Which RPA tool should I learn being a C# Developer [closed]

Question

I am a .NET developer who primarily developed web and stand alone apps using C# since beginning of my career. I am now interested to learn RPA so which RPA tool is best for me to learn where I can use my .NET skills more.

I came to know from Google that we can use C# in code stage of Blue Prism but nothing much about other famous tools like AA, UIPath, OpenSpan etc.

I understand that its best to select RPA tool based on requirements but I'm not looking that far as I haven't got a chance to work on a RPA project yet. I'm only looking from a .NET perspective. Thanks!

Tappet

For browser automation start with Selenium and for desktop automation start with WinAppDriver - both open sourced and with good codebase. – Hardness

Answer 1

Blue Prism is a good tool to start learning RPA with, but as Andrzej already pointed out: it's not free. Not even a little bit!

AA is mainly javascript and vbs and also very expensive!

UIPath, however, is free! (for small enterprises). The coding is in VB, which is .NET's predecessor. UIPath is also growing and used (currently) mostly in Eastern Europe (as far as I know).

In my opinion though: you're a developer. Whatever RPA tool you'll pick up is going to be child's play as there's very little coding involved among the more popular RPA tools.

UPDATE

Now that Automation Anywhere launched their own free community version, I will alter my previous statement:

"Either UiPath or Automation Anywhere are good starting points for new RPA Developers. I've worked with both for quite some time and they both have their pros and cons. A lot comes down to personal preference. In the end; if you know one, you will more easily pick up another."

UPDATE 2

As @Sergiu pointed out, this thread has become somewhat dated and so has this answer. The answer itself remains valid though, as UiPath still employs VB (.NET) most extensively in comparison to the other popular RPA tools.

That being said, UiPath has (according to Gartner) become the most used RPA tool worldwide, which arguably makes this answer all the more viable. Note though, that nowadays, BluePrism and Automation Anywhere also have community editions.

This would make BluePrism a notable contender for the OP's answer, but market-wise, I still suggest going for (sticking to?) UiPath.

Sporocyst

UiPath is not used mostly in Eastern Europe, that's a pretty outdated statement. UiPath is number one in Gartner's review in 2019 for RPA and it seems like all their clients are mostly from the US. – Lancaster

That's correct @Sergiu. I'll update the entire statement again as all tools have a community edition as well. The market definately favors AA and UiPath currently. – Sporocyst

Answer 2

I will suggest as a .NET developer go for UI Path its community version is free and also available with trial version. It uses internally .NET syntax in it's activities and control.

Juggernaut

Answer 3

Automation Anywhere claims to be for non-programmers. You will be very frustrated with the poor syntax and limitations. If you are a good C# programmer go for Open Source Selenium that will allow you to easily automate web applications. Most of what you probably want from an RPA product.

Gusta

Just to confirm, Selenium can be used only with web apps,right? – Tappet

Classic Selenium that has been around for years and is becoming a WC3 standard for all browsers is only for web applications. But, there is a "Windows Application Driver" github.com/Microsoft/WinAppDriver that is supposed to provide a Selenium like interface for Windows Application (I have not used it). – Gusta

Microsoft provides "CodedUI" in the higher end Visual Studio IDE that handles both Windows Applications and Web Browser application. So no runtime license fees, but you have to pay for the Visual Studio or MSDN developer license (which most developers will already have). A lot cheaper if you are building large scale RPA Bot farms. C# .exe, .dll are much easier to deploy than the RPA tools like Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism. Having source code also make proper change control possible/easy with Visual Studio. – Gusta

Answer 4

Start with Blue Prism ..we can integrate C# codes easily into it by using code stages.

Overhand

(Please elaborate a bit more. Otherwise, this post does not seem to provide a quality answer to the question. Please either edit your answer, or just post it as a comment to the question). – Hyperform