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Celonis vs Software AG Aris comparison

Kazyna Turdibayeva

May 15, 2023

Process mining has been a game-changer for many businesses, helping them analyze and optimize their processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Two process mining companies, Celonis and Software AG, have been in the industry for a long time. But what sets them apart? In this article, we will delve into the differences between these two companies, their offerings, and how they stack up against each other.

What is the difference between Celonis and Software AG Aris?

At a high level, both Celonis and Software AG are players in the process intelligence software market, but they approach process optimization slightly differently. Celonis focuses on AI-powered analytics and extensive data connectors, providing a comprehensive overview of business processes and identifying improvement opportunities. 

On the other hand, Software AG's ARIS Process Mining platform is known for its customizable dashboards, seamless integration capabilities, and collaborative features, allowing for a more personalized and team-based approach to process optimization. Although both platforms have their unique strengths, the choice between the two will largely depend on your specific needs and business objectives. 

Celonis vs Software AG - peers in process mining

Process mining is a data-driven methodology that aims to discover, monitor, and optimize business processes. It leverages data and smart algorithms to create a real-time map of business processes, helping companies identify any roadblocks or inefficiencies. By shedding light on these areas, process mining empowers companies to optimize their operations, streamline workflows, and ultimately drive their business forward more effectively.

These are the main steps in process mining:

  1. Data extraction: Collecting event logs from relevant IT systems.
  2. Data preprocessing: Cleaning and transforming the data for analysis.
  3. Process discovery: Using algorithms to create process models based on the event data.
  4. Process analysis: Evaluating the models to identify inefficiencies and improvement opportunities.
  5. Process optimization: Implementing changes based on the insights gained.

Growing demand in process mining 

In the face of increasing business complexity and the urgency for digital transformation, process mining has emerged as a beacon for organizations worldwide. This powerful technology provides a lens through which businesses can analyze and optimize their processes, paving the way for streamlined operations, cost efficiency, and enhanced customer experiences. It's this ability to dissect and improve business processes that have fueled its demand across multiple sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and many more. 

By offering a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, process mining is proving instrumental in achieving operational excellence. As more organizations embrace this technology, its impact and demand are set to continue growing. 

What is Celonis Process Mining?

Celonis is a process mining and intelligent automation platform that helps businesses to enhance their operational procedures using its "Execution Management System" (EMS). The EMS offers visibility into process performance by extracting and analyzing event logs from various data sources like ERP or CMS systems. Users can leverage this platform to pinpoint bottlenecks, uncover inefficiencies, and streamline processes.

While Celonis holds a commanding position as a global leader in process mining, it isn't the sole player in this domain. Many other alternatives, including Software AG Aris, are available for enterprise organizations looking for different solutions. 

What makes Celonis Process Mining popular?

  • Extensive partner ecosystem: With a network of over 250 partner agencies, Celonis has great support for implementation consulting services, including some of the largest management consultancies and BPOs.
  • Enterprise focus: Celonis provides a great level of service and security catering to larger enterprise organizations.
  • Event log expertise: Celonis has wide experience in extracting and mining event logs from different systems, e.g., ERPs such as SAP and Oracle. 

What is Software AG Aris Process Mining?

Software AG is a global technology company that provides software solutions for many years. In the realm of process mining, their ARIS Process Mining offering has gained significant traction among businesses looking to optimize their processes. Aris Process Mining helps businesses understand their processes, identify bottlenecks, and pinpoint optimization opportunities. It forms an integral part of Software AG's large product portfolio, which also includes solutions for integration, IoT, analytics, and more. 

What makes Aris Process Mining popular? 

  • Good interface: Users can create personalized views of process data, easily tailoring the information to their specific needs. 
  • Integration capabilities: The platform seamlessly integrates with other Software AG products and external systems, providing a unified view of processes.
  • Collaboration tools: ARIS Process Mining facilitates teamwork with features for sharing insights, assigning tasks, and tracking progress.

Celonis vs Software AG: comprehensive process mining comparison 

In order to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, we'll delve into a comparison of several critical factors - pricing, features, customer support, scalability, and user experience. 

Pricing 

Pricing is often a significant factor in the decision-making process. While both Celonis and Software AG offer tiered pricing structures, the exact costs can vary based on the specific needs of the organization. Therefore, it's essential to request a quote from each provider and evaluate the value you'll receive for your investment. 

Features

While both platforms offer a comprehensive set of features for process mining, they each have their unique strengths. Celonis stands out with its AI-powered analytics and extensive data connectors, while Software AG excels with its customizable dashboards and integration capabilities.

Customer support

Having responsive and knowledgeable customer support can make all the difference in your process mining journey. Both Celonis and Software AG are known for their commitment to customer success, providing extensive resources and responsive support to help users make the most of their platforms. 

Scalability

As your organization grows, your process mining solution should be able to grow with you. Both Celonis and Software AG offer scalable solutions that can handle increasing amounts of data and complexity as the business expands. 

User experience

While both platforms are designed to be user-friendly, they each have their unique user interface and user experience. Some users may prefer the intuitive visualizations of Celonis, while others might appreciate the customizable dashboards of Software AG. It's recommended to take advantage of free trials or demos to see which platform you find more comfortable to use.

A third alternative - Workfellow

Although Celonis and Software AG Aris have carved out their niches in the process mining arena, a new player, Workfellow, is gaining ground. Workfellow is pioneering the first hybrid process intelligence solution powered by AI. It uniquely merges process insights and task insights into a single comprehensive solution.

Established in 2019 by a team of intelligent automation professionals with a specialization in process intelligence software, Workfellow has already made its mark across diverse industries. Its clientele spans sectors from logistics and consumer goods to knowledge-work-intensive areas like banking, financial services, and insurance.

Key features of Workfellow

  • End-to-end analysis (E2E): Through its innovative Work API method, Workfellow is able to track tasks and process flows across all the business apps and systems, having no limitations and allowing for E2E analysis of workflows. 
  • Ease of deployment: Workfellow does not need integrations with systems to access event logs; instead it generates event logs automatically through a method called Work API
  • Level of privacy: Workfellow is a GDPR-free solution that does not process any personally identifiable data. 
  • Automated insights: Workfellow provides companies with automated insights and improvement recommendations.

Workfellow Process Mining deployment 

Workfellow is now recognized as one of the quickest process mining tools to implement in the market. With the majority of its clients accessing data and insights in under a month, it's known for its efficiency and ease of deployment. The tool utilizes a plug-and-play data capture feature, allowing it to extract business data from any business application, eliminating the need for complex event log integration and mining. This method provides a major advantage: it's up to ten times quicker than traditional process mining techniques. As such, most customers of Workfellow can obtain valuable insights within a 30-day timeframe, and this streamlined implementation does not require an extensive commitment of data engineering resources.

Workfellow Process Analytics

With Workfellow, companies can get advanced and configurable process and task visualization options, catering to a wide array of use cases. The main advantage is its ability to monitor both the flow and duration of activities, processes, and tasks across different business applications and systems.

Beyond visualizations of processes and tasks, Workfellow provides an unparalleled level of granularity into the cost and time associated with complex workflows spanning various business applications. This level of granularity is particularly beneficial for organizations looking to optimize their operational efficiency.

Workfellow automation capabilities

Workfellow is the first process intelligence tool that has intelligent automation opportunity identification ingrained into the technology. It gives companies automatic recommendations on which parts of the process could be automated and what would be the impact of those changes. Moreover, Workfellow can be used to evaluate the impact of those automation initiatives on key performance indicators. 

Workfellow pricing

Workfellow’s pricing is based on a Software-as-a-Service approach, where companies only pay for the number of workstations connected to Work API. The minimum number of connections required is 50 workstations. The cost of ownership for clients has typically been up to 3x lower than the other well-known alternative. To learn more about pricing or to request a quote, contact us

Celonis vs Software AG Process Mining summary 

In conclusion, Celonis, Software AG, and Workfellow are powerful process mining platforms that can provide valuable insights and drive process optimization in your organization. Your choice between the three will depend on your specific needs, budget, and personal preference. It's worth spending the time to thoroughly evaluate each platform and consider how well they align with your organization's goals and processes.

Who should use Celonis?

Celonis could be a perfect fit for larger organizations that have extensive data science capabilities and primarily operate their workflows and processes within a single ERP system, like SAP.

Who should use Software AG?

Software AG's ARIS Process Mining is an ideal solution for organizations that prioritize customizable interfaces, seamless integrations, and team collaboration in process optimization. It is also suitable for companies looking for comprehensive business transformation tools, as Software AG offers a wide range of analytics solutions.

Who should use Workfellow?

Workfellow is a great option for any organization that doesn’t have a large unit of data scientists and people dedicated to conducting process mining activities. Rather, it provides an effortless and fast way to gain process intelligence without data mining hassle. Read a case study on how a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm uncovered over € 2 million ($2.17 million) worth of process waste.

Frequently asked questions

Is Aris part of Software AG?

Yes, Aris Process Mining is part of a large software corporation called Software AG. Aris provides companies with process mining capabilities and helps to understand their processes.

Is process mining the same as task mining?

While process mining and task mining are both crucial tools for business process improvement, they aren't exactly the same. Process mining focuses on the understanding and optimization of business processes by analyzing event logs from various IT systems, while task mining delves deeper, capturing and analyzing the activities of individual workers to understand micro-level task performance.

What are the competitors to Celonis?

The main competitors of Celonis include UiPath, Minit, ProcessGold (acquired by UiPath), Signavio (part of the SAP Business Process Intelligence suite), and QPR Software. These companies offer various process mining and BPM solutions designed to analyze, optimize, and automate business processes, helping organizations identify areas for improvement and drive efficiency.

Is process mining suitable for all industries?

While process mining can be applied across various industries, it is particularly beneficial for businesses with complex processes and high volumes of data. These organizations can leverage process mining to gain valuable insights into their processes and drive significant improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and customer satisfaction.

How does process mining software involve artificial intelligence (AI)?

Many process mining solutions include machine learning (ML) algorithms used in areas such as in process discovery or automated process mapping. For more information, see process mining algorithms simply explained.

Written by

Kazyna Turdibayeva

Marketing manager at Workfellow
kazyna@workfellow.ai