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Automation Integration · head to head

Activiti vs Autonoly

Activiti logo

Activiti

Automation Integration

Apache 2.0 BPMN engine under Hyland, from which Flowable and Camunda were forked

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Autonoly logo

Autonoly

Automation Integration

AI agents that build and run automation workflows from plain-English prompts

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Activiti the last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024, and while release candidate builds continue, a two-year gap between stable versions is a real risk signal for a production dependency.; Autonoly pricing is credit-based, so heavy web-scraping or long-running workflows can consume the monthly allowance quickly and require add-on credit packs.
  • They diverge on capability: Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Autonoly covers Natural language workflow builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activiti and Autonoly actually diverge.

Attributes where Activiti and Autonoly differ
AttributeActivitiAutonoly
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetesweb, api

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation Integration).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Activiti

  • BPMN 2.0 engine
  • Activiti Cloud
  • Modeler
  • Java and REST APIs
  • Pluggable persistence
  • Identity integration

Only in Autonoly

  • Natural language workflow builder
  • Web scraping
  • Reports and dashboards
  • Python and code execution
  • Scheduling
  • App integrations
  • Workflow analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Activiti

  • An Alfresco or Hyland content services deployment where Activiti is already the embedded workflow enginenot Autonoly
  • A Java application that needs to embed a BPMN engine as a library under a permissive licencenot Autonoly
  • An organisation that has ruled out Camunda 8 on licence grounds and needs an Apache 2.0 alternativenot Autonoly
  • Document-centric approval workflows where the process engine sits inside the content management stack rather than beside itnot Autonoly

Autonoly

  • Scraping data from websites into spreadsheets or dashboardsnot Activiti
  • Generating scheduled Excel and PDF reports automaticallynot Activiti
  • Chaining multi-step workflows across business appsnot Activiti
  • Running Python scripts and lightweight ML pipelines on a schedulenot Activiti
  • Sending automated alerts and notifications to Slack, Discord, or emailnot Activiti

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Activiti

  • The last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024, and while release candidate builds continue, a two-year gap between stable versions is a real risk signal for a production dependency.
  • Both Camunda and Flowable forked away and took large parts of the contributor base with them, so the community, tutorials and third-party tooling around Activiti are much thinner than around either fork.
  • Commercial support is only realistically available by buying Hyland Alfresco subscriptions, so there is no way to pay for Activiti support on its own.
  • Activiti Cloud imposes a distributed architecture of several Spring Boot services plus Keycloak, which is heavy for teams who simply wanted an embeddable engine.
  • Documentation is dated and partly split between old Alfresco sites and Hyland Connect, and the transition between Activiti 6, 7 and 8 architectures makes much of the older material actively misleading.

Autonoly

  • Pricing is credit-based, so heavy web-scraping or long-running workflows can consume the monthly allowance quickly and require add-on credit packs.
  • The free plan allows 1,000 credits and three concurrent workflows a month, which is enough to trial the product but not to run anything continuously.
  • No published mobile apps (iOS/Android); the platform is web-based only.
  • Company details such as founding date, founders, and team size are not disclosed on the site, making it harder to evaluate the vendor's track record.
  • As an AI-agent-driven scraper/executor, reliability on sites with aggressive bot protection or frequently changing layouts may vary compared to purpose-built RPA tools.

Pricing, plan by plan

Activiti

Free
  • ActivitiFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • Embeddable Java library or Activiti Cloud services
    • No usage limits

Autonoly

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 credits/month
    • 3 concurrent AI agent workflows
    • Community support
  • Starter$29/month
    • 10,000 credits/month
    • 5 concurrent workflows
    • 3 parallel agents
  • Growth$59/month
    • 30,000 credits/month
    • 15 concurrent workflows
    • 5 parallel agents
  • Pro$99/month
    • 60,000 credits/month
    • 50 concurrent workflows
    • 15 parallel agents

Which should you pick?

Choose Activiti if

  • You need bpmn 2.0 engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want activiti cloud.
Activiti review

Choose Autonoly if

  • You need natural language workflow builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want web scraping.
Autonoly review

Questions people ask

Is Activiti or Autonoly better?
Neither clearly leads. Activiti starts at Free and Autonoly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activiti or Autonoly?
Activiti starts at Free and Autonoly at Free.
Does Activiti or Autonoly run on more platforms?
Activiti runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Autonoly runs on web, api.
Can I use Activiti for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Activiti best used for?
Activiti is most often used for an alfresco or hyland content services deployment where activiti is already the embedded workflow engine, a java application that needs to embed a bpmn engine as a library under a permissive licence, an organisation that has ruled out camunda 8 on licence grounds and needs an apache 2.0 alternative, document-centric approval workflows where the process engine sits inside the content management stack rather than beside it. Of those, an alfresco or hyland content services deployment where activiti is already the embedded workflow engine and a java application that needs to embed a bpmn engine as a library under a permissive licence are not what Autonoly is typically brought in for.
What can Activiti do that Autonoly cannot?
Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Activiti Cloud, Modeler, Java and REST APIs. Autonoly covers Natural language workflow builder, Web scraping, Reports and dashboards, Python and code execution.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Activiti: Is Activiti still maintained?

Yes, Hyland continues to publish builds, but the last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024.

Autonoly: How does Autonoly charge?

By credits rather than per task. Free covers 1,000 credits a month, Starter is $29, Growth $59 and Pro $99, with Enterprise priced on application. Simple actions cost 1 to 3 credits and advanced AI operations 5 to 15.

Source
Activiti: What is its relationship to Camunda and Flowable?

Both are forks of Activiti: Camunda in 2013 and Flowable in 2016, when core developers left Alfresco.

Autonoly: Is there a free plan?

Yes. It includes 1,000 credits a month and three concurrent AI agent workflows, with community support. No card is required to start.

Source
Activiti: What licence is it?

Apache 2.0, which distinguishes it from Camunda 8’s source-available licence.

Autonoly: What happens if I run out of credits?

Autonoly notifies you and suggests optimisations rather than stopping outright: you can upgrade at any time, or have non-critical workflows paused automatically until the allowance resets.

Source
Activiti: Should I choose Activiti for a new project?

Only if the Apache licence or an existing Alfresco deployment is decisive. Flowable and Camunda have far larger ecosystems.

Autonoly: Can I change plan partway through a month?

Yes. Upgrades and downgrades take effect immediately and billing is prorated. Autonoly also offers 50% off paid plans for nonprofits.

Source
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