Repetitive manual tasks getting out of hand?
If you’re spending too much time and money running routine processes, you’re probably researching how Blue Prism can help automate these headaches.
What often happens is you get bogged down by workflows that seem simple, but they eat up hours and drain your team’s energy every single day.
Blue Prism promises a digital workforce that’s more than just bots, with deep AI and integration features built for complex, enterprise-class needs—especially if scaling and compliance are big concerns for you.
In this review, I’ll show you how Blue Prism can streamline and elevate your automation to free up your people for more valuable work.
In this Blue Prism review, you’ll learn about its automation capabilities, pricing structure, hands-on features, and how it really stacks up against top alternatives—all so you can make an informed choice.
You’ll leave knowing the features you need to confidently plan your RPA investment.
Let’s dive into the analysis.
Quick Summary
- Blue Prism is an enterprise-grade robotic process automation platform that creates digital workers to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks efficiently.
- Best for large enterprises needing scalable and secure back-office automation in regulated industries.
- You’ll appreciate its robust security features and centralized Control Room enabling strong governance and operational management.
- Blue Prism offers custom enterprise pricing with demos available but no publicly advertised free trial.
Blue Prism Overview
Blue Prism is a true pioneer in the robotic process automation (RPA) space. Based in Warrington, UK, they have been building their “digital workforce” concept for enterprises since 2001.
What I find compelling is their dedicated focus on large enterprises with complex operational processes. They primarily serve regulated industries like finance and healthcare, rather than trying to be the simplest automation tool for every business user.
Their 2022 acquisition by SS&C was a key strategic move. We’ll explore its full impact through this Blue Prism review, as it clearly sharpened their focus on financial and healthcare services.
Unlike competitors like UiPath that prioritize ease-of-use above all else, Blue Prism is built around robust governance and uncompromising security. You can feel this in its architecture, designed for mission-critical, auditable backend automation.
They work with the large, global organizations you’d expect: major banks, insurance providers, and healthcare systems that demand auditable, secure, and highly scalable automation for their core processes.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of different automation applications, my guide on direct mail automation software explores streamlining your campaigns.
I’ve noticed their strategy is shifting from pure RPA to a holistic intelligent automation platform. This focus on orchestrating an entire digital workforce aligns well with where your own complex business needs are likely headed.
Now let’s examine their capabilities.
Blue Prism Features
Struggling with repetitive tasks consuming your team’s time?
Blue Prism features a comprehensive intelligent automation platform designed to free up your human workforce for higher-value activities. Here are the five main Blue Prism features that tackle common business frustrations.
1. Intelligent Digital Workforce Platform
Are your employees bogged down by endless manual data entry?
Repetitive, high-volume tasks can drain morale and introduce errors. This often prevents your team from focusing on strategic initiatives.
Blue Prism’s core platform provides software robots, your “digital workers,” that interact with systems at machine speed and precision, whether legacy or new. From my testing, these bots are always on, consistent, and remarkably reliable. This feature effectively frees your human staff for more creative and impactful work.
So, you could finally reallocate human capital to tasks that truly require critical thinking and creativity, boosting overall productivity.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of boosting productivity, you might find my analysis of best contact management software helpful for streamlining operations.
2. Process & Object Studio
Does building automation feel like it requires a coding degree?
Complex automation setup can be a major barrier, limiting who can create solutions. This often restricts your team’s ability to innovate quickly.
Process Studio and Object Studio provide visual, drag-and-drop interfaces that make building processes intuitive, even for business users. What I love about this approach is how you can design intricate logic without writing a single line of code. This feature lets your subject matter experts configure automations directly.
This means your business teams can rapidly prototype and deploy automations, accelerating your digital transformation journey without relying solely on developers.
3. Control Room
Is tracking your automation performance a complete nightmare?
Without a centralized view, monitoring bot activity and identifying issues can be chaotic. This makes it hard to prove ROI or troubleshoot problems effectively.
The Control Room acts as your centralized hub to manage and monitor all Blue Prism activities, including work queues, sessions, and bot health. Here’s what I found: its real-time dashboards provide instant insights into your digital workforce’s performance. This feature allows proactive management and efficient exception handling.
So, you can gain complete transparency over your automated processes, ensuring smooth operations and quickly addressing any bottlenecks that arise.
4. Intelligent Automation Skills
Are your bots stuck with only basic, rule-based tasks?
Limited bot capabilities mean you can’t automate complex processes requiring understanding or perception. This often leaves significant automation potential untapped.
Blue Prism equips its digital workers with advanced skills like visual perception, knowledge extraction, and learning capabilities. This is where Blue Prism shines: robots can interpret unstructured data and documents, like processing invoices from images using Decipher IDP. This feature allows for more sophisticated and human-like automation.
This means your automation can extend beyond simple tasks, tackling complex scenarios and extracting valuable insights from diverse data sources.
5. Scalability & Security
Worried your automation can’t grow with your business or meet security standards?
Scaling RPA without robust architecture leads to performance issues, while security concerns can halt adoption. These challenges are critical for enterprise-level deployment.
Blue Prism’s architecture is built for enterprise scalability, allowing extensive robot deployments, and it prioritizes robust security features. From my evaluation, its role-based access control and audit trails ensure compliance with standards like HIPAA. This feature ensures your automation infrastructure is both flexible and secure.
The result is your organization can expand automation across departments confidently, knowing it meets stringent security and regulatory requirements.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ User-friendly, no-code visual development for business users
- ✅ Robust enterprise-grade scalability and high reliability across operations
- ✅ Centralized Control Room for efficient monitoring and management
- ⚠️ AI and cognitive capabilities may require skilled developers
- ⚠️ Support and community resources could be more comprehensive
- ⚠️ No direct recording option for capturing application actions
These Blue Prism features work together to create a powerful, integrated digital workforce platform that drives significant operational efficiencies. You’ll gain a true partner in automation.
\n\n
Blue Prism Pricing
Uncertain about what you’ll actually pay?
Blue Prism pricing typically follows a custom quote model, requiring direct contact with their sales team to get detailed cost information tailored to your enterprise needs.
Cost Breakdown
- Base Platform: Custom quote
- User Licenses: Per-robot licensing
- Implementation: Significant barrier, often high
- Integrations: Varies by complexity
- Key Factors: Number of robots, deployment scale, enterprise focus
1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors
Understanding Blue Prism’s cost structure.
Blue Prism operates on a custom, per-robot licensing model, aligning closely with its enterprise-level focus. What I found regarding pricing is that costs are driven by the number of digital robots you deploy and the overall scale of your automation needs. This allows organizations to scale up or down as needed, helping to manage costs.
This means your budget needs to account for the total number of automated processes and associated digital workers.
2. Value Assessment & ROI
Is this an intelligent investment?
While Blue Prism is considered a higher investment upfront compared to some competitors, its robust features and enterprise-grade scalability deliver significant long-term value. From my cost analysis, the ROI comes from automating complex, high-volume tasks, freeing up human employees for higher-value work, and ensuring operational precision.
This results in your finance team seeing benefits from increased efficiency and reduced errors across large operations.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While we’re discussing operational efficiency, my article on specialized software can streamline operations in other industries.
3. Budget Planning & Implementation
Consider total cost of ownership.
Beyond the core software, factors like implementation, training, and integration with existing systems significantly impact your total cost of ownership. What I found is that implementation can be a substantial cost barrier for many organizations, especially given its enterprise focus and complexity.
So for your business, planning for these additional expenses is critical to ensure a smooth deployment and successful automation journey.
My Take: Blue Prism pricing is tailored for large enterprises, focusing on scalable, per-robot licensing that reflects its robust, high-value automation capabilities rather than offering transparent, fixed tiers.
The overall Blue Prism pricing reflects an enterprise-grade investment for significant automation value.
Blue Prism Reviews
What do actual users say?
This section provides a detailed analysis of Blue Prism reviews, highlighting real user feedback and experiences to give you a balanced perspective on the software’s performance.
1. Overall User Satisfaction
Users are generally quite positive.
From my review analysis, SS&C Blue Prism Intelligent Automation Platform holds a solid 3.9 out of 5 stars on G2, with an impressive 88% of users willing to recommend it. What I found in user feedback is how its no-code approach resonates strongly with business users who understand logic, simplifying configuration.
This means you can expect a high likelihood of satisfaction, especially if your team is business-focused.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Before diving deeper, you might find my analysis of best medical transcription software helpful, especially for tasks requiring high accuracy.
2. Common Praise Points
Users love its ease and power.
Customers frequently praise Blue Prism for its user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface, making process creation straightforward. What stands out in customer feedback is how its robust architecture ensures enterprise-level scalability, allowing high reliability across diverse business processes.
This implies you’ll benefit from both development simplicity and powerful, scalable automation capabilities.
3. Frequent Complaints
Some areas still frustrate users.
While largely positive, users occasionally point out Blue Prism’s “lagging in artificial intelligence” in older versions and limited cognitive learning. Review-wise, I’ve seen concerns about community and support resources compared to some competitors, which can be challenging for developers.
These issues might require external solutions or more in-house expertise, but they are not universal deal-breakers.
What Customers Say
- Positive: “It is easy to find every functionality you need. Creating process is easy with drag and drop system.” (G2)
- Constructive: “not enough live events from blueprism i’d like a better customer service (although improving).” (G2)
- Bottom Line: “The ease of use is really good because a lot of business people… can configure things, because there is no coding.” (G2)
The overall Blue Prism reviews indicate a strong, positive user experience despite some areas for improvement.
Best Blue Prism Alternatives
Which RPA platform aligns with your business needs?
The best Blue Prism alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations, team technical expertise, and specific automation priorities. Let’s explore your choices.
1. UiPath
Is ease of use and rapid deployment your priority?
UiPath excels when your organization prioritizes a user-friendly interface and rapid deployment, making it ideal for teams with less technical expertise. What I found comparing options is that UiPath offers a lower entry cost and quick adoption, making it a strong alternative for smaller to mid-sized businesses.
Choose UiPath if you need faster implementation and a more accessible platform for varied technical skill levels.
2. Automation Anywhere
Looking for integrated AI and analytics within your RPA?
Automation Anywhere provides a broader platform combining RPA with advanced cognitive automation and built-in analytics, offering an end-to-end suite. From my competitive analysis, Automation Anywhere excels with integrated AI and analytics, suitable if you need more than just core RPA and prefer a cloud-first approach.
Consider this alternative if you require a comprehensive intelligent automation platform with strong cognitive capabilities.
3. Microsoft Power Automate
Heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem?
Power Automate benefits from seamless integration with other Microsoft products, offering a low-code/no-code approach accessible to a wider range of business users. Alternative-wise, Power Automate is highly cost-effective for Microsoft users, especially for departmental or individual automations, lowering your entry into RPA.
Choose Microsoft Power Automate if your business is deeply integrated with the Microsoft suite and prefers a budget-friendly RPA solution.
Quick Decision Guide
- Choose Blue Prism: Enterprise-grade, scalable, and secure backend automation
- Choose UiPath: User-friendly, rapid deployment, and lower entry cost
- Choose Automation Anywhere: Integrated AI, analytics, and comprehensive platform
- Choose Microsoft Power Automate: Microsoft ecosystem integration and budget-friendly low-code RPA
The best Blue Prism alternatives depend on your organization’s specific scale and integration needs rather than just features.
Blue Prism Setup
What are you signing up for?
This Blue Prism review dives into the practicalities of deploying and adopting this RPA platform. You’ll want to prepare for a robust implementation, so let’s set realistic expectations.
1. Setup Complexity & Timeline
This isn’t just a simple software install.
Blue Prism implementation involves configuring a client-server model and setting up virtual machines for robots. From my implementation analysis, the setup complexity scales with your automation ambition, requiring careful planning for optimal performance.
You’ll need dedicated resources for project management and a phased approach to integrate automations effectively.
2. Technical Requirements & Integration
Expect significant IT infrastructure considerations.
Blue Prism requires Windows VMs for each robot, with support for on-premises, cloud, or hybrid environments. What I found about deployment is that integration with existing systems like ERPs and CRMs is critical and can sometimes present troubleshooting challenges.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: Speaking of elevating your results, if you’re exploring other ways to optimize your outreach, my guide on best cold email software covers more.
Plan for robust server infrastructure, network connectivity, and secure credential management to support your digital workforce.
3. Training & Change Management
Successful adoption requires more than just installation.
While Blue Prism’s visual interface is user-friendly, complex automations require skilled developers and formal training. From my analysis, investing in comprehensive training ensures your team maximizes the platform’s potential and minimizes resistance to new workflows.
Prepare for a learning curve and establish a strong change management strategy to foster widespread acceptance among your users.
4. Support & Success Factors
Vendor support can be a mixed bag.
User feedback on Blue Prism support varies, with some praising community resources while others desire more comprehensive assistance. What I found about deployment is that proactive problem-solving and leveraging community forums can mitigate potential support gaps during your rollout.
Focus on clear communication with the vendor, build internal expertise, and leverage community forums for a smoother implementation journey.
Implementation Checklist
- Timeline: Variable, depends on automation scope and complexity
- Team Size: Dedicated project manager, IT, and automation developers
- Budget: Beyond software, includes professional services and infrastructure
- Technical: Windows VMs, secure network, and system integrations
- Success Factor: Strong internal technical expertise and user training
The overall Blue Prism setup requires strategic planning and committed resources to realize its full automation potential.
Bottom Line
Blue Prism: The RPA choice for large enterprises?
My Blue Prism review shows a platform that excels for large organizations with complex automation needs, but requires careful consideration of its specialized focus.
1. Who This Works Best For
Large enterprises with complex operational processes.
Blue Prism is ideal for multinational corporations and large enterprises in highly regulated industries like financial services and healthcare. What I found about target users is that organizations prioritizing robust governance and security for back-office automation will find its capabilities invaluable for their operations.
You’ll succeed if your business needs a secure, scalable platform to automate high-volume, rule-based tasks across diverse systems.
- 🎯 Bonus Resource: While automating processes, consider how your internal and external communications are handled. My guide on best content distribution platform might help.
2. Overall Strengths
Enterprise-grade scalability and robust security features.
The software shines with its enterprise-level scalability, strong security measures, and a centralized Control Room for comprehensive management. From my comprehensive analysis, its object-oriented approach promotes reusable automation components, streamlining development and ensuring consistency across processes.
These strengths mean your organization can deploy and manage a digital workforce with confidence, maintaining compliance and operational resilience.
3. Key Limitations
Advanced AI capabilities and community support need growth.
Blue Prism can lag in advanced AI and cognitive learning capabilities compared to some competitors, and some users note a need for improved customer support. Based on this review, debugging and error handling can sometimes feel challenging for developers, potentially increasing resolution times for complex issues.
While these limitations are notable, I find them manageable trade-offs if your primary need is for a highly secure and stable RPA solution.
4. Final Recommendation
Blue Prism receives a strong recommendation for specific users.
You should choose this software if your priority is a highly secure, scalable, and stable RPA solution for complex, high-volume back-office processes. From my analysis, this solution is best for IT-governed digital workforces where compliance and operational resilience are paramount, rather than rapid, low-cost deployments for smaller teams.
My confidence level is high for large, compliance-focused enterprises but drops for smaller businesses or those needing extensive out-of-the-box AI.
Bottom Line
- Verdict: Recommended for large enterprises with complex automation needs
- Best For:13+ Best Cloud Computing Platforms to Cut Infrastructure Costs Large corporations in regulated industries needing secure, scalable RPA
- Business Size: Large enterprises, multinational corporations, and IT departments
- Biggest Strength: Enterprise-grade scalability, robust security, and centralized control
- Main Concern: Perceived lag in advanced AI and need for improved community support
- Next Step: Contact sales for a tailored demo to assess complex process fit
This Blue Prism review shows strong value for the right business profile, while also highlighting important considerations around AI capabilities and support before you make a decision.