Business AutomationReviews
Business AutomationReviews
5 products tested & ranked

We Tested 5 Business Process Automation — Here's What's Actually Worth It

We tested the leading BPA and process management platforms to help you automate approvals, onboarding, and every repeatable business process.

Featuring:ClickUp·Asana·Pipefy·Monday.com·Kissflow

Helping 12,000+ professionals choose the right tools

Quick Answer

Our Top 3 Picks at a Glance

Best Overall
9.0
ClickUp logo
ClickUp

Free Forever plan with unlimited tasks. Paid plans from $7/user/month (Unlimited) to custom Enterprise pricing. ClickUp Brain AI add-on available.

All-in-one work platform combining task management, docs, goals, and workflow automation with a generous free plan and deep customization for teams of any size.

Try ClickUp Free
Best for Small Teams
8.7
Asana logo
Asana

Free Personal plan for up to 10 users. Starter at $10.99/user/month, Advanced at $24.99/user/month. Enterprise pricing is custom.

Leading project management platform with powerful workflow automation, portfolio management, and Asana AI Intelligence for teams that value clean design and structured collaboration.

Try Asana Free
Best Value
8.3
Pipefy logo
Pipefy

Free Starter plan available. Paid plans from $33/user/month (Business) to $65/user/month (Enterprise). Unlimited plan with custom pricing.

AI-powered BPM platform for structured process workflows, enabling teams to customize, automate, and manage business processes with a visual low-code toolkit.

Try Pipefy Free

Why Business Process Automation Matters in 2026

Structured business processes like employee onboarding, purchase approvals, and customer intake all follow predictable patterns. BPA tools digitize and automate these workflows, reducing errors, improving compliance, and freeing your team from repetitive manual steps.

How We Evaluate BPA Platforms

We assess each platform's visual process modeler, form builder, approval routing capabilities, integration ecosystem, and reporting. We also evaluate the no-code experience for business users versus the customization depth available for power users.

What to Look for in BPA Software

Consider whether you need lightweight task automation (Monday.com, ClickUp) or enterprise-grade process governance (Kissflow, Appian). Think about your compliance requirements, the number of stakeholders in your processes, and whether you need audit trails.

0Products Tested
0+Hours of Testing
0+Years Experience
0Expert Reviewers

Affiliate Disclosure: We may earn affiliate commissions when you purchase through links on this site. This never influences our ratings or recommendations. Our reviews are based on independent, hands-on testing. We believe in full transparency about how we make money. Read our full disclosure →

Our Top Picks

#1 Top Pick
ClickUp logo
ClickUp

Best Overall

9.0
Excellent
Try ClickUp Free
#2 Runner Up
Asana logo
Asana

Best for Teams

8.7
Very Good
Try Asana Free
#3 Also Great
Pipefy logo
Pipefy

Best for Structured Processes

8.3
Very Good
Try Pipefy Free
#1 Our Top Pick
Editor's Choice
Free Forever plan with unlimited tasks. Paid plans from $7/user/month (Unlimited) to custom Enterprise pricing. ClickUp Brain AI add-on available.
ClickUp logo

ClickUp

Teams of any size wanting to consolidate task management, docs, and process automation into one powerful platform

Read Full Review →
9.0/ 10Excellent
Features9.5
Ease of Use8.2
Integration9.0
Value for Money9.5

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature
ClickUp logoClickUp9.0/10
Asana logoAsana8.7/10
Pipefy logoPipefy8.3/10
Monday.com logoMonday.com8.3/10
Kissflow logoKissflow8.0/10
Starting PriceFree Forever plan with unlimited tasks. Paid plans from $7/user/month (Unlimited) to custom Enterprise pricing. ClickUp Brain AI add-on available.Free Personal plan for up to 10 users. Starter at $10.99/user/month, Advanced at $24.99/user/month. Enterprise pricing is custom.Free Starter plan available. Paid plans from $33/user/month (Business) to $65/user/month (Enterprise). Unlimited plan with custom pricing.Free for 2 users. Basic $9/user/mo, Standard $12/user/mo, Pro $19/user/mo. Enterprise custom.Starting at $2,500/month (Basic plan). Enterprise pricing is custom. No free plan; demo available on request.
Free Plan
Starting Price$7/user/mo$10.99/user/mo$33/user/mo$9/user/mo$2,500/mo
Process Builder9.08.58.58.08.5
Ease of Use8.29.28.69.08.5
Form Builder
Approval Routing
Integrations9.09.08.08.37.5
Reporting9.08.58.08.27.5
Try ClickUp FreeTry Asana FreeTry Pipefy FreeTry Monday.com FreeRequest Demo

Detailed Reviews

#2Asana logo
8.7/ 10Very Good

Asana

Best for TeamsMarketing, product, and operations teams at mid-size companies that value clean design and structured project management
Features8.5
Ease of Use9.2
Integration9.0
Value for Money7.8

Pros

  • One of the cleanest, most intuitive interfaces in project management with minimal onboarding required
  • Powerful workflow builder with custom rules, triggers, and multi-step automations
  • Portfolio and goals management provides cross-organizational visibility for leadership
  • 200+ integrations with major business tools create a connected work ecosystem

Cons

  • More expensive than competitors like ClickUp for comparable features
  • Free plan limited to 10 users and lacks custom fields, workflow builder, and AI
  • Advanced reporting and portfolio views require the $24.99/user/month Advanced plan
  • AI features (Asana Intelligence) are add-ons with additional costs

Pricing: Free Personal plan for up to 10 users. Starter at $10.99/user/month, Advanced at $24.99/user/month. Enterprise pricing is custom.

Leading project management platform with powerful workflow automation, portfolio management, and Asana AI Intelligence for teams that value clean design and structured collaboration.

Verified this week

Read Full Review →
#3Pipefy logo
8.3/ 10Very Good

Pipefy

Best for Structured ProcessesMid-market companies standardizing structured workflows across HR, procurement, IT, and operations
Features8.2
Ease of Use8.6
Integration8.0
Value for Money8.5

Pros

  • Intuitive visual pipe-and-card model makes process design accessible to non-technical users
  • Genuinely useful free plan with basic automations for small teams
  • AI features for document summarization and text generation built directly into workflows
  • Trusted by enterprise customers (IBM, Toyota, Volvo) with proven scalability
  • Comprehensive API enables deep integration with external systems

Cons

  • Structured workflow approach can feel rigid for ad-hoc or unstructured processes
  • Mobile app experience is reported to lag behind the desktop version
  • Advanced reporting requires Business plan or above at $33/user/month

Pricing: Free Starter plan available. Paid plans from $33/user/month (Business) to $65/user/month (Enterprise). Unlimited plan with custom pricing.

AI-powered BPM platform for structured process workflows, enabling teams to customize, automate, and manage business processes with a visual low-code toolkit.

Verified this week

Read Full Review →
#4Monday.com logo
8.3/ 10Very Good

Monday.com

Best Visual BuilderCross-functional teams wanting visual workflow management with powerful no-code automations
Features8.0
Ease of Use9.0
Integration8.3
Value for Money7.8

Pros

  • Exceptionally intuitive interface with multiple views (Kanban, Gantt, Timeline, Calendar)
  • Powerful no-code automation builder that reduces repetitive manual work
  • Modular product suite covering Work Management, CRM, Dev, Service, and Campaigns
  • 200+ templates for quick setup across various industries and use cases
  • Strong AI capabilities with monday sidekick and AI-powered automations

Cons

  • Per-user pricing adds up quickly — minimum 3 seats required on paid plans
  • Advanced features like time tracking and dependencies locked behind Pro plan ($19/user/mo)
  • Standard plan limits automations to 250/month which teams can exceed quickly
  • Free plan very limited — only 2 users and 3 boards

Pricing: Free for 2 users. Basic $9/user/mo, Standard $12/user/mo, Pro $19/user/mo. Enterprise custom.

An AI-powered work platform combining project management, workflow automation, and business process tools, trusted by 250,000+ customers including 60% of the Fortune 500.

Verified this week

Read Full Review →
#5Kissflow logo
8.0/ 10Very Good

Kissflow

Best No-Code BPMMid-size to large organizations needing to digitize internal processes without IT dependency
Features8.0
Ease of Use8.5
Integration7.5
Value for Money7.0

Pros

  • Intuitive visual workflow builder that non-technical business users can master quickly
  • Handles both structured workflows and unstructured case management in one platform
  • Enterprise governance with audit trails and role-based access keeps IT in control
  • Pre-built process templates for common use cases like HR onboarding and procurement

Cons

  • Expensive starting point at $2,500/month puts it out of reach for small businesses
  • Customization can feel limited for highly complex enterprise-grade processes
  • Reporting and analytics features are basic compared to dedicated BI platforms
  • Integration ecosystem is smaller than competitors like Power Automate or Zapier

Pricing: Starting at $2,500/month (Basic plan). Enterprise pricing is custom. No free plan; demo available on request.

No-code/low-code business process management platform that empowers business teams to build, automate, and manage workflows without programming knowledge.

Verified this week

Read Full Review →

Our Testing Methodology

Our operations technology experts build and test real business processes on each platform, evaluating ease of setup, process modeling capabilities, approval routing, integrations, and compliance features across a weighted scoring rubric.

Frequently Asked Questions

Business process automation (BPA) uses software to automate entire structured business processes end-to-end — such as employee onboarding, purchase approvals, IT requests, and compliance workflows. Unlike simple task automation, BPA tools manage processes with multiple stakeholders, decision points, and approval chains.

Workflow automation tools like Zapier connect apps and automate data flows between them. Business process automation (BPA) tools like Kissflow and Pipefy focus on automating entire structured processes with human decision points, approval routing, forms, and compliance tracking. Workflow automation is app-centric; BPA is process-centric.

For lightweight process automation, yes. ClickUp and Asana both offer automation features for task assignment, status changes, and notifications. However, for complex processes requiring multi-level approvals, compliance audit trails, or structured form intake, dedicated BPA tools like Kissflow or Pipefy are more appropriate.

It depends on your needs. If you primarily manage tasks and projects, tools like ClickUp and Monday.com cover basic automation. But if you have structured, repeatable processes with approvals, forms, and compliance requirements — such as procurement, onboarding, or IT requests — a dedicated BPA tool provides the governance features you need.

Never Miss a Review Update

Join thousands of SaaS buyers who get our latest rankings, new tool reviews, and exclusive comparison guides delivered weekly.

Free forever. Unsubscribe anytime. No spam.

Alex Thompson

Written by

Alex ThompsonSenior Technology Analyst

Alex Thompson has spent over 8 years evaluating B2B SaaS platforms, from CRM systems to marketing automation tools. He specializes in hands-on product testing and translating complex features into clear, actionable recommendations for growing businesses.

SaaS ReviewsProduct AnalysisB2B SoftwareTech Strategy
Best Business Process Automation Tools (2026) | Reviewed & Ranked