Softwr

Automation Integration · head to head

Activiti vs Polytomic

Activiti logo

Activiti

Automation Integration

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Polytomic logo

Polytomic

Automation Integration

Sync your business logic with data

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.; Polytomic pricing begins at $500 a month on the Standard plan
  • They diverge on capability: Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Polytomic covers No-code syncing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activiti and Polytomic actually diverge.

Attributes where Activiti and Polytomic differ
AttributeActivitiPolytomic
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeusage-based
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, KubernetesWeb
FoundedUnknown2021

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 Polytomic

  • No-code syncing
  • Bidirectional sync
  • Data transformation
  • Error handling
  • Scheduling
  • Monitoring
  • Analytics
  • 100+ apps

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

Polytomic

  • Syncing data between warehouses, databases, spreadsheets and business appsnot Activiti
  • Reverse ETL from a warehouse into operational toolsnot 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.

Polytomic

  • Pricing begins at $500 a month on the Standard plan
  • Neither plan publishes a full rate, sync limit or row allowance, and both direct buyers to book a call
  • SSO, on premise deployment and phone support are Enterprise only

Pricing, plan by plan

Activiti

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

Polytomic

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Limited syncs
    • Basic support
  • Professional$300/month
    • Unlimited syncs
    • Email support
  • Enterprise$1200/month
    • Advanced features
    • Dedicated support

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 Polytomic if

  • You need no-code syncing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want bidirectional sync.
Polytomic review

Questions people ask

Is Activiti or Polytomic better?
Neither clearly leads. Activiti starts at Free and Polytomic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activiti or Polytomic?
Activiti starts at Free and Polytomic at Free.
Does Activiti or Polytomic run on more platforms?
Activiti runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Polytomic runs on Web.
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 Polytomic is typically brought in for.
What can Activiti do that Polytomic cannot?
Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Activiti Cloud, Modeler, Java and REST APIs. Polytomic covers No-code syncing, Bidirectional sync, Data transformation, Error handling.

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.

Polytomic: What is Polytomic's minimum monthly cost?

Polytomic Standard tier starts at $500/month for sync capabilities across databases, warehouses, spreadsheets, apps, and APIs with live chat support. Custom pricing available for Enterprise tier. Source: https://www.polytomic.com/pricing

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.

Polytomic: Does Polytomic offer on-premises deployment?

Yes. On-premises deployment is available on the Enterprise plan with custom pricing. Includes SSO, dedicated engineer support, and phone support. Source: https://www.polytomic.com/pricing

Source
Activiti: What licence is it?

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

Polytomic: What support does Polytomic Standard tier include?

Polytomic Standard tier ($500/month) includes live chat support for data synchronization questions. Enterprise tier upgrades to dedicated engineer support and phone support. Source: https://www.polytomic.com/pricing

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.

Share

Related pages

More on Activiti

More on Polytomic

Keep looking

Other head to heads