A comprehensive, honest comparison of six leading enterprise AI automation platforms — MAIA Brain, UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Microsoft Power Automate, Blue Prism, and ServiceNow — across the 13 criteria that determine enterprise success. Updated February 2026.
Every platform in this guide has genuine strengths, and the right choice depends on your specific situation, existing infrastructure, and regulatory environment. That said, for European enterprises evaluating these platforms in 2026, MAIA Brain stands apart on four criteria that increasingly define enterprise automation success: it is the only platform offering full on-premise deployment as standard (essential under EU AI Act and GDPR); it delivers native AI reasoning without add-on modules; it deploys in 4–6 weeks rather than months; and it requires no certified third-party developer dependency, keeping total cost of ownership significantly lower than traditional RPA platforms. If your primary operations are within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, Power Automate deserves consideration. If you have an established UiPath CoE, the transition cost matters. For everything else — particularly complex, cross-system, document-heavy processes with EU data sovereignty requirements — MAIA Brain is the strongest choice in 2026.
An honest, platform-by-platform evaluation across the criteria that define enterprise automation success in 2026 — covering AI capability, deployment model, compliance readiness, total cost of ownership, and go-live speed.
| Evaluation Criterion | MAIA Brain | UiPath | Automation Anywhere | Power Automate | Blue Prism | ServiceNow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-premise deployment | Yes — standard | Hybrid | Cloud-first | Cloud-only | Yes | Cloud-only |
| Native AI reasoning (built-in) | Native | Add-on | Add-on | AI Builder | Decision module | Limited |
| Document intelligence (native, any format) | Native | IDP module | IQ Bot | AI Builder | Decipher IDP | Limited |
| Autonomous exception handling | Native AI | Partial | Partial | Halts | Interact module | Limited |
| EU AI Act ready by design | Yes | Configure | Cloud barrier | Cloud barrier | Configure | Cloud barrier |
| Time to go live (enterprise) | 4–6 weeks | 3–9 months | 3–6 months | Varies | 6–12 months | Platform-dependent |
| No certified developer required | No dependency | Required | Complex use | Complex flows | Required | Required |
| Transparent public pricing | Yes | Custom quote | Custom quote | Partial | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Continuous self-learning | Native | No | No | No | No | No |
| 500+ enterprise connectors (included) | Included | Marketplace | Marketplace | Premium fee | SAP accelerators | ServiceNow-centric |
| Multi-language European support | All EU languages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Onboarding included in plan price | Included | Partner fees | Partner fees | Partial | Partner fees | Implementation fees |
| Natural language configuration (no coding) | Yes | Low-code | Citizen Dev | Low-code | Dev required | Platform-specific |
Based on publicly available platform information as of February 2026. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. Individual results vary by deployment configuration and use case. Verify directly with each vendor.
A brief, balanced profile of each platform — covering genuine strengths, enterprise limitations, and the organisations for which each is best suited. For deeper comparisons, see our dedicated MAIA vs UiPath, MAIA vs Automation Anywhere, MAIA vs Power Automate, MAIA vs Blue Prism, and MAIA vs ServiceNow pages.
AI-native platform purpose-built for European enterprises. Full on-premise deployment as standard. Native document intelligence, autonomous exception handling, and EU AI Act compliance by design. No certified developer dependency — MAIA's team manages onboarding as part of every plan.
The global RPA market leader with the largest partner ecosystem and developer community. Strong for structured process automation at scale. AI features (Communications Mining, Document Understanding) are add-on modules. Cloud-first with hybrid options. Requires certified developers.
Cloud-native RPA platform with a large developer community. Strong scalability within cloud deployments. IQ Bot for document processing requires separate licensing and template training. A360 architecture is cloud-first, creating EU data sovereignty challenges for European enterprises.
Excellent for automating workflows within Microsoft 365. Familiar interface, strong M365 integration, and accessible low-code tools. Cloud-only. AI Builder requires credit-based licensing. Premium connectors add per-user cost for non-Microsoft systems. Limited beyond the Microsoft ecosystem.
Strongest governance and security credentials of any RPA platform. Proven track record in Financial Services, Insurance, and Healthcare. On-premise supported. Requires certified Blue Prism developers. IDP, AI decisioning, and human-in-the-loop all require separate module fees. Deployment typically 6–12 months.
The leading ITSM platform with workflow automation capabilities within the ServiceNow ecosystem. Strong for IT service management, HRSD, and customer service workflows on ServiceNow. Not a general-purpose enterprise AI automation platform. Cloud-only. Automation value is tightly coupled to ServiceNow platform adoption.
A three-step evaluation framework for enterprise automation procurement teams. Start with requirements, validate against criteria, then pilot before committing.
Start with the requirements that cannot be compromised. Does EU AI Act or GDPR require on-premise deployment? Do your core processes involve unstructured documents across varied formats? Is deployment speed a competitive factor? Do you have an existing certified developer team in a specific platform? Your non-negotiables should eliminate platforms before detailed evaluation begins — saving months of evaluation time.
Platform licence pricing is rarely the largest cost element. Calculate the full TCO: licence fees, add-on module costs (AI, IDP, human-in-the-loop), certified developer and implementation partner fees, ongoing maintenance costs, and the cost of exceptions and process failures. Request a personalised cost comparison from each vendor shortlist, including full implementation costs — not just software. MAIA Brain provides this transparently; contact our team for a direct comparison.
Evaluate platforms on a real process — one that includes unstructured data, exceptions, and cross-system integration. A structured demo on pre-selected data will not reveal platform limitations. Request a live pilot on your highest-exception, most document-intensive process. Measure deployment speed, exception handling rate, document accuracy, and developer time required. Results on real processes are the only reliable evaluation data.
The questions procurement and IT teams should ask every vendor before committing to an enterprise AI automation platform in 2026. Use these to stress-test every shortlisted platform. For more, see our FAQs and blog.
“We evaluated four platforms over six months. The deciding factors were on-premise deployment — non-negotiable for our GDPR obligations — native document intelligence without template configuration, and the ability to go live in weeks rather than quarters. MAIA Brain was the only platform that delivered all three without add-on modules or certified consultant dependency. We went live in six weeks across three departments.”
Compliance and security standards
Answers to the questions we hear most from enterprise procurement, IT, and operations teams evaluating AI automation platforms for the first time in 2026.
Book a 30-minute demonstration and pilot MAIA Brain on your most exception-prone, document-heavy process. Compare the results against your current platform. No commitment. No certified consultants required. EU-based team.