Automation Anywhere vs Microsoft Power Automate comparison

Automation Anywhere and Microsoft are both solutions in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category. Automation Anywhere is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2. Automation Anywhere holds a 11.4% mindshare in RPA, compared to Microsoft’s 21.2% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Automation Anywhere users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 26, 2024

Automation Anywhere and Microsoft Power Automate are competing products in the realm of robotic process automation. While Automation Anywhere is often praised for its advanced automation capabilities, Microsoft Power Automate demonstrates a more straightforward deployment process and robust customer support.

Features: Automation Anywhere is recognized for its comprehensive bot store, advanced AI capabilities, and integration with various applications, which allows for in-depth task automation. Moreover, its natural language processing features and easy integration with other tools make it a strong choice for complex automation. On the other hand, Microsoft Power Automate offers seamless integration with Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics 365, providing a rich array of connectors and templates that simplify automation within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Room for Improvement: Automation Anywhere can be challenging to deploy, demanding more extensive training due to its steep learning curve, which might require enhanced user-friendliness and improved training resources. Microsoft Power Automate could improve by expanding its features beyond the Microsoft ecosystem to ensure broader applicability and capability enhancements. Both platforms could benefit from more competitive pricing strategies.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Power Automate is praised for its cloud-based model that integrates smoothly with existing Microsoft products, making deployment easier for businesses familiar with Microsoft services. Its extensive support documentation enhances user experience. In contrast, Automation Anywhere offers potent automation capabilities but demands more training and support, presenting a steeper deployment challenge.

Pricing and ROI: Automation Anywhere often incurs higher initial setup costs, justified by its advanced features and capabilities, which might offer higher ROI for large-scale, complex automation needs. Microsoft Power Automate offers flexible pricing models, providing significant ROI through its integration efficiency and cost-effectiveness for companies heavily invested in Microsoft products.

To learn more, read our detailed Automation Anywhere vs. Microsoft Power Automate Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere vs. Microsoft Power Automate

January 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

Fortra's Automate

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category, the mindshare of Fortra's Automate is 1.4%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Automation Anywhere is 11.4%, down from 15.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Power Automate is 21.2%, down from 21.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Featured Reviews

Anabel Marco

Account Director at Software Greenhouse

Can automate several processes with only one bot and is easy to implement, administer, and use

We have tried other RPA solutions like UiPath or Automation Anywhere. They are fantastic products but complex, and it's hard to understand everything. It would be best if you had a skilled developer or several. Automate is easy to implement, administer, and use. It's appropriate for us because our cases are simple and easy to automate. We don't need complicated tools with many features; We prefer to get a significant ROI quickly. We can automate several processes with only one bot, so it's much cheaper than other products where you need to buy additional licenses. We need a good value for our automation. The other solutions might be more robust, but Automate is perfect for us because we're not a large enterprise.

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IPSIT JANA

Automation & Emerging Technology Manager at Johnson Controls, Inc.

Terminal emulator enhances efficiency while error handling needs improvement

There are improvements needed in error handling processes, as currently, they rely on start and end error commands. A more strategic approach could enhance efficiency. While the implementation of a structured development approach has been introduced, further enhancements could be made to accommodate non-technical users better, perhaps by making the platform more accessible and user-friendly through a flowchart or diagram-based setup. Automation Anywhere can be moderately challenging for business users without technical skills. While the platform offers some drag-and-drop functionality, building automation requires a strong understanding of logical operations and scripting. To become proficient, users may need to invest time in learning basic coding concepts or pursuing relevant certifications. This learning curve can mean that users typically require a few months of training before they can effectively build and implement automation.

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Nilesh Pundkar

IVR Developer at Orange

Good for email routing and management features but additional costs for plug-ins

Power Automate has fewer features and more limitations in general. It's not as mature a product as some of the others, like UiPath or Automate Anywhere. One of the main issues I've found is that Power Automate struggles with accessing Excel or other Office documents on servers. Even though it's a Microsoft product, we often have to log in through remote systems, and syncing can be problematic due to the way we use servers. At the very least, they should provide access to Office 365 directly, without requiring additional logins on servers. Most people utilizing Power Automate are already working within the Office 365 environment. Any proof of concepts (POCs) using Power Automate would naturally be built on top of Office 365.

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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

"We use it for specific cases, mainly secure file transfers, which are vital for us. And it works for us."

"The best feature of Automate is its ease of use, which is a major selling point."

"A great feature that you seldom see in these kind of systems is the ability to use a database as trigger to launch a task. This is something I asked for a few years ago and that was added."

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

"I like the interface; it makes managing automation easy. We can set different schedules and templates for each task."

"The interface is simple, user-friendly, and very intuitive."

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

"The product effectively handles all the tasks we require."

More Fortra's Automate pros

"There are many features of Automation Anywhere that were found to be most valuable like WLM, PDF integration, Advanced Excel Commands, Terminal Emulator and its commands, Interactive Forms building features of A2019 which helped us in developing UI for our front office automation and integrate it with multiple rest APIs."

"Automation Anywhere receives high marks for its ease of use."

"While RPA is the cutting-edge technology to bring digital transformation, the RPA as a service will reduce costs and increase efficiency with ease of deployment, less maintenance, and cheaper upgrade costs."

"The MetaBot is a very good feature that allows me to do things that were not available in earlier versions."

"It helps improve performance and helps companies save time and money."

"It saves time for the people who operate it."

"It is easy to learn and easy to deploy. That is the best part compared to the other RPA solutions available in the market. Automation Anywhere is easier than UiPath and Blue Prism."

"The simplicity and ease of use is the most valuable part of Automation Anywhere."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"In just in one click, we can see any documentation, etc., that we need. It makes it very easy to navigate."

"The most advantageous aspect of the solution is its cloud capabilities."

"The most valuable features of Microsoft Power Automate are the connectors, such as loops, which make things easier."

"Third-party integrations with third-party applications are quite easy."

"The product is very reliable and very easy to use."

"The approval feature is the most important feature. We also use the flow history feature. It is a very useful product as compared to other products. We can automate easily when a list is updated. We can also handle approval-related issues and integrate it with emails."

"The RPA robotic process automation is a good feature. We can make a flow within a flow. We just made a UI flow. The flow is to run every day so far it's been quite helpful."

"The feature most useful for integrating different applications is its ability to create flows. Specifically, we use flows to integrate with finance and operations."

More Microsoft Power Automate pros

Cons

"The technical support could be better. We suffer from language barriers, as we are in Argentina."

"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."

"The product also has a limited use case in some respects."

"The intelligent automation feature could be improved. It's interesting because it's simple, but the automation quality isn't always good. It's easy to use, but sometimes you need to make a slight improvement to the automation, and that's not so easy."

"There is room for improvement regarding cloud functionality; there are a few missing features, and the logging could be better, especially air logging. We can go into logging events and create our own task, but it would be nice if this were more detailed."

"It would be an improvement if Automate had better stability tools, whether by recommending a certain amount of memory because it can be a memory hog at times."

"The documentation is not that great."

"Fortra's Automate is not as reliable as I would like it to be."

More Fortra's Automate cons

"We had a few setbacks because of bots getting queued and unable to force delete a task bot which kept persisting in the control room. These features should be included in future releases which will be highly beneficial."

"In the version that we have, there are some challenges with the browser-based applications, the cloning of the objects, and the solution's stability."

"The bot scaling process was painful, when you go beyond a few bots, and because we had stability issues. We had to work through the issues, and they took us a long time."

"There's a loss of overhead on the computing resources in Automation Anywhere. If you have an encrypted bot, the Automation Anywhere software has to read it first, decrypt it, and run it. So there is a potential that, if the logic of the bot isn't good enough, a lot of CPU and memory overload will happen. This is something which Automation Anywhere should look at because it takes a lot of computing resources. I have seen CPUs running at 100 percent."

"Reporting could be better because there is a little bit of overkill in getting information about the utilization of the bot license. This could be a little bit improved."

"In the learning track, I was looking at the latest feature which is coming in A2019, which is very nice, because it is a web-based. So, we can do our development while sitting from anywhere. We don't need any type of installation. It's a web-based. Nowadays, everyone has the Internet."

"Web automation capability needs to be improved."

"I would like better support. The technical support is mediocre. The support is sometimes really good, and sometimes it is really bad."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"Better support is needed for building custom components on top of ProcessRobot."

"The UI of the solution is not so good."

"Some automation features on some programs did not work smoothly."

"The technical support has room for improvement."

"This solution should be more resilient, with robots more capable of recovering after an error."

"It is mostly integrated with the Microsoft environment. Unlike UiPath, we cannot really use external tools with Microsoft Power Automate. There should be a possibility to integrate it with external tools or systems."

"When comparing with Automation Anywhere, there are a couple of things that this product doesn't have. One of the major things is the key management system. It would be great if they improve this. Its documentation can also be improved."

"The licensing model is difficult to understand and is something that should be improved."

More Microsoft Power Automate cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

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

"The cost is a bit high for a small business like ours, but we manage with Fortra's Automate."

"Once you buy the software, you just pay for the support for backend help."

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

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

"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."

More Fortra's Automate pricing and cost advice

"The cost is anywhere between $10,000 and $100,000."

"Subscription for Automation Anywhere (AA) is paid yearly."

"In most of the cases, the product value is very good. If the infrastructure, implementation, and framework are good, then generally, the client can get a good return on investment."

"The pricing is reasonable and one can achieve ROI faster when compared to other tools."

"I'm not sure what the monthly licensing cost is, as that is taken care of by another team, but I would say it's around $100,000."

"Price is where I'm least satisfied. Other vendors are more willing to offer discounts."

"We have saved customers 400% in terms of time saved by implementing this product."

"I am using that Automation Anywhere Master Certification for version 11. Recently, this has been updated in Automation Anywhere University. Until this month, it's free to use. There are no charges. That's why I would like to complete it this month."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"With our Microsoft Office 365 license, we are able to use Microsoft Power Automate."

"Its licensing is flexible."

"They have the community edition that people can use for free, and they also have the enterprise edition. My company uses the enterprise edition, and I don't know how much they pay."

"This solution can save money when used for simple tasks specifically using only Microsoft products."

"I give the cost a three out of ten."

"I am not aware of the recent pricing model, but during the time that I was using this solution is was reasonable."

"Due to the pricing model, the solution is more convenient than any other tools."

"You pay for use and if you want a premium connector or adapter, but a lot of things are available for free."

More Microsoft Power Automate pricing and cost advice

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831,615 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HelpSystems AutoMate?

We use it for specific cases, mainly secure file transfers, which are vital for us. And it works for us.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HelpSystems AutoMate?

We used the platform primarily for task automation, including transmitting EDR files. Additionally, we've utilized it...

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

The starter pack was all we needed and was reasonable. Others were either more expensive or didn't do all that I want...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It depends on your use case. Is it simply to automate a couple of processes? Is it to augment a human team? AA is ver...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

From my experience using AA tool, it depends on the applications that you want to automate, because there some applic...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It is a highly preferred RPA tool. You can check my Automation Anywhere Review to know more.

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RPA that Bots can run without centralized control?

Yes, Attended Bots which can run without centralized control Module. RPA Tools like Automation Anywhere, uiPath ,Pow...

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How do I choose between UiPath and Microsoft Power Automate?

Microsoft‌ ‌Power‌ ‌Automate‌ ‌is‌ ‌intuitive‌ ‌and‌ ‌easy‌ ‌to‌ ‌integrate‌ ‌and‌ ‌use.‌ ‌I‌ ‌like‌ ‌that‌ ‌there‌ ‌...

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How is Automation Anywhere compared to Microsoft Power Automate?

‌Neither‌ ‌solution‌ ‌requires‌ ‌any‌ ‌coding‌ ‌experience,‌ ‌and‌ ‌both‌ ‌are‌ ‌easy‌ ‌to‌ ‌use‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌great...

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Comparisons

UiPath vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 36% of the time

Blue Prism vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 4% of the time

MOVEit vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 4% of the time

More Fortra's Automate Competitors

UiPath vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 23% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 11% of the time

Tricentis Tosca vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 5% of the time

Python RPA vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 3% of the time

SAP Intelligent RPA vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 3% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

UiPath vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 34% of the time

Blue Prism vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 19% of the time

IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 3% of the time

Python RPA vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 3% of the time

Pega Robotic Process Automation vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Power Automate Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortra's Automate

January 2025

Download Fortra's Automate product report

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

January 2025

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Power Automate

January 2025

Download Microsoft Power Automate product report

Also Known As

HelpSystems Automate, Automate

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise

Power Automate, Microsoft Flow, MS Power Automate, WinAutomation by Softomotive, ProcessRobot by Softomotive, Minit

Overview

Fortra's Automate is predominantly used in HR and operational departments for automating reports, file manipulation, and data processing. Key uses include automating repetitive tasks, integrating PDFs and emails, running scripts, processing large data sets, transforming file formats, synchronizing databases, managing job schedules, and transferring files.

Users commend Fortra's Automate for its ease of implementation and user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, which requires minimal technical skills for efficient bot deployment. The software is appreciated for its effective scheduling tools, reliable integration capabilities, and a wide range of functions such as file interaction, secure file transfers, and extensive automation without the need for coding. Businesses achieve significant time savings and simplified processes, bolstered by continuous updates and robust customer support.

What are the key features?

Scheduling Tools: Enables precise control and timing for automation tasks
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly connects with various systems and software
File Interaction: Comprehensive functions for file manipulation and transfer
Secure Transfers: Ensures data safety during file transfers
User-Friendly: Minimal technical skills needed for deployment and use

What benefits should you look for in reviews?

Ease of Implementation: Fast and simple setup process
Time Savings: Reduces time spent on repetitive tasks
Process Simplification: Streamlines complex workflows
Customer Support: Access to continuous support and updates

In various industries such as healthcare, transportation, and payroll, Fortra's Automate automates workflows like invoice generation, data retrieval, data uploading, and insurance eligibility checks, enhancing efficiency and accuracy for HR and operational tasks.

Fortra

Automation Anywhere offers a robust automation platform known for its user-friendly interface, flexible scalability, and advanced automation capabilities. It's designed to streamline operations across industries by automating manual and repetitive tasks.

Automation Anywhere empowers organizations with its easy-to-use platform that simplifies automation processes through its drag-and-drop functionality. With features like MetaBot and IQ Bot, it provides advanced automation solutions. The platform seamlessly integrates with business applications, ensuring efficient operation and data protection through security features like the credential vault. Despite its strengths, there is room for improvement in integration with source control systems and third-party applications. Enhancing UI friendliness, IDE capabilities, and licensing flexibility, along with improved support in the Citrix environment, are needed. Better OCR accuracy, AI functionalities, and Excel integration would enhance user experiences.

What are Automation Anywhere's key features?

Ease of Use: Offers a user-friendly platform that allows straightforward automation of processes for non-technical users.
Advanced Bots: Includes MetaBot and IQ Bot for complex automation tasks.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with business applications for smooth operations.
Security: Features like credential vault ensure robust data protection.
Scalability: Provides flexibility and scalability for expanding automation needs.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Efficiency: Automates repetitive tasks, enhancing process efficiency.
Accuracy: Improves accuracy in operations like finance and HR.
Scalability: Offers scalable solutions for growing enterprises.
Cost Reduction: Reduces operational costs by streamlining processes.
Flexibility: Adapts to various industry requirements allowing broad implementation.

In the finance sector, Automation Anywhere is used for tasks like accounts payable, accounts receivable, and invoice processing. In HR, it's implemented for onboarding, payroll, and attendance verification. Its deployment also extends to supply chain, compliance, and customer service, providing streamlined operations by automating complex business processes.

Automation Anywhere

Microsoft Power Automate is a powerful tool that streamlines and automates tasks within an organization.

It is used for workflow automation, data integration, and creating automated notifications and approvals.

Power Automate connects different applications and services, such as SharePoint, Excel, and Outlook, to automate data transfer and synchronization.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Aldergrove Financial Group, Preferred Health Professionals, Mindbeam Technologies, First Credit Union in British Columbia, Vestcom International, Prime Liberty Benefits, University of Tampa, CNLBancshares, World Precision Instruments, BJ's Restaurants, Globe Pequot Press, Accudata Technologies, Norton Healthcare, Pacific Toxicology Laboratories

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics

1. Coca-Cola 2. General Electric 3. Siemens 4. Accenture 5. Deloitte 6. Johnson & Johnson 7. Ford 8. Nestle 9. Procter & Gamble 10. IBM 11. Amazon 12. Google 13. Microsoft 14. Adobe 15. Cisco 16. Oracle 17. SAP 18. Intel 19. HP 20. Dell 21. Verizon 22. AT&T 23. T-Mobile 24. Walmart 25. Target 26. Home Depot 27. McDonald's 28. Starbucks 29. Nike 30. Apple 31. Facebook 32. Twitter

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere vs. Microsoft Power Automate

January 2025

Free Report: Automation Anywhere vs. Microsoft Power Automate

Find out what your peers are saying about Automation Anywhere vs. Microsoft Power Automate and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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