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Automation Integration · head to head

Flowable vs UiPath

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
UiPath logo

UiPath

Automation Integration

The leading platform for business process automation

From
$25/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.; UiPath the Basic plan from $25 per month caps the tenant at 5 Basic users, 5 Plus users, 1 Pro user and 2 unattended robots
  • They diverge on capability: Flowable covers BPMN 2.0 engine, UiPath covers Desktop RPA.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flowable and UiPath actually diverge.

Attributes where Flowable and UiPath differ
AttributeFlowableUiPath
Starting priceFree$25/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, CloudDesktop, Web
FoundedUnknown2005

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 UiPath

  • Desktop RPA
  • Cloud RPA
  • Process mining
  • Task mining
  • AI capabilities
  • Monitoring
  • Analytics
  • 500+ connectors

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

UiPath

  • Robotic process automation and business automationnot Flowable
  • Enterprise-wide deployment and process optimizationnot Flowable
  • UI automation and intelligent document processingnot Flowable
  • Large-scale automation programs with custom requirementsnot 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.

UiPath

  • The Basic plan from $25 per month caps the tenant at 5 Basic users, 5 Plus users, 1 Pro user and 2 unattended robots
  • Basic tenants are hosted only in the European region
  • Only the Basic tier carries a published price; Standard and Enterprise require contacting sales
  • Self healing automation, process simulation, Elastic Robot Orchestration, bring your own encryption keys and dedicated deployments are Enterprise only
  • Agent capability is limited on Basic and requires Standard or Enterprise
  • Extra unattended robots are purchased separately on top of the plan

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

UiPath

$25/month
  • Automation Cloud Basic$25/month
    • Build and run basic personal automations
    • Limited scale
    • 99.9% service uptime
  • Automation Cloud Standard$null/month
    • Enterprise automation capabilities
    • Document classification and extraction at scale
    • No limits to scale
  • Automation Cloud Enterprise$null/month
    • Self-healing UI automation
    • Process optimization and simulation
    • Infrastructure automation
  • Test Cloud Standard$null/month
    • Contact Sales for pricing

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 UiPath if

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

Questions people ask

Is Flowable or UiPath better?
Neither clearly leads. Flowable starts at Free and UiPath at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flowable or UiPath?
Flowable has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Flowable and $25/month for UiPath.
Does Flowable or UiPath run on more platforms?
Flowable runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. UiPath runs on Desktop, Web.
Can I use Flowable for free?
Yes. Flowable has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. UiPath starts at $25/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 UiPath is typically brought in for.
What can Flowable do that UiPath cannot?
Flowable covers BPMN 2.0 engine, CMMN case management, DMN decision tables, Spring Boot integration. UiPath covers Desktop RPA, Cloud RPA, Process mining, Task mining.

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.

UiPath: How much does UiPath cost?

UiPath Automation Cloud Basic starts at $25/month for individuals and small teams. Standard and Enterprise tiers require contacting sales for custom pricing based on organizational needs.

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.

UiPath: What are the limitations of UiPath's Basic tier?

The Basic tier at $25/month is limited to building and running basic personal automations at limited scale, with European region hosting only and bronze-level support. Standard and Enterprise tiers remove these limits.

Source
Flowable: What does Flowable Enterprise cost?

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

UiPath: Does UiPath charge for users and robots separately?

UiPath's pricing tiers include base costs, but users, robots, and agents may require additional purchases beyond the tier pricing, depending on organizational requirements.

Source
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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