Kissflow is the best workflow automation platform for most companies of 50 or more employees, because it lets a company build its request and approval processes as apps on one low-code platform under a single annual contract. A custom workflow system built by Black Badger ranks second, and it is the better choice when your process has steps, exceptions or hand-offs that a form and a flowchart cannot hold.
The ranking, entry by entry
1 Kissflow
Best for companies that want many process apps on one platform
Kissflow ranks first because it suits a company with many processes to move. A company of this size can have dozens of processes that run on forms and email, from purchase requests to onboarding. Kissflow lets you build each one as an app on a single low-code platform. Its pricing page lists unlimited applications and unlimited integrations, with no extra charge for AI or API usage, under a fixed annual agreement.
Watch for. Kissflow publishes no prices or plan tiers, and its page does not say which package holds features such as SSO and audit logs. Ask both questions on the first call.
- How it charges
- Quoted, on fixed annual agreements
- Main limit
- Quote only, fixed annual agreements
2 Custom build by Black Badger
Best for companies whose process has exceptions no form builder holds
We publish this guide and we build custom workflow systems, so read this entry knowing that. Custom ranks second because the hardest processes to run on a platform are the ones with exceptions. One example is an approval that depends on project, amount and who is on leave. Another is a hand-off that needs data from two other systems. Black Badger builds the process as you run it, with no per-user fee, and you own the code and accounts.
Watch for. A build starts with discovery and a written scope, so it cannot start the same day. It suits companies of 50 or more employees with a process worth building around.
- How it charges
- One-time build scoped in writing, then running costs such as hosting
- Main limit
- Needs a scoping call first, and suits companies of 50 or more employees
What a custom build involves, and how to ask about one
3 Microsoft Power Automate
Best for companies already running Microsoft 365 and Dynamics
Microsoft Power Automate ranks third overall and first on our Microsoft 365 list. For a company already inside Microsoft, flows tie to the data and identity it has, and the price is published. Premium is charged per user and paid yearly. It is third here because its strength depends on the company using Microsoft, and a per-user license costs more when everyone in the company submits requests.
Watch for. Premium allows 40,000 Power Platform requests a day for each user. A cloud flow that is not triggered for 90 days might be turned off.
- How it charges
- Per user or per bot, paid yearly
- Main limit
- Daily request limits per license, unattended bots cost extra per bot
4 Nintex
Best for document-heavy approvals around SharePoint
Nintex ranks fourth. It is the specialist for document-heavy approval workflows, often around SharePoint and Microsoft 365, and it lists SSO through SAML 2.0 and audit trails as platform security features. A company whose processes are mostly contracts, policies and signed forms should rank it higher than we do here. It is sold on yearly terms with only a starting price published, and that starting price sets the size of company it is meant for.
Watch for. The page shows three tiers named Essentials, Pro and Expert but does not list what each includes. Get the tier contents in writing.
- How it charges
- Yearly, in three tiers, with only a starting price published
- Main limit
- Tier contents and usage limits are not published
5 Pipefy
Best for business teams that run request pipelines without IT
Pipefy ranks fifth. It turns requests and approvals into structured pipelines that business users can run without IT, which makes it a quick way to move requests out of an email inbox. There is a free Starter plan to try it on. It ranks below the others on a company-wide list because of its caps. Automation jobs are limited to 300 a month on Business and 2,000 on Enterprise.
Watch for. Business also caps API calls at 500 a month and database records at 10,000. SSO is listed under Enterprise.
- How it charges
- Per user on Business, quoted by sales, with a free Starter plan
- Main limit
- Business allows 300 automation jobs a month, Enterprise 2,000
6 ServiceNow App Engine
Best for companies already on the Now Platform
ServiceNow App Engine ranks sixth on a general list and first on our enterprise list. If your company already runs the Now Platform, App Engine lets you build workflow apps on the same data and security model, and no other option on this list shares that model. If you do not, it does not fit. ServiceNow publishes no App Engine price and sells it in Foundation and Prime packages.
Watch for. Prime adds unlimited custom tables and scoped apps, which means Foundation caps both. Ask for those caps before you plan your app list.
- How it charges
- Quoted by sales, in Foundation and Prime packages
- Main limit
- Quote only, custom tables and scoped apps are capped below Prime
7 Workato
Best for processes that reach across many business systems
Workato ranks seventh here because it is built to connect systems first. It is strongest when a people process, such as onboarding a new hire, has to trigger actions in many applications at once, and a central automation team owns the result. For approvals and forms alone it does more than you need, and it is sold by quote only.
Watch for. Concurrency is 1 on the Standard and Business MCP editions. Ask what that means for a process that many employees trigger at the same time.
- How it charges
- Quoted, with a usage component tracked by capability
- Main limit
- Quote only, with concurrency and on-prem agents set by edition
8 Make
Best for teams adding visual automation around existing forms
Make is eighth. It is a low-cost way to automate what happens after a request is submitted, with visual scenarios that branch. Core comes with 10,000 credits on annual billing, and Teams costs more. It ranks last because it is built around scenarios between apps and not around the people who request and approve. It works beside a workflow tool more often than in place of one.
Watch for. Make lists SSO, role-based access controls and audit logs as Enterprise only. Scenarios stop when credits run out.
- How it charges
- By credits, billed annually or monthly, Enterprise quoted
- Main limit
- Credit based billing, SSO and audit logs only on Enterprise
How this list was ranked
This list is ranked for a company of 50 or more employees that wants to move people-facing processes, such as requests, approvals, onboarding and purchasing, out of email and into a system. We weighed how well each option handles forms, approvals and hand-offs between departments, what it costs when most employees take part, and who can build and change a process.
How each product charges, its plan names and its limits were read from each vendor's own site on the date shown in each entry. Black Badger publishes this guide and builds custom workflow systems. That is why the custom route is on the list, and why it is not ranked first here.
Questions buyers ask
What is a workflow automation platform?
A workflow automation platform is software that runs a process involving people. Someone submits a request, the right person approves it, the next department is told, and everyone can see where it stands. That is different from an integration tool, which moves data between systems with no person involved. Several products on this list do some of both.
How is workflow automation priced?
Workflow automation is priced per user, per year or by quote, depending on the vendor. Power Automate publishes a per-user price, Nintex publishes a yearly starting price, Pipefy bills Business per user at a quoted rate, and Kissflow and ServiceNow publish no prices. Before comparing, decide how many people will submit requests and how many will build processes, because vendors count those differently.
Why is a custom build on a list of workflow automation platforms?
A custom build is on this list because a company with an important process weighs it against the platforms. Black Badger, which publishes this guide, builds custom workflow systems, and we say so and rank the route where it fits. On this list it is second. On the list about outgrown tools it is first.
Where should a company start with workflow automation?
A company should start workflow automation with one process that is painful, frequent and well understood, such as purchase approvals or new hire onboarding. Get that one working and measured before you buy for twenty. The first process teaches you what you need from a platform better than any demo.