IBM Business Automation Workflow vs Pega Platform comparison

IBM and Pega are both solutions in the Business Process Management (BPM) category. IBM is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.2, while Pega is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.2. IBM holds a 1.6% mindshare in BPM, compared to Pega’s 3.7% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Pega users who would recommend it.

IBM Business Automation Wor...

Read 26 IBM Business Automation Workflow reviews

2,056 Views
2,056 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

Pega Platform

Read 85 Pega Platform reviews

9,855 Views
4,336 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

IBM Business Automation Wor...

Pega Platform

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Pega Platform and IBM Business Automation Workflow are leading contenders in the business automation and enterprise solutions sector. Pega holds an advantage due to its ease of use, driven by user-centric design and rapid application development, appealing particularly to users desiring low-code environments.

Features: Pega Platform is renowned for its no-code capabilities, strong case management, and seamless integration services, alongside robust cloud offerings and quick deployment. Its unified architecture further enhances streamlined development. IBM Business Automation Workflow is celebrated for comprehensive integration capabilities and powerful workflow automation, aiding complex task management and operational efficiency.

Room for Improvement: Pega users seek better cloud presence, enhanced AI and RPA capabilities, easier integration options, improved UI, and reporting functions. Its complex pricing model and limited licensing flexibility also draw critique. IBM users highlight high complexity and a steep learning curve as areas needing improvement, alongside desired UI flexibility, better integration with non-relational databases, and more cost-effective pricing models.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Pega Platform offers flexible deployment models across public, private, hybrid cloud, and on-premises, but its customer service receives mixed reviews. IBM Business Automation Workflow, while offering similar deployments, is seen as more complex to deploy. Its technical support is knowledgeable, yet response times are inconsistent depending on issue complexity.

Pricing and ROI: Pega is considered expensive, mainly by small and medium enterprises, due to complex licensing models. Nevertheless, high ROI is noted due to efficiency and productivity gains. IBM Business Automation Workflow also commands a high price, justified by its robust feature set and support ecosystem offering positive ROI for large enterprises, though potentially prohibitive for smaller organizations.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Pega Platform Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Pega Platform

February 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 881,757 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:

ROI

Sentiment score

7.7

IBM Business Automation Workflow boosts ROI by enhancing productivity, streamlining tasks, and improving efficiency with real-time monitoring.

Sentiment score

7.4

Pega Platform boosts user satisfaction with efficient workflows and rapid ROI, enhancing process efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Initially performed manually, workflows now provide a better user experience and increased efficiency.

reviewer2695299

Senior Systems Developer at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees

IBM Business Automation Workflow demonstrates strong return on investment, particularly through the operation model and real-time monitoring capabilities provided by the embedded dashboards.

IsmailEl Dahshan

CEO at Exact Holding NV

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM Business Automation Workflow report

I estimate that projects take days rather than weeks when using Pega Platform compared to traditional coding.

developer at Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College

Pega Platform has positively impacted my organization, as they were using different technology before and have seen tremendous success and return on investment, so they are very happy.

BhaveshPatel1

Pega Lead System Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Pega Platform report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.0

IBM Business Automation Workflow's customer service is mixed, with both timely support and challenges like slow responses and communication delays.

Sentiment score

6.7

Pega Platform's support is responsive but struggles with complex issues; self-service tools are praised for aiding users.

If the solution is readily available to IBM support team, they provide it instantly.

Ateeq Rehman

Unit Head System Implementor at Allied Bank Limited

IBM provides long-term support and maintains a traditionally good customer-vendor relationship.

Edmond Pajk

Deputy CEO, CIO at a insurance company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM Business Automation Workflow report

I never needed support from the platform standpoint, but if additional features are required, we have regular meetings with the product team for feedback.

Chandu Panda

MEA Head at Aaseya IT Services Pvt. Ltd.

The technical support from Pega is very low, rating a one or two out of ten.

reviewer1605597

Chief Information Officer at a government with 10,001+ employees

Pega's technical support team is very helpful.

VenkatSriram

Quality Assurance Team Lead at Value Labs

For more quotes and insights, download the Pega Platform report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.9

IBM Business Automation Workflow is highly scalable, accommodating extensive users and transactions with flexibility in deployment and resource efficiency.

Sentiment score

7.5

Pega Platform effectively scales for large enterprises, excelling with solid architecture and integration, despite high-load performance challenges.

We are implementing load balancing and horizontal scalability.

Ateeq Rehman

Unit Head System Implementor at Allied Bank Limited

We can manage the license usage and scale our environment while optimizing license use.

Edmond Pajk

Deputy CEO, CIO at a insurance company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM Business Automation Workflow report

Currently, big banking providers and insurance providers, even the members for healthcare payers, are using more than millions of operations on a daily or weekly basis.

reviewer4848291

Global Head of Digital, Process Automation at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Pega Platform report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.5

IBM Business Automation Workflow is stable and reliable, praised for functionality but impacted by maintenance and OS challenges.

Sentiment score

7.6

Pega Platform is reliable and stable, excelling with large volumes, despite occasional glitches and minor version update disruptions.

Outside of these maintenance periods, the environment is quite stable.

reviewer2695299

Senior Systems Developer at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees

When installed on AIX, IBM Business Automation Workflow performs very well.

IsmailEl Dahshan

CEO at Exact Holding NV

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM Business Automation Workflow report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Pega Platform report

Room For Improvement

IBM Business Automation Workflow enhancements requested include better UI, AI features, simplified setup, and improved support and resources.

Pega Platform needs UI customization, better integration, mature AI, cost flexibility, scalability, and improved documentation and support.

Rather than sending URLs or documentation for customers to solve problems independently, the support team should be more involved in addressing the client's specific issues in a targeted manner, providing clear guidance on what actions need to be taken.

IsmailEl Dahshan

CEO at Exact Holding NV

Many developments are focused on AI, LLM models, and data science.

Ateeq Rehman

Unit Head System Implementor at Allied Bank Limited

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

Edmond Pajk

Deputy CEO, CIO at a insurance company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM Business Automation Workflow report

Pega introduced Constellation, which allows a user to build a more engaging visual experience.

Chandu Panda

MEA Head at Aaseya IT Services Pvt. Ltd.

For customer interactions, while the Pega Platform's AI-based decisioning and predictive analytics are great, the Process AI is not very popular yet, as it works on process data rather than customer data.

reviewer4848291

Global Head of Digital, Process Automation at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

There are always areas for improvement, which they are addressing in every part of the patch releases.

BhaveshPatel1

Pega Lead System Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Pega Platform report

Setup Cost

IBM Business Automation Workflow is expensive but valued for high-quality features, flexible licensing, and productivity enhancement compared to competitors.

Pega Platform's high pricing favors large companies, offering robust features with flexible deployment and licensing options.

It is not a cheap license but in line with expectations for such software.

Edmond Pajk

Deputy CEO, CIO at a insurance company with 51-200 employees

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

reviewer2695299

Senior Systems Developer at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM Business Automation Workflow report

Pega is priced higher than open-source options like Flowable but is suitable for large-scale industries like banking and insurance.

VenkatSriram

Quality Assurance Team Lead at Value Labs

The pricing is expensive, and this is an issue.

reviewer1605597

Chief Information Officer at a government with 10,001+ employees

From a licensing perspective, it is higher than the competition.

reviewer4848291

Global Head of Digital, Process Automation at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Pega Platform report

Valuable Features

IBM Business Automation Workflow integrates RPA, offering rapid app development, AI-enhanced automation, and robust cross-departmental communication tools.

Pega Platform's low-code environment offers rapid prototyping, scalable automation, and streamlined digital transformation for diverse industries.

IBM Business Automation Workflow integrates seamlessly with other IBM products, such as Enterprise Content Management, FileNet, Case Manager, and Operational Decision Management.

IsmailEl Dahshan

CEO at Exact Holding NV

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

Ateeq Rehman

Unit Head System Implementor at Allied Bank Limited

It assisted in making users concentrate on the process flow rather than just features.

Edmond Pajk

Deputy CEO, CIO at a insurance company with 51-200 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM Business Automation Workflow report

Pega Platform has positively impacted my organization by providing faster application development than traditional methods.

developer at Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College

Management capabilities such as dashboards.

VenkatSriram

Quality Assurance Team Lead at Value Labs

Pega Platform is excellent for enterprise-level solutions with integrations to entire systems, including case management, service orchestration, CRM, decision-making capabilities, digital process automation, and AI-driven functionalities.

Chandu Panda

MEA Head at Aaseya IT Services Pvt. Ltd.

For more quotes and insights, download the Pega Platform report

Categories and Ranking

IBM Business Automation Wor...

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

12th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Pega Platform

Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)

3rd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Rules Management (1st), Process Automation (4th), Rapid Application Development Software (7th), Low-Code Development Platforms (7th), Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (7th), AI Software Development (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM Business Automation Workflow is 1.6%, down from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Pega Platform is 3.7%, down from 5.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Management (BPM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Pega Platform	3.7%
IBM Business Automation Workflow	1.6%
Other	94.7%

Business Process Management (BPM)

Featured Reviews

IsmailEl Dahshan

CEO at Exact Holding NV

Automation has transformed financial workflows and has improved revenue tracking and compliance

Regarding Watsonx, I am uncertain whether it is fully complied and fully integrated with IBM Business Automation Workflow yet. Currently, we use some AI in Enterprise Content Management, particularly when searching documents. Archiving snapshots would be very beneficial. It would be good to reduce the administration effort required to archive snapshots, as this is a main issue with the product. I would also recommend that IBM engage with customers more deeply. Rather than sending URLs or documentation for customers to solve problems independently, the support team should be more involved in addressing the client's specific issues in a targeted manner, providing clear guidance on what actions need to be taken.

Read full review

reviewer4848291

Global Head of Digital, Process Automation at a computer software company with 51-200 employees

Pega is a low-code platform that enables organizations to build, automate, and optimize business processes and customer experiences through AI-powered decisioning and workflow automation.

Here are the key areas where Pega Platform could be improved: 1. User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX) Customization Limitations: The UI layer is tightly coupled with the platform, limiting flexibility for custom front-end development. Constellation Architecture: While it improves consistency, it restricts advanced UI customizations compared to older section-based designs. Learning Curve: Non-technical users find the UI unintuitive despite the low-code promise. 2. Integration & Extensibility Limited Out-of-the-Box Integrations: Users report challenges integrating with non-relational databases and legacy systems. Robotics Integration: Pega RPA (formerly OpenSpan) is not seamlessly integrated with BPM, creating silos in automation. 3. AI & Decisioning AI Capabilities Need Maturity: Users expect more advanced, native AI features without relying on external tools. CDH & Decision Hub: While powerful, these components require deep expertise to configure effectively. 4. Cost & Licensing High Licensing Costs: Pega is often seen as expensive, especially for small and mid-sized enterprises. Lack of Flexible Pricing Models: Calls for subscription-based or usage-based pricing to improve accessibility. 5. Performance & Scalability Scalability Concerns: Some users report performance degradation with large user bases or complex workflows. Upgrade Complexity: Platform upgrades can be time-consuming and disruptive if not planned well. 6. Documentation & Community Support Insufficient Learning Resources: Especially for advanced features, documentation is limited and community support is not as strong as competitors. Talent Availability: Finding skilled Pega professionals remains a challenge in many regions. 7. Low-Code/No-Code Experience Not Fully No-Code: Despite branding, some tasks still require technical intervention, and the drag-and-drop interface can be restrictive 2. Conflict Management: Simultaneous development by multiple users can lead to rule conflicts.

Read full review

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

881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

30%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

25%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	17

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	16
Large Enterprise	69

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 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 needs improvement with IBM Business Automation Workflow?

Code management lacks merging capabilities. If parallel development requires merging, improvements in this area would be beneficial. Additionally, the user interface could be more visually appealin...

See all answers

Is Pega BPM easy to work with and can beginners utilize this software?

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 everythin...

See all answers

Have you encountered any issues while using Pega BPM and were you assisted by the company?

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...

See all answers

When you consider the features and benefits of Pega BPM, would you say this product is fairly priced?

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 B...

See all answers

Comparisons

Camunda vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 18% of the time

IBM BPM vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 14% of the time

Apache Airflow vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 8% of the time

Appian vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 6% of the time

Oracle BPM vs IBM Business Automation Workflow

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM Business Automation Workflow Competitors

Camunda vs Pega Platform

Compared 12% of the time

ServiceNow vs Pega Platform

Compared 10% of the time

Appian vs Pega Platform

Compared 6% of the time

FICO Blaze Advisor vs Pega Platform

Compared 4% of the time

IBM Operational Decision Manager vs Pega Platform

Compared 4% of the time

More Pega Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow

January 2026

Download IBM Business Automation Workflow product report

Buyer's Guide

Pega Platform

January 2026

Download Pega Platform product report

Also Known As

Business Automation Workflow

Pega BPM, Pegasystems, SmartBPM, PegaRULES

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

Pega Platform provides flexible business process management with a focus on rapid application development and automation through a low-code approach, enhancing efficiency across sectors.

Pega Platform is renowned for its ability to streamline operations with robust automation features, including robotic process automation and decision-making capabilities. Its intuitive interface and workflow management contribute to a reputation for enhancing business processes. Although users face challenges with integration limitations and high licensing costs, they benefit from rapid deployment and efficient process adaptations. The unified architecture reduces complexity, while case management and integration services support digital transformations in sectors such as banking, insurance, and healthcare.

What are the key features of Pega Platform?

Low-Code Development: Facilitates rapid application development with minimal coding.
Case Management: Efficiently manages complex workflows and cases.
Integration Services: Offers seamless connectivity with diverse systems.
Robotic Process Automation: Automates repetitive tasks for increased productivity.
Decision-Making Capabilities: Enhances process accuracy with advanced decision tools.
Intuitive Interface: Simplifies user interaction and workflow management.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlines operations, reducing time and resource usage.
Quick Deployment: Facilitates rapid implementation and adaptability.
Improved Customer Experience: Integrates seamlessly with customer service solutions.
Increased Flexibility: Adapts to changing business requirements effectively.

In industries like insurance, banking, healthcare, and government, Pega Platform is implemented to automate diverse workflows, supporting initiatives from claims processing to customer onboarding. Enterprises use Pega for case management and digital transformations, valuing its out-of-the-box integrations and real-time reporting capabilities to boost operational automation and enhance customer experiences.

Pega

Sample Customers

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

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

Buyer's Guide

IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Pega Platform

February 2026

Free Report: IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Pega Platform

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Pega Platform and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our IBM Business Automation Workflow vs. Pega Platform 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.