IBM BPM vs Magic xpa Application Platform comparison

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1,235 views|942 comparisons
90% willing to recommend
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930 views|370 comparisons
100% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM BPM and Magic xpa Application Platform based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Application Infrastructure solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed IBM BPM vs. Magic xpa Application Platform Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,246 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
"We use it for automating certain processes which previously took a lot of time for agents to set up different products for customers. They would have to enter a lot of different systems. This has now mostly been automated.""I would say that I like its GUI designer the best.""The solution is stable.""I think the best way it can be it improved, is to make it easier to install. It's a very complicated piece of software, and there are a lot of things you have to do to get it set up. It's not just running an installer. You install WebSphere. You install the BPM product, and there's a large host of other steps you have to do: run queries against the database, you have to manually configure a bunch of properties files for your environment. I think if they could streamline all that, so it wasn't a considerable effort to install, that would be very useful. Because from an engineering point of view, you want to spend as little time as possible actually installing a product.""With the tester coach wherein you can interact with the interface while you're designing the process.""The most valuable feature is the ability to customize your rules and put them inside the tool.""It has reduced a lot of manual errors and processes.""They have some quick-win programs that are designed to come in, they'll bring a developer in and they'll work with your developer to get you started. That's what we did and that worked really great. We got an understanding of the product, we got an understanding of how to deploy the product. And when we were done with that engagement, we were off and running."

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"Speed of development and database connectivity (MS SQL, Oracle, DB2, Btrieve/Pervasive PSQL, ODBC, MySql, and SQLite).""Typically an experienced Magic developer can do the work of two to three experienced C#/.NET developers. Customers are amazed at how quickly most new features can be added and bug fixes implemented. I have worked for four employers - including myself - using Magic, and in most instances, bug fixes are addressed and deployed in under six hours.""Magic is rapid, it's a tool which we use to develop, change and maintain our programs. xpa has a lot more features onboard and it gives us the opportunity to do such things so that we can easily adapt and maintain our programs. It gives certain benefits to stay with our customers and the market.""The solution makes the managing and adapting of the software very easy.""The ability to use the same development environment for both Windows and Android applications. Magic xpa also supports iOS applications.""The Magic xpa Application Platform is very suitable for production since it is easy to update. The program is simple to upgrade and deploy. The solution is convenient in production. You need to adjust the data, then adjust the program which is not difficult.""Magic’s Database Gateway allows the logic of the program to be isolated from the underlying database. This provides the flexibility not only to move existing programs to different database environments without the need to change the logic in the program but also allows the programmer access to different databases without the need to know how to "talk" to them.""What I found most valuable in the Magic xpa Application Platform is that it has a client-server and web browser technology that's perfect for company users."

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Cons
"IBM BPM needs to have a better and modified interface.""Needs better reporting. I do not think that we are fully taking advantage of what it already has yet.""The solution can improve integration with SAP, CRM, and Salesforce, which is not capital-intensive.""Also, we would like to see integration with artificial intelligence, machine learning-type of technical capabilities. Right now, there are a lot Watson libraries out there. Building those integrations more, out-of-the-box, from IBM would be a good direction.""We are a government organization, and we are the largest government power sector in India. We generate around 30% of power in India. Therefore, our processes are quite complex. Although IBM BPM is a low-code or no-code software, if you want to have extremely complex workflows, just the business process diagrams are not helpful in creating those workflows. While implementing complex workflows, only the process flow diagrams did not help us. We had to write a lot of Java scripts and Java queries to achieve what we wanted. Its integration capabilities with the SAP environment have to be improved. At present, we are only talking at the web services environment level. Its price also needs to be improved. It is currently expensive. Previously, Active Directory required a heterogeneous environment, but now they want a homogeneous environment. We had onboarded employees through Microsoft Active Directory, and now I have to implement Microsoft AD only from the cloud for my vendors.""Better integration with other products in the automation suite.""Consider an admin console during deployment. I would like to migrate single instances, not the whole bunch at once.""I hope IBM uses something from IBM Content Navigator to make the interface easier to navigate."

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"The user interface could be improved to be more friendly for developers.""I would like to see a spell checker included with optional language support. Currently, this has to be purchased from a third-party.""The ability to display page up, page down, top and bottom buttons along the scroll bar would make my mouse-reliant customers happy.""They want to be one toolbox for everything, but primarily, we are using xpa to develop desktop applications, and in that area they're lacking functionalities, flexibility, and modern stuff.""There is room for improvement in Magic's marketing and licensing. I would like to see more integration of web functionality.""In the next version of the Magic xpa Application Platform, I want tables or small programs where I can directly add expressions. I can do it on SQL, but it would make life much easier if that specification were added to the platform.""Throughout my career, I've encountered difficulties when integrating new technologies with Magic xpa Application Platform. In particular, when attempting to incorporate features from other development languages into earlier versions of the solution called uniPaaS. I struggled to integrate .NET components due to the limited options available. This made the process more challenging and complicated. I find it challenging to create a more user-friendly experience for users who may be comparing the system to other systems they have used outside or within the company on different platforms.""The Android environment is missing a number of functions for file/folder manipulation, sending receiving text messages (SMS) and the menuing options are limited. For now, it is left to the developer to write his/her own Java functions to include in the APK."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "It may be cheaper for organizations to pay for the Viewer licenses that are immediately up and running in the cloud, rather than paying for someone to administer publishing to an intranet."
  • "Starting out with Express can also help reduce the cost for adopting the product."
  • "​We have definitely seen ROI. When we first kicked it off, we said it had to pay for itself within three years, and it did."
  • "It gives us a good return on investment."
  • "We chose to purchase IBM BPM because it was bundled with the actual RPA program/solution that we decided to purchase. We decided to use Automation Anywhere tool (RPA), and it is was bundled with IBM BPM."
  • "Our customers do see ROI. They'll identify some particularly painful or uncoordinated processes to start with, then build out from there, picking off low hanging fruit."
  • "It has a low cost to implement. You'll get your money back in the same year that you complete the project."
  • "The cloud and license of the subscription model for IBM BPM can be complex. There are a lot of alternatives to choose from."
  • More IBM BPM Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Magic is not the cheapest IDE out there. If you are considering Magic xpa, you should do a cost-benefit analysis to feel comfortable with your decision. The Magic sales staff is very helpful in providing pricing."
  • "It's not cheap. The licenses are not cheap. Not at all. They cost much money. There are other tools with free licenses but Magic asks for a lot of money."
  • "The cost for developers is high because you have to pay for licenses as well as runtime."
  • "The licensing is too costly."
  • "My clients have to purchase additional licenses in order to use what I built. It's not a fair approach."
  • "There are different licenses, we have the application and the online application. There are two different licenses for two different program sites for the Magic xpa Application Platform."
  • "The main problem with the Magic xpa Application Platform is pricing. You have to pay a lot of money for development, and you also have to pay a lot for the deployments and runtime, while in most competitors, you have to pay a lot for one of the two and not both."
  • "The licensing cost varies because nowadays Magic has tailor-made offerings for clients. I think the solution is worth the money."
  • More Magic xpa Application Platform Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:We researched both IBM solutions and in the end, we chose Business Automation Workflow IBM BPM has a good user interface and the BPM coach is a helpful tool. The API is very useful in providing… more »
    Top Answer:The product is expensive considering the hardware and software costs.
    Top Answer:The Magic xpa Application Platform is very suitable for production since it is easy to update. The program is simple to upgrade and deploy. The solution is convenient in production. You need to adjust… more »
    Top Answer:There are different licenses, we have the application and the online application. There are two different licenses for two different program sites for the Magic xpa Application Platform.
    Top Answer:Throughout my career, I've encountered difficulties when integrating new technologies with Magic xpa Application Platform. In particular, when attempting to incorporate features from other development… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    1,235
    Comparisons
    942
    Reviews
    24
    Average Words per Review
    417
    Rating
    7.7
    Views
    930
    Comparisons
    370
    Reviews
    4
    Average Words per Review
    856
    Rating
    8.5
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager, IBM WebSphere Process Server
    uniPaaS
    Learn More
    Overview

    IBM BPM is a business process management tool that provides a robust set of tools to author, test, and deploy business processes, as well as full visibility and insight to managing those business processes. The solution provides tooling and run time for process design, execution, monitoring, and optimization, along with basic system integration support. To support various levels of complexity and involvement with business process management, there are two different editions of the product: IBM BPM and IBM BPM Express.

    IBM BPM Features

    IBM BPM has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Process designer authoring tool
    • Collaborative editing and immediate playback of processes
    • Interactive user interfaces
    • Process rules based on IBM Operational Decision Manager
    • IBM Integration Designer (BPEL and SOA)
    • Designing and building case management systems
    • Process portal
    • Real-time monitoring and reporting
    • Performance analytics and optimizer
    • Performance data warehouse
    • IBM Process Center with a shared asset repository
    • IBM Process Federation Server
    • Built-in enterprise service bus (ESB)
    • Transaction support
    • Integration adapters
    • Network deployment support
    • High availability: clustering and unlimited cores

    IBM BPM Benefits

    There are many benefits to implementing IBM BPM. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Increased efficiency and cost savings: IBM BPM can help you optimize existing processes and incorporate more structure into the development of new processes by removing process redundancies and bottlenecks.
    • More scalable processes: The solution enables better process execution and workflow automation, which transfers well when scaling processes.
    • Greater transparency: Because IBM BPM’s process automation clearly defines owners for tasks along the process, it provides more transparency and accountability throughout a given process. In turn, this fosters more communication among teams.
    • Less dependency on development teams: IBM BPM offers low-code features which remove potential dependencies on development. Business users can be onboarded onto these tools quickly and easily, thereby increasing process automation across the company.

    Reviews from Real Users

    IBM BPM is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it’s good for developing complex apps, is robust, and has helpful team management and process performance features.

    Zoran C., Owner/CEO at IT SPHERE, says, “It is perfect if you have to develop complex apps without much coding (only java script). It is also good if you don't have much IT resources in your company and would like to involve business analysts in the process of developing apps. My opinion is that it can do about 50% of all developers' work.”

    Suhas V., BPM Architect at GBM, mentions, “Overall the solution is robust and has the ability to integrate with any product for complex workflows."

    A BPM Consultant at a financial services firm comments, "Some of the features that I like the most are team management and process performance. They are both very useful and very powerful with regard to the workflow."

    A Digital Banking & Innovation Director at a financial services firm expresses, “The processing functionality makes it easy to change processes and workflows easily.”

    Magic xpa Application Platform is a mobile development platform that is designed to enable organizations to simplify and manage every aspect of their application development process. It enables users to construct applications while expending a minimal number of resources. Developers can leverage AI technology in a way that maximizes their ability to effectively deploy their resources toward the end of producing the best possible applications. Ultimately, Magic xpa Application Platform allows developers to rapidly develop and deploy applications across multiple platform types. 

    Magic xpa Application Platform Benefits

    Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by deploying Magic xpa Application Platform include:

    • Decrease time needed for application production and refinement. Magic xpa Application Platform comes with pre-built application components that can be used to quickly create iterations of the application that can then be deployed or tested.  It also makes it so that any and all changes or upgrades that are applied to the application take effect across all of the devices that run the application.
    • Allows developers to be far more productive than they would be otherwise. Various features, such as Magic xpa Application Platform’s drag-and-drop capability, allow developers to worry less about the more technical aspects of designing the applications and have more time to design the best possible application. 
    • Ease of use. Magic xpa Application Platform is a low-code application development platform. This means that developers do not need to have extensive programming knowledge to create applications. Solutions of this type are far more accessible to the general employee of an organization than a program that is code-heavy. Fewer resources need to be spent training users to employ Magic xpa Application Platform than would be true of other similar platforms. Organizations increase their overall productivity when the process of application development becomes something that even those employees who are not the most technically savvy can take part.

    Magic xpa Application Platform Features

    Some of the many useful features Magic xpa Application Platform has to offer include:

    • AI-powered development capabilities. Magic xpa Application Platform has a built-in AI that users can leverage to simplify every step of the development process. Users can use this AI to automate various development steps. This increases the speed at which they can produce applications. 
    • Mobile use capability. Magic xpa Application Platform has a mobile application that organizations can use to run their product development from anywhere in the world. 
    • Collaboration tools.  Magic xpa Application Platform provides developers with tools that enable them to work with others to create the enterprise applications that their organizations need.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Magic xpa Application Platform is a solution that beats out the competition in a number of areas.  Two major advantages are the way that it simplifies the application management process and its scalability. It greatly eases the work that developers and administrators do by providing all of the tools that they need to meet their objectives. Additionally, users never have to worry about running out of development capacity in their digital environment. Magic xpa Application Platform can scale up and provide developers with the capacity to design and create their applications in the way that best meets their needs. 

    Per H., the CEO of Mass Marketing Software AB, writes, “The solution makes the managing and adapting of the software very easy. When it comes to the application's service, mistakes can easily be resolved. This shortens the time it takes to progress from an idea to a new function.”

    He also writes, “The solution is highly scalable, allowing one to use very large databases and systems.

    Sample Customers
    Barclays, EmeriCon, Banca Popolare di Milano, CST Consulting, KeyBank, KPMG, Prolifics, Sandhata Technologies Ltd., State of Alaska, Humana S.A., Saperion, esciris, Banco Espirito Santo
    ADD, Cape plc, Adecco, Kuno Kinzoku Industry Co., GE Capital, Dove Tree, CBS Outdoor, Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center, Allstate Life Insurance Company, Titan Software Systems
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm57%
    Computer Software Company17%
    Insurance Company10%
    Real Estate/Law Firm3%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm29%
    Computer Software Company13%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Retailer6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Financial Services Firm12%
    Insurance Company9%
    Media Company6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business26%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise59%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise12%
    Large Enterprise71%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business75%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise52%
    Buyer's Guide
    IBM BPM vs. Magic xpa Application Platform
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about IBM BPM vs. Magic xpa Application Platform and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    768,246 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    IBM BPM is ranked 6th in Application Infrastructure with 105 reviews while Magic xpa Application Platform is ranked 14th in Application Infrastructure with 10 reviews. IBM BPM is rated 7.8, while Magic xpa Application Platform is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of IBM BPM writes "Offers good case management and its integration with process design but there's a learning curve". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Magic xpa Application Platform writes "Fast development and user-oriented functionalities, but it needs better .NET integration and a completely different pricing structure". IBM BPM is most compared with Camunda, Appian, Pega BPM, IBM Business Automation Workflow and Apache Airflow, whereas Magic xpa Application Platform is most compared with Microsoft .NET Framework, Mendix, OutSystems and GeneXus. See our IBM BPM vs. Magic xpa Application Platform report.

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    We monitor all Application Infrastructure 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.