Appian vs Hyland OnBase comparison

Appian and Hyland are both solutions in the Business Process Management (BPM) category. Appian is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0, while Hyland is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.0. Appian holds a 6.2% mindshare in BPM, compared to Hyland’s 0.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Appian users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Hyland users who would recommend it.

Appian

Read 60 Appian reviews

6,398 Views
4,538 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Hyland OnBase

Read 12 Hyland OnBase reviews

380 Views
252 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Appian

Hyland OnBase

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 5, 2025

In the business process management software category, Appian and Hyland OnBase are prominent contenders. Appian demonstrates an advantage with its advanced workflow capabilities and deployment flexibility.

Features: Appian is distinguished by its low-code development platform that facilitates rapid application creation. This includes robust process modeling, case management, and real-time analytics integration. Hyland OnBase excels in document management with strong data security, flexible integration into business processes, and comprehensive indexing capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Appian could enhance its user interface customization, mobile flexibility, and integration with enterprise tools. Hyland OnBase needs to improve its user interface, advance its BPM capabilities, and offer more competitive pricing models.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Appian offers multiple deployment models, including public and hybrid cloud, with responsive customer service that could still improve. Hyland OnBase focuses on private and on-premises deployments, offering average customer service that efficiently handles simple issues but struggles with more complex ones.

Pricing and ROI: Appian is known for high pricing yet delivers significant ROI due to its rapid deployment options. Its flexible licensing can be challenging for smaller businesses. Hyland OnBase’s modular approach can lead to added costs per implementation, making its pricing high but often justified by comprehensive solutions. Evaluating ROI is crucial for both platforms prior to implementation.

To learn more, read our detailed Appian vs. Hyland OnBase Report (Updated: February 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Appian vs. Hyland OnBase

February 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

Appian

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

5th

Ranking in Low-Code Development Platforms

4th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Process Automation (4th), Rapid Application Development Software (5th), Process Mining (6th)

Hyland OnBase

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

16th

Ranking in Low-Code Development Platforms

14th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Content Management (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of Appian is 6.2%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hyland OnBase is 0.3%, down from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Management (BPM)

Featured Reviews

Srimanta Pandit

Senior Consultant at Protiviti consulting

Flexible, improves operational efficiency, and reduces the time taken to complete processes

The solution’s turnaround time for development is better compared to other tools. The solution enables fast development. The traceability of the processor is good. There is much more governance and regulations on the processers. The tool reduces the time of the processes by 30% to 40%. The solution’s low-code aspect has greatly impacted the development and deployment speed. One of the major reasons we are using the product is that we can reuse the modules. The developers can reuse all the modules. It enables us to make subsequent developments in less time. The prebuilt modules can be deployed within two to three weeks. The tool is very flexible. Compared to other platforms, the Appian product team was agile in quickly customizing things for us.

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Phemy Lekalakala

Manager of Information Systems at University of the Witwatersrand

Stable content and workflow management solution with a valuable retention module

We use this solution for record management and digitization of records. We also use it for workflows and to build online forms The retention module is one of the most valuable features. Whatever we scan onto the system can be identified and we are notified when the records are due to be disposed.…

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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

"Appian is a very low code platform. It's very easy to learn and use."

"The agile manner that we require to create our workflows. This is probably the most critical part of our solution and the time it takes to start processing the solution."

"Another advantage of this tool is its reports and records. You can maintain dashboards, layouts. If you with a Java solution, it takes six months time. If you use this tool, you can finish in one or one and a half months' time."

"Form building capabilities and well thought out process modelling are key points to this product."

"It is really simple to create a new app, and I like the data-centric aspect of the BPM tool."

"The Application Designer is very user friendly. There are also lot of plug-ins that you can use and, for the most part, they are free."

"There is a version coming out every six months with performance improvements."

"Rapid development with low-code makes it easier to quickly get apps implemented and the time to break-even and ROI is much faster."

More Appian pros

"The solution is very developed and we are not taking full advantage of its functionalities."

"The product's initial setup phase is not difficult."

"The retention module is one of the most valuable features. Whatever we scan onto the system can be identified and we are notified when the records are due to be disposed."

"OnBase is a remarkable tool. It is a well-done product. Hyland has a lot of experience in building it and looking for new things for clients in terms of functionalities. It has amazing stability, and it can grow horizontally and vertically. It is built for growth. Their technical support is also quite good and available throughout the year."

"We found the setup process to be okay since they do offer a troubleshooting guide."

"I like the cloud and its integrability."

"Integrating Hyland OnBase with our systems enabled us to automate document designs and templates, which was extremely helpful in the finance and banking industry."

"It provided data security features, allowing restrictions on sensitive documents, such as who could view or modify them."

More Hyland OnBase pros

Cons

"The product’s pricing could be improved from the developers' perspective."

"There are some restrictions with respect to using external components within Appian. So, for example, if we do not have a particular feature available, there's a long cycle of getting approvals and all of that. That does not offer flexibility, which definitely can be improved on."

"While Appian is generally flexible, it's rigid in some ways. It takes longer to do something that isn't available out of the box."

"The UI of Appian is more internal. Recently, there has been an addition of an external user portal for the customer-facing stuff. It's still coming out."

"A point of improvement would be the SAIL forms. The built-in tool used to generate forms does not have debugging support (to view local variables as they change on live preview, and step-by-step valuation) which is a big drawback for form development. Moreover, the script language used to build SAIL forms does not support inheritance or lambda expressions (functions as arguments of other functions), which makes the code base more verbose."

"Appian has a few areas for improvement, which my organization raised with the Appian team. One is the Excel output which is limited to fifty columns when it should be up to two hundred or three hundred columns."

"We'd like improved functionality for testing new devices."

"The ability of the interface to load automatic data is not great."

More Appian cons

"For user experience, they would have to do more with the interface. It is not easy to work with and is a little messy. It is getting better, but it is not yet good enough. Other products are comparatively doing better in terms of the user interface. I have been hearing about Box, which is very easy to use and learn for the users. OnBase has to work on this aspect. It should have BPM capabilities. We compete with tools that provide the BPM feature and support those standards. They can do better in terms of the pricing model. It is a really expensive tool in Latin America. They should have different prices for different regions."

"The dashboards do have some room for improvement as compared to the other vendors which are there in the market."

"We need to troubleshoot why our reports didn't get downloaded in a day. There is a workflow feature which powerful but also complicated."

"The migration is a bit difficult in the tool."

"We found the size of images to be a restriction, though this may have been due to the API used rather than the Hyland application."

"The solution’s initial setup is a little difficult."

"The application could potentially be more open-source, allowing integration with more solutions."

"An area for improvement would be the training - getting our people up to speed on how to use it required more training than we expected due to the complexity of the solution."

More Hyland OnBase cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You can't really test the software properly without actually buying the license first."

"BPM done right is a huge value proposition for almost any company, and with Appian's low code rapid development model, the ROI can be huge, while the break-even point should be accelerated tremendously."

"When it comes to pricing, it's definitely not affordable. However, it really depends on the requirements that you're seeking from the solution."

"Appian is very flexible in their pricing. In general, Appian's pricing is much, much lower when compared to competition like Pega or other products. Appian also has a flexible licensing model across geographies. Pega usually goes with a single licensing cost—which is a US-based cost—for all global customers, and it's costly. Whereas Appian has a different regional licensing cost model and it can be cheaper, depending on geography. So Appian's licensing is very flexible, and cheaper when compared to other competition."

"The cost is a bit higher than other low-code competitors, OutSystems and Mendix. The price needs to be more competitive."

"The tool is quite costly."

"It's an enterprise tool and can be used by enterprise only. So it's a very expensive tool."

"The price is high."

More Appian pricing and cost advice

"The tool's price is high."

"The solution costs around $6,000 per month."

"OnBase is reasonably priced."

"There are a number of different types of licenses. There are concurrent licenses, individual licenses and imaging licenses."

"They can do better in terms of the pricing model. It is a really expensive tool in Latin America. They should have different prices for different regions."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

30%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

14%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which do you prefer - Appian or Camunda Platform?

Appian is fast when building simple to medium solutions. This solution offers simple drag-and-drop functionality with easy plug-and-play options. The initial setup was seamless and very easy to imp...

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Is Appian a suitable solution for beginners who have no additional preparation?

Appian is actually pretty big on educating its users, including with courses that reward you with certifications. There is a whole section on their company’s website where you can check out the edu...

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Is it easy to set up Appian or did you have to resort to professional help?

We had some issues when we were setting up Appian. It was quite surprising, since this is a low-code tool which, in its essence, means it is meant for business users and inexperienced beginners. So...

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What do you like most about Hyland OnBase?

The solution is very developed and we are not taking full advantage of its functionalities.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hyland OnBase?

As we had an enterprise license, we were not limited in terms of user access. We also paid for workflow licenses, which allowed up to 250 concurrent users.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Hyland OnBase?

We found the size of images to be a restriction, though this may have been due to the API used rather than the Hyland application. The application could potentially be more open-source, allowing in...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 11% of the time

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Salesforce Platform vs Appian

Compared 9% of the time

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Compared 19% of the time

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Compared 14% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

IBM FileNet vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 12% of the time

OpenText Extended ECM vs Hyland OnBase

Compared 9% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Appian

February 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Hyland OnBase

February 2025

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Also Known As

Appian BPM, Appian AnyWhere, Appian Enterprise BPMS

OnBase

Overview

Appian is a unified low-code platform and solution used by businesses to build enterprise applications and workflows. This product adapts to the needs of clients and the technologies they are already using to combine their data in a single workflow and maximize resources. The platform has four main components through which it transforms the work process for companies of various sizes. They are:

Complete automation: Through complete automation, companies are able to coordinate and manage employees, existing systems, bots, data, and artificial intelligence (AI) in a single workflow. The solution offers a way to centrally manage all third-party automation vendors as well.
Low-code applications: Appian offers the ability to build applications faster with visual development and low-code tools. All applications are ready-made to be suitable for mobile.
Low-code data: Appian lets companies source data from multiple types of sources, eliminating the need for data migration. Through no-code and low-code solutions and industry-standard connectors, the platform also eliminates the need for data silos.
Enterprise ready: The platform offers options for companies to scale their businesses to an enterprise level without complications.

Appian is utilized across a diverse set of industries, including automotive and manufacturing, energy and utilities, education, financial services, telecom and media, transportation, retail, insurance, healthcare, and life sciences. The most frequent use cases of Appian are customer journey, governance, risk and compliance, operational efficiency, supply chain, distributed order management, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management.

Appian Features

Appian has various features that allow users to create solutions for their businesses. These features can be separated into a few groups according to function, including automation, low-code application development, and integrations and data. Some of the most frequently used features of Appian include:

Robotic process automation (RPA): Users of Appian can assign software bots to perform rules-based tasks that need to be repeated over a set course of time. This can improve efficiency and performance within an organization while saving human resources.
Intelligent document processing: The tool offers a feature for quick and accurate extraction and structuring of data. This can reduce time and costs for organizations because it eliminates the need for outsourcing such services.
AI: Appian utilizes artificial intelligence to enhance applications, workflows, and automation. AI is also used to address complex processes and unique situations.
Business rules: Organizations can automate and simplify work processes while adhering to their operating procedures.
Application development: Appian provides a low-code development feature that allows users to deploy applications over ten times faster than through conventional approaches. This feature not only allows for quick application building, but also applications that run on multiple types of platforms, seamless data integration, and business scalability.
Integrations and data: Appian allows for data integration from a wide array of sources without the need for migration. This contributes to easy access to data across systems, real-time data insights, improved user experience, and accelerated development.

Appian Benefits

The benefits of using Appian include:

The solution ensures seamless organization growth, as it supports various UX patterns, common data schemes, and upgrades, used to facilitate application development on a bigger scale.
Appian can increase process speed and deliver applications considerably faster compared to conventional development.
The platform is easy to use and suitable for complete beginners to build applications and workflows.
Appian offers a variety of design tools that facilitate development and deployment.
Appian offers detailed real-time data insight which allows organizations to access relevant information about their processes as they are developing.
The solution offers clients the ability to move data between the cloud, on-premise, and hybrid configurations.
The platform is easy to optimize, which allows businesses to utilize it according to their personal needs.
Appian offers connectivity across web, mobile, email, voice, and chat, providing a multi-channel experience for companies and their clients.

Reviews from Real Users

A practice leader - digital process automation at a computer software company values Appian highly because the product is easy to develop, low-code, and has a good user interface.

Alan G., an advisory board member at Codecon VR, Appian offers a clear application life cycle, easy to learn documentation, and comes with a fundamentals course.

Appian

Hyland OnBase is acclaimed for its robust document management, automating workflows, and improving organizational efficiency across various industries. Praised for its ability to manage records compliantly, especially in regulated sectors like healthcare and finance, the tool also integrates smoothly with other enterprise systems. Users benefit significantly from streamlined processes, reduced manual tasks, and enhanced data accuracy, boosting productivity and customer satisfaction.

Hyland

Sample Customers

Hansard Global plc, Punch Taverns, Pirelli, Crawford & Company, EDP Renewables, Queensland Government Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (, Bank of Tennessee

Honda France Industries, Hill County Texas, Hylant Group, ING Lease France, State of South Carolina, Syracuse University, Swindon College, Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Rochester Institute of Technology, Moen, Odense University Hospital

Buyer's Guide

Appian vs. Hyland OnBase

February 2025

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