Top 10 Pega Alternatives and Competitors

Pega is a market leader in business process automation; however, plenty of Pega competitors surpass it in one or multiple areas, be it functionality, ease of use, or affordability.

In this article, we explore common criticisms of Pega from the customer standpoint and offer solutions that may be a better fit for your business.

What is Pega?

Pega is a sophisticated business process management platform that offers low-code tools to build applications and perform customizations using prebuilt app templates.

Pega’s secret to success lies in powerful digital process automation capabilities, including AI development, case management, governance, end-to-end orchestration, and business rules. The platform also boasts superior features for governance, including version control and CI/CD, agile planning, and security certifications.

According to customer reviews, Pega excels in challenging use cases, providing plenty of instruments for modeling non-standard processes.

Why Consider Alternatives to Pega?

When it comes to Pega’s product and business models, some factors lead customers to consider a Pega alternative.

According to industry analysts, Pega better suits process-first development than data-centric applications. Customers mentioned that the platform is “not convenient” for high-volume data tasks.

Pega is also criticized for its inconsistent pricing model, which has one of the highest per-user fees on the market. Using the platform entails many associated costs, such as certified developer expenses and service integrators. A steep pricing curve gates some significant features. For example, a complete list of AI and machine learning capabilities is available only in the most expensive editions of Pega’s platform.

The main challenge mentioned by the customers is the platform’s complexity and inaccessibility to citizen developers. In contrast to some Pega competitors, the platform complexity causes an increase in reliance on systems integrators and the scarce skills of professional Pega developers. Investing, locating, and retaining skilled Pega programmers is vital for successful deployment.

Pega is one of the more complex solutions to implement. The deployment often becomes a challenge due to the lengthy setup and training process necessary to operate the software competently. This issue can be exacerbated by Pega's partners and community, who, according to some users, need to catch up in training and support for newly released functions.

While directly unrelated to Pega’s functionality, it’s important to mention that since 2022, Pega has been involved in a legal battle regarding trade secret misappropriation with Appian. The court’s initial decision awarded Appian Corporation $2.036 billion in damages, however, Pega appealed this decision, and the case remains unresolved, posing concerns for Pega’s financial future for some clients and analysts.

What Should You Look for in a Pega Alternative?

Let’s look into the features required from a Pega alternative that emulates its strengths while discarding weaknesses.

• Functional scope: Ensure a Pega alternative includes essential features such as low-code/no-code tools and workflow automation and doesn’t offer unbundled features that you don’t need. For example, customers searching for a no-code user-friendly solution won’t need complex tools for professional developers, which they’ll have to pay for unless the vendor offers unbundled options.
• Accessibility: Business automation platforms based on low-code/no-code principles should eliminate the need to source high-skilled and high-paid professionals, not create one. For this reason, consider trying a no-code platform that’s geared towards citizen developers.
• Ease of use: User adoption is one of the key factors in any software implementation. User-friendly design boosts productivity and motivates employees to utilize the software's capabilities fully.
• Ease of deployment: While any low-code BPM software requires some training, some vendors offer more support through the deployment and training process, which can significantly cut time on mastering the platform.
• Governance: A quality Pega alternative should offer extensive governance tools that help users ensure efficient and secure low-code/no-code development.
• Integration: The convenience of the BPM platform is often determined by its integration capabilities. The software needs to adapt quickly to your existing IT ecosystem and facilitate data exchange across different tools.
• Customer support and training: The implementation of BPM software requires education and training, and often, it relies on the responsiveness of customer success managers and the comprehensiveness of learning materials provided by the vendor.
• Pricing: Focus on the platforms that offer unbundled pricing options and avoid hidden costs.

10 Best Pega Alternatives to Choose in 2024

1. Creatio

Creatio is a no-code platform to automate workflows and build applications with maximum degree of freedom. Unlike Pega, it enables users with no technical skills to create powerful business applications in hours and minutes instead of weeks.

A screenshot of Studio Creatio’s Application Hub

At the core of Creatio’s automation lies a powerful BPM engine and cutting-edge composable architecture that enables users to combine the smallest automation elements, such as data fields and business rules, to build apps that streamline business processes.

The vendor offers Studio Creatio which serves as a platform for all your no-code development and three CRM systems for Sales, Marketing, and Service built on top of that. All the products are fully customizable. Extensive business automation and Gen AI capabilities are included in each product, and you can choose which platforms you want to purchase, avoiding additional costs.

Business automation is empowered by AI and machine learning tools. Users can design their own ML models for classification, predictive scoring, recommendations, and data analysis. The platform incorporates AI-assisted development, which makes building new apps even more accessible.

Governance in Creatio is as accessible as the development itself – you can easily manage environments, run security and operations checks, and resolve issues, automating routine checks and approvals.

Governance in Creatio

The platform’s Marketplace offers more than 600 connectors and add-ons to integrate your business automation processes with other software you’re using.

All in all, Creatio is the best Pega alternative for companies looking for effortless business automation that helps save resources and enables limitless customization. Turn-key abilities + easy customization saves time on development and personalization. 

Advantages over Pega:

• User-friendly no-code development that doesn’t require technical knowledge
• Limitless customization
• Transparent and composable pricing

Ready to explore the best Pega alternative?

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2. Appian

On the opposite side of the accessibility spectrum is Appian, a low-code platform for sophisticated app development. It focuses on dynamic case management (DCM) and comprehensive end-to-end automation assisted by professional Appian-certified software developers.

In many ways, Appian follows Pega’s strategic path, focusing on its data fabric architecture, Robotic Process Automation, and data mining to provide the most powerful and streamlined BPM experience. It offers complex data modeling that caters to complicated use cases.

It also offers notable out-of-the-box capabilities, including document management and a number of pre-integrated content management systems.

In vein with its focus on professional software development, Appian offers robust security certifications and exceptionally thorough features for developer governance.

Appian is a strong choice for firms desiring a well-balanced application development platform with in-depth automation, leading security certifications, and diverse governance tools.

Advantages over Pega:

• Clear pricing options
• Easier set up
• A balance between low-code and professional development

3. ServiceNow

ServiceNow originated in service management and since then expanded its functionality to business process automation and low-code decentralized development. The platform is considered one of the most comprehensive systems of record for IT by its customers.

It offers outstanding out-of-the-box features for portfolio management – users highlight the governance approach compatible with common DevOps practices.

Another highlight is ServiceNow’s integration capabilities – with more than 600 connectors, it offers extensive opportunities for building your IT ecosystem.

ServiceNow has received some criticism for its obscure pricing – the costs are not visible on the website, and, according to the reviews, customers are often subjected to hidden costs even with the highest-paying plans.

ServiceNow is a great choice for companies prioritizing decentralized workflow automation that are willing to invest in professional developers.

Advantages over Pega:

• Sophisticated governance and administration tools
• Powerful and easy-to-implement integrations

4. Mendix

Mendix is an app development and business automation platform owned by the tech giant Siemens. It provides users with a number of ready-made automation solutions and low-code tools for customization and custom development.

Mendix streamlines development by enabling the reuse of workflows, integrations, and components you designed previously. In addition to that, it boasts a wide-ranging Marketplace with more than 500 add-ons that can help you speed up workflow automation and development further.

The stand-out feature is the famous Mendix IDE where you can build workflows and processes using visual elements and AI-assisted development. Even though Mendix offers tools for no-code drag-and-drop development, more complex automation still requires some programming knowledge, which can pose a challenge for citizen developers.

In essence, Mendix stands out as a potent enterprise platform, catering particularly to professional developers, especially those within the industrial domain of its parent company Siemens. While its strengths lie in its comprehensive toolset and marketplace, potential users should be mindful of the learning curve associated with more advanced automation tasks.

Advantages over Pega:

• Offers 24/7 customer support
• Provides API
• Easily connected with Siemens tech portfolio

See also: Top 10 Mendix Competitors & Alternatives

5. Agilepoint

AgilePoint is a low-code development platform that prioritizes user-friendly business automation accessible to citizen developers.

The platform provides exceptional process automation features, supported by an intuitive and useful engine. Its features for developer governance and portfolio management are also strong, providing a comprehensive list of governance settings for every component of the platform and a significant range of prebuilt reports.

The customers on the review platforms praise Agilepoint’s transparent and cost-effective pricing.

The features inferior to Pega’s are data modeling and AI-assisted development – both are not developed enough to truly bring value.

AgilePoint is a good fit for firms requiring a strong automation engine and user-friendly low-code tools.

Advantages over Pega:

• Straightforward and accessible low-code development
• Affordable pricing

6. OutSystems

OutSystems stands out as a prominent low-code and rapid engineering platform. It distinguishes itself from others on this list by prioritizing a low-code focus over content management and citizen developer capabilities.

The platform brings superior tools for data modeling and management, UX development, and mobile development, as well as pre-integrated AI services. The list of coding languages supported for extensions and customizations is unusually broad.

The integration opportunities are provided by more than 600 connectors and support for multiple message brokers.

Reviewers notice that OutSystems’ platform lacks content management and the experience for citizen developers, with the integrated development environment (IDE) being deemed unsuitably technical for business users.

Overall, OutSystems proves to be an excellent choice for firms in need of robust enterprise app development, particularly from a vendor exclusively dedicated to low-code and rapid software engineering.

Advantages over Pega:

• Available API
• Advanced low-code capabilities
• Offers testing management

See also: Top 10 OutSystems Competitors and Alternatives

7. Microsoft Power Platform

As a part of Microsoft’s portfolio, Power Platform serves as a low-code platform for users looking to leverage their Microsoft stack for development. It’s possibly one of the most widely adopted products on the low-code market, suitable for both serious enterprise apps and scaled citizen development.

Power Platform provides best-in-class features for AI development and more than 1,000 market-leading premade integration connectors. Other superior features include reporting, UX development, and AI assistance.

However, the reviews of the platform point out untransparent pricing and licensing that combines several Power products into one offer and forces you to pay for tools that may not be useful. Some important features such as governance are only available on the highest-paying tiers.

Microsoft Power Platform is a great fit for those mixing professional and low-code development and utilizing Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Advantages over Pega:

• Wider selection of integrations
• Unification with Microsoft’s ecosystem
• Superior UX development

8. IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation

IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation stands out as a formidable competitor to Pega, offering a comprehensive solution that integrates acquired technologies for various facets of business automation.

This state-of-the-art platform incorporates process mining, document processing, workflow management, decision-making, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to position itself as a digital labor powerhouse. According to reviews, the development experience it offers best suits professionals and may be too complicated for citizen developers.

IBM Cloud Pak is ideal for sophisticated use cases that demand a broad spectrum of DPA functionality and deep industry expertise.

Advantages over Pega:

• More powerful tools for professional developers
• Extensive governance tools

9. Nintex

The Nintex Platform empowers organizations to digitally transform their business with intelligent process automation technologies. It was launched in the 2000s as an alternative to Sharepoint workflow but since then grew into a powerful business automation solution through strategic acquisitions.

It provides a reliable set of low-code tools for workflow automation as well as governance capabilities.

Customer reviews highlight Nintex’s excellent production-level service and support, transparent pricing models, and ease of upgrades.

Nintex is suitable for addressing midrange citizen-led development needs, serving as a more affordable alternative to Pega.

Advantages over Pega:

• More affordable
• No-code tools are more accessible to citizen developers
• More channels for customer support

10. Kintone

Kintone stands as a versatile no-code digital workplace platform designed to streamline organizational processes. This platform empowers SMBS to efficiently manage data, tasks, and communication in a unified central hub.

Kintone leverages pre-built apps and templates to enable quick no-code development and workflow automation. In addition to that, it offers many extensions and connectors, although in comparison to other no-code vendors, its library is somewhat limited.

Kintone’s emphasis on user-friendly, no-code solutions positions Kintone as a comprehensive and accessible platform for enhancing collaboration and efficiency across diverse organizational scales.

Advantages over Pega

• User-friendly development
• Offers API
• More affordable

To wrap it up

In this landscape, the choice ultimately depends on the specific needs, scale, and preferences of each organization. As technology evolves, the competition among these platforms continues to foster innovation, offering businesses a wealth of options to enhance their automation and digital transformation endeavors.

The solutions on this list offer demos and free trials, so don’t hesitate to test-drive Pega competitors and see if you’re ready for the switch. If you’re looking to adopt a powerful but intuitive BPM platform, sign up for the Creatio trial and embrace the possibilities of citizen development.