RPA (Robotic Process Automation) UiPath and its alternatives in Poland - what to choose and why?

Estimated reading time: about 9 minutes

TL;DR

• RPA allows you to automate repetitive office processes, reducing costs and speeding up work in your company.
• UiPath is a popular RPA provider, but there are other solutions available - often with more flexible pricing.
• When choosing a tool, it is worth looking at integration with the current infrastructure, scalability and community support.
• RPA can go hand in hand with the robotisation of production, creating a consistent automation ecosystem across the enterprise.
• Evidence of effectiveness is provided by a well-conducted Proof of Concept (POC) and ROI calculation.

Table of contents

Introduction
What is RPA and how does it work?
Why is UiPath so popular?
Alternatives to rpa UiPath in Poland
Criteria for choosing the right solution
South Africa and the robotisation of manufacturing - is it worth combining the two areas?
How to start implementing RPA: practical tips
Examples of benefits of implementing RPA
When is it worth considering integration with robotisation of production workstations?
Practical tips on how to measure ROI when implementing RPA
Summary and practical conclusions
FAQ

Introduction

RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is increasingly appearing in the development strategies of companies, regardless of industry. Thanks to this technology, it is possible to automate repetitive office and business processes, resulting in faster task completion, fewer errors and noticeable savings. According to various estimates, the implementation of RPA can reduce administrative process costs by up to several tens of per cent. One of the best-known providers of RPA tools on the market is UiPath. However, there are a number of alternatives to consider before making a final decision.

In this article, we take a closer look at what RPA actually is, what determines the popularity of UiPath and what other tools can provide an equally attractive solution. In doing so, we show what to look out for when evaluating RPA systems and how to approach enterprise implementations. From a practical perspective, we also point out why it is worth remembering that robotisation of office and back-office processes can go hand in hand with intelligent automation of production processes. From the article you will learn, among other things:

• How South Africa works and why it is so popular.
• What costs are associated with UiPath and where its strengths and weaknesses lie.
• What are the known alternatives to UiPath in Poland and how do they compare in terms of price, functionality and ease of implementation.
• Which elements to pay attention to in order to successfully launch an RPA project in your company.

By reading, you will gain a basic understanding of the RPA market in Poland and more easily assess which solution provider will suit your needs.

What is RPA and how does it work?

RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is software that mimics the actions of a human working at a computer. RPA robots can perform numerous activities in IT systems, including:

• Log in to the application, fill in form fields or check data.
• Transfer and process information, e.g. move files between folders.
• Automate the process based on rules (e.g. verification of financial data, sending of correspondence).

RPA does not require deep intervention in the source software architecture. The robot 'works' at the user interface level, mimicking human interaction with the software. This explains why many companies choose RPA when they want to quickly automate repetitive tasks, avoiding the costly and lengthy process of modifying existing systems.

In manufacturing and industrial areas, robotisation is often associated with physical robots - machines programmed to perform specific operations (e.g. welding, packaging). In office environments, on the other hand, 'robots' only function within software. RPA is therefore part of a broader transformation called robotisation, which in one company can include both digital administrative processes and, for example, robotic workstations in the production area.

Why is UiPath so popular?

UiPath is currently one of the largest and most recognised providers of RPA tools in the world. The strengths of this platform include:

A wealth of functionality

UiPath offers a wide range of functions, streamlining the robotisation of different areas - from accounting, to HR, to back-office processes related to data entry into ERP systems, for example. In addition, it has tools for designing and managing robots (Studio and Orchestrator), which makes it easy to scale solutions in a large organisation.

Large community and easy access to knowledge

The UiPath developer community is extremely large. On the web, you will find many discussion forums, stand-alone tutorials and online courses. In the official Academy, on the other hand, you can go through a structured training programme that allows even beginners to create and test simple robots quite quickly.

Licensing models for different companies

UiPath licences are divided into attended (the robot works 'under the guidance' of the user and interacts with a human) and unattended (the robot works automatically, without supervision). Costs attested by multiple sources indicate that:

• The attended licence can start at around USD 1,200 per year,
• An unattended licence ranges in the region of EUR 8,000 per year.

For this, we may need to purchase Studio (a development tool) and, for higher-scale deployments, Orchestrator. In practice, the total annual licence cost including the necessary components can be high, but companies value the support and stability of an enterprise-class environment.

Alternatives to rpa UiPath in Poland

Although UiPath is sometimes synonymous with RPA, there are a number of other providers in the market that may offer lower costs or better tailored features. Below are the most popular alternatives:

Blue Prism

Blue Prism is ranked among South Africa's so-called market leaders in many analyst reports, as is UiPath. Its strengths are its proven stability and security, which is particularly appreciated by large financial institutions. Blue Prism relies on unattended robotisation and a consistent, complete licensing model in which we do not have to buy separate components (e.g. for robot management). However, sometimes the cost per bot can be higher than with other providers.

Automation Anywhere

Automation Anywhere is one of South Africa's leading players, popular mainly in the US, but also found in companies operating in Poland. It has a very feature-rich package, allowing for large-scale projects. It can automate tasks flowing between different corporate applications. However, in the AA licensing model, it is worth taking into account that, especially in the case of a large number of robots, licence costs can reach tens of thousands of dollars per year.

Microsoft Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow)

Although Microsoft Power Automate is primarily associated with workflows and integration between Microsoft 365 services, it is also a form of RPA, especially in the context of Desktop Flows (aka Power Automate Desktop). For organisations that already use the Microsoft ecosystem (SharePoint, Teams, Outlook), this integration can be particularly attractive cost-wise. A barrier is sometimes the more limited range of off-the-shelf RPA functionality compared to fully dedicated robotics solutions.

G1ANT

It is a Polish RPA solution that offers an interesting scripting language for bot creation and stands out with a type of licence that is more flexible in cost. It may be of particular interest to small and medium-sized enterprises, for whom large RPA platforms are priced out of reach.

Open source alternatives

There are also open source tools on the market, but these rarely achieve the same level of stability and support as commercial solutions. They often work well for experimental projects, POCs (Proof of Concept), and where the organisation accepts self-maintenance and development of solutions.

Criteria for choosing the right solution

The selection of an RPA tool should not be limited to an analysis of licence prices alone. Key considerations are:

Easy integration into existing IT infrastructure

If a company uses a large number of database systems or has extensive ERP and MES solutions, it is worth noting whether the chosen RPA software offers ready-to-use connectors, the ability to simply 'chew through' the user interface and supports automatic exception management.

Scalability

For large organisations, the number of processes to be robotised and maintained continues to grow. It is worth checking that the RPA platform allows you to easily add more 'digital robots', implement central monitoring and has intuitive orchestration tools.

Support ecosystem and community

Extensive documentation, official courses, user forums and widely available tutorials generally reduce implementation costs and time significantly. By choosing one of RPA's leaders, you can count on ready-made 'templates' of best practice and a large knowledge base.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and ROI

It is worth looking at the price of the licence, the additional costs of implementation and the maintenance of the robots. When a company opts for unattended licences, there is often a need to purchase an extensive package of features. ROI (return on investment) calculations are a good tool for comparing offers and presenting arguments to decision-makers.

South Africa and the robotisation of manufacturing - is it worth combining the two areas?

Although RPA refers primarily to the automation of digital processes, it is worth mentioning that many companies, especially in manufacturing, combine both aspects - office automation (RPA) and the robotisation of production lines. This makes it possible to cover the entire enterprise with a coherent automation strategy, giving on the one hand benefits "at the desk" (e.g. less frequent errors in document handling) and on the other hand reducing the time and costs of manual tasks on the production floor.

Michale Automation (often referred to as Michale Automation) specialises in machine building and the implementation of robotic workstations. Although RPA itself is a different type of automation, in practice it happens to complement the entire Industry 4.0 ecosystem. If you are wondering how to automate physical processes, it is also worth taking a look at our sub-site Robotisation - benefits for industry and service companies.

How to start implementing RPA: practical tips

Project team and process analysis

The first step is to identify the processes that are most time-consuming or most prone to human error. Large-scale and repeatable processes work best. It is extremely helpful to create a team that includes both technical people and representatives from the department where RPA will be implemented.

Planning and tool selection

The next step is to choose a specific tool, such as UiPath, Blue Prism or one of the alternatives. Check the availability of implementation providers in Poland to make sure you get support if needed.

Proof of Concept (POC)

The POC allows us to assess in practice whether the chosen RPA software will actually work in our circumstances. It is best to bet on a process that is not too extensive but sufficiently representative. Once the pilot has been completed, it is easier to calculate the potential return on investment and convince decision-makers for further implementations.

Scaling and maintenance of robots

If the POC is successful, we move on to scale-up planning. At this point, one of the most important aspects is to organise maintenance support. Any change in processes or the IT environment may require an adjustment in the operation of the robots. With a large number of processes, it is crucial to have an efficient supervision and response structure.

Examples of benefits of implementing RPA

• Cost reduction administrative work: RPA can work 24/7 and there are no interruptions, and according to reports, it pays back an average of 150 to as much as 300% in value over several years.
• Fewer errors: The elimination of the human factor in repetitive tasks translates into a significant reduction in data entry errors.
• Accelerating processes: A robot performs office tasks several times faster than a human, which is particularly important in mass accounting or contact centre operations.
• Scalability: The company can efficiently launch more bots as demand and the number of processes grows.
• Supporting digital transformation: RPA is often the first stage that convinces managers to invest in more advanced tools such as BPM systems or chatbots.

When is it worth considering integration with robotisation of production workstations?

If a company wants to combine digital transformation in administrative areas and on the shop floor as part of its end-to-end automation, then RPA in the office becomes the perfect complement to the robotic line. Michale Automation implements such turnkey solutions in various companies. In one project, we undertook the design and commissioning of SIASUN robot-based welding stations. In another, we helped with the integration of product packaging stages, which can be seen in our portfolio: Robotisation of packaging - fast and precise solutions.

However, the implementation of industrial robots is only part of the success. When a new stream of data about production, material flow, quality is created in the factory, some of the repetitive administrative tasks can be effectively supported with RPA in the office. In this way, a decisive part of the processes, from planning to reporting, are handled by robots - digital and physical.

Practical tips on how to measure ROI when implementing RPA

1. Assess the costs of licensing and implementation consultancy.
2. Include the cost of the internal team's time to design and supervise the works.
3. Recalculate the number of hours per year spent manually performing the process you intend to robotise. Multiply this by the average cost of employee labour.
4. Consider the risk of errors and the potential losses associated with incorrectly entered data.
5. Add any software maintenance and service costs.

Comparing these parameters with the savings generated will indicate how long it will take for the RPA investment to pay off. For industrial robots, such as for packaging or welding, there are similar calculators, such as our proprietary ROI calculator for welding robotisation.

Summary and practical conclusions

• UiPath is one of South Africa's leaders - versatile, but with more robots it can be expensive.
• On the Polish market, we can find alternatives such as Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere, Microsoft Power Automate or G1ANT.
• It is crucial not only to compare prices, but also to check the ease of integration and availability of support.
• RPA can be combined with the robotisation of production, which increases the efficiency of the entire enterprise.
• It's best to start with a pilot process (POC) and test the measurable benefits before scaling up.

RPA (office process robotisation) is an important pillar of digital transformation in many companies. In Poland, these technologies are developing rapidly and are used in accounting and finance departments, human resources, sales or logistics. UiPath has gained a strong position in the market, but there is no shortage of worthwhile alternatives. The full cost of implementation and the specifics of the business should always be considered - and if the company is also planning to automate industrial processes, the integration of both areas (RPA and production line robotisation) gives an even greater synergy effect.

If you'd like to find out how Michale Automation can help you automate processes, not only digital but also those requiring physical robots, check out our services: Service and maintenance of robot workstations - optimum production availability.
We also encourage you to read other articles on our blog and to contact us by email if you need more detailed information on the implementation of RPA or the robotisation of production.
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Thank you for your time and we wish you success in developing automation - both digital and physical. Proper implementation of RPA is a solid step towards increased productivity and competitiveness in the market.

FAQ

What is the difference between South Africa and the robotisation of manufacturing?
RPA refers to digital processes operated by virtual bots, while manufacturing robotisation refers to physical machines supporting or replacing human labour in industrial plants. The two forms can complement each other.

Does RPA require programming skills?
Not always. Many platforms, such as UiPath or Microsoft Power Automate, offer graphical interfaces for robot design. However, with more complex processes, some technical knowledge can be useful.

How much does a UiPath licence cost?
Licence prices depend on the type of robot and the scale of deployment. The approximate cost of an attended licence starts at around USD 1,200 per year, while an unattended licence can be around EUR 8,000 per year, not including the possible cost of additional components.

How do you start a Proof of Concept (POC) in an RPA project?
Choose a process that is repeatable but not overly complex to verify the capabilities of the chosen tool. Once the POC is complete, you will find it easier to recalculate the ROI and justify the investment to decision-makers.