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Automation Integration · head to head

Flowable vs Relevance AI

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
Relevance AI logo

Relevance AI

Automation Integration

Specialist AI Agents for Every Task

From
On request
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.; Relevance AI no published standard pricing tiers or plans
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flowable and Relevance AI actually diverge.

Attributes where Flowable and Relevance AI differ
AttributeFlowableRelevance AI
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, CloudWeb

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 Relevance AI

Nothing recorded that Flowable does not also cover.

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 Relevance AI
  • A bank embedding process orchestration inside an existing Spring Boot estate rather than buying a separate platformnot Relevance AI
  • A team leaving Activiti or jBPM that wants the same API family with active commercial maintenancenot Relevance AI
  • A regulated organisation needing complete process history and decision table audit trails for supervisorsnot Relevance AI

Relevance AI

  • AI agent platform for automating business processes with LLMsnot Flowable
  • Low-code automation and workflow orchestration using language modelsnot 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.

Relevance AI

  • No published standard pricing tiers or plans
  • Pay-per-task model pricing varies significantly by AI model selection
  • Enterprise quotes require direct contact with sales
  • Task costs range from 0.01 to 0.11 USD depending on model used

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

Relevance AI

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Relevance AI review.

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 Relevance AI if

Nothing in the data separates Relevance AI from Flowable on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Relevance AI review

Questions people ask

Is Flowable or Relevance AI better?
Neither clearly leads. Flowable starts at Free and Relevance AI at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flowable or Relevance AI?
Flowable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Flowable and On request for Relevance AI.
Does Flowable or Relevance AI run on more platforms?
Flowable runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. Relevance AI runs on Web.
Can I use Flowable for free?
Yes. Flowable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Relevance AI starts at On request.
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 Relevance AI is typically brought in for.
What can Flowable do that Relevance AI cannot?
Flowable covers BPMN 2.0 engine, CMMN case management, DMN decision tables, Spring Boot integration.

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.

Relevance AI: What is Relevance AI's pricing model?

Relevance AI uses a pay-per-task model where costs vary by AI model selected. Average cost per task is approximately 0.09 USD, with actual costs ranging from 0.01 to 0.11 USD depending on which model the system routes to. The platform automatically selects the lowest-cost model that meets performance requirements.

Source
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.

Relevance AI: How much do Relevance AI tasks cost?

Task costs depend on model selection. Example usage shows customers spending 11800 USD monthly while processing 1.24 million tasks. For enterprise custom pricing, users must book a demo or contact the sales team.

Source
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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