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Automation Integration · head to head

Flowable vs Lytics

Flowable logo

Flowable

Automation Integration

Apache 2.0 BPMN, CMMN and DMN engine from the team that originally built Activiti

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
L

Lytics

Automation Integration

The customer data platform for personalization

From
$400/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Flowable has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Flowable the open source engine is genuinely usable but ships without the modelling studio, work application and admin console, so an open source deployment means building your own user interfaces before anyone can use it.; Lytics billed in credits where one credit is an update to a user profile, so the bill tracks how often profiles change rather than how many exist
  • They diverge on capability: Flowable covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Lytics covers Data collection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flowable and Lytics actually diverge.

Attributes where Flowable and Lytics differ
AttributeFlowableLytics
Starting priceFree$400/month
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, CloudWeb
FoundedUnknown2013

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 Flowable

  • BPMN 2.0 engine
  • CMMN case management
  • DMN decision tables
  • Spring Boot integration
  • Modelling studio
  • Task and case application
  • REST APIs
  • History and audit

Only in Lytics

  • Data collection
  • Audience segmentation
  • Predictive analytics
  • Personalization
  • Real-time activation
  • Analytics
  • API access
  • 100+ integrations

What people use each for

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

Flowable

  • An insurer automating claims handling where each case follows a different path and BPMN alone cannot express itnot Lytics
  • A bank embedding process orchestration inside an existing Spring Boot estate rather than buying a separate platformnot Lytics
  • A team leaving Activiti or jBPM that wants the same API family with active commercial maintenancenot Lytics
  • A regulated organisation needing complete process history and decision table audit trails for supervisorsnot Lytics

Lytics

  • Building unified customer profiles from behavioural and marketing datanot Flowable
  • Segmenting audiences and syncing them to marketing destinationsnot Flowable

Where each one falls short

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

Flowable

  • The open source engine is genuinely usable but ships without the modelling studio, work application and admin console, so an open source deployment means building your own user interfaces before anyone can use it.
  • It expects Java engineering capacity; teams looking for a business-user low-code automation tool will find the modelling and deployment cycle far too technical.
  • Enterprise pricing is not published and is quoted per deployment, leaving buyers without a benchmark against Camunda or IBM alternatives.
  • The Activiti fork left three engines with related APIs and overlapping documentation in circulation, and search results routinely return advice for the wrong one.
  • Flowable AG is a small Swiss company relative to its competitors, so the partner network, training market and pool of engineers with production experience are all limited outside Europe.

Lytics

  • Billed in credits where one credit is an update to a user profile, so the bill tracks how often profiles change rather than how many exist
  • Most inbound events consume a full credit each, and Cloud Connect sync events consume half a credit per updated row
  • The free Developer tier is capped at 2M monthly credits and 10 domains
  • The Growth plan is $500 a month for 5M credits, with additional credits at $500 per 10M
  • Enterprise begins above 10M credits and is quoted rather than published

Pricing, plan by plan

Flowable

Free
  • Flowable Open SourceFree
    • Apache 2.0 licensed BPMN, CMMN and DMN engines
    • Embeddable Java library or standalone apps
    • No modelling studio or enterprise applications
  • Flowable Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Modelling studio, work application and admin console
    • Connectors, forms and advanced identity management
    • Support with SLA and version maintenance

Lytics

$400/month
  • Professional$400/month
    • Core CDP features
  • Advanced$1200/month
    • Advanced personalization
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$3000/month
    • Custom solutions
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Flowable if

  • You need bpmn 2.0 engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want cmmn case management.
Flowable review

Choose Lytics if

  • You need data collection.
  • You also want audience segmentation.
Lytics review

Questions people ask

Is Flowable or Lytics better?
Neither clearly leads. Flowable starts at Free and Lytics at $400/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flowable or Lytics?
Flowable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Flowable and $400/month for Lytics.
Does Flowable or Lytics run on more platforms?
Flowable runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. Lytics runs on Web.
Can I use Flowable for free?
Yes. Flowable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lytics starts at $400/month.
What is Flowable best used for?
Flowable is most often used for an insurer automating claims handling where each case follows a different path and bpmn alone cannot express it, a bank embedding process orchestration inside an existing spring boot estate rather than buying a separate platform, a team leaving activiti or jbpm that wants the same api family with active commercial maintenance, a regulated organisation needing complete process history and decision table audit trails for supervisors. Of those, an insurer automating claims handling where each case follows a different path and bpmn alone cannot express it and a bank embedding process orchestration inside an existing spring boot estate rather than buying a separate platform are not what Lytics is typically brought in for.
What can Flowable do that Lytics cannot?
Flowable covers BPMN 2.0 engine, CMMN case management, DMN decision tables, Spring Boot integration. Lytics covers Data collection, Audience segmentation, Predictive analytics, Personalization.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flowable: Is Flowable open source?

Yes, the BPMN, CMMN and DMN engines are Apache 2.0. The modelling studio and enterprise applications are commercial.

Flowable: How does it relate to Activiti and jBPM?

The same core developers built jBPM, then Activiti, then forked Activiti in 2016 to create Flowable.

Flowable: What does Flowable Enterprise cost?

Nothing is published. It is quoted per deployment by the vendor.

Flowable: Why choose it over Camunda?

CMMN case management is a first-class engine, which matters when work is exception-driven rather than a fixed sequence.

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