The RPA software market is projected to reach $13.74 billion by 2028, growing at an impressive CAGR of 33.6%. With many leading solutions, it‘s an exciting time for RPA adoption.
Automation Anywhere has quickly risen to become one of the top RPA vendors with over 3,000 employees, 3,000+ customers, and $850 million in funding. Their solution helps organizations efficiently automate repetitive tasks.
However, based on my experience advising clients on RPA and analyzing user reviews, Automation Anywhere has faced some challenges around:
- Time-consuming setup and overcomplicated admin
- Steep learning curves for bot developers
- Unintuitive UI that relies heavily on coding skills
In this article, we‘ll analyze Automation Anywhere‘s top 3 competitors that appear to excel in usability: IBM, UiPath, and Microsoft Power Automate.
Why Automation Anywhere‘s Alternatives Are Gaining Traction
Automation Anywhere offers powerful RPA capabilities. But across research reports and user reviews, competitors often outrank them in key categories like:
- Ease of use – How easy is the tool for admins and bot developers?
- User interface – How intuitive and user-friendly is the UI?
- Ease of setup – How fast can you deploy the software?
According to Gartner, these factors can make or break RPA adoption:
Figure 1: Automation Anywhere lags leading vendors in ease of use (Gartner).
Forrester also found Automation Anywhere trickier to use than alternatives:
"Reference customers report challenges in ease of use and the overall maturity of the product."
Making RPA accessible and easy-to-use enables more citizen developers to build bots faster. This allows organizations to scale automation broader and deeper.
Based on my experience advising clients on RPA selections, enterprises are gravitating toward tools that simplify adoption. Let‘s analyze the top alternatives.
1. IBM Robotic Process Automation
Ease of use: IBM‘s low-code tool allows citizen developers to easily build bots through intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built templates.
According to PeerSpot, 93% of users rate it as easy to use. Its 9% above average "ease of bot creation" score demonstrates IBM‘s commitment to usability.
User interface: IBM simplifies bot programming through its graphical process editor. Users describe the UI as clean, modern, and easy to navigate.
Figure 2: IBM‘s RPA interface with graphical workflow builder.
Pricing: IBM offers simple packaged pricing starting at $908/month including both attended and unattended bots. A free 30-day trial is available.
Adoption trends: IBM has over 7,500 RPA clients across industries like finance, insurance, and healthcare. Companies switching from AA praise IBM for faster deployment and easier bot building.
2. UiPath
Ease of use: Users say UiPath makes RPA accessible to everyday business users through intuitive, code-free tools. The learning curve is relatively manageable for new automators.
88% of reviewers on SourceForge rate UiPath as easy to use. The UiPath Academy trains over 500,000 developers annually on its tooling.
User interface: UiPath Studio features a drag-and-drop interface and pre-built templates that enable intuitive bot programming. Users describe the UI as modern, simple, and responsive.
Figure 3: UiPath‘s intuitive interface helps non-developers build bots.
Pricing: UiPath offers tiered pricing from $420/month for 1 basic attended bot up to $1,930/month for 5 unattended bots. Free trials are available.
Adoption trends: UiPath leads RPA market share at 26.6%. Over 10,000 organizations use UiPath worldwide, with the majority reporting faster automation development.
3. Microsoft Power Automate
Ease of use: Power Automate democratizes automation through no-code tools like intuitive drag-and-drop canvas, AI-assisted building, and over 300 connectors.
78% of users on TrustRadius describe Power Automate as easy to use, praising the polished UX and extensive documentation.
User interface: Some initially find the canvas overwhelming. But most report becoming comfortable building flows after ramp-up. The modern UI simplifies graphical programming.
Figure 4: Power Automate‘s browser-based canvas simplifies building bots.
Pricing: As a usage-based platform, Power Automate pricing depends on factors like monthly executions, connectors used, etc. Cost can vary from $15 to $150+ per user/month.
Adoption trends: Microsoft‘s massive reach is driving Power Platform adoption. Over 7 million monthly active Power Automate users automate workflows.
Key Takeaways – Choosing the Right RPA Tool
While capable, Automation Anywhere seems to lag leading vendors in user-friendliness and simplicity.
Based on my experience, here are key recommendations when evaluating RPA tools:
- Try free trials – Test products hands-on before committing long-term.
- Prioritize usability – The easier the tool, the faster and broader automation can scale across your organization.
- Evaluate support resources – Documentation quality, training programs, and community size impact learning curve.
- Consider hidden costs – Factor in training, maintenance, extensions/integrations, etc. beyond just license fees.
The RPA journey can accelerate tremendously with the right software choice. I invite you to download our free RPA whitepaper covering selection best practices in more detail.
And if you need help identifying the ideal RPA tool for your specific needs, get in touch! I‘d be happy to discuss your use cases and requirements.
