Process mining is a hot sector right now. According to recent research by Deloitte 63% of global companies have started using process mining and most global business plans to at least pilot process mining in the near future.
If you’re looking to explore different kinds of process mining software you’ve come to the right place. In this guide we’ll share our ultimate list of top process mining tools, answer some key questions and give tips on how to get started. Grab a drink, find a comfy place to sit and enjoy the read!
What is process mining software?
Process mining software is any tool that allows you to discover, analyze and improve business processes using computer science and data mining methods. The goal of process mining software is to provide an X-ray into your business processes - enabling process conformance, identifying potential bottlenecks and improving efficiency.
You can see process mining at the intersection of business process management and data mining. In this way, process mining tools are any software that interacts with business software systems to extract process information, typically in the form of event logs or business objects, for the purpose of process analysis and business process improvement.
Process mining is often viewed as an enabler for continuous or operational excellence. Process mining can be used in a business organization to:
- monitor the execution of processes,
- check conformance to agreed processes models,
- identify opportunities to streamline workflows,
- automate repetitive tasks,
- discover ways to reduce costs.
Common questions and answers regarding process mining software
What to consider when choosing process mining software
When selecting process mining software, there are several key considerations that should be taken into account.
- Scope of analysis. The software should be able to provide a comprehensive analysis of the process data, making use of both current and historical data.
- Granularity of insights. The tool should also be able to provide accurate insights into inefficiencies and bottlenecks, and provide an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple to identify and assess new and existing processes.
- Integration needs. Many process mining solutions require access to event logs from different source systems. If you have a fragmented enterprise software landscape you'll need to consider how much integration effort will be required to data mine key processes.
- On-premise or cloud. While many process mining solutions are today offered as software-as-a-service (SaaS) some organizations may require on-premise solutions.
- Total cost of ownership. While every organization will have different resources to implement a process mining tool, you should consider the total cost of implementation including both the price and resources required to achieve results.
Process mining software vs task mining tools
Process mining software is often confused with task mining tools. These two are related solutions but there is an important difference. Process mining gives you comprehensive visibility and insights into business processes across the organization while task mining usually looks into specific employee workflows and breaks them down into measurable tasks.
Another key difference between process and task mining is the way data is collected. Traditionally process mining software integrates to enterprise systems in order to extract, transform and load (ETL) information collected from event logs while task mining tools typically track employee (desktop) computer interactions using an array of technology such as logging keystrokes, clicks, screenshots or recordings of the user interface.
Process and task mining solutions are not mutually exclusive. They can be offered by the same software solution or you can use tools and solutions from different vendors based on your needs.
Top Process Mining Software in 2022
Both process and task mining are thriving sectors of enterprise software with an increasing number of different vendors offering unique solutions. Let’s go through some of the popular options and top tips.
What makes good process mining software?
There are over 35 different process mining solutions available in the market catering for different types of organizations and clients. No matter what your specific needs, it’s good to keep in mind some key areas to consider:
- Ease of use - process mining software doesn’t need to be difficult to use. Seek screenshots or a product demonstration to see if it looks easy to use or navigate.
- Configurability - some process mining solutions only cater for specific use-cases or require significant effort to configure or integrate with different source systems.
- Analytics and reporting - if you’re looking for enterprise grade process mining, you’re likely to need advanced and trustworthy analytics and reporting capabilities.
- End-to-end visibility (E2E) - as more work is digitalized, you need full E2E visibility of the full process journey across different tools and systems.
- Level of support - whether you are a first time process analyst or an experienced process architect you’ll likely have different needs for support and on-boarding.
- Total cost of ownership - process mining solutions come in a variety of costs and service levels. It’s smart to consider the total cost of ownership including the implementation cost as well as the cost of running on-going process analytics.
Workfellow Process Intelligence
Workfellow is one of the newest process intelligence solutions offering advanced process mining functionality. Unlike traditional process mining software it does not require access to enterprise system event logs - rather it collects process insights straight from the user interface of specific employees, teams or organizations.
Workfellow specializes in uncovering inefficiencies and automation potential in business processes - and provides advanced capabilities in tracking workflows across different business processes, systems and web applications. In this sense, Workfellow is both a process and task mining solution, offering complimentary functionality for a cloud-first world through a method called Work API.
Top features:
- Fast and simple implementation
- Analyze processes, work and systems
- End-to-end visibility
- GDPR free
Celonis Process Mining
If you’ve heard of process mining you’ve probably heard of Celonis. Founded in 2011, Celonis was one of the first commercially available solutions on the market offering a full range of process discovery, analytics, conformance checking and process improvement solutions. As of today, Celonis has raised over $2,3 Billion in investment funding, most recently in August 2022 from the Qatar Wealth Fund.
Is Celonis owned by SAP?
Despite a common German heritage and close connections between the two companies, Celonis is not owned by SAP. Instead, SAP acquired an alternative to Celonis called Signavio in 2021. More on Signavio below.
What makes Celonis different? Here are some of the top Celonis features:
- Wide adoption
- Integrations
- Customization
- Broad user community
According to Gartner, the top 5 alternatives and competitors to Celonis are:
- SAP Signavio Process Intelligence
- IBM Process Mining
- Soroco Scout Platform
- Software AG ARIS Process Mining 10
- UiPath Platform
Source: Gartner Peer Insights
UIPath Process Mining
UiPath is a global company founded in Bucharest, Romania specializing in robotic process automation (RPA). UIPath acquired ProcessGold Process Mining in 2019 and has a strong background in both task and process mining, especially as an enabler for intelligent automation.
UiPath is known for its task mining tool that uses artificial intelligence to identify and aggregate employee workflows to identify repetitive tasks. UiPath also offers a free Community Edition license for its software studio allowing for students and developers to try out the platform.
UIPath is an extensive platform offering a broad range of features. In process mining some of the advantages include:
- Automation opportunities
- Integrations
- Easy to learn
- UiPath Academy
In Gartner’s view the top five alternatives and competitors to UiPath are:
- Automation 360
- Blue Prism Intelligent Automation
- Datamatics TruBot
- AutomationEdge
- Appian RPA
Source: Gartner Peer Insights
SAP Signavio Process Intelligence
For organizations with an SAP ERP landscape Signavio is a process mining solution to consider. In the past you may have been more familiar with SAP’s Intelligent Business Process Management Solution or the integration of Celonis Process Mining within the SAP solution. SAP acquired Signavio in 2021 and has worked on integrating Signavio as a prime process intelligent offering.
Signavio offers a broad range of business process management solutions and a unique Collaboration Hub to drive operational excellence. SAP Signavio’s Process Transformation suite can be used for a variety of purposes, including process insights, process automation, process management and process modeling.
Top features of SAP Signavio Process Intelligence:
- SAP ecosystem
- Collaboration
- Process management
- Process design
In Gartner’s view the top five competitors and alternatives to Signavio are:
- Celonis Execution Management System
- Software AG Aris Process Mining 10
- UiPath Platform
- Aris Process Mining 10
- Soroco Scout Platform
Source: Gartner Peer Insights
IBM Process Mining
If you’re a believer in “you won’t get fired for buying IBM,” you’ll be glad to know the Big Blue also offers its own process intelligence solution. Added to IBM’s portfolio in 2021 through an acquisition of MyInvenio, IBM Process Mining discovers, monitors and optimizes business processes by extracting system data from enterprise systems.
In addition to process mining IBM offers an extensive Business Process Management platform and AI-driven robotic process automation solutions.
Top 4 features of IBM Process Mining:
- Easy to use
- Visualizations
- Use of artificial intelligence
- Identify bottlenecks
In Gartner’s view the top five alternatives and competitors to IBM Process Mining are:
- Celonis Execution Management System
- UiPath Platform
- Soroco Scout Platform
- Software AG Aris Process Mining 10
- SAP Signavio Process Intelligence
Source: Gartner Peer Insights
ProM (Process Mining framework)
If you have the resources and skills in your organization to develop your own process mining tool, you may consider ProM, which is short for Process Mining framework.) ProM is an open source framework for process mining algorithms. In other words, it is a free and independent resource for users and developers to leverage when building process mining capabilities.
ProM can be downloaded and used under a GNU Public open source license and has board adoption in academic institutions, free online training courses and an active online community of developers.
Bottom line
Process mining is a thriving area of enterprise software. Today there are many different vendors to suit your needs as well as open-source libraries to craft your own solution. Once you are ready to explore your options request a demo with different vendors or draft an RFP for process intelligence.
More comparisons and alternatives
60+ Intelligent Automation Tools and Software (Updated 2023)
Top 10 Celonis Alternatives (2023 Update)
Celonis vs Signavio Comparison (2023 Update)
The Best New Celonis Alternative in 2023
Top Task Mining Software to Compare in 2023
