Frequently asked questions
How long does an RPA implementation take?
There is no single answer, and any RPA tools comparison that gives you one is telling you about its author rather than the tools. UiPath suits broad programmes with mixed builder skill levels and the deepest hiring pool. Automation Anywhere suits cloud-first enterprises with document-heavy processes. SS&C Blue Prism suits regulated sectors where governance and audit drive the decision. The right question is which fits how your enterprise builds and maintains software.
Which RPA tool is cheapest?
UiPath, Automation Anywhere and SS&C Blue Prism price on different units, so the cheapest at five bots is not reliably the cheapest at fifty. What moves total cost is your mix of attended and unattended bots, how efficiently they are built, the infrastructure the unattended ones need, and maintenance as source systems change. Ask each vendor to quote your expected mix, then the same mix at three times the volume, and compare the shape rather than the headline figure. We publish no prices, because enterprise licensing is negotiated per deal.
Can I migrate from one RPA platform to another?
Yes, and it is a rebuild rather than a conversion. There is no meaningful automatic path between UiPath, Automation Anywhere, and SS&C Blue Prism, so migration means re-implementing each bot on the new platform. The process documentation you wrote the first time carries over, which is a good argument for documenting properly. Most enterprises migrate for licensing or governance reasons rather than technical ones, moving the highest-value automations first and retiring the rest.
Is RPA being replaced by AI agents?
Extended rather than replaced, at least so far. Gartner's Magic Quadrant covering these vendors is now titled Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies, published 14 September 2026, and it describes a category unifying process orchestration, connectivity and agentic features. Rule-based bots remain good at high-volume, stable, auditable work, which is most of what enterprises automate. Ask each vendor what happens to automations you build today as their platform moves toward agents.
Do I need developers, or can business users build bots?
It depends on the platform. UiPath and Automation Anywhere both have genuine low-code paths a trained business user can work in. SS&C Blue Prism assumes technical skill and is realistically a developer platform. Whichever you pick, somebody technical owns standards, reviews what gets built and maintains it afterwards, because the failure mode of citizen development is not bad bots, it is unowned ones.
How long does an RPA implementation take?
A first bot on a well-understood process takes weeks rather than months. The programme around it takes longer because what determines success is process documentation, exception handling, governance, and deciding who maintains what. Enterprises that treat the first bot as the project tend to stall after a handful of processes.
