Fortra's Automate vs Microsoft Power Automate comparison

Fortra and Microsoft are both solutions in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category. Fortra is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.7, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2. Fortra holds a 1.3% mindshare in RPA, compared to Microsoft’s 21.2% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Fortra users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Fortra's Automate

Read 23 Fortra's Automate reviews

1,766 Views
867 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Microsoft Power Automate

Read 125 Microsoft Power Automate reviews

28,015 Views
16,879 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Fortra's Automate

Microsoft Power Automate

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 4, 2024

Fortra's Automate and Microsoft Power Automate are strong contenders in the automation software market. Fortra's Automate seems to have an edge due to its affordable licensing model and strong customer support, while Power Automate excels in AI capabilities and integration with Microsoft products.

Features: Fortra's Automate offers a client-server architecture, multi-machine execution, and a drag-and-drop interface for simplified automation. It integrates with SAP and PowerShell and is appreciated for its low-code functionality. Power Automate provides seamless integration with Microsoft products, rich templates, and strong AI features, making it intuitive for users with limited technical skills.

Room for Improvement: Fortra's Automate can enhance its user interface, documentation, image recognition, and expand third-party integrations. Power Automate users wish for more advanced AI features, improved OCR functionalities, and additional non-Microsoft connectors. Both products could improve in handling errors and delivering intuitive messages.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Fortra's Automate, primarily on-premises with hybrid options, is praised for its responsive support from European and Argentine teams. Microsoft Power Automate, highly compatible with cloud environments, benefits from integration within the Microsoft ecosystem. However, Microsoft's extensive knowledge base may require simplification for easier support access.

Pricing and ROI: Fortra's Automate's competitive one-time licensing appeals for long-term cost-effectiveness, offering quick ROI through reduced manual labor. Microsoft Power Automate often benefits from Office 365 suite integration, leading to lower initial costs. It offers flexible pricing but may confuse users with its licensing complexity. Both solutions demonstrate substantial ROI through improved efficiency and automation.

To learn more, read our detailed Fortra's Automate vs. Microsoft Power Automate Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Fortra's Automate vs. Microsoft Power Automate

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Fortra's Automate

Ranking in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

5th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Power Automate

Ranking in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

2nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Process Mining (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category, the mindshare of Fortra's Automate is 1.3%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Power Automate is 21.2%, down from 21.9% 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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Gowtham J

Associate - Analytics at Ernst & Young

Provides valuable integration with other Microsoft tools

The initial setup process involves three trigger points. One is a manual trigger, where users interact with a button or interface element to start the flow. The second is the recurrence trigger, which allows users to schedule automated maintenance at a specific time. Third is a data-driven trigger, where the flow is initiated based on an event in a database, such as creating a new line item in SharePoint database. Once triggered, the flow continues to execute, performing the configured actions and providing the results.

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

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

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

"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."

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

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

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

"We have found the pricing to be very reasonable."

More Fortra's Automate pros

"From my personal experience of using Microsoft Power Automate, I think that the automatic document processing feature is helpful for many organizations in streamlining administrative processes. It is a very good feature. It has helped many enterprises to process documents without spending much time on them."

"The most valuable feature is the Office connector, which connects to Excel and Exchange."

"You can automate almost everything in your organization by simply dragging and dropping and selecting a few options, whether it's an Excel spreadsheet or other on-premise data."

"The initial setup is pretty easy."

"The development time for ProcessRobot is very good compared to other solutions."

"The best feature is that it doesn't require any other connectivity."

"Power Automate has allowed us to simplify the business process and improve operational efficiency."

"Power Automate is not complex and is very easy-to-use in deploying most development projects."

More Microsoft Power Automate pros

Cons

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

"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."

"The documentation is not that great."

"The OCR for Hebrew text needs to be improved."

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

"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."

"We really need a free development environment for customers. Building and testing automation on production isn't ideal."

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

More Fortra's Automate cons

"It is challenging to scale the solution across multiple branches."

"The initial setup is complex and has room for improvement."

"Microsoft Power Automate could improve by adding more features to the free version it would be good because there are many features that you have to pay for. There are some functions that IT personnel, like myself, have a difficult time using and could be made more user-friendly."

"The downside is the lack of orchestration and supplemental tools such as capturing existing processes and using them to build out."

"It should be faster and more user-friendly."

"Power Automate is too complicated - it forces you to go through extra tasks instead of streamlining your workflow."

"There are two versions of the automation suite. You've got your cloud functionality, and you have got your on-premises functionality for legacy systems. There are a lot of functionalities between the two systems that don't cross-correlate with each other. A lot of the functionality in the cloud system is not there on the production side in the on-prem system. If they could implement some of the similar functionalities and streamline them for integration, it would be a lot easier. There should be seamless integration between the two systems."

"They should include a custom plugin feature so that we can add our custom connections."

More Microsoft Power Automate cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

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

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

"It comes with a package that costs approximately $20,000 USD per year."

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

"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."

"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."

More Fortra's Automate pricing and cost advice

"My company switched to a monthly payment for the WinAutomation by Softomotive license. I don't have the exact figure, but it roughly amounts to 500 Euros a year which isn't bad."

"This solution is reasonably priced and offers a free trial period."

"It is free with Office 365 subscription."

"Its license is a part of our enterprise agreement. It is a three-year contract, but we pay yearly. So, it is a yearly license. There are no additional costs."

"The licensing model is flexible in that you can pay per automation or per user. My client receives a discount because of the large number of users and pays approximately $15 for each one."

"The pricing of this solution is very good and for me, it's the best option there is."

"The price of the solution is reasonable. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."

"This is the cheapest option among competitors. You can choose to have the RPA with attendance at $40/month with add-on's totaling about $190. There are standalone options that require someone to run the process and there are fully automated options that are integrated within the cloud."

More Microsoft Power Automate pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions are best for your needs.

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824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

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 for repetitive tasks, such as downloading web-based reports using the browser a...

See all answers

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 wanted to do without an addon.

See all answers

RPA that Bots can run without centralized control?

Yes, Attended Bots which can run without centralized control Module. RPA Tools like Automation Anywhere, uiPath ,Power Automation they do support this.

See all answers

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 ‌is‌ ‌no‌ ‌coding‌ ‌experience‌ ‌necessary,‌ ‌and‌ ‌appreciate‌ ‌the‌ ‌automated‌...

See all answers

How is Automation Anywhere compared to Microsoft Power Automate?

‌Neither‌ ‌solution‌ ‌requires‌ ‌any‌ ‌coding‌ ‌experience,‌ ‌and‌ ‌both‌ ‌are‌ ‌easy‌ ‌to‌ ‌use‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌great‌ ‌drag-and‌ ‌drop‌ ‌functionality.‌ ‌The‌ ‌training‌ ‌and‌ ‌resources‌ ‌for‌ ‌A...

See all answers

Comparisons

UiPath vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 37% of the time

Automation Anywhere vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 7% of the time

MOVEit vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 5% of the time

Blue Prism vs Fortra's Automate

Compared 4% of the time

More Fortra's Automate Competitors

UiPath vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 34% of the time

Blue Prism vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 20% of the time

Automation Anywhere vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 18% of the time

Python RPA vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 3% of the time

VisualCron vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Power Automate Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Fortra's Automate

December 2024

Download Fortra's Automate product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Power Automate

December 2024

Download Microsoft Power Automate product report

Also Known As

HelpSystems Automate, Automate

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

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Fortra

Microsoft

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.

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.

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

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

Fortra's Automate vs. Microsoft Power Automate

December 2024

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