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Automation Integration · head to head

Activiti vs Formstack

Activiti logo

Activiti

Automation Integration

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Formstack logo

Formstack

Surveys

Form builder with document generation and e-signature

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Activiti has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Formstack more expensive than form builders that only collect, which is the fair comparison for simple use
  • They diverge on capability: Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Formstack covers Form builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activiti and Formstack actually diverge.

Attributes where Activiti and Formstack differ
AttributeActivitiFormstack
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeTiered monthly subscription published on the vendor site; HIPAA-capable plans priced separately
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, KubernetesWeb, Cloud
CategoryAutomation IntegrationSurveys

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Formstack

  • Form builder
  • Document generation
  • E-signature
  • Workflow routing
  • Salesforce integration
  • Compliance features

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 Formstack
  • A Java application that needs to embed a BPMN engine as a library under a permissive licencenot Formstack
  • An organisation that has ruled out Camunda 8 on licence grounds and needs an Apache 2.0 alternativenot Formstack
  • Document-centric approval workflows where the process engine sits inside the content management stack rather than beside itnot Formstack

Formstack

  • Processes where a submitted form must become a signed documentnot Activiti
  • Regulated intake needing HIPAA-capable handlingnot Activiti
  • Salesforce shops wanting forms and documents inside the CRMnot 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.

Formstack

  • More expensive than form builders that only collect, which is the fair comparison for simple use
  • Document generation and signature sit in higher tiers, so the headline price is not the working price
  • The interface has accumulated features over a long life and shows it
  • Overkill where a form only needs to collect an answer

Pricing, plan by plan

Activiti

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

Formstack

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Formstack review.

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 Formstack if

  • You need form builder.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want document generation.
Formstack review

Questions people ask

Is Activiti or Formstack better?
Neither clearly leads. Activiti starts at Free and Formstack at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activiti or Formstack?
Activiti has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Activiti and On request for Formstack.
Does Activiti or Formstack run on more platforms?
Activiti runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Formstack runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Activiti for free?
Yes. Activiti has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Formstack starts at On request.
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 Formstack is typically brought in for.
What can Activiti do that Formstack cannot?
Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Activiti Cloud, Modeler, Java and REST APIs. Formstack covers Form builder, Document generation, E-signature, Workflow routing.

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.

Formstack: What does Formstack cost?

It publishes tiered monthly pricing; document generation and e-signature sit in higher tiers, and HIPAA-capable plans are priced separately.

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.

Formstack: What makes it different from a plain form builder?

It generates documents from submissions and collects signatures on them, which is the step that otherwise involves retyping form data into a template.

Activiti: What licence is it?

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

Formstack: Is it HIPAA compliant?

It offers HIPAA-capable plans for regulated data. That is a plan-level feature, not the default.

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.

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