SphereGen works with many customers automating processes with RPA. We maintain partnerships with Microsoft in Gold Development, Silver Cloud and Mixed Reality and we are a certified UI Path Partner.
We are often asked to compare RPA products to determine which is a better fit for our customers, Microsoft Power Automate or UI Path. In answer to this, we have developed a grid comparing key features in RPA.
UiPath was founded in 2005, as “DeskOver,” a company that focused on software outsourcing, building automation libraries and software development kits. In 2012 it shifted toward RPA, building out a platform for the automations it made. This platform focused on training and orchestrating automation, i.e. software robots. Since 2013 the company has experienced near exponential growth. Valued at over $7 Billion, the company is now recognized as one of the leaders in the field of Robotic Process Automation.
Though Microsoft needs no introduction, its Power Automate offering is new, being introduced at Ignite 2019. Power Automate is actually a rebranding and extension of Microsoft Flow. Flow, a SaaS offering for automation, was first introduced in 2016 and was mainly used in the Microsoft ecosystem, i.e. automating routing of outlook email and responses. In 2019 Microsoft expanded flow with more external connectors, added AI features and in general built out an RPA product.
Power Automate is a solid product but its relative youth compared to UiPath is readily apparent. Though all RPA products strive to be accessible to anyone, UiPath is much more capable in this regard, though it’s macro like recording capabilities and extensive pre-canned libraries. Power Automate still feels like more of a developer’s tool, something that is sure to drop away as new releases roll out.
The greatest area of separation can be found in UiPaths implementation of computer vision. When we talk about computer vision, this refers to the ability of the platform to programmatically classify new data within an application, website, etc. This enables the robot to components on and infers what they are. Older automation solutions were prone to errors when anything changed as they relied upon XY coordinates or pixel matching to, as an example, know where a button was. Should a screen become resized, or a program changes the shape or color of a button, the automation would likely fail. With computer vision, automations are much more robust.
Below is an RPA comparison of features/functions used in UiPath and Microsoft Automate
| RPA Comparison of UiPath and Microsoft Power Automate | ||
| Feature/ Function | Microsoft Power Automate | UiPath |
| Orchestration (i.e. scheduled/triggered functions) | Offers unattended and attended bot orchestration | Offers unattended and attended bot orchestration |
| Unattended Bots | Cloud and on-prem supported | Cloud and on-prem supported |
| Error Logging | Basic task logging and reporting | Logging routines in a predefined script that can easily be added to workflow and backend reporting on the orchestrator. Supports screenshots and captured video of errors |
| Library of Connectors – Integration | Large library of connectors, the developer community is active and growing | An extensive library of connectors (go), a robust community of developers adding content on a daily basis |
| Computer Vision | Available for programmers only | As a free add on tool for both end-users and programmers in the licensed products |
| Pricing | Pricing is on a per-flow basis. Power Automate per-flow plan, for ~$500/month includes 5 flows. In addition, requires a User plan of $15/user/month | Pricing is on a per Robot basis. The community edition is free, includes 1 attended bot. Additional systems required for unattended automation, the average cost of implementation is around $60k- $100k to start for an enterprise, individual version. A robot can run multiple processes but only one foreground process at a time. Multiple, non-interactive background processes can be run concurrently |
| On-prem/Cloud | On-Prem and available on Azure only | All components can be on-prem or cloud with Azure Cloud, AWS, or Google |
| Background processing in Attended Workstations | On the desktop version, it takes complete control of the desktop and does NOT allow the user to use it while the robot is running | Unattended can work on browsers in the background |
| Business End Users | Limited without programming, does have rudimentary recording ability | Several Tools for End Users to record and easily create workflows |
| Ease of Use | Primarily a programmer tool, interface less intuitive for business users, some technical background required | Macro like recording capability has tools accessible to business users, the ability to record a function and determine if it is a good candidate for automation |
| Citrix automation | Not currently supported | Supported |
| Training | Basic training mostly geared toward developers | Academy live – has extensive training for end-users, programmers, architects. This includes certifications |
Summary of RPA Comparison
Microsoft Power Automate is a powerful automation tool best used by those with technical experience (such as developers). Training is geared towards technically proficient users and does not cater to end business users. Depending on the users, this tool can work well. However, the use case should be flushed out before choosing Microsoft Power Automate. Additionally, the pricing is very competitive, making this a strong option in the business automation world.
UiPath is built to allow end business users to code and automate their own processes. While this requires training, it isn’t as heavily reliant on technical prowess. Their platform for automation is much more intuitive for users who are not technically oriented including business analysts, accountants, and financial professionals. For this reason, many of our implementations in the world of finance and healthcare have relied on UiPath’s suite of tools. UiPath has great training materials, allowing business professionals to advance at their own pace and troubleshoot without coding expertise.
To find out more about what we do – https://www.spheregen.com/rpa/
