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Appian Logo
8,844 views|5,864 comparisons
Pega Logo
9,440 views|7,110 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Jan 9, 2023

We performed a comparison between Appian and Pega BPM based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: Most users of both solutions say that their initial setup is straightforward.
  • Features: Users of both products are happy with their stability and scalability.

    Appian users like its drag-and-drop capabilities and say it offers a clear application lifecycle that is easy to develop with. Some users note that it needs additional integration options.

    Pega BPM reviewers say it has many useful features, is flexible, integrates well, and is easy to use. Some users say that it is slow.
  • Pricing: Appian reviewers give mixed reviews for its pricing. Most Pega BPM users feel that it is an expensive product.
  • ROI: Users of both solutions report seeing an ROI.
  • Service and Support: Most users of both solutions report being satisfied with the level of support they receive.

Comparison Results: Appian comes out ahead in this comparison. Pega BPM users say it is not robust enough. In contrast, Appian is a high-performing, reliable product.

To learn more, read our detailed Appian vs. Pega BPM Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It is really simple to create a new app, and I like the data-centric aspect of the BPM tool.""Technical support is helpful.""Call Web Service Smart Service - Web service integrations with other systems are super simple and fast to create, supported by low code menus.""What I found most valuable in Appian is that it lets you drill down on multiple things through the structure of the reporting and UI side. It's also low-code, yet it results in quick deliverables.""The process models provide self-documenting systems.""There is no need to worry about vulnerabilities in the system, because Appian built a secure system​.""Appian's most valuable feature is that we can create end-to-end process workflows with minimum turnaround.""Appian also has very flexible local integration."

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"I have a lot of experience in this kind of industry, and Pega is one of the best solutions in terms of performance, capabilities, and the way we develop.""While Pega technical support is okay, it also depends on the issues you need help with and who your contact is with Pega.""It's a good tool for workflow automation.""The solution's case management is its most valuable aspect.""It is quite configurable, which is the most exciting feature. We can easily configure it as per our needs.""The workflow designing and integration are the most valuable features. Also, the UI design was pretty easy.""There is a feature to accelerate the development so that business analysts can directly create their user stories and assign the task to the developers.""The solution is operating well overall."

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Cons
"Native mobile capabilities or hybrid mobile app capabilities are very limited. Things like offline sync, offline storage, access to smartphone device features, etc. are not supported by the Appian platform yet.""There could be a scope of enhancement for capturing the variety of use cases.""I wouldn't say their response time is long, but it could be quicker.""It is also not easy to learn. Training tutorials could be improved.""There is no UI customization possible.""Appian could improve their customer-facing initiatives.""The product’s pricing could be improved from the developers' perspective.""It needs better integration with our existing application ecosystem."

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"Currently, there isn't any feature I want to be added in the next release of Pega BPM because Pega always adds new features that my team welcomes and looks forward to learning. One area for improvement in the solution is the long learning curve, but after that, you'll find Pega BPM easy to use.""There is a scarcity of resources who have worked with this solution before.""Pega BPM could improve the UI, it is poorly designed to have a good UX experience.""I would like to see Pega BPM improve the user experience.""This is a quite expensive product.""We have experienced a few technical challenges, particularly triggering the workflow through file drops and accessing files.""It is not fully compatible with all versions of Internet Explorer, so sometimes, it does not work.""The UI part needs improvement."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "BPM done right is a huge value proposition for almost any company, and with Appian's low code rapid development model, the ROI can be huge, while the break-even point should be accelerated tremendously."
  • "It is expensive, but powerful. I would recommend comparing against cheaper licensing products and open source."
  • "Product pricing compared to some of the earlier vendors, like IBM, CA, and Oracle, is quite well-priced. Although, we do feel that as we increase the number of users and the workload increases, we will have to spend more."
  • "We will have to have a dialogue or negotiate a price for future use. To start with, it is a reasonable price. As we go ahead, we will have to make sure the costs are inline with our expectations as we grow our user base and workloads."
  • "It's good value for the price."
  • "I think that if somebody is really serious at looking at business value, then by all means, the product is well worth the value. You get representative business value for the price that you pay for the product, and for the implementation of the product."
  • "The cost depends on the number of users, although I recommend taking an unlimited license."
  • "The solution offers a monthly subscription model. That's what we use. I recall it being about $90 a month. They do have different tiers."
  • More Appian Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Licensing is expensive. You need to wisely select between per user and per case."
  • "They have both on-premise and cloud licensing. If you are a small to medium company, go for the cloud option because that eliminates a lot of the setting up of your DevTest and performance environments, multiple environments, because you can buy that from Pega with the cloud option. So your setup time really goes down. If you're a large company, then you're better off putting it within your company. You have other skill resources within your company to create environments."
  • "They need to come up with licensing options. Right now they do have a cloud-based option, but the cloud prices I've seen are much more expensive compared to competing products."
  • "The licensing fees are based on the number of users."
  • "May be somewhat more expensive than other solutions initially, but should have enhanced return on investment."
  • "The price of this solution, including installation and configuration, is comparable to competing vendors."
  • "The pricing is pretty good, compared to other similar products."
  • "It's a user-based license where, as you scale the numbers of users, the price increases."
  • More Pega BPM Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Appian is fast when building simple to medium solutions. This solution offers simple drag-and-drop functionality with easy plug-and-play options. The initial setup was seamless and very easy to… more »
    Top Answer:Appian is actually pretty big on educating its users, including with courses that reward you with certifications. There is a whole section on their company’s website where you can check out the… more »
    Top Answer:We had some issues when we were setting up Appian. It was quite surprising, since this is a low-code tool which, in its essence, means it is meant for business users and inexperienced beginners. So… more »
    Top Answer:You do need some preparation to be able to use all functions of Pega BPM. However, all users of this platform are in luck as it comes with good documentation and you can learn pretty much everything… more »
    Top Answer:My company has been using this tool for years and the only issue we have had, if you can call it that, was while setting it up. When we were setting it up initially, we had some drawbacks and could… more »
    Top Answer: Pega BPM can be considered overpriced for some; it all depends on the size of your company and the requirements of your customers. Sure, there are products out there that do the things that Pega BPM… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    8,844
    Comparisons
    5,864
    Reviews
    24
    Average Words per Review
    475
    Rating
    8.3
    Views
    9,440
    Comparisons
    7,110
    Reviews
    25
    Average Words per Review
    515
    Rating
    8.2
    Comparisons
    Microsoft Power Apps logo
    Compared 21% of the time.
    OutSystems logo
    Compared 11% of the time.
    Camunda logo
    Compared 11% of the time.
    ServiceNow logo
    Compared 9% of the time.
    Mendix logo
    Compared 6% of the time.
    ServiceNow logo
    Compared 24% of the time.
    Camunda logo
    Compared 17% of the time.
    Microsoft Power Apps logo
    Compared 7% of the time.
    IBM BPM logo
    Compared 6% of the time.
    Salesforce Platform logo
    Compared 4% of the time.
    Also Known As
    Appian BPM, Appian AnyWhere, Appian Enterprise BPMS
    Pegasystems, SmartBPM
    Learn More
    Pega
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    Overview

    Appian is a unified low-code platform and solution used by businesses to build enterprise applications and workflows. This product adapts to the needs of clients and the technologies they are already using to combine their data in a single workflow and maximize resources. The platform has four main components through which it transforms the work process for companies of various sizes. They are:

    • Complete automation: Through complete automation, companies are able to coordinate and manage employees, existing systems, bots, data, and artificial intelligence (AI) in a single workflow. The solution offers a way to centrally manage all third-party automation vendors as well.

    • Low-code applications: Appian offers the ability to build applications faster with visual development and low-code tools. All applications are ready-made to be suitable for mobile.

    • Low-code data: Appian lets companies source data from multiple types of sources, eliminating the need for data migration. Through no-code and low-code solutions and industry-standard connectors, the platform also eliminates the need for data silos.

    • Enterprise ready: The platform offers options for companies to scale their businesses to an enterprise level without complications.

    Appian is utilized across a diverse set of industries, including automotive and manufacturing, energy and utilities, education, financial services, telecom and media, transportation, retail, insurance, healthcare, and life sciences. The most frequent use cases of Appian are customer journey, governance, risk and compliance, operational efficiency, supply chain, distributed order management, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management.

    Appian Features

    Appian has various features that allow users to create solutions for their businesses. These features can be separated into a few groups according to function, including automation, low-code application development, and integrations and data. Some of the most frequently used features of Appian include:

    • Robotic process automation (RPA): Users of Appian can assign software bots to perform rules-based tasks that need to be repeated over a set course of time. This can improve efficiency and performance within an organization while saving human resources.

    • Intelligent document processing: The tool offers a feature for quick and accurate extraction and structuring of data. This can reduce time and costs for organizations because it eliminates the need for outsourcing such services.

    • AI: Appian utilizes artificial intelligence to enhance applications, workflows, and automation. AI is also used to address complex processes and unique situations.

    • Business rules: Organizations can automate and simplify work processes while adhering to their operating procedures.

    • Application development: Appian provides a low-code development feature that allows users to deploy applications over ten times faster than through conventional approaches. This feature not only allows for quick application building, but also applications that run on multiple types of platforms, seamless data integration, and business scalability.

    • Integrations and data: Appian allows for data integration from a wide array of sources without the need for migration. This contributes to easy access to data across systems, real-time data insights, improved user experience, and accelerated development.

    Appian Benefits

    The benefits of using Appian include:

    • The solution ensures seamless organization growth, as it supports various UX patterns, common data schemes, and upgrades, used to facilitate application development on a bigger scale.

    • Appian can increase process speed and deliver applications considerably faster compared to conventional development.

    • The platform is easy to use and suitable for complete beginners to build applications and workflows.

    • Appian offers a variety of design tools that facilitate development and deployment.

    • Appian offers detailed real-time data insight which allows organizations to access relevant information about their processes as they are developing.

    • The solution offers clients the ability to move data between the cloud, on-premise, and hybrid configurations.

    • The platform is easy to optimize, which allows businesses to utilize it according to their personal needs.

    • Appian offers connectivity across web, mobile, email, voice, and chat, providing a multi-channel experience for companies and their clients.

    Reviews from Real Users

    A practice leader - digital process automation at a computer software company values Appian highly because the product is easy to develop, low-code, and has a good user interface.

    Alan G., an advisory board member at Codecon VR, Appian offers a clear application life cycle, easy to learn documentation, and comes with a fundamentals course.

    Pega BPM is a low-code process automation software product that helps organizations quickly build business applications that deliver the demanded experience by customers. This product is a business process management (BPM), process automation, rapid application development, and low-code development tool.

    Pega utilizes business process management (BPM) - a methodology to manage processes and workflows in an organization with the aim to increase work process results. The product implements BPM in the following steps:

    • Analysis: Through comprehensive analysis, the processes that can be created or optimized to meet business needs are identified.

    • Design: The design of a process aims to reduce errors and maintain relevant standard operating procedures.

    • Modeling: The process design can be modeled using various software tools.

    • Execution: The process model execution can be governed through a business rules engine.

    • Monitoring: Monitoring is performed to detect any issues and collect relevant data.

    • Optimization: The collected data is used to optimize and improve processes.

    Pega BMP utilizes this methodology to automate and simplify operations for companies and improve business agility. The solution can automate business operations such as business rules, mobile application development, reporting, case management, security, integration, and predictive and adaptive analytics. It can be employed on premises and in the cloud and allows for automating services such as accounts, marketing, and sales.

    Pega BPM Features

    Pega BPM has various features through which businesses can automate processes and reduce operational costs. Some of these features include:

    • Adaptive Decision Management: Through the support of data analysis concepts, this product feature allows users to make crucial decisions. It supports the retrieval of data automatically, facilitating real-time decision-making. It also provides the ability to make decisions at all times, depending on changes in the processes.

    • Automatic Code Generation: The programming time at a company can be reduced through this feature, as it generates application codes automatically. The feature offers industry-specific solution frameworks for developing applications and visual development tools, allowing business users to build apps. This enables the simplification of complex business processes by converting them.

    • Pega Omni-channel UI: The user interface (UI) of Pega BPM is a design-once and deploy-anywhere model. This means that any channel can be interfaced with the UI, as designs can be adapted to various parameters, including device, channel, or user.

    • Pega Live Data: This feature of the tool integrates all the business’s data, analyzes it, and summarizes it into formats suitable for presentation. The feature has a caching option, which improves data management by reducing the load on external applications.

    • Pega Situational Layer Cake: Through this feature of the solution, business processes can be adjusted regarding changes in customer type, departments, products, geographies, time, languages, and channels.

    • Pega Pulse: Through Pega Pulse, employees, partners, and customers can collaborate and solve issues simultaneously.

    Pega BPM Benefits

    Pega BPM has various benefits for businesses. They include the following:

    • Accelerates business processes by building applications in a timely manner.

    • Provides automatically tailored screens and forms for customers to improve user experience and engagement.

    • Can be utilized on various sources, including being moved from a data center to the cloud and vice versa.

    • The low-code functionality decreases the need for developer intervention and reduces the costs of outsourcing IT assistance and maintenance.

    • The tool offers a flexible UI that allows users to switch from web to mobile during all times of product usage.

    • The platform offers business scalability incrementation through quick application development.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Amarender C., a feature lead at a financial services firm, thinks Pega BPM is easy to set up with great documentation and training.

    Anoop S., a delivery manager at LanceSoft, rates the product highly because it is user-friendly and has case management and claims management functions; has good documentation and a community portal that help in learning the product and resolving issues.

    Sample Customers
    Hansard Global plc, Punch Taverns, Pirelli, Crawford & Company, EDP Renewables, Queensland Government Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (, Bank of Tennessee
    The State of Maine, ANZ, Coca-Cola, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), ME, New South Wales, OptumRx, Texas Department of Transportation, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company33%
    Financial Services Firm30%
    Healthcare Company6%
    University6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization25%
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Government7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company32%
    Financial Services Firm29%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Manufacturing Company6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm25%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business26%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise60%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business15%
    Midsize Enterprise31%
    Large Enterprise54%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business8%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise78%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business17%
    Midsize Enterprise9%
    Large Enterprise74%
    Buyer's Guide
    Appian vs. Pega BPM
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Appian vs. Pega BPM and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Appian is ranked 4th in Business Process Management (BPM) with 56 reviews while Pega BPM is ranked 2nd in Business Process Management (BPM) with 55 reviews. Appian is rated 8.4, while Pega BPM is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of Appian writes "Low resource consumption, easy setup, and stable". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Pega BPM writes "Low code with great APIs and good flexibility". Appian is most compared with Microsoft Power Apps, OutSystems, Camunda, ServiceNow and Mendix, whereas Pega BPM is most compared with ServiceNow, Camunda, Microsoft Power Apps, IBM BPM and Salesforce Platform. See our Appian vs. Pega BPM report.

    See our list of best Business Process Management (BPM) vendors, best Process Automation vendors, and best Rapid Application Development Software vendors.

    We monitor all Business Process Management (BPM) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.