Blue Prism Cloud vs Fortra's Automate comparison

SS&C Blue Prism and Fortra are both solutions in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category. SS&C Blue Prism is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.5, while Fortra is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.9. SS&C Blue Prism holds a 1.3% mindshare in RPA, compared to Fortra’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of SS&C Blue Prism users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Fortra users who would recommend it.

Blue Prism Cloud

Read 43 Blue Prism Cloud reviews

1,070 Views
790 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Fortra's Automate

Read 26 Fortra's Automate reviews

1,654 Views
768 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Blue Prism Cloud

Fortra's Automate

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 4, 2024

Fortra's Automate and Blue Prism Cloud compete in the automation software market, where Automate is preferred for smaller companies due to its affordability and user-friendly interface, while Blue Prism Cloud suits larger enterprises with complex needs through its stability and integration capabilities.

Features: Fortra's Automate stands out for its ease of use, drag-and-drop interface, and cost-effective licensing model. It allows quick deployment and is favored for flexible automation solutions for smaller businesses. Blue Prism Cloud is known for its sophisticated automation, secure cloud-based capabilities, and integration with multiple cloud platforms, making it ideal for large enterprises needing advanced security and functionality.

Room for Improvement: Fortra's Automate could benefit from improving its web automation capabilities, user interface, and increasing third-party integrations. A community edition would aid broader adoption. Blue Prism Cloud should work on simplifying its complex licensing structure and making the product more approachable for non-technical users. Enhancing AI features and improving pricing and development resources for smaller companies could broaden its appeal.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortra's Automate is recognized for its responsive customer support and effectiveness, ensuring strong support infrastructure, particularly in Europe. It is primarily deployed on-premises. Blue Prism Cloud offers flexibility through private and public cloud deployment models but faces criticism for the complexity of its knowledge base, suggesting a need for better community support to increase engagement.

Pricing and ROI: Fortra's Automate is praised for being cost-effective with a one-time licensing fee, delivering quick ROI through reduced manual effort and increased productivity. Its affordability makes it attractive for smaller enterprises. Blue Prism Cloud, despite its features, is considered expensive, presenting a higher financial commitment that necessitates a careful evaluation of ROI, especially relevant to smaller enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Blue Prism Cloud vs. Fortra's Automate Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Blue Prism Cloud vs. Fortra's Automate

January 2025

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Helped 839,319 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

Blue Prism Cloud

Ranking in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

7th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Fortra's Automate

Ranking in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

5th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category, the mindshare of Blue Prism Cloud is 1.3%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortra's Automate is 1.3%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Featured Reviews

Keith Mcdowell

Chief Executive Officer at Keith F Kube and Associates

It helps us save on staff costs

I rate Blue Prism Cloud eight out of 10 for ease of setup. It's a cloud-based solution, so it isn't hard to set up. The deployment time is hard to quantify because I work for the government, and we need to go through all these internal reviews, but the technical part takes three to four weeks. The biggest challenge is security because we need to integrate it with Active Directory and set up VPN tunnels, security profiles, etc. We deployed Blue Prism in-house and used three people to set it up. One solution engineer is enough to maintain it.

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Anabel Marco

Account Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Automates processes efficiently with cost-effective scaling and robust customer support

Web scraping is quite good since it offers a lot of possibilities. Another important feature for me is its compatibility with MBI, the Power that is ISEQUADO Centers. I appreciate the ability to scale and increase the number of bots or studios without additional expense. Automate's non-reliance on additional orchestrators makes it quite cost-effective.

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

"This solution comes with a lot of good features."

"Blue Prism offers the whole package for LPR developers. It's a useful tool to automate anything. As an LPR developer, I think the most important feature is that it lets you get anything into blocks of code that you can use anywhere."

"The tool saves us from repetitive and mundane tasks. We don’t have to write, record or copy data from Excel. The product helps us save time. We save money as well since people doing this task are on various other automation tasks. The chance for repetitive entries is also reduced because the tool helps us make one-time entries."

"The solution works well overall."

"With Blue Prism, I like the feature that you build, I don't know the exact name now, but blocks or standards can be reduced later. You configure, for example, the CRM system, and you create a standardized manner of inputting data into the CRM system that you can reuse later. I'm not sure what that's called, but I enjoy it whether it's a feature or not."

"The ease of building automation and the development environment"

"It is an easily scalable solution."

"The most valuable feature of a non-programmer is diagrams. Someone from an IT background can find it easier to start automation."

More Blue Prism Cloud pros

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

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

"The pricing is excellent. I would give them perfect marks in that regard."

"I would rate the technical support as a nine out of ten because it is quite fast and courteous."

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

"We are still in the process of rolling it to production and tweaking it (our AD groups are a mess), but the improvements are priceless. Having users ID's created the same way every time without human error is the best part. We don't need to worry about why groups were not added, user rights not set to folders or missing a private folder being created, typos or just even knowing when things are done and logged."

"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."

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

More Fortra's Automate pros

Cons

"They should work on the solution's pricing."

"Pricing for Blue Prism Cloud is a pain as it's a little higher."

"Blue Prism is slightly difficult for the non-technical user."

"Having more AI functionality would be an improvement."

"Lacking advance features like CIO and optical character recognition"

"The main issue is screen scraping with Blue Prism gives us a big challenge because we need to define which technologies are web-based have been built instead of by itself discovering the technology that it is built on."

"It takes a while to get up and running."

"It would be useful if some of the information protocols came built within the app instead having to create them."

More Blue Prism Cloud cons

"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."

"I would prefer not having to log in to update a ticket; being able to respond via email would be beneficial."

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

"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."

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

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

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

"There is a lack of good development for artificial intelligence, such as machine learning."

More Fortra's Automate cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Annual licensing costs were somewhere between $5,000 - $10,000 for the development tool. For the control tower, I think fees were about $50,000 annually."

"We found the pricing reasonable, and it aligned with our budgetary requirements."

"Though I don't have many details, I think Blue Prism Cloud is an expensive product compared to the other tools in the market since you need to pay for resources like machines."

"When compared with UiPath, I believe it will be difficult for Blue Prism to maintain its market share."

"There are many RPA solutions available from different vendors and the pricing for Blue Prism is competitive."

"I would rate the pricing a five out of ten, with one being cheap and ten being expensive."

"I rate the platform’s pricing a seven out of ten."

"The pricing is fine."

More Blue Prism Cloud 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."

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

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

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

More Fortra's Automate pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Educational Organization

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

14%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Blue Prism Cloud?

It's easy to use, the interface, the the the the queries is which we use. It's user friendly.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Blue Prism Cloud?

If we utilize Blue Prism's full capabilities, then it is cost-effective. Otherwise, the pricing can seem high. It requires the right processes.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Blue Prism Cloud?

Decipher, one of their solutions, is a waste of time. Other than that, there's nothing specific I can think of.

See all answers

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?

I am a consultant and I am making a lot of processes in human resources, payroll, certifications, trainings, web scraping, pre-reporting, and many processes that need to be automated on the web. My...

See all answers

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

The pricing is quite good compared to its competitors. Competitors are often more expensive than Automate. I would rate the pricing as an eight out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

Blue Prism vs Blue Prism Cloud

Compared 21% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Blue Prism Cloud

Compared 18% of the time

UiPath vs Blue Prism Cloud

Compared 17% of the time

Robocorp vs Blue Prism Cloud

Compared 16% of the time

SAP Intelligent RPA vs Blue Prism Cloud

Compared 15% of the time

More Blue Prism Cloud Competitors

Microsoft Power Automate vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 49% of the time

UiPath vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 37% of the time

Automation Anywhere vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 8% of the time

Blue Prism vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 5% of the time

More Fortra's Automate Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Blue Prism Cloud

March 2025

Download Blue Prism Cloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Fortra's Automate

March 2025

Download Fortra's Automate product report

Also Known As

Blue Prism Thoughtonomy Virtual Workforce, Blue Prism Virtual Workforce, Thoughtonomy Virtual Workforce

HelpSystems Automate, Automate

Overview

The Thoughtonomy Virtual Workforce is a highly flexible intelligent automation platform. It uses software to replicate the way people work in existing applications and systems, the processes they follow, and the decisions they make, to deliver automation without disruption.

SS&C Blue Prism

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

Sample Customers

Cabot Credit Management, Hovis, Utilita

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

Buyer's Guide

Blue Prism Cloud vs. Fortra's Automate

January 2025

Free Report: Blue Prism Cloud vs. Fortra's Automate

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