Supports long-running asynchronous processes effectively but has not evolved much in recent years
What is our primary use case?
We leverage Camunda for two different use cases in Santander Brazil. I used and we used to have an orchestration flow for processing new credit approvals. Once the customer requested a new credit on the Santander mobile app, they received the confirmation instantly, online, but asynchronously, we had several updates and documentation to prepare in order to make back-office processes complete. The customer received the instant confirmation, but we used to have a long-running process with several steps running in parallel and asynchronously, and those steps were orchestrated through Camunda. That was one use case, basically API orchestration in an asynchronous process with no human interaction.
We leveraged Camunda for the back-office processes for Santander Esfera, which is a loyalty program from Santander in Brazil. It is mainly a marketplace where customers can use loyalty points to redeem products. The order management process for that marketplace used to run through Camunda as well, leveraging APIs and in some cases, handling exceptions and human interaction.
What is most valuable?
Camunda's support for BPMN 2.0 is a great advantage because it allows us to have a common language to discuss technology and business in the same perspective. This capability used to allow us to anticipate issues and discussions with the business and product teams.
Since they are basically a fork from Activiti, which was a lightweight architecture that would allow us to run the process in a way we used to call the process API or a headless process. There was no need to deploy and run heavy and large tools and frameworks and middlewares, allowing us to embed the process engine inside our Java applications. That was another advantage, and it worked fairly well with cloud environments. The limitation they have with transactional databases that ultimately they were able to get rid of when they launched Zeebe was not really an issue for us. We did not have the scale and transaction volume that would make a need for such a high throughput environment. The standard or original Camunda deployment with a transactional database was more than enough for our use cases.
The learning curve for understanding how it works and deploying the first processes, especially for those people who have a background in Java, seemed to be a really fast-paced adoption for us. When we compared with other process automation tools such as Pega and IBM BPM, Camunda seemed a better approach for us.
What needs improvement?
I think Camunda is focusing too much on the SaaS offering right now and not much on improving and developing the product itself. I did not see any innovations on that aspect, especially for the open-source version. I was making some tests recently and the tool seemed pretty much the same as it was three or four years ago.
Since they made the move to cloud deployment in a more SaaS-oriented way, they do not invest too much in the community version. To be honest, it did not change much from the Activiti initial version. Activiti was pretty much what Camunda is today. They invested a lot on Zeebe and made it the engine for their SaaS cloud version. Camunda itself, the embedded engine, did not evolve too much. They could invest more on that.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
With Camunda they have a tool called Cockpit. We measured the time for each step individually because each activity in the process was an API call to an external API in a different legacy system. We used to track the performance and other metrics on those specifically. We were not really concerned about the performance on the process itself because it was super simple, super straightforward, and it did not present itself as a bottleneck, nor did we feel it was adding additional time in the execution. For us, the process itself was fairly seamless.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Camunda integrates well. They have that REST layer, REST APIs layer that makes it easy to integrate and make it part of a microservices ecosystem and APIs. That worked pretty well. We had some specific processes that were API orchestration processes, and the starting of the process was an API call directly through the Camunda engine. It played fairly seamless with no big issues on that deployment.
How are customer service and support?
The support for Camunda is great. The team is very responsive. They really understand deeply and in detailed fashion the solution. Any issue you have, they answer back right away. For the support, they made a great job. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate them a 10 for support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
What other advice do I have?
We purchased the license for Camunda. It was not simple, and at the end of the day, it is an expensive tool. I think for enterprises, it pays itself pretty well, but for startups and teams that are trying to make some tests and understand if the tool is the best solution for their specific scenarios, the pricing model right now is a concern.
I could not even purchase a version straight from their portal. I had to contact sales and then fill out a form, a representative team in Brazil received the form but did not get in touch. It is not really self-service, and I would prefer to have something where you can just put your credit card and use the tool as you want. That lack of transparency is an issue for us right now.
When we compared Camunda to other options for running back-office processes at Santander Brazil, those credit processes have very large profit margins. So any tool running on those processes would be of good return. When compared to Pega and IBM, we made the bet for the cost of development. With IBM specifically, we had the license already because we had other tools and contracts. But the development was not as straightforward, and the running infrastructure costs for running and setting up the tool was not cheap. It was more expensive than running the process embedded in our Java applications, the way we did with Camunda. For the total cost of ownership, Camunda seemed to be the best option, but it is not cheap.
I would rate Camunda a 7 out of 10. It is a great tool with great support, though licensing is not so good, and evolution-wise, they are not investing as much as they should. I do not think Zeebe is a no-brainer evolution for Camunda as the two products are very different.
Workflow Automation Platform with Great Flexibility
What do you like best about the product?
it stands out because of ease of modeling processes with BPMN and implementation is smooth frequency of use in daily operations is high features like integrates with microservices, APIs, Kafka and cloud-native support in Camunda 8 makes scaling easier customer support team is knowledgeable and helpful to resolving technical queries.
What do you dislike about the product?
it can feel a bit complex for business users who are not technical the ease of use could be improved for non-technical
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
standardize processes using BPMN and DMN making them easier to understand automate
Best Automation tool
What do you like best about the product?
The best automation platform for building and automation business process. We can integrate this with other tools so that is very beneficia to build your custom flow.It orchestrates complex processes also.
What do you dislike about the product?
Dont have a good documentation about how to use so will require a week to understand how to use.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
To automate a your workflow using a integration of other tools that is best, that is means itintegrating our infra components and making a more clear and visible
I have not used Camunda personally, but my rating is based on general industry.
What do you like best about the product?
I appreciate its flexibility in automating complex workflows and its open-source foundation, which allows for customization and integration with various systems.
What do you dislike about the product?
Camunda’s initial setup and configuration can be complex, and some users feel that the documentation could be more beginner-friendly. Integration with legacy systems may also require additional effort.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Camunda streamlines and automates complex business processes, making workflow management more efficient and transparent. This helps organizations reduce manual effort, improve compliance, and accelerate decision-making, ultimately supporting better operational outcomes.
Reviews for Camunda
What do you like best about the product?
Seamless app performance and making heafty automations very easy.
What do you dislike about the product?
Users and employees report potential downsides to Camunda, including a steep learning curve for technical and non-technical users, high costs, complex setup and self-management, challenges with data migration to new versions, and concerns about a non-startup-like culture that asks for startup intensity without equivalent rewards
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Camunda solves problems related to business process complexity and inefficiency by providing a platform for process automation and orchestration.
Camunda is excellent for developer-centric process automation
What do you like best about the product?
Camunda’s best aspect is its developer-friendly, standards-based approach to workflow automation. It combines BPMN and DMN for clear process modeling, while giving full flexibility through APIs and integrations. This makes it easy to orchestrate complex microservices and long-running workflows at scale, with strong visibility and control through its monitoring tools.
What do you dislike about the product?
Camunda is highly powerful, but its main drawback is the steep learning curve and limited out-of-the-box UI/low-code features. While it’s excellent for developers, non-technical users often find it less intuitive compared to more business-user-friendly automation platforms
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Camunda is solving the challenge of orchestrating complex business processes across microservices and human tasks. It provides end-to-end visibility, ensures process consistency, and automates decision logic with DMN. This helps us reduce manual effort, improve efficiency, and gain better control and transparency over workflows, ultimately speeding up delivery while maintaining compliance
New tool worth exploring
What do you like best about the product?
I think the ease with which we can orchestrate agents is amazing
What do you dislike about the product?
Nothing really I think the product is doing great
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Creating poc and trying it out
Honest Camunda Review
What do you like best about the product?
I like that Camunda gives a very clear and visual way to model processes, and it’s flexible enough to integrate with different systems. It helps make complex workflows easier to understand and manage.
What do you dislike about the product?
The setup and initial learning curve can be a bit challenging, especially if you’re new to BPMN or process automation. Some parts of the documentation also feel too technical at times.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Camunda is helping me automate manual workflows and connect different systems together. This saves time, reduces errors, and makes it easier to track the progress of processes.
Best experience and something new
What do you like best about the product?
Camunda is pretty interesting because it sits right at the intersection of business and tech. What I like best about it is:
1. Clarity & Visualization – You can map business processes visually using BPMN (flowcharts), DMN (decision tables), and CMMN (case management). This makes it easy for both business users and developers to understand what’s going on.
2. Developer-Friendly – Unlike many heavy enterprise workflow tools, Camunda is lightweight, open, and integrates well with microservices, REST APIs, and external systems. Developers can actually enjoy using it instead of feeling locked into a rigid system.
3. Separation of Concerns – Business stakeholders can design the workflow, while engineers hook it into real systems. This reduces misunderstandings and speeds up delivery.
What do you dislike about the product?
Good question 🙂 — no tool is perfect, and Camunda has its drawbacks too. Here are some of the main things people often dislike about it:
1. Steep Learning Curve –
BPMN/DMN diagrams can look simple, but mastering them (and modeling correctly) takes time. New users sometimes feel overwhelmed by the notation and technical details.
2. Complex Setup & Infrastructure –
Especially with Camunda 8 (the newer SaaS / Zeebe engine), it can feel heavy. Running clusters, configuring Operate/Tasklist/Optimize, or handling Kubernetes adds operational complexity.
3. Limited Low-Code / No-Code –
Compared to some competitors (like Power Automate or Outsystems), Camunda doesn’t try to be a full “citizen developer” tool. Business users often need technical help to go beyond simple workflows.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Camunda is mainly solving the problem of how to coordinate and automate complex business processes that involve multiple systems, people, and decisions.
Here’s how that translates into benefits:
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🔧 Problems Camunda Solves
1. Process Fragmentation
In many companies, processes live partly in people’s heads, spreadsheets, or disconnected apps.
Camunda makes the process explicit with BPMN/DMN diagrams, so everyone sees the same “source of truth.”
2. System Orchestration
Modern businesses use many microservices, APIs, and external systems.
Camunda acts as the orchestrator, ensuring everything runs in the right order, retries if something fails, and handles exceptions
Camunda makes automation easy, its awesome
What do you like best about the product?
I really like how flexible Camunda is for building and automating business processes. It’s pretty easy to model workflows and the fact that it uses BPMN makes things clear. Also, it works well with other systems which is super helpful when you have lots of different tools to connect. The open-source version is great to get started with and the enterprise features add a lot of power when you need it. I am using it twice a week for my work automation.
What do you dislike about the product?
The setup can be kinda tricky if you’re new to BPM or automation. The interface feels a bit old and not very user friendly sometimes. Support is ok but can be slow when lots of people need help. Also, some of the cool features are only in the paid enterprise version which might be a problem if you’re on a tight budget.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The best part is how it helps both tech people and business folks work together. The docs are good and there’s a big community which makes finding help easier. You can monitor your processes in real time which really helps to spot problems fast. It’s a solid tool for automating stuff and saving time. I use Camunda to first design the BPM and then to automate the task at each step.
