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IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs Nintex Process Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

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

IBM Cloud Pak for Automation
Ranking in Process Automation
21st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Nintex Process Platform
Ranking in Process Automation
9th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Management (BPM) (10th), Workload Automation (11th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is 0.4%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nintex Process Platform is 1.9%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Process Automation
 

Featured Reviews

SYEDMUJTABA - PeerSpot reviewer
Effectively handles parallel instances effectively
I find it quite straightforward, perhaps around 8.5 out of 10 in terms of ease. When we upgraded from the old version of IBM BPM to the new one within IBM Cloud Pak for Automation, we didn't encounter any major issues. There were some minor ones, but they were easy to overcome.The migration process was part of our deployment strategy. We had a plan to migrate two processes per week from on-premises to the cloud. The migration involved taking the instances and migrating them to the new environment. There is an inbuilt feature in IBM Cloud Pak for Automation that facilitates the migration process, although I personally haven't conducted it myself; it's managed by my team. Overall, the setup process was relatively smooth.
Damilola Adeleye - PeerSpot reviewer
Straightforward interface and user-friendly
There are a lot of apps in K2, but what I really found that needs improvement is the management section of K2, especially the management server and the admin page where you can manage processes, add users, set security fees, and add licenses. The reason for this is because the part that is the section of administration, particularly the management called rows, has multiple rules, as many as you want. For instance, you may have around 200 rules, and when you view them, only the first ten are displayed, and you have to click next to see the next ten and so on until you get to the hundredth rule. On that page, as of today, we only have what we call to fetch, where you can search for a particular rule you're looking for, or else you have to keep clicking until you get to the final page you want. So that's a bit challenging.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I believe two significant features of IBM Cloud Pak for Automation are the focus on SLA management and the capability to handle parallel instances effectively. Parallel instances, for instance, are valuable when dealing with a large number of users, enabling tasks to be performed concurrently for efficient system operation. The SLA aspect is crucial for tracking and ensuring timely completion of tasks. Additionally, the cloud compatibility of IBM BAW allows for seamless migration from on-premises to the cloud. This version also includes a business rule management system for storing and managing business rules effectively."
"What this product allows us to do is to move from on-prem instances where we are running independent instances of FileNet, Datacap, and ODM. It allows us to leverage container-based resiliency and availability modeling so that we have some visibility across the CP4BA ecosystem. We're now migrating all of our data to be in the Cloud Object Storage, and we can now use some of the features of Azure in terms of how we store and retrieve content for our members and our providers."
"I find it useful to utilize LDAP query action to find out the status of a particular user."
"The capacity to integrate with external platforms. It's great to be able to call web services or other external services."
"I think that it adds value to any organization, mainly in terms of business applications where you need workflows."
"I really like the visual representation. It actually looks like a flow chart, which is nicer than a SharePoint Designer workflow, which doesn't have that ability."
"This tool is really helpful in reducing a lot of manual work. Its drag and drop components help to create a workflow faster than SharePoint Workflow Designer."
"With an extensive list of integrations with LOB data, your workflows can extend far beyond SharePoint, driving adoption of SharePoint."
"It saves time as tasks are automated."
"The solution offers very good integration capabilities. We've never had issues integrating it without solutions."
 

Cons

"I believe there is room for improvement in the user interface, particularly in the Process Portal that customers use to view and manage their tasks. The UI of the Process Portal needs enhancement. Additionally, in the next release, I would like to see improved compatibility with Angular, allowing for direct integration with front-end systems. It would be beneficial to have built-in GUI features based on Angular within the system, rather than developing separate applications externally. This, in turn, would provide a more seamless and enhanced front-end experience."
"One of the challenges we're having is finding vendors who have experience in developing on the cloud. We can find developers on the old platform, but it is leading-edge technology. So, we are having some challenges, and IBM is assisting us to find vendor partners. To be able to leverage all the capabilities of the new platform, we have to upgrade our existing ecosystem of FileNet applications. Upgrading to the new platform while trying to modernize is always challenging because it is like you have a moving target."
"Currently, copying workflow actions from one workflow to another is not possible. Also, the Office 365 solution is not as mature as on-premise."
"K2's support for DevOp team corporations is weak."
"While Nintex Workflow has pretty robust troubleshooting abilities, I think that improving the default logging and notifications would be helpful."
"The tool can be limiting when more complex solutions are required. Improving it to offer greater functionality and less reliance on technical expertise could be beneficial."
"K2 is a workflow solution, and there is no RPA solution with K2. This is where K2 lacks a little bit. It is just a heavy workflow solution. It doesn't have a supplemental product like RPA. If you want to use RPA, you have to use Blue Prism, UIPath, or something else. If you use Nintex, it has an RPA solution. It is a form-based application, and they are doing everything electronically. The initial investment in K2 is heavy because it is a BPM software. It does not have a low cost because they charge you the same for one workflow or 100 workflows."
"The licensing needs to be improved. Right now, we find it's getting more expensive to use the product."
"I think it was lacking a little bit in its multiple in-house processes and other processes. So there is a little bit of a gap in collaboration."
"Built-in reporting on-prem is limited and clunky at best."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is relatively expensive, especially considering it is designed for long-living processes, not for normal automation needs. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the pricing at around 9. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees, but IBM has multiple pricing models that make it expensive in its own way. Different plans are available, but overall, the experience suggests it is a costly solution."
"Its cost is almost the same or comparable to what we pay with FileNet, but I'm not sure what we pay a year. A good part of CP4BA is the CPU-based licensing model. When we're dealing with 50,000 dentists, for example, if we were to use Salesforce, we would be hit with the licensing of 50,000 dentists, whereas when we build out in CP4BA, it is just based on our CPU usage, not on individual licenses."
"For the initial hundred users, the cost is $21,000 per year, which I find too high."
"Nintex Workflow is more expensive than Microsoft's native products, but it is still considered moderately priced when compared to higher-end products such as K2."
"This solution is affordable and is cheaper than most alternatives on the market. We have a standard cloud license that costs about 20k per year."
"Comparatively, it's expensive."
"The product’s price is competitive compared to other vendors."
"The price of this solution is affordable but the problem in Algeria is our community is a bit slower. The new clients might feel the solution is a bit expensive."
"Prices for licenses of K2 are high."
"Nintex products are expensive, but valuable. Licensing in on-premise was historically based on a perpetual model, where you’d license per Web front-end. However, they are switching exclusively to a consumption (subscription) model, where you purchase the number of workflows you think you’ll use in your environment, and can scale up from there."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Cloud Pak for Automation?
I believe two significant features of IBM Cloud Pak for Automation are the focus on SLA management and the capability to handle parallel instances effectively. Parallel instances, for instance, ar...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Cloud Pak for Automation?
IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is relatively expensive, especially considering it is designed for long-living processes, not for normal automation needs. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the pr...
What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Pak for Automation?
I believe there is room for improvement in the user interface, particularly in the Process Portal that customers use to view and manage their tasks. The UI of the Process Portal needs enhancement. ...
What do you like most about K2?
The latest version of Nintex has many features. We have a clear roadmap and the necessary application to integrate it into our platform.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for K2?
Nintex Process Platform is expensive. Prices relate to both features and the professional services necessary due to our lack of an implementation team.
What needs improvement with K2?
The user interface in Nintex needs improvement. It is not very intuitive and requires changes. Additionally, the deployment process should be easier.
 

Also Known As

No data available
K2 blackpearl, K2 Five, Nintex Workflow
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
SEA Corp, Omnicom Group, Verizon, STIHL
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. Nintex Process Platform and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
847,625 professionals have used our research since 2012.