Top 10 Process Orchestration Tools based on 5,200 Reviews in '24

As BPM trends suggest, process transformation can lead to a 50% profit increase, but employees may find technological innovation challenging (26%). Embracing a process orchestration tool empowers businesses to efficiently navigate and overcome these challenges, fostering streamlined and optimized workflows.

In this comparison, we evaluate the top 12 business process orchestration tools based on user reviews, providing insights into their features, performance, and user satisfaction.

Note that source for pros and cons can be found below at the external source section.

Selection criteria

We narrowed down our process orchestration tool comparison using three main factors:

1. Number of employees: We looked at vendors with 10+ employees on LinkedIn. A bigger team suggests they can handle large-scale operations, providing reliable process orchestration solutions.
2. Number of user reviews: We gave preference to solutions with more reviews, as it indicates a proven track record based on user experiences.
3. Process orchestration focus: We skipped vendors not mentioning process orchestration on their websites since not all tools are suitable for this purpose.

Shortlisted process orchestration tools

1.) ActiveBatch

ActiveBatch is a holistic platform for process orchestration, aiming to centralize and automate various IT processes. Equipped with a visual workflow designer, it empowers organizations to automate intricate workflows, schedule jobs, and oversee tasks with ease.

Pros:

• Facilitates daily workload automation tasks with a user-friendly UI.
• Compatibility with various organizations and seamless interaction with other apps across platforms.
• Excellent customer service for timely issue resolution.

Cons:

• Requires more extensive documentation and UI improvements for enhanced user-friendliness.
• Reporting capabilities are somewhat limited compared to other software and could benefit from expansion with input from IT specialists.

2.) RunMyJobs by Redwood

RunMyJobs by Redwood serves as a platform for process orchestration, specializing in job scheduling and workload automation. Its primary objective is to enhance business processes by automating routine tasks and workflows, thereby simplifying and optimizing operations.

Pros:

Based on the user review, Redwood is associated with:

• User-friendly interface and navigation.
• Excellent customer support.
• Seamless integration with Windows/Linux based systems.

Cons:

• Challenges in implementing use cases with Redwood script or other methods.

3.) Fortra’s Jams

JAMS by Fortra emerges as a robust workload orchestration tool crafted to streamline and enhance complex business processes. Its formidable capabilities offer a comprehensive solution for the efficient automation and management of workflows. Distinguished by advanced scheduling and monitoring features, JAMS equips organizations with the necessary tools to seamlessly orchestrate complex tasks.

Pros:

• Appreciate the reassuring notifications for job failures and continuous testing in JAMS Enterprise Job Scheduler.

Cons:

• User complains about the syntax changes when migrating to the latest version since it is cumbersome to update numerous jobs to meet the new syntax.

4.) Stonebranch

Stonebranch delivers a versatile automation platform designed to orchestrate IT processes across a range of environments. This platform empowers organizations to automate, oversee, and govern IT tasks, guaranteeing efficiency and reliability within intricate, hybrid IT landscapes.

Pros:

• Enables easy and efficient file/data transfer internally and externally.
• Simplifies migration into current designs.

Cons:

• Reference material and manuals can require former knowledge and not so easy to learn at first.

5.) Ansible

Ansible is used for automating configuration management, application deployment, and task automation. It is commonly used in DevOps for orchestrating and coordinating various tasks across servers and environments. Ansible uses a simple, human-readable language (YAML) for defining automation.

Based on review data, Ansible is most commonly praised for being “easy to use,” mentioned in 6% of reviews, while “steep learning curve” is the most frequent negative feedback, cited in 2% of all reviews.

Pros:

According to the review in figure 5: Ansible Red Hat users can

• Automates IT actions through user-defined and rule-based constructs
• Automatically manages and keeps track of inventory.

Cons:

• The user encountered complexity while integrating the tool with other external applications during the initial stages.

6.) Docker

Docker is a containerization platform that enables developers to build, package, and distribute applications in containers. While Docker itself is not a full-fledged orchestration tool, it works in conjunction with orchestration platforms like Kubernetes or Docker Swarm. Docker containers can be orchestrated to deploy and manage applications efficiently.

Pros:

• Docker offers cross-platform compatibility, allowing users to run it seamlessly on different operating systems.
• It enables the building of applications either on an OS-based container or entirely from scratch.
• Docker allows users to tag images for easier identification.

Cons:

Users complain about learning curve as the major challenge. 

7.) Kubernetes

Kubernetes is a powerful container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It helps in orchestrating the deployment and scaling of application containers across clusters of machines, providing a robust solution for managing distributed and containerized workloads.

Kubernetes is “easy to use,” mentioned in 3% of all reviews. The most common complaint is that it’s “expensive,” brought up in 2% of all Kubernetes reviews.

Pros:

According to the user review in figure 7: Kubernetes users can

• Perform multiple deployments in the same infrastructure
• Benefit from the scalability of the solution.

Cons:

• The user faced issues related to middleware limits, restricting full use of the hardware.

8.) Puppet

Puppet is a configuration management tool under DevOps that automates the provisioning and management of infrastructure. It ensures that systems are configured and maintained according to desired states. While Puppet is not a dedicated orchestration tool, it plays a role in defining and enforcing

The term most commonly used to positively describe Puppet is “Easy to use,” featured in 8% of reviews. On the flip side, the most frequently mentioned negative aspect is the “Steep learning curve,” noted in 3% of all Puppet Enterprise reviews.

Pros:

Users find Puppet Enterprise beneficial since:

• It comes with lots of ready-to-use modules, saving users time.
• It offers a flexible configuration management system.
• With the right setup, Puppet can handle a large number of servers easily.

Cons:

• Puppet doesn’t follow a strict order when creating resources.
• It may require some custom approaches to deploy it on large scale.

9.) AWS CloudFormation

AWS CloudFormation is a service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for defining and deploying infrastructure as code. It enables users to describe and provision AWS infrastructure and applications in a declarative template format. CloudFormation allows orchestration and automation of resources on the AWS cloud.

Pros:

1. AWS CloudFormation removes manual hassle in provisioning AWS resources, using JSON/YAML knowledge.
2. Easy integration between services.
3. Simplifies state management by storing resource data in an S3 bucket.
4. The console allows easy tracking of resource state changes for auditing or debugging.

Cons:

• Stack actions like deletion or update can get tricky, especially in rollback_failed states, if resources aren’t handled correctly.

10.) Cloudify

Cloudify is a cloud orchestration platform that enables automation and management of applications and infrastructure across multi-cloud environments. It supports the orchestration of complex workflows, including the deployment and scaling of applications on various cloud providers.

Pros: Cloudify boasts a lively community for user support and shared experiences, enhancing troubleshooting and best practices.

Cons: Cloudify’s strength in managing complex setups may seem excessive for simpler deployments, where more straightforward tools could be preferable.

11.) IBM Cloud Orchestrator

IBM Cloud Orchestrator is designed to automate the deployment, configuration, and management of cloud services. It supports multi-cloud environments, allowing users to orchestrate workloads across various cloud providers and on-premises infrastructure.

Pros:

• Supports both small and large business organizations. 
• Easy deployment with a one-window solution and central management.

Cons:

• Faces data transfer issues during peak hours.
• Troubleshooting is occasionally challenging and can be irritating.

12.) Microsoft Azure Automation

Azure Automation in Microsoft Azure provides a set of tools for orchestrating and automating repetitive tasks across Azure and on-premises environments. It allows users to create, deploy, and manage resources and services in a consistent and automated manner.

Pros:

• Ensures servers remain secure from unauthorized access in network closets.

Cons:

• Challenges include non-transparent pricing and difficulties in establishing redundancy.

Transparency statement

AIMultiple collaborates with some of the listed vendors, potentially placing these tools at the forefront, with the remaining vendors sorted alphabetically.

Further reading

Explore more on process orchestration and IT process automation by checking out our data-driven detailed articles, such as:

• Top 12+ IT Automation Software: Vendor Benchmarking
• Comparing 10+ IT Process Automation Tool: Screening 85+ tools

Check out our comprehensive and data-driven IT automation software and workload automation tools lists if you want to compare other solutions.

If you still have questions about process orchestration, we would like to help:

External sources

• 1. “ActiveBatch user review.” G2. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 2. “Redwood user review.” G2. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 3. “Fortra’s Jams user review.” G2. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 4. “Stonebranch user review.” G2. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 5. “Ansible user review.” Trustraius. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 6. “Docker user review.” Capterra. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 7. “Kubernetes user review.” Trustradius. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 8. “Puppet user review.” G2. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 9. “AWS CloudFormation user review.” G2. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 10. “Cloudify user review.” G2. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 11. “IBM Cloud Orchestrator user review.” Capterra. Accessed December 11, 2023.
• 12. “Azure user review.” Capterra. Accessed December 11, 2023.