IBM Business Automation Workflow vs Oracle BPM comparison

IBM and Oracle are both solutions in the Business Process Management (BPM) category. IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 7.4, while Oracle is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM holds a 2.2% mindshare in BPM, compared to Oracle’s 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

IBM Business Automation Wor...

Read 26 IBM Business Automation Workflow reviews

2,206 Views
1,484 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Oracle BPM

Read 25 Oracle BPM reviews

1,463 Views
1,171 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

IBM Business Automation Wor...

Oracle BPM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

Oracle BPM and IBM Business Automation Workflow compete in the business process management category. IBM Business Automation Workflow slightly edges out due to its flexibility and comprehensive features that support automation and process adaptation.

Features: Oracle BPM excels with robust integration capabilities, adherence to BPMN 2.0 standards, and seamless integration with Oracle's SOA platform. It offers comprehensive analytics and reporting tools to optimize processes. On the other hand, IBM Business Automation Workflow presents a tightly integrated suite centralizing process management. It includes connectivity with RPA and content management, enhancing automation and operational efficiency.

Room for Improvement: Oracle BPM could improve its user interaction and UI flexibility, and it lacks some advanced features like process mining. There is also a steep learning curve associated with its use. IBM Business Automation Workflow needs enhancements in user-friendliness, UI flexibility, and modularity of processes, which complicate maintenance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Oracle BPM primarily supports on-premises deployment with limited cloud options, and its customer service has mixed reviews on technical support. IBM Business Automation Workflow is available both on-premises and in hybrid cloud environments, offering more deployment flexibility. Customer service is comparable to Oracle, with variable feedback on support quality.

Pricing and ROI: Oracle BPM is considered expensive with high licensing costs affecting ROI, requiring careful planning to match organizational needs. Pricing varies significantly with market conditions. IBM Business Automation Workflow also incurs high initial costs but is deemed a worthwhile investment due to its features, particularly providing substantial ROI in government sectors by enhancing efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Oracle BPM Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Oracle BPM

April 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 851,604 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

IBM Business Automation Wor...

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

14th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Oracle BPM

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

15th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM Business Automation Workflow is 2.2%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle BPM is 1.9%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Management (BPM)

Featured Reviews

Ateeq Rehman

Unit Head System Implementor at Allied Bank Limited

Customizable features empower seamless workflow automation

The system is fully customizable, very resilient, and fault-tolerant. We have first-line support from IBM, so there are no issues. We have integrations with different banks, ERP systems, and other human resource management systems by integrating through different systems. It provides many ways to integrate, and we are utilizing it effectively.

Read full review

SatyajitSethy

Architect at Netcracker

Provides a complete workflow from testing to production and can handle a million concurrent requests

The user interface is very good. Once you understand it, it's easy to define rules and do any configurations. It comes with an embedded WebLogic application server, which you have to deploy automatically. Once you run the given binary, it will automatically keep everything on the backend. You'll have to create an instant database, and maintain or manage it based on the rules engine. After that, your system is ready to test. The most valuable feature is the complete workflow through the BPM, from making it available as a generated code based on the backend, deploying it in the test environment, and then going to production. Throughout the testing, everything was good. Many customers are interested in the rules engine. A lot of requests pass through BPM because it's integrated with a lot of other applications or sub-applications.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The tool streamlines operations, especially from an operational perspective, by facilitating decision-making and ensuring timely approvals. This helps prevent delays in the approval process, where business process management adds significant value for us."

"IBM has spent a lot of time on the connections between the rules engine and its other product, the core BPM platform. They've really centralized the suite as one offering now."

"It helps develop applications very quickly. Once clients get used to it and familiar with the methodology, then they don't feel so locked in. It is able to add this element of agility to our clients' software development lifecycle. That is my favorite thing about it: You're not so locked in as you used to be when developing applications."

"The system is fully customizable, very resilient, and fault-tolerant."

"It has integrated UI and deployment models, and it has a deep set of consultant and service provider ecosystem features."

"Productivity improvements are notable because processes have been orchestrated and streamlined with IBM Business Automation Workflow."

"The workflow of BAW's automation is handled inside of BPM, so we can see what state it is at and how things are processing through."

"It performs the basic tasks that are required for the BBM solution as part of the overall integration with ECM or enterprise contact management."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow pros

"One of the most valuable features is its user-friendly API, which simplifies the implementation of workflows, such as managing inbox tasks for specific users within BPM profiles."

"What I found most valuable in Oracle BPM is that it has a lot of out-of-the-box integrations. The solution also provides a lot of adapters which is very helpful."

"We have more than 800 distinct applications in our IT landscape. We had enough scalability and okay development cycles, and it has been enough to cover our backup operations and order management systems."

"The processor management system is quite fast and scalable. We have 10 developers using this solution and it supports 25,000 users."

"This solution has given us a quick time to market, the ability to integrate with the rest of the corporate applications, and the ability to hire talent in low-cost locations."

"The most valuable feature is the complete workflow through the BPM, from making it available as a generated code based on the backend, deploying it in the test environment, and then going to production."

"The default Workspace does not meet all our needs and sometimes you need to create your own custom Workspace."

"Currently, we define the tasks, and based on certain decision rules, the tool decides the task priorities and the time frame of the task."

More Oracle BPM pros

Cons

"If the issue needs escalation to level two or level three, it can take time on a case-by-case basis."

"Improvements could be made in debugging and troubleshooting."

"IBM Business Automation Workflow could improve the integration."

"I would definitely like to see a unified interface between the BPM side of the house and the case side of the house. Something that just seems a bit more cohesive, because right now there is sort of a disconnect between the BPM and the case side of the house. That makes it a bit of a hard sell sometimes. That is definitely first and foremost on my wish list."

"IBM Business Automation Workflow could be more intuitive, with more advanced low-code features and services definition."

"From what I understand, in the next release they're actually going to combine all of this together as one integrated solution... If we could have one unified way to build a solution, that would really help."

"The main areas which need improvement are specifically around reporting and analytics."

"I would like to see more streamlined install and provisioning; preferably containerized IBM BPM would be helpful."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow cons

"Overall, the engine and the UI both have to be made lighter."

"There are delays in offering the latest technology, so there is a need to be more responsive to technological changes."

"From my knowledge of this solution, I don't see that the Oracle BPM includes features such as the growth of discovery and process mining."

"Every time we roll out a new version of processes, we have to migrate to a new process. The process of this migration was not very smooth. We later decided that it would be easier for us to stop all processes, deploy a new version and then restart."

"It could have easier administration. It takes time to configure and deploy."

"The solution's licensing cost is very high."

"The solution needs to offer better integration with third-party systems."

"Their Case Management set of features is severely lacking and should be a target for immediate improvement dealing with unpredictable processes inside of organizations."

More Oracle BPM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"While it can be quite costly, it offers significant benefits for users."

"The product is expensive."

"When you compare with Laserfiche and M-Files, IBM is expensive."

"It is on the expensive side, but it provides excellent supportability and an ecosystem that is proven to be a great fit for our organization."

"Our license is on a three-year term."

"There is still a relatively high total cost of ownership to actually implement, support, and stand up solutions."

"The solution's pricing is a little bit expensive."

"Nowadays, clients are looking at pricing as one of the major factors. For IBM products, they always think it is expensive for them. We are still educating our clients on the IBM FlexPoints licensing."

More IBM Business Automation Workflow pricing and cost advice

"We received the product packaged into the Oracle database solution."

"The licensing model is good."

"This solution is very expensive. You are charged per license and an additional 20% for support."

"As with all Oracle products, the licensing over VMware is an issue."

"The pricing is significantly high, particularly for Brazil where fluctuations in the exchange rate between the dollar and the real can further increase the cost of Oracle licenses."

"It's pried high, this solution is expensive."

"The licensing for this product is very costly. We pay for a yearly license to use Oracle BPM."

"I don't have information on the exact cost of Oracle BPM because a different team handles that, but it's pretty high. Oracle products are very costly. I would rate pricing for Oracle BPM three out of five. Though the pricing is high, the solution has a lot of features."

More Oracle BPM pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Business Process Management (BPM) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

36%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Government

Wireless Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is better, IBM BPM or IBM Business Automation Workflow?

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 en...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Business Automation Workflow?

The most valuable feature of IBM Business Automation Workflow is cost management.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Business Automation Workflow?

The price of IBM Business Automation Workflow is on the higher side compared to the features it offers.

See all answers

What do you like most about Oracle BPM?

The solution provides extensive functionalities.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle BPM?

The licensing is expensive. It needs to be more affordable, especially in the Kenyan market.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Oracle BPM?

Oracle BPM should ensure its product is aligned with current technology by keeping up with advancements like AI. There are delays in offering the latest technology, so there is a need to be more re...

See all answers

Comparisons

Camunda vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 29% of the time

IBM BPM vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 29% of the time

Apache Airflow vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 12% of the time

Appian vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 7% of the time

SAP Signavio Process Manager vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM Business Automation Workflow Competitors

SAP Signavio Process Manager vs Oracle BPM

Compared 27% of the time

Camunda vs Oracle BPM

Compared 26% of the time

IBM BPM vs Oracle BPM

Compared 14% of the time

AWS Step Functions vs Oracle BPM

Compared 10% of the time

More Oracle BPM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow

May 2025

Download IBM Business Automation Workflow product report

Buyer's Guide

Oracle BPM

May 2025

Download Oracle BPM product report

Also Known As

Business Automation Workflow

Oracle Business Process Management

Overview

IBM Business Automation Workflow combines business process management and case management capabilities in one workflow solution. It integrates the capabilities of business process and case management into a single workflow offering. It unites information, process, and users to provide a 360-degree view of work to drive more successful optimized business outcomes. IBM Business Automation Workflow on Cloud provides the same capabilities that are offered in the IBM Business Automation Workflow offering, all within a ready-to-use, cloud-based environment that is hosted in IBM Cloud data centers and managed by IBM.

IBM

The Industry's Most Complete and Unified BPM Solution A complete solution for all types of processes that provides a unified process foundation, user-centric design, and social BPM interaction. Reduces complexity and risk and increases business efficiency, visibility, and agility.

Oracle

Sample Customers

Key Bank, Barclays, Control€xpert, MIR Insurance Brokers, Conqord Oil

State Revenue Office Victoria, New South Wales Health, REDISA, Panduit, Total E&P Indonesie

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Oracle BPM

April 2025

Free Report: IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Oracle BPM

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Oracle BPM and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Oracle BPM report.

See our list of best Business Process Management (BPM) 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.