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Most buyers should pick Blue Prism.
Blue Prism is the more assessable option for enterprise teams: its stated offer combines RPA, AI agents, workflow orchestration, governance and audit trails. Automate RPA may suit buyers considering its listed Desktop or Enterprise tiers, but the published Fortra homepage does not describe the product’s capabilities, so verify scope before shortlisting. Neither vendor publishes commercial prices. Automate lists a 14-day trial; Blue Prism lists a 30-day trial (up to 15 processes) and a 180-day Learning Edition (up to five).
01Side by side
| Automate RPA | Blue Prism | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Not published; quote-based | Not published; quote-based |
| Free plan | No free plan; 14-day trial | No free plan; 30-day trial; 180-day Learning Edition |
| Best for | Tier audiences listed; capabilities unclear | Enterprise business-process automation with AI agents and governance |
| Core strength | Capabilities not stated in the vendor's homepage | Orchestrated RPA, AI agents, people, systems, governance |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations/data | Integrations and data handling not stated | Coordinates people, agents, digital workers, and systems |
| Team/seat costs | Seat limits and pricing not published | Per digital worker; price unpublished; desktop seat limits unpublished |
| Support | Review support score: 5 | Review support score: 5 |
Automate RPA Choose Automate RPA if
- Choose Automate RPA if you want to assess its 14-day trial first.
- Choose it only after Fortra confirms capabilities and quote-based pricing.
- Your shortlist already matches one of its listed Desktop or Enterprise tiers.
Blue Prism Choose Blue Prism if
- Choose Blue Prism for enterprise workflows needing RPA, AI agents, and governance.
- Choose it if audit trails and process monitoring matter.
- Use the trial to assess fit: 30 days, up to 15 processes.
02Pricing compared
Neither vendor publishes a commercial price, so there’s no reliable cost comparison from the available information. Automate lists Desktop and three Enterprise tiers—Core, Connect and Scale—but monthly and annual rates, seat limits and usage limits are not published. The pricing details list a 14-day free trial.
Blue Prism says commercial licensing is quote-based. Its Enterprise offer is priced per digital worker, but the rate is not published. The listed trial runs for 30 days and includes up to 15 processes; its Learning Edition lasts 180 days and includes up to five processes. Cloud, Desktop and WorkHQ / Chorus pricing and usage limits are also not published. Add-on rates are unavailable, too.
Ask both vendors for a quote that spells out workers or seats, usage, add-ons and renewal terms. The published details aren’t enough to estimate total cost.
03Features and depth
Blue Prism is the clearer option on paper. Its stated platform combines RPA execution, AI agents, people and systems in workflows. Buyers can use prebuilt agent templates or create custom agents, while orchestration coordinates those agents with digital workers and human participants. The listed AI Gateway provides guardrails, business rules, role-based access controls and risk notifications. Blue Prism also describes audit trails for agent actions and decisions, plus tools to discover, design, run and monitor automation.
The published Fortra homepage does not describe Automate RPA. It does not state what the product does or list its features, so we can’t make a sourced feature-by-feature comparison or confirm how its Desktop, Core, Connect and Scale tiers differ. Those tier names suggest packaging, but the available material does not explain what each includes. If Automate is on your shortlist, ask Fortra for a capability list and confirm which functions are included in the tier you’re quoted.
04Ease of use and learning curve
There isn’t enough product detail to judge which platform is easier to use. The published Automate material says nothing about its interface, setup or training. Blue Prism lists a 30-day trial with up to 15 processes and a 180-day Learning Edition with up to five, giving buyers two ways to explore the platform; the source doesn’t describe onboarding or the skill level required.
Our review scores rate ease of use at 5 for both products, but those scores don’t explain the underlying experience. Treat them as limited signals, not a substitute for checking workflow fit, training needs and access requirements with each vendor. Automate lists a 14-day trial, but trial limits aren’t published.
Questions people ask
What are the key differences between automation and robotic process automation (RPA)?
The published product information doesn’t define the difference between general automation and RPA. For this comparison, Blue Prism explicitly describes RPA execution alongside AI agents, people and systems. The published Fortra homepage doesn’t describe Automate RPA, so it doesn’t support a direct comparison of its approach.
What are the top 5 RPA tools?
The available material covers Automate RPA and Blue Prism only, so it can’t support a sourced top-five list or ranking. It also doesn’t provide comparable feature details for Automate. Blue Prism’s stated offer includes RPA execution, AI agents, workflow orchestration, governance and audit trails.
Is Power Automate an RPA tool?
The published sources don’t mention Microsoft Power Automate, so we can’t verify its RPA capabilities or compare its pricing here. They do describe Blue Prism as combining an RPA execution layer with AI. For a Power Automate decision, check Microsoft’s current product documentation and pricing.
What is RPA with Blue Prism?
Blue Prism describes RPA as its execution layer, combined with AI for more complex, judgment-based work. Its platform also coordinates people, AI agents, digital workers and systems, with listed governance controls and audit trails. Commercial prices aren’t published; licensing is quote-based.