Automation Anywhere’s new AI Agents capability promises to turbocharge automation with generative AI – but how much will it cost to use? This guide breaks down the pricing plans, costs, key differences, and when it makes sense to pay for Automation Anywhere’s AI Agents. We’ll also briefly cover top alternatives (including a new AI-centric option) for context.
Contents
Which Automation Anywhere AI Agents plans are there?
What does Automation Anywhere AI Agents cost?
Main differences between Automation Anywhere AI Agents and standard Automation Anywhere pricing
When should I pay for Automation Anywhere AI Agents?
What are the best Automation Anywhere AI Agents alternatives?
1. Which Automation Anywhere AI Agents plans are there?
Automation Anywhere’s platform is offered in three main plans. First, there’s the Community Edition, which is a free-tier intended for individual developers, students, and small businesses (with some usage limits). Second is the Cloud Starter Pack – a fixed-price subscription aimed at small or mid-sized deployments. Finally, an Advanced Pack (often just referred to as Enterprise plan) is available for larger organizations, but its pricing is custom-quoted by Automation Anywhere’s sales team (softwarefinder.com). In short, the plans range from a free community offering up to scalable enterprise packages negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
Community Edition (Free): Allows you to experiment with full features in the cloud at no cost. It’s ideal for learning and very small-scale use.
Cloud Starter Pack ($750/month): A paid package with a set bundle of licenses for professional use (suitable for many small-to-medium businesses) (softwarefinder.com).
Advanced/Enterprise Pack (Custom Pricing): A tailored plan for large or complex needs – pricing is provided on request, depending on how many automations, “bots,” and AI features you need (softwarefinder.com).
Each higher tier builds on the lower, mainly adding capacity, support, and flexibility. The key takeaway is that Automation Anywhere AI Agents isn’t a separate product you buy on its own – it’s part of the Automation Anywhere platform. So, the plan you choose (Starter vs. Enterprise) determines your access to AI Agent features and how much you’ll pay.
2. What does Automation Anywhere AI Agents cost?
The cost structure for using Automation Anywhere with AI Agents in 2025 is primarily based on the number of bot licenses you need. The entry-level Cloud Starter Pack costs about $750 per month, which includes the core components to get started: typically one bot creator license, one Control Room (the orchestration console), and one unattended bot to run automations (research.aimultiple.com). In practical terms, this lets a small team build and run at least one automated workflow with AI capabilities.
If you need to scale beyond that starter bundle, you purchase additional bot licenses. Each extra unattended bot (the kind that runs autonomously on a server) adds roughly $500 per month, and each attended bot (the kind that assists a human on their desktop) is around $125 per month (research.aimultiple.com). These are ballpark figures based on publicly reported data – for example, if your setup has both an unattended and an attended bot in use, you’d be looking at around $875 per month in licensing fees in total (research.aimultiple.com).
It’s important to note that these costs are subscription (recurring) fees for the software platform. They include the AI Agent Studio and all standard Automation Anywhere features. There isn’t a separate meter running for “AI” usage itself on Automation Anywhere’s side – you pay for the platform’s capacity (bots and users) rather than each AI action. However, using AI Agents may involve connecting to external AI services. For instance, Automation Anywhere’s AI Agent Studio allows you to plug in large language models from providers like Microsoft Azure OpenAI, AWS, or Google Cloud (automationanywhere.com). Any fees charged by those AI providers (for model API calls, etc.) would come in addition to your Automation Anywhere licensing. In other words, Automation Anywhere doesn’t charge you per AI query, but you’ll still pay the third-party AI vendor for the underlying AI model usage if applicable.
To give a simple example of potential costs: suppose a mid-sized company wants to automate customer support emails using an AI Agent. They might start with the $750/month Starter Pack (covering the platform, one developer, and one automation bot). If they decide to deploy an additional AI-driven bot to handle higher volume, that might be another ~$500/month. So, running a couple of AI-augmented automations could be on the order of $1,250 per month in platform fees. Large enterprises running dozens of AI Agents, on the other hand, would likely negotiate an enterprise license – possibly tens of thousands per year – rather than paying per bot à la carte.
3. Main differences between Automation Anywhere AI Agents and standard Automation Anywhere pricing
Since AI Agents are a new capability within the Automation Anywhere platform (and not a standalone product), the pricing model is largely the same as the traditional Automation Anywhere pricing. Historically, Automation Anywhere (like most RPA tools) prices its software based on the number of bots and associated licenses, not on hours used or number of transactions. That remains true in 2025 – even with AI Agents, your costs will scale according to how many bots you deploy and how many users (developers or controllers) need access (research.aimultiple.com). In other words, adopting AI Agents doesn’t introduce a new fee structure; you’re still looking at monthly license subscriptions for the platform rather than usage-based billing by AI workload.
However, there are a few nuances and differences in emphasis now that AI Agents are part of the picture:
Value Proposition: Traditional Automation Anywhere pricing was about paying for RPA bots to do repetitive tasks. With AI Agents, you’re getting more cognitive, decision-making abilities in those bots. While the fee for an unattended bot license hasn’t changed due to AI features, presumably you’re extracting more value from that bot now (since it can handle more complex tasks). There’s no separate “AI agent” surcharge – the company is positioning it as added capability included in the platform subscription. This contrasts with some competitors who might charge extra for AI add-ons or modules. Automation Anywhere’s approach so far is to bundle AI Agent Studio into the existing platform for subscribers.
Enterprise vs. SMB Pricing: The introduction of AI Agents coincides with Automation Anywhere pushing more enterprise deals. The Advanced Pack (Enterprise) pricing is not published – it’s negotiated case by case (softwarefinder.com). This means if you need a large number of AI Agents (bots) or advanced features, you’ll be in custom quote territory. That’s a difference from a more standardized product; it reflects that AI Agents can be part of very bespoke solutions (with pricing to match the scope). Smaller users have the $750/mo package as a guideline, but bigger deployments might enjoy volume discounts or require purchasing additional modules (e.g. for specialized AI document processing or higher support levels) which all factor into the custom pricing.
External AI Costs: As mentioned above, one “new” cost consideration with AI Agents is the potential usage fees of external AI services. Traditional RPA bots didn’t usually incur third-party API costs just to function. But an AI Agent might call an OpenAI API or another AI service to, say, generate text or analyze an image. Automation Anywhere’s pricing itself doesn’t include those usage fees. So, a company using AI Agents at scale should budget for AI service costs on top of the license. This isn’t exactly a change in Automation Anywhere’s pricing model, but it’s a new aspect of total cost to consider when using the AI features (something that wasn’t relevant for purely rule-based bots).
In summary, the main pricing framework hasn’t changed: you pay for the software platform per bot and user. The addition of AI Agents mainly means you may get more capability for that price – and you’ll want to monitor any separate AI usage bills. Companies should evaluate if the higher-level plans (or more bots) are justified by the AI Agents’ business impact. For many, the ROI of automating complex tasks with AI will outweigh the static monthly bot fees – but it’s crucial to understand that those fees still form the base of what you’ll be paying Automation Anywhere.
4. When should I pay for Automation Anywhere AI Agents?
If you’re just trying out Automation Anywhere’s AI Agents or automating a personal or academic project, you likely don’t need to pay at all – the Community Edition will suffice. The Community Edition is a free, full-featured version of the cloud platform intended for learning and very small deployments. That said, it comes with limitations: it’s officially only for “small businesses” or individual use (the criteria is under ~250 users/machines or under $5M in revenue), and even then you can only run it on up to 5 machines and process a limited volume of documents (e.g. up to 100 pages per month through the document automation feature) (automationanywhere.com). There’s also no formal support beyond community forums. If you fall within those limits and just want to experiment with building AI Agents, you should start for free – it gives you a risk-free taste of the platform’s capabilities.
You should consider paying for Automation Anywhere (moving to a paid plan) when your usage or requirements outgrow what Community Edition allows. Here are common signs it’s time to upgrade:
Team and Scale: If you plan to deploy bots in a production environment at your company, especially across multiple employees or departments, the free tier won’t legally or practically cover it. For any serious business process automation (beyond a micro-scale or evaluation), you’ll need a paid license. As soon as you have a team of developers or a department relying on the automations, the Cloud Starter Pack at $750/month becomes the appropriate entry point.
Exceeding Free Limits: Should your automations need to run on more than 5 machines or your company doesn’t meet the “small business” definition, you’re required to get a paid license (automationanywhere.com). Similarly, if you find the 100 pages/month document processing cap is too low (which it will be if you start automating any significant paperwork), that’s a trigger to move to a paid plan where such limits are lifted or much higher. AI Agents performing heavy workloads will likely hit those ceilings quickly in a real business scenario.
Advanced Features and Support: Paying also makes sense when you need official support and enterprise features. While Community Edition technically includes all the core features (even AI Agent Studio), companies often want service level agreements, technical support, and governance capabilities that come with enterprise licensing. If you’re deploying AI Agents for a mission-critical workflow, you’ll want the reliability and support of a paid subscription. Additionally, large-scale features like enterprise user management, security controls, or integration with enterprise systems are better served under the paid plans (the free version is more for development and trial, not heavy-duty integration).
Long-Term Automation Strategy: Essentially, if Automation Anywhere’s AI Agents prove valuable in a pilot or test, you should budget to pay once you operationalize that solution. A good practice is to use the free edition to prototype an AI Agent on a small scale. Once you see the benefit (e.g. it’s saving hours of work or improving accuracy), that’s the point to invest in a proper license so you can scale it up, officially roll it out, and get vendor support. The timing can also coincide with broader IT procurement cycles – for example, after a successful proof of concept, you move into an annual contract for the platform.
In short, pay when you move from exploration to execution. The free tier is generous for learning, but as soon as you’re doing real business automation (especially if you’re a company above the “small” size threshold), it’s both a legal requirement and a practical necessity to transition to a paid plan.
5. What are the best Automation Anywhere AI Agents alternatives?
Automation Anywhere is a leading name in the automation space, but it’s certainly not the only option. If you are evaluating alternatives (whether due to pricing, features, or strategic fit), here are some of the top contenders in 2025 that offer automation with AI capabilities:
UiPath: Often cited as Automation Anywhere’s chief rival, UiPath provides a broad RPA platform with its own AI integrations. It has a large community and also offers a free Community edition like AA. UiPath’s enterprise pricing is similar in that it’s subscription-based per bot (their SMB-oriented Pro plan, for example, has been quoted around $420/month for a package including one unattended and one attended bot) – but exact costs depend on bundles (research.aimultiple.com). Companies frequently compare UiPath vs Automation Anywhere on features and cost; both are enterprise-grade, but UiPath might have an edge in some AI tools and a vast marketplace of pre-built components.
Microsoft Power Automate: Microsoft’s automation offering (formerly Microsoft Flow) is a compelling alternative, especially for organizations already in the Office 365/Azure ecosystem. It’s known for a lower entry price point – for instance, an attended RPA license can be as low as $15 per user/month with Power Automate (research.aimultiple.com). Power Automate also includes some AI functionalities via AI Builder and has seamless integration with the Microsoft stack. If cost is a major concern and you need basic automation for many users, Power Automate can be attractive. It essentially trades the high flexibility of a tool like Automation Anywhere for ease of use and bundle pricing (sometimes it’s even included in certain Microsoft enterprise plans) (o-mega.ai).
Blue Prism: Another pioneer in RPA, Blue Prism focuses on enterprise-grade secure automation. Its model historically is more traditional licensing (typically annual licenses for bot runtimes, etc.), and it doesn’t have a free community edition like AA or UiPath. Blue Prism has been integrating AI as well (through partnerships and its own intelligence suite), but it often appeals to large enterprises that need strong governance and perhaps a more controlled, IT-driven automation program. If considering Blue Prism, be prepared for a more up-front enterprise software purchase process (and pricing roughly in the same ballpark as Automation Anywhere for comparable scale).
Emerging AI-centric platforms: A new generation of automation platforms is rising that emphasize AI “agents” and no-code bot creation even more heavily. For example, O-mega.ai is one such emerging solution – it focuses on enabling businesses to create intelligent AI agents capable of handling complex cognitive tasks, pushing beyond what traditional RPA bots could do (o-mega.ai). These platforms pitch themselves as combining RPA with out-of-the-box generative AI abilities, potentially reducing the need for separate AI model integration. They may offer more flexible or usage-based pricing to attract businesses looking for cutting-edge AI automation. While not as established as the big RPA vendors, alternatives like O-mega.ai are worth watching (or trialing) if your goal is an “autonomous enterprise” with AI at its core.
Other notable mentions include WorkFusion (strong in automating document-heavy processes with built-in machine learning), Pegasystems (integrating automation with BPM and case management), and IBM’s Automation platform which also incorporates AI. The “best” alternative really depends on your priorities: cost structure, ease of use, AI capabilities, or integration with existing systems.
If cost is the sticking point, open-source or lower-cost tools like TagUI, Robocorp, or Argos Labs exist as well, though they may require more technical effort to use. For instance, Argos Labs offers a relatively budget-friendly RPA solution (around $6k per year for a starter package) which can be an option for small teams (research.aimultiple.com). These aren’t direct one-to-one replacements for Automation Anywhere’s full feature set, but they indicate the range of automation solutions out there.
Bottom line: Automation Anywhere with AI Agents is a powerful platform, but make sure to compare it with UiPath, Power Automate, Blue Prism and newer AI-driven platforms like O-mega.ai to find the best fit for your needs. Each alternative has its own pricing approach – some more subscription-based, some usage-based – and varying strengths in AI. By exploring a few options, you can gauge which delivers the most value for the cost in your particular use case (o-mega.ai). The good news is that the competitive landscape means you have choices, and likely leverage to negotiate a deal that works for your budget and automation goals.