ARIS BPA vs ARIS Cloud comparison

ARIS BPA and ARIS Cloud are both solutions in the Business Process Design category. ARIS BPA is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3, while ARIS Cloud is ranked #15 with an average rating of 6.8. ARIS BPA holds a 8.1% mindshare in BPD, compared to ARIS Cloud’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of ARIS BPA users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of ARIS Cloud users who would recommend it.

ARIS BPA

Read 66 ARIS BPA reviews

5,328 Views
4,281 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

ARIS Cloud

Read 13 ARIS Cloud reviews

1,138 Views
928 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

ARIS BPA

ARIS Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

ARIS BPA and ARIS Cloud compete in the business process modeling and analysis category, with each offering unique strengths. Based on feature comparisons, ARIS BPA appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive modeling capabilities and integration features.

Features: ARIS BPA offers robust capabilities for process documentation, simulation, and reporting. Its extensive integration features, including SAP SolMan sync, enhance its functionality. ARIS BPA is also notable for creating and maintaining detailed process blueprints. ARIS Cloud stands out with its user-friendly interface, accessibility across multiple platforms, and ease of collaboration among users and devices.

Room for Improvement: ARIS BPA could improve its user interface, reduce complexity, and enhance documentation. It also faces high costs for customization and integration. ARIS Cloud would benefit from better integration capabilities, improved security measures, and a smoother interface to support seamless collaboration and robust process execution.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ARIS BPA offers multiple deployment options, including on-premises and cloud, providing flexibility but adding complexity. Customer service reviews are mixed, with reliability concerns. ARIS Cloud excels in hybrid and public cloud deployments with scalable options. Its customer service is generally strong, though there is room for more consistent communication.

Pricing and ROI: ARIS BPA is considered expensive, with a complex licensing model that can be challenging for smaller organizations. However, its broad capabilities make it a valued investment. ARIS Cloud offers a simpler licensing model, making it more affordable and appealing to a wider range of enterprises, promising a flexible path to achieving ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed ARIS BPA vs. ARIS Cloud Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

ARIS BPA vs. ARIS Cloud

January 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 838,713 peers since 2012

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

ARIS BPA

Ranking in Business Process Design

4th

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

ARIS Cloud

Ranking in Business Process Design

15th

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

21st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Business Process Design category, the mindshare of ARIS BPA is 8.1%, down from 9.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ARIS Cloud is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Design

Featured Reviews

Veronika Ellermann

BPM Method and Tools Specialist at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees

Very user-friendly application; ARIS has an active user community; Content-sharing in the tool to be improved

The Risk and Compliance Management tool is rather complex. So, we customized it. Customization was done by SAG and was done fast. The facility for sharing content should be enhanced. For example, it would be nice if you could share content with viewers who do not explicitly have access to the model. As it is now, if you share a process with somebody that does not have access to the model, then the person receives a link that simply tells them they have no access. Particularly, when you're in the process of modeling something and you want to share it because you want to get feedback from your colleagues, I would appreciate being able to share that content. It could be valid for a period, such as 24 hours or one week. This is something that would help.

Read full review

BPMexp67

BPM Expert at a consultancy with 1-10 employees

The dynamic and flexible approach, akin to outsourcing, is beneficial for both small and large enterprises

Security is a consideration when migrating to the cloud. It's crucial to address potential risks and include security measures in the contract with the cloud provider. While there haven't been issues so far, acknowledging the risks is essential, especially when dealing with applications like ARIS. With the increasing capabilities and advancements in technology, many current challenges are likely to be resolved in the future. Despite security concerns, utilizing opportunities in the cloud and the internet offers significant advantages. Regarding areas for improvement, security remains a key consideration, especially when deploying ARIS in the cloud. However, this is not solely a product-specific concern but also pertains to the cloud environment. Beyond security, the strength of ARIS lies in its ability to serve as a unified repository for enterprise architecture. Having all information in one place facilitates alignment with the company's vision, strategy, and business objectives. Reducing redundancies across departments is crucial for maintaining service quality and minimizing costs. It ensures that everyone is on the same page, fostering collaboration and preventing discrepancies in information and services. While I currently use Guardis for this purpose, the concept of enterprise architecture is applicable, and ARIS stands as a valuable tool to support business processes and technology alignment within the company.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is user-friendly and easy to expose."

"Also, the UML parts have been improved very much in the last two years. And it's very powerful now to combine the BPMN and UML parts in the product, because you can make a connection between them, so that you have the right interoperability between them. So if you're doing data modeling, you can use your class diagram and bind that to the BPMN part."

"ARIS is probably the most mature product in terms of modeling an enterprise architecture so that it has context."

"It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"ARIS BPA has a good directory option, which helps to keep track of all of your metadata, and that's very useful."

"The capability to integrate all information of the business and to generate simulations of processes. It can analyze the model of operations quickly."

"Objects can be reused across different BPMNs and processes, so we can design new processes quicker and easier."

"The initial setup and installation are very straightforward."

More ARIS BPA pros

"In terms of UX design, somebody who has not had experience with ARIS will be able to use it very easily."

"This solution has improved the way our organization does training."

"From a total cost of ownership perspective, running this on the cloud is more efficient than having someone in the company take care of the infrastructure."

"The cloud version has the advantage that you can work on it from anywhere."

"Aris Connect opens collaboration opportunities between team members within the organization where they can actually submit change requests, navigate processes, and offer comments. It opens up the potential for BPM within the organization. I didn't see such an angle of a BPM portal with any other products. So I would say that's the best selling feature."

"Signavio is more intuitive, allowing users with no prior knowledge to navigate and understand its functionality more readily."

"It has proved that it also works in complex circumstances."

"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its being very easy to use, making it a very user-friendly tool."

More ARIS Cloud pros

Cons

"Since ARIS 9.X was released, the product has not been as robust and responsive as the previous versions."

"The model graphics can be exported in PDF, but the model is too small to read."

"There are some things in the collaboration module that could be improved a little, such as the functionality which dynamically pushes notifications to interested people when a process changes during the Release Cycle Management workflow."

"Displaying role allocation matrix models in ARIS Connect needs improvement."

"The interface is a little archaic."

"The user interface could be more intuitive and better designed."

"There is not enough documentation provided for the tool's support or administration."

"The reporting capabilities and the ability to create custom reports need to be simplified and made easy so that people even with a good functional understanding of the tool can leverage it to create their own custom report."

More ARIS BPA cons

"The support team of ARIS Cloud has certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

"I encounter challenges, and I am using Yuri to establish principles, define rules, conduct training sessions, and offer coaching to application owners, SMEs, and individuals responsible for technologies. This aids in providing support during these migrations. Security is a consideration when migrating to the cloud. It's crucial to address potential risks and include security measures in the contract with the cloud provider. While there haven't been issues so far, acknowledging the risks is essential, especially when dealing with applications like ARIS. With the increasing capabilities and advancements in technology, many current challenges are likely to be resolved in the future. Despite security concerns, utilizing opportunities in the cloud and the internet offers significant advantages. Regarding areas for improvement, security remains a key consideration, especially when deploying ARIS in the cloud. However, this is not solely a product-specific concern but also pertains to the cloud environment. Beyond security, the strength of ARIS lies in its ability to serve as a unified repository for enterprise architecture. Having all information in one place facilitates alignment with the company's vision, strategy, and business objectives. Reducing redundancies across departments is crucial for maintaining service quality and minimizing costs. It ensures that everyone is on the same page, fostering collaboration and preventing discrepancies in information and services. While I currently use Guardis for this purpose, the concept of enterprise architecture is applicable, and ARIS stands as a valuable tool to support business processes and technology alignment within the company."

"The stability was poor, with frequent outages."

"Initial setup is rather complex. You have to find a way to isolate the complexity, and find common ground."

"If you have multiple tiers of approvals into that update of the policy, or the process design itself, it takes ages to prepare those internal flows within the system."

"It would be very helpful if this solution were more open and could integrate with other solutions like ServiceNow."

"It seems that there could be innovations in fostering spontaneous cooperation between departments and individuals. This extends to case management and finding new paradigms for enhancing such cooperation. While some approaches, like basic case management tools, have been tried in the past, they may not have met expectations entirely. However, ongoing efforts in administrative science are focused on these areas. Companies with innovative ideas can contribute to progress, possibly involving concepts related to trust, even within the context of web 3. There are intriguing developments in how economic and business organizations can be formed. When it comes to learning about these concepts, starting with simple examples and gradually moving to more complex ones is advisable. Begin with the basics, excluding unnecessary details that might hinder understanding. Over time, you can delve into more intricate aspects, such as Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, to gain a deeper understanding of these technologies."

"The trial version of this solution does not give you enough time to learn how to use it, so it should be extended to one year."

More ARIS Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Usually, our company buys technical support from the Software AG site. We bought the technical support for the first year of usage for ARIS version 6 and 7. So, when we migrated to ARIS version 7, we bought support only for the first year. Then, we didn't use it the next year. Our experience was that we use it only one to three times during the first year. Therefore, there wasn't much value for us to buy this service because we have no problem with using ARIS after the first year."

"ARIS BPA is too costly from a licensing perspective."

"Pricing for ARIS BPA is average, not cheap or expensive. It's cost-effective and worth the money we pay."

"I would recommend the product to only enterprise companies because of the pricing."

"The product is expensive."

"ARIS enables you to start small and grow the use of the solution over time, although it's quite expensive. So if you want to start small, it's quite an investment for a small company."

"ARIS Express is free."

"We have a concurrent license system."

More ARIS BPA pricing and cost advice

"There is a student version of this solution that can be used for free."

"The cloud deployment is not more expensive. In the cloud, you pay for what you use, and there's no need for maintaining infrastructure or additional personnel, making it cost-effective. On-premises deployment, on the other hand, involves infrastructure costs and maintenance expenses."

"The licensing model of ARIS Cloud is leaner and more beneficial to the customer. The new license model is great. With the on-premise, you needed to subscribe to many more types of licenses. Now there are licensed bundles available on the cloud."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Business Process Design solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

14%

Energy/Utilities Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ARIS BPA?

The most valuable features of ARIS BPA are its flexibility and reporting.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ARIS BPA?

Pricing for ARIS BPA is average, not cheap or expensive. It's cost-effective and worth the money we pay.

See all answers

What needs improvement with ARIS BPA?

Improvement should be made as per customer requirements.

See all answers

What do you like most about ARIS Cloud?

The solution's most valuable feature stems from its being very easy to use, making it a very user-friendly tool.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ARIS Cloud?

From what I understand, ARIS Cloud is a very expensive solution. The company opted for a cost-effective route, leading to limited functionality.

See all answers

What needs improvement with ARIS Cloud?

The mapping capability of ARIS Cloud lags behind other less recognized players, making it difficult to map processes. The platform was not intuitive, leading to a complex setup and requiring signif...

See all answers

Comparisons

SAP Signavio Process Manager vs ARIS BPA

Compared 24% of the time

ADONIS vs ARIS BPA

Compared 10% of the time

Camunda vs ARIS BPA

Compared 7% of the time

Bizagi vs ARIS BPA

Compared 7% of the time

Visio vs ARIS BPA

Compared 6% of the time

More ARIS BPA Competitors

ARIS Architect and Designer vs ARIS Cloud

Compared 27% of the time

IBM Blueworks Live vs ARIS Cloud

Compared 19% of the time

SAP Signavio Process Manager vs ARIS Cloud

Compared 16% of the time

Salesforce Platform vs ARIS Cloud

Compared 8% of the time

MEGA HOPEX vs ARIS Cloud

Compared 6% of the time

More ARIS Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

ARIS BPA

February 2025

Download ARIS BPA product report

Buyer's Guide

ARIS Cloud

February 2025

Download ARIS Cloud product report

Also Known As

ARIS, ARIS BPM

Process Live, ARIS Simulation, ARIS Aware, ARIS Connect

Overview

ARIS is the market-leading solution for professional business process management and modeling. Whether you want to document the "as-is" state of your operations for quality or certification reasons or design the "to-be" in terms of continuous improvement in your transformation program, ARIS is the best choice for establishing a single source of truth regarding all process excellence topics in your organization. It is for any organization looking to digitally transform their business, increase operational excellence and customer experience and ensure compliance in execution. ARIS helps you to make the most out of your processes with Process Mining, Risk & Compliance Management, RPA and much more.

What makes the difference?

The most comprehensive platform for process excellence in the market
Easy to use
Covers business & IT architecture from all angles
Full flexibility and >100 diagram types
Customer-driven development based on best practices
Strong partner ecosystem

ARIS is the market-leading solution for any organization and ideally suited to digitally transform the organization, increase operational excellence and customer experience and ensure compliance in execution.

Software AG

What makes the difference?

The most comprehensive platform for process excellence in the market

Easy to use

Covers business & IT architecture from all angles

Full flexibility and >100 diagram types

Customer-driven development based on best practices

Strong partner ecosystem

Software AG

Sample Customers

Tesco, Weifu, Airbus, Siemens, Proximus, Alicorp, Sekerbank, Bancor, Philips,Sky, Emirates NBD, Dubai Municipality, Suva, U.S. Army, Australia Post, Westfalen Weser Energie - ARIS serves customers across all industries and of every size worldwide. Companies trust ARIS as the market leader for process excellence with more than 30 years of experience in the market, 10 million users worldwide, from 1 user companies to the Fortune 500.

Tesco, Weifu, Airbus, Siemens, Proximus, Alicorp, Sekerbank, Bancor, Philips,Sky, Emirates NBD, Dubai Municipality, Suva, U.S. Army, Australia Post, Westfalen Weser Energie - ARIS serves customers across all industries and of every size worldwide. Companies trust ARIS as the market leader for process excellence with more than 30 years of experience in the market and 10 million users worldwide, from 1 user companies to the Fortune 500.

Buyer's Guide

ARIS BPA vs. ARIS Cloud

January 2025

Free Report: ARIS BPA vs. ARIS Cloud

Find out what your peers are saying about ARIS BPA vs. ARIS Cloud and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our ARIS BPA vs. ARIS Cloud report.

See our list of best Business Process Design vendors and best Business Process Management (BPM) vendors.

We monitor all Business Process Design reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.