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Automation Integration · head to head

Automation Anywhere vs Windmill

Automation Anywhere logo

Automation Anywhere

Automation Integration

Enterprise automation software

From
$200/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Windmill logo

Windmill

Automation Integration

Open-source developer platform for building scripts, workflows, and internal apps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Windmill has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Automation Anywhere no enterprise pricing tiers published; contact sales required for commercial deployment pricing; Windmill free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.
  • They diverge on capability: Automation Anywhere covers Desktop RPA, Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Automation Anywhere and Windmill actually diverge.

Attributes where Automation Anywhere and Windmill differ
AttributeAutomation AnywhereWindmill
Starting price$200/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsDesktop, Webweb, api, linux, windows, mac
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Automation Anywhere

  • Desktop RPA
  • Cloud RPA
  • No-code automation
  • Intelligent process automation
  • Analytics
  • Monitoring
  • Scalability
  • 500+ connectors

Only in Windmill

  • Script-to-workflow engine
  • Auto-generated UIs
  • Self-hosted deployment
  • Git sync
  • SSO support
  • Audit logs

What people use each for

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

Automation Anywhere

  • Workflow Automationnot Windmill
  • Data Integrationnot Windmill
  • Process Automationnot Windmill
  • App Integrationnot Windmill
  • API Connectivitynot Windmill

Windmill

  • Turning ad-hoc scripts into scheduled jobs and APIsnot Automation Anywhere
  • Building internal tools from existing Python/TypeScript codenot Automation Anywhere
  • Self-hosted automation for engineering teamsnot Automation Anywhere
  • Orchestrating multi-language workflowsnot Automation Anywhere

Where each one falls short

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

Automation Anywhere

  • No enterprise pricing tiers published; contact sales required for commercial deployment pricing
  • Cloud Community Edition is free but limited compared to enterprise offerings

Windmill

  • Free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.
  • Compute unit and seat-based pricing (developer vs. operator seats, worker compute units) adds pricing complexity beyond a flat monthly fee.
  • Email triggers are capped at 100/day on the free tier, limiting event-driven use cases without upgrading.
  • Smaller ecosystem of pre-built integrations compared to more established automation tools like n8n.

Pricing, plan by plan

Automation Anywhere

$200/month
  • CommunityFree
    • Community version
    • Limited use
  • Enterprise$200/month
    • Full RPA capabilities
  • Premium$500/month
    • Advanced features
    • Priority support

Windmill

Free
  • Free / Open-sourceFree
    • Unlimited executions
    • Self-hosted deployment
    • Max 10 users with SSO
  • Enterprise$120/month
    • Unlimited executions and workspaces
    • Uncapped SSO seats
    • 24/7 priority support (3-hour response)

Which should you pick?

Choose Automation Anywhere if

  • You need desktop rpa.
  • You work on Desktop, Web.
  • You also want cloud rpa.
Automation Anywhere review

Choose Windmill if

  • You need script-to-workflow engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
  • You also want auto-generated uis.
Windmill review

Questions people ask

Is Automation Anywhere or Windmill better?
Neither clearly leads. Automation Anywhere starts at $200/month and Windmill at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Automation Anywhere or Windmill?
Windmill has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $200/month for Automation Anywhere and Free for Windmill.
Does Automation Anywhere or Windmill run on more platforms?
Automation Anywhere runs on Desktop, Web. Windmill runs on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
Can I use Windmill for free?
Yes. Windmill has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Automation Anywhere starts at $200/month.
What is Automation Anywhere best used for?
Automation Anywhere is most often used for workflow automation, data integration, process automation, app integration. Of those, workflow automation and data integration are not what Windmill is typically brought in for.
What can Automation Anywhere do that Windmill cannot?
Automation Anywhere covers Desktop RPA, Cloud RPA, No-code automation, Intelligent process automation. Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine, Auto-generated UIs, Self-hosted deployment, Git sync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Automation Anywhere: How much does Automation Anywhere cost?

Automation Anywhere provides a Cloud Community Edition available free with full-featured automation access. Enterprise and commercial deployment pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires contact with the sales team for a custom quote.

Source
Windmill: What does Windmill cost?

Windmill's Free and Open-source edition is $0/month for self-hosted use with unlimited executions, while Enterprise starts at $120/month with unlimited workspaces and uncapped SSO seats, priced further by developer/operator seats and compute units.

Source
Automation Anywhere: Does Automation Anywhere offer a free version?

Yes, Automation Anywhere offers the Cloud Community Edition as a free option with full-featured automation access for learning and development purposes. Commercial and enterprise use requires different licensing arrangements.

Source
Windmill: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?

The free self-hosted plan supports unlimited executions but caps SSO at 10 users, workspaces at 3, groups/permissions at 4, and email triggers at 100 per day.

Source
Windmill: How is usage metered on Windmill Enterprise?

Enterprise usage is metered through seats (developer seats at $20/month, operator seats at $10/month) and compute units, e.g. $100/month for 2 standard-worker compute units.

Source
Windmill: What happens to a self-hosted Windmill deployment if the company shuts down?

The pricing page addresses this directly as an FAQ topic, noting that self-hosted applications built on the open-source edition can continue running independently of Windmill the company.

Source
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