Appian RPA vs Microsoft Power Automate comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Appian and Microsoft are both solutions in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category. Appian is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.7, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.8. Appian holds a 1.3% mindshare in RPA, compared to Microsoft’s 5.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Appian users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 88% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Appian RPA and Microsoft Power Automate based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Appian RPA vs. Microsoft Power Automate Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Appian RPA vs. Microsoft Power Automate

September 2026

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Helped 913,924 peers since 2012

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

Automation Anywhere

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) category, the mindshare of Automation Anywhere is 5.2%, down from 9.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Appian RPA is 1.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Power Automate is 5.8%, down from 17.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Automation Anywhere	5.2%
Microsoft Power Automate	5.8%
Appian RPA	1.3%
Other	87.7%

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sivaprakash

Management Consultant at Accenture

Has significantly improved document-driven workflows and reduced processing time across finance and HR functions

Automation Anywhere has evolved significantly and upgraded itself to provide agentic AI and AI-based automation solutions for document automation. The product has matured considerably over time. We can create workflows that can call an API. We can include prompts in particular workflows for ChatGPT-related functions, connecting to an LLM and RAG to perform tasks. For document automation, modern features are available to train documents, ensuring high accuracy and repeatability over time. The system is very easy to use. I recently completed a course in document automation, typically designed for people involved in coding and technical aspects. Though I understand coding comprehensively, I don't do actual coding. The course was very accessible. Currently, extensive coding isn't necessary due to the hybrid model incorporating GenAI aspects, low-code, no-code capabilities, APIs, and numerous pre-built objects in Automation Anywhere. The features include GenAI-driven prompting methods and workflow creation capabilities. In these workflows, we can create decision boxes and call APIs without coding. We simply pull objects, drop them, connect them, and add minimal coding when needed. The most crucial aspect isn't coding but rather sizing the automation and fleshing out the details. Automation Co-pilot takes notes and performs automated analysis. It can extract details from videos, summarize conversations, and provide detailed information. During calls, it identifies instructions and performs tasks such as preparing reports and reconciliation. Automation Anywhere can also connect with Microsoft Co-pilot. Through Co-pilot, real-time operations can be executed, allowing direct interaction between vendors and automation through this component.

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Ashish-Chopra

Principal Architect at Westpac Bank

Automation has reduced manual errors and now needs better high-volume data handling

In my opinion, Appian RPA can be improved. We are planning to conduct a proof of concept on volume because we are still not entirely certain about how well the record type feature performs on Appian with high volumes of data. After conducting client calls with HSBC, Santander, and a few of the Big Four, we learned about use cases where Appian has been used for high volumes of data. We are planning to conduct a proof of concept to test that hypothesis. Additional features that could enhance Appian RPA in the future would include AI on Azure. Currently, their AI is only AWS-based, and we are in discussions with the company about this because we are an Azure shop. I believe this would be a good area for them to concentrate on.

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Brijesh-Kumar

Sr. General Manager , Global IT Services at a non-profit with 5,001-10,000 employees

No-code workflows have streamlined daily operations and support seamless cross-application automation

Microsoft Power Automate's no-code workflows help my team in daily operations to a great extent. Automating a particular activity may not be so useful, but when you connect the whole workflow, then it starts helping a lot. I cannot say much about the best features in Microsoft Power Automate because I have not used it personally, but first of all, it is very easy, it is a low-code platform, and Microsoft has a lot of integration with Microsoft technologies, making it very easy to connect with MS Teams and different Microsoft products, including MS Azure. From that point of view, it provides a lot of connectivity options. From a cost point of view, Mendix is much more costly compared to Microsoft Power Platform, allowing us to develop applications very quickly.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This tool provides us with easy accessibility for adopting the new process, as it is more user-friendly, and many new resources are able to grasp the tool and start doing the automation with ease, which is basically missing in the other vendors' tools."

"This solution allows for the letter generation to take place within seconds, improving the experience for the employees."

"There is one user registration process in one application where there is no API which has been published by that framework. This is a very proprietary in one application by a third-party. So, there was a help desk, and whenever a call went to the help desk, they had a front-end where they created these user registrations. Now, this is completely automated for all employees who are onboarded. We receive the data, it is put it into Excel, and from Excel, it will update it into the particular tool where the registration happens."

"I like all of the features, especially the MetaBot, REST API, and SAP DLL."

"Scalability is one of the best things about most of the RPA bots. Once you create one, scalability is just about multiplying them."

"If we count the integrations that we have done with Appian, which is where a lot of our savings is from, we are well over a million dollars in savings."

"The MetaBot is a very good feature that allows me to do things that were not available in earlier versions."

"Document automation has been phenomenal."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"Appian RPA is super easy to use, offering low code, no code capabilities."

"The best feature of Appian RPA is that it is highly integrated into the Appian platform itself and is very easy to configure in the end-to-end Appian automation solution."

"I find the pricing of Appian RPA reasonable because it is user-based, and we can experiment with it."

"It is basically free for me because it comes with my Office 365 subscription. The main feature is that there is abundant learning material on platforms like YouTube. You can find information about whatever you want to be done in Spanish or English without a problem. It is very easy to learn. Users can start using it on their own without any former training, which is something I like about this solution."

"If people have a Microsoft Enterprise license, they could actually use the Power Automate tool to make their processes much more lean and efficient."

"It's not hard to learn, which means we'll be able to make more workflows in the future."

"The solution has drag and drop features, and a development console that's in simple English, so even a non-tech can understand what the code means."

"The connectors are a very good feature."

"The solution has saved us hours of work."

"Microsoft Power Automate's no-code workflows help my team in daily operations to a great extent."

"The tool is very good at implementing automation within processes. It's saved us from doing a lot of manual processes."

More Microsoft Power Automate pros

Cons

"The Excel command has some limitations that they are working on."

"We have had issues with stability in the past, and there should be a function that helps you to find out what is wrong with your environment that is causing the automation to fail."

"I would like to see a built-in read-only role for the control room so that the bot creators can log in and monitor the production environment without any auditing concerns."

"The UI could be made better because the UI in Version 11 was better and easier as compared to a2019."

"The initial setup was complex because we had to make sure all the security aspects were approved by our leadership."

"We would like to see more options for merging and un-merging PDFs. More flexibility there would be good. We've figured out ways around this and, using their software, we've been able to do everything we wanted to do. It just took a bit more time to do it. We were on version 10.5 and in their Bot Store they actually had a bot that did exactly what we wanted to do, but it was for Version 11.0."

"The version that we are using has been difficult for us to code. As changes are very frequent, we have to make sure the code can be updated automatically so we don't have to make a change every time a user makes a change. Then, the user doesn't have to update us and we don't have to push a change to production. We have found a workaround with the help of the Automation Anywhere support people for this."

"Automation Anywhere should improve its OCR command, as it's my observation that I have faced data loss or improper data being extracted."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"In my opinion, Appian RPA can be improved."

"There are not any areas that need improvement off the top of my head."

"There are many competitive products in the market right now, for example, UiPath and Automation Anywhere. These competitive products are now coming up with features which Appian RPA currently does not have."

"WinAutomation is missing a lot of options that are available in UiPath."

"I would not recommend it for large-scale or for critical operations because it returns quite a lot of errors, not only automation errors, but also errors when liaising with other applications, so in some cases, those applications may not run properly, resulting in errors."

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

"There could be more communication with third-party cloud tools."

"How long it takes to deploy will depend on how confident you are with your development. The development itself is not easy."

"The solution could benefit from mirroring Oracle's use of videos and community forums to help users get acquainted with the product. It could use better online training and/or documentation."

"From an improvement perspective, Microsoft just needs to make sure that they have a real enterprise RPA tool. PowerApps and Power Automate are still not at the level of UiPath and Automation Anywhere. It could be because Automation Anywhere and UiPath have been in the market for quite some time. It's just about Microsoft increasing their focus in terms of product reviews and development and making them competitive products that one can consider at an enterprise level. Right now, their use cases are limited as compared to what one would consider doing with UiPath and Automation Anywhere."

"All the services on the Microsoft platform are great. If we want to try something like with SharePoint or Azure or the 365 CRM, then we can't with the everyday community edition of the Microsoft Power Automate. It would be a good thing if there was some sort of trial period. Let's say you have 14 days. That way, can log into the loading screen with Power Automate, and get to utilize services like SharePoint, OneDrive, 365 CRM or etc. to see if they like them. It would be a good way for Microsoft to cross-sell or up-sell."

More Microsoft Power Automate cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We would like to use Citrix going forward. We use Bot Runners to scale up, and it gets to be expensive. Using Citrix, it can mitigate costs."

"In terms of pricing, this is a good product."

"Currently, it stands as one of the more expensive RPA tools available."

"It's an ideal pricing model to customize the components based on everyone's needs."

"It's a bit expensive compared to other RPA tools on the market."

"Approximately, for a developer, it is around $750 for a license a year. For Bot Runners, it is about $550."

"The pricing is reasonable and one can achieve ROI faster when compared to other tools."

"We have a three-year contract with Automation Anywhere."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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

"There is flexibility in pricing."

"At the moment, from our experience with the two, Power Automate is a lot more expensive solution than Automation Anywhere, but it is also a far more reliable solution. With the price increases and with the current pandemic situation going on worldwide, a lot of the prices have fluctuated, but the packages and the all-encompassing features you get with the Microsoft package far outweigh the benefits from the Automation Anywhere side. Each package on the Automation Anywhere side is cheaper, but we need to continuously purchase subsequent packages to continue with our automation to the extent that we require. So, the Power Automate solution is a bit more pricey, but it does offer us a far better range of capabilities."

"The cost to use Microsoft Power Automate is approximately $15 per user per month, for the basic plan. However, the solution comes free with the Microsoft 365 Suite."

"This is a cost-effective product and now that it has been acquired by Microsoft, we don't expect the cost to increase with the next release."

"We use Office 365 and this solution is free for me to use with the package we have. We have plans to increase the usage of Microsoft Power Automate."

"When accompanying customers, we discuss the license requirements. Based on these requirements, we suggest whether a per-user plan or multiple platforms per-user plan would be best."

"There is zero licensing cost. It comes with our Microsoft Office subscription."

More Microsoft Power Automate pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Construction Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	161
Midsize Enterprise	82
Large Enterprise	558

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	50
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	67

Questions from the Community

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It depends on your use case. Is it simply to automate a couple of processes? Is it to augment a human team? AA is ver...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

From my experience using AA tool, it depends on the applications that you want to automate, because there some applic...

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How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It is a highly preferred RPA tool. You can check my Automation Anywhere Review to know more.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Appian RPA?

I didn't handle payments or costs. We recommended infrastructure stacks to our clients, who implemented them, and we ...

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What needs improvement with Appian RPA?

In my opinion, Appian RPA can be improved. We are planning to conduct a proof of concept on volume because we are sti...

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What is your primary use case for Appian RPA?

We have been working with Appian RPA along with the entire workflow case management suite. Recently, Appian released ...

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RPA that Bots can run without centralized control?

Yes, Attended Bots which can run without centralized control Module. RPA Tools like Automation Anywhere, uiPath ,Pow...

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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 ‌...

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How is Automation Anywhere compared to Microsoft Power Automate?

‌Neither‌ ‌solution‌ ‌requires‌ ‌any‌ ‌coding‌ ‌experience,‌ ‌and‌ ‌both‌ ‌are‌ ‌easy‌ ‌to‌ ‌use‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌great...

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Comparisons

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 11% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 6% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 3% of the time

Appian vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

WorkFusion vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

UiPath Platform vs Appian RPA

Compared 9% of the time

Temporal vs Appian RPA

Compared 8% of the time

Control-M vs Appian RPA

Compared 8% of the time

Blue Prism vs Appian RPA

Compared 6% of the time

VisualCron vs Appian RPA

Compared 3% of the time

More Appian RPA Competitors

UiPath Platform vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 12% of the time

Blue Prism vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Robotic Process Automation (RPA) vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 5% of the time

Fortra's Automate vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 3% of the time

Celonis vs Microsoft Power Automate

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Power Automate Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

September 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

August 2026

Download Appian RPA product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Power Automate

September 2026

Download Microsoft Power Automate product report

Also Known As

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise, Agentic Process Automation System (Now Certified for WorkSpaces)

Jidoka RPA

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

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

Appian

Demo not available

Microsoft

Overview

Automation Anywhere offers ease of use, robust system connectivity, and GenAI-driven document automation through a cloud-native platform, significantly enhancing productivity across multiple industries with advanced AI features.

Delivering a comprehensive suite of tools designed for easy integration and rapid deployment, Automation Anywhere drives efficiency by reducing costs and automating repetitive tasks. Its cloud-native platform supports broad industry adoption, including advanced AI features like process automation and Co-Pilot, streamlining complex workflows with minimal technical skills required. Users benefit from robust integration capabilities, which facilitate seamless interaction with multiple systems. However, there is room for improvement in areas such as user-friendliness for beginners, stability, flexible licensing, and enhanced OCR functionality. Organizations in sectors such as banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare gain from the improved operational efficiency and ROI Automation Anywhere offers.

What are the important features of Automation Anywhere?

Ease of Use: Simplifies automation tasks with a user-centric interface.
Robust Connectivity: Provides seamless integration with multiple systems.
GenAI-Driven Document Automation: Leverages AI to automate document management.
Process Automation & Co-Pilot: Enhances workflow automation with advanced AI.
Cloud-Native Platform: Enables rapid deployment and integration.

What benefits should be evaluated in reviews?

Time Savings: Automation drastically reduces manual processing time.
Cost Efficiency: Decreases overall operational costs by automating tasks.
Productivity Enhancement: Streamlines workflows with AI-driven tools.
Improved Integration: Enhances ability to work with multiple systems.
Scalability: Supports growth with a flexible cloud-native architecture.

In the insurance industry, Automation Anywhere is utilized for automating processes such as enrollment management and compliance checks. Its applications extend to supply chain management, financial transactions, and business performance monitoring across sectors like banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare, helping organizations to automate routine tasks, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.

Automation Anywhere

Appian RPA is an advanced robotic process automation platform designed to streamline business processes by integrating and automating tasks across applications and systems. This tool enhances efficiency and operational accuracy for businesses leveraging its capabilities.

Appian RPA seamlessly integrates into existing infrastructures to automate repetitive tasks, boosting productivity. Its ability to orchestrate workflows and provide analytics sets it apart, allowing businesses to make informed decisions quickly. With a focus on scalability, Appian RPA supports digital transformation by connecting disparate systems and fostering innovation through automation.

What are the essential features?

Easy Integration: Connects with existing systems without complex configurations.
Dynamic Workflow Control: Allows users to manage and automate complex processes.
Comprehensive Analytics: Offers insights through detailed process analytics.
Scalability: Grows with the business and accommodates varying workloads.

What benefits or ROI should you look for in reviews?

Increased Efficiency: Reduces manual efforts and errors.
Cost Savings: Lowers operational costs through process automation.
Enhanced Productivity: Frees up human resources for higher-value tasks.

Appian RPA finds applications across industries like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. In finance, it automates data entry and reconciliation processes. Healthcare providers utilize it for patient management and billing, reducing operational bottlenecks. Manufacturing benefits from inventory and supply chain automation, enhancing end-to-end processes.

Appian

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.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics

empark, talan, liverpool, ayesa, aeromexico, teknei

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

Appian RPA vs. Microsoft Power Automate

September 2026

Free Report: Appian RPA vs. Microsoft Power Automate

Find out what your peers are saying about Appian RPA vs. Microsoft Power Automate and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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