How much do enterprise RPA tools cost?
Quick Answer: Enterprise RPA pricing ranges from free (open source) to $200,000+/year (large enterprise) as of July 2026. UiPath now has a public self-serve entry at Basic from $25/month (EU region, up to 2 robots), with Standard/Enterprise quote-based; Automation Anywhere is quote-based with a free Community Edition (the once-cited "$750" figure is an outdated 2020 per-pack number); Blue Prism (SS&C) is quote-based per digital worker (the ~$15,000/bot/year figure is a third-party estimate); and Microsoft Power Automate is transparent per-unit — Premium $15/user/month (includes attended desktop RPA) plus Process $150/bot and Hosted Process $215/bot for unattended. Open-source options (n8n, Automatisch) are free to self-host.
How Enterprise RPA Pricing Works
Enterprise RPA pricing is opaque — most vendors use custom annual contracts. Cost depends on bot count (attended vs unattended), deployment model, add-on modules (AI, process mining, document processing), and support. This comparison reflects July-2026 pricing after several 2026 changes.
RPA Pricing Comparison (July 2026)
| Tool | Public entry | Typical enterprise | Free option | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UiPath | Basic from $25/month (EU, up to 2 robots) | $100,000-$500,000+/year | Community Edition | Self-serve Basic + quote-based Standard/Enterprise; per-robot for larger |
| Automation Anywhere | Quote-based (no current public list) | $100,000-$400,000+/year | Community Edition | Bot/user licenses; the "$750" figure is an outdated 2020 per-pack number |
| Blue Prism (SS&C) | Quote-based | $150,000-$600,000+/year | 30-day trial + Learning Edition | Per digital worker; ~$15,000/bot/year is a third-party estimate |
| Power Automate | $15/user/month (Premium, incl. attended RPA) | Process $150/bot, Hosted Process $215/bot (unattended) | Included in some M365 plans | Transparent per-user / per-bot |
Enterprise figures are third-party estimates and vary by region, deal size, and negotiation.
Pricing models explained
- UiPath: the 2026 change is a public self-serve Basic tier from $25/month (EU, up to 2 robots); Standard and Enterprise remain quote-based, and larger deployments are licensed per robot (attended ~$420/user/year, unattended ~$1,680/robot/year as partner estimates).
- Automation Anywhere: quote-based; the cloud Community Edition is free. The "$750 Cloud Starter" figure comes from a 2020 press release ($750/month per starter pack, not per user) and is outdated.
- Blue Prism: quote-based per digital worker across Enterprise/Cloud/Desktop/Chorus, with a 30-day free trial and 180-day Learning Edition; the ~$15,000/bot/year figure is a third-party estimate.
- Power Automate: the most transparent — Premium $15/user/month now includes attended desktop RPA; unattended is Process $150/bot or Hosted Process $215/bot; Process Mining is a separate $5,000/tenant add-on.
Total cost of ownership (10 unattended bots, illustrative estimates)
| Cost category | UiPath | Automation Anywhere | Power Automate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software licenses | ~$150,000/yr (est.) | ~$120,000/yr (est.) | ~$18,000/yr (10 × $150 Process) |
| Infrastructure | ~$30,000/yr | ~$15,000/yr (cloud) | ~$0 (cloud) |
| 2 RPA developers | ~$240,000/yr | ~$240,000/yr | ~$200,000/yr |
| Year 1 total (est.) | ~$430,000 | ~$385,000 | ~$220,000 |
Verdict
Power Automate remains the lowest entry point and best for Microsoft-ecosystem organisations. UiPath now has a genuine low-cost self-serve on-ramp (Basic $25) alongside its enterprise platform. Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism are quote-based enterprise platforms justified by AI/document depth and compliance pedigree respectively. Always negotiate — list/estimate prices run well above actual deal prices.
Editor's Note: Across ShadowGen RPA engagements the enduring truth is that unattended-bot licensing and developer time, not the sticker entry price, drive total cost. Re-checked July 2026: the entry points have shifted — UiPath now has a public Basic tier from $25/month, Automation Anywhere's old "$750" figure is an outdated 2020 per-pack number (it is quote-based), and Blue Prism's "~$15K/bot" is a third-party estimate (it is quote-based) — so for a like-for-like comparison, price UiPath and Power Automate on their published units and get real quotes from Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism sized to your bot mix. — Rafal Fila, ShadowGen
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