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IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs Nintex Process Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

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 Cloud Pak for Automation
Ranking in Process Automation
37th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (34th)
Nintex Process Platform
Ranking in Process Automation
22nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Management (BPM) (20th), Workload Automation (21st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is 1.1%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nintex Process Platform is 2.0%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Process Automation Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Nintex Process Platform2.0%
IBM Cloud Pak for Automation1.1%
Other96.9%
Process Automation
 

Featured Reviews

SYEDMUJTABA - PeerSpot reviewer
Vice President - Digital Automation Services at Techvista Systems
Effectively handles parallel instances effectively
I find it quite straightforward, perhaps around 8.5 out of 10 in terms of ease. When we upgraded from the old version of IBM BPM to the new one within IBM Cloud Pak for Automation, we didn't encounter any major issues. There were some minor ones, but they were easy to overcome.The migration process was part of our deployment strategy. We had a plan to migrate two processes per week from on-premises to the cloud. The migration involved taking the instances and migrating them to the new environment. There is an inbuilt feature in IBM Cloud Pak for Automation that facilitates the migration process, although I personally haven't conducted it myself; it's managed by my team. Overall, the setup process was relatively smooth.
Hafiz Muhammad Usama - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Mobility & Digitalization at Fatima group
Have experienced challenges integrating with other systems but have benefited from improved process automation
There are multiple areas that need improvement. Nintex Process Platform needs integration with other platforms such as Salesforce and other CRM platforms. There should be actions available so we can directly integrate with these systems. Additionally, there is a gap in mathematical actions and logical actions. We need to parse data, and if we receive data in JSON, there is no action available in Nintex Process Platform to parse the data and extract data from that JSON string. Such actions and logical actions must be available in Nintex Process Platform to increase its capability. For us, Nintex Process Platform is configurable with SQL Server, but there is no configuration option available with Oracle. We also use Oracle in multiple processes, but we have found no way to directly configure Nintex Process Platform with Oracle. We have to use SQL Server in between. We have to create a link server within SQL Server as a bypass to retrieve or post data into Oracle. There were multiple improvement points available.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I believe two significant features of IBM Cloud Pak for Automation are the focus on SLA management and the capability to handle parallel instances effectively. Parallel instances, for instance, are valuable when dealing with a large number of users, enabling tasks to be performed concurrently for efficient system operation. The SLA aspect is crucial for tracking and ensuring timely completion of tasks. Additionally, the cloud compatibility of IBM BAW allows for seamless migration from on-premises to the cloud. This version also includes a business rule management system for storing and managing business rules effectively."
"What this product allows us to do is to move from on-prem instances where we are running independent instances of FileNet, Datacap, and ODM. It allows us to leverage container-based resiliency and availability modeling so that we have some visibility across the CP4BA ecosystem. We're now migrating all of our data to be in the Cloud Object Storage, and we can now use some of the features of Azure in terms of how we store and retrieve content for our members and our providers."
"It creates workflows to handle business processes. It allows us to route approvals to users without human intervention."
"We were able to meet all of the requirements for functionality that were specified, and we did not experience challenges where we had to compromise on functionality."
"Only Nintex has the feature which allows attachments to an email.​"
"The support is great; I found the support to be excellent with immediate responses whenever I open a ticket."
"It has integration with BI and Analytics tools, and RPA toolsets as well."
"Provides the ability to automate SharePoint processes (building sites, lists, updating content). You can also automate document and content processes, onboarding and offboarding, and general IT and HR solutions."
"K2's best feature is that it can solve complex tasks, issues, and projects with little coding."
"The workflow engine of K2 is its main strength. Its workflow engine is probably one of the best, and that's the reason why Nintex bought K2. It can clearly handle any complex process or scenario. K2 is almost low-code. It is a no-code or low-code solution. You don't have to read a whole lot of code. It is pretty much GUI based. Their support is also excellent. The biggest advantage of K2 is SmartObjects, which allow you to separate the data from the application. It is a standalone application that allows you to build a data source from different places, which a lot of other applications also do. It is called SmartObjects technology, which is pretty powerful. If I have data from different applications, such as JD and ServiceNow, I can just create a SmartObject based on a data source and use it. I have some forms that have six, seven, or eight applications in a single form with data from different places."
 

Cons

"I believe there is room for improvement in the user interface, particularly in the Process Portal that customers use to view and manage their tasks. The UI of the Process Portal needs enhancement. Additionally, in the next release, I would like to see improved compatibility with Angular, allowing for direct integration with front-end systems. It would be beneficial to have built-in GUI features based on Angular within the system, rather than developing separate applications externally. This, in turn, would provide a more seamless and enhanced front-end experience."
"One of the challenges we're having is finding vendors who have experience in developing on the cloud. We can find developers on the old platform, but it is leading-edge technology. So, we are having some challenges, and IBM is assisting us to find vendor partners. To be able to leverage all the capabilities of the new platform, we have to upgrade our existing ecosystem of FileNet applications. Upgrading to the new platform while trying to modernize is always challenging because it is like you have a moving target."
"I would also like to see the BPM features from Pega implemented, that have to do with the implementation of AI, and the robotics."
"K2 is a workflow solution, and there is no RPA solution with K2. This is where K2 lacks a little bit. It is just a heavy workflow solution. It doesn't have a supplemental product like RPA. If you want to use RPA, you have to use Blue Prism, UIPath, or something else. If you use Nintex, it has an RPA solution. It is a form-based application, and they are doing everything electronically. The initial investment in K2 is heavy because it is a BPM software. It does not have a low cost because they charge you the same for one workflow or 100 workflows."
"Heavy, cumbersome and inflexible."
"The management server and the admin page where you can manage processes need improvement."
"Difficult to include external partners with the solution deployed on-premise."
"While Nintex Workflow has pretty robust troubleshooting abilities, I think that improving the default logging and notifications would be helpful."
"We'd like to have integration with SharePoint."
"Hawkeye is emerging as a reporting solution, but as a V1 product it’s not very useful yet."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its cost is almost the same or comparable to what we pay with FileNet, but I'm not sure what we pay a year. A good part of CP4BA is the CPU-based licensing model. When we're dealing with 50,000 dentists, for example, if we were to use Salesforce, we would be hit with the licensing of 50,000 dentists, whereas when we build out in CP4BA, it is just based on our CPU usage, not on individual licenses."
"IBM Cloud Pak for Automation is relatively expensive, especially considering it is designed for long-living processes, not for normal automation needs. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the pricing at around 9. There are no additional costs beyond the standard licensing fees, but IBM has multiple pricing models that make it expensive in its own way. Different plans are available, but overall, the experience suggests it is a costly solution."
"We pay on a yearly basis. It's my understanding that we pay approximately $11,000/year."
"Offering a licensing model that allows for multiple small workflows would be a huge improvement to an already great platform."
"The product’s price is competitive compared to other vendors."
"Our maintenance costs are reduced."
"This solution is affordable and is cheaper than most alternatives on the market. We have a standard cloud license that costs about 20k per year."
"There is an initial fee when purchasing and a fee for maintenance afterward."
"Certainly. Notably, in terms of cost, this solution presents a substantial advantage, being approximately forty percent more economical compared to Oracle. It offers flexibility with two deployment options, catering to both cloud and on-premises preferences. Moreover, within each deployment option, there are two variations available. For organizations with limited IT resources and relying on citizen developers—individuals from the business side comfortable with technology—the platform allows for a more hands-on approach. These users can independently implement solutions without extensive coding or custom development. In contrast, the KQ solution at Symantec is adept at addressing the needs of sectors like banking, where extensive custom development is required for seamless integration with existing applications, websites, and ensuring robust security measures."
"Prices for licenses of K2 are high."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Marketing Services Firm
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for K2?
Nintex Process Platform is expensive. Prices relate to both features and the professional services necessary due to our lack of an implementation team.
What needs improvement with K2?
There are multiple areas that need improvement. Nintex Process Platform needs integration with other platforms such as Salesforce and other CRM platforms. There should be actions available so we ca...
What is your primary use case for K2?
Our organization is a fertilizer company where we develop workflows regarding processes occurring at the plant. Most of them are safety projects, and a few other projects include off-boarding proje...
 

Also Known As

No data available
K2 blackpearl, K2 Five, Nintex Workflow
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
SEA Corp, Omnicom Group, Verizon, STIHL
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cloud Pak for Automation vs. Nintex Process Platform and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.