intuitive."
  • "Overall, this is a pretty nice product and I really recommend it because it is very easy to use."
  • "The OCR for Hebrew text needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our use case for this solution is in the HR department. We are a company that has external consultants that perform services for other companies, and each employee has to give us reports describing their hours each month. Based on these reports, we charge the customer accordingly.

We have PDF files that are scanned and sent to us by phone. These are from our employees on the customer's site, and our human resources personnel review them afterward. The reports are compared with our in-house system, the files are reviewed, and the hours are approved. Once this is complete, an invoice is sent to the customer.

How has it helped my organization?

Prior to using AutoMate, our process of collecting reports from employees was manual.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the ease of use. The interface is simple, user-friendly, and very intuitive. We have a software development group and we expected to have to do some programming, but we didn't have to. Everything was already built-in, within the system.

This solution is very efficient. It took us only four hours to develop our bot that automates the process, and two people were involved in the development.

It would be nice to have an EBI connector for AutoMate.

What needs improvement?

The OCR for Hebrew text needs to be improved. The recognition of Hebrew characters is not the strongest part of AutoMate.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using HelpSystems AutoMate for about six months.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have only implemented the process in the HR department, which has approximately 400 employees. Our intention is to implement it for other uses, as well.

How are customer service and technical support?

I contacted technical support when we had an issue with a PDF file. They responded very quickly, within six or seven hours. After speaking with them, they provided us with a solution to the problem within two hours.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We also use UiPath, although this is for other departments in the company. For the HR department, everything was done manually.

I think that the main purpose of this tool is the automation of internal processes. This is unlike their competitors, who deal mainly with business processes. If this were a customer service application, for example, then I would probably use a different product.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. One person is required for deployment and maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

Our in-house team handled the deployment.

What was our ROI?

We save more than 200 person-hours per month.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Everything that I used was already built into the system, so we did not have to pay any costs beyond the standard licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

There are third-party applications that integrate with AutoMate, although we did not have a need to use any of them.

Overall, this is a pretty nice product and I really recommend it because it is very easy to use. We also save a lot of money, just with one bot.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Automation Architect at Credibanco
Real User
May 15, 2021
Good machine learning, easy to set up, and offers very helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "This tool has machine learning and voice recognition and computer vision, which are both quite useful aspects. These aren't available in other tools. It's a good addition to this tool and it gives the solution an edge on the market."
  • "The interface could be more user-friendly and easier to navigate."
  • "We aren't completely satisfied with the stability; the system can slow down and the program occasionally crashes and closes."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use this solution in order to automate manual processes in our operations. 

What is most valuable?

This tool has machine learning and voice recognition and computer vision, which are both quite useful aspects. These aren't available in other tools. It's a good addition to this tool and it gives the solution an edge on the market.  

The initial setup is easy. The deployment doesn't take too long.

Technical support is helpful. We use them a lot and they are quite responsive. 

What needs improvement?

The stability of the studio client could be improved upon. Currently, sometimes it slows down and occasionally it will force the program to close completely - which is unexpected. 

The interface could be more user-friendly and easier to navigate.

It would be helpful if the solution was available in the cloud as well as opposed to just being available on-premises. On-premises infrastructure offers limited scalability.

For how long have I used the solution?

We started using the solution about two years ago now, and therefore that is the amount of experience I have with it. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We aren't completely satisfied with the stability The system can slow down and the program occasionally crashes and closes. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

As the solution is on-premises, the scalability is limited. 

Just last month, we bought a new license, and therefore we do have plans to continue to use the product.

We have about 30 people currently using the product.

How are customer service and technical support?

We use technical support a lot and we find them to be quite helpful and responsive. We are very satisfied with their level of service. 

How was the initial setup?

We found the initial setup to be easy. It's not overly complex or difficult. It's straightforward for the most part.

The deployment is pretty fast. It takes about two hours to deploy the solution.

What other advice do I have?

We are just a customer and an end-users.

I would recommend the solution. It's one of those solutions that are helpful in terms of reaching our goals and we've mostly been quite satisfied with its capabilities. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortra's Automate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Fortra's Automate Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.