Bonita
Open-source BPM platform with a desktop studio for building and running process-based applications.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
Is Bonita free?
Yes, free and open source
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About Bonita
Bonita is a business process automation platform with an open-source Community edition and a paid Enterprise edition. Developers model processes in BPMN in Bonita Studio, a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, design the data model and screens with a UI builder, and deploy the result to a Bonita runtime, usually as a Docker image on their own servers. The free edition has no time limit but caps use at 150 process instances a month, so it suits prototypes and small deployments. Enterprise adds a business-user work hub, AI connectors, document extraction, SLA rules, SSO, clustering and 24/7 support, priced on request. The engine is LGPL-licensed on GitHub. The French company behind it renamed itself from Bonitasoft to Ofelia in May 2026 and now sells an AI agent product alongside it, but the Bonita product keeps its name.
Best for: IT teams in regulated or public-sector organisations that want self-hosted BPM they control.
Pros and cons
What works
- Open-source edition is free with no time limit
- Strong on-premise and self-hosted story for regulated industries
- Desktop studio runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
- LGPL engine with REST and Java APIs
Why people leave
- Free edition is capped at 150 process instances a month
- Enterprise pricing is quote-only
- Building apps in the studio needs developer skills, not just business users
- Company rebrand to Ofelia makes the product line harder to follow
Bonita vs Flowable, Pipefy and Nintex
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
Top Bonita alternatives
See all 6- 1
Flowable68.8Apache-licensed engines with CMMN case management, easier to embed directly inside Java applications.
- 2
Pipefy61.8No-code pipes that business teams can build alone, with a free plan and mobile apps.
- 3
Nintex57.5Workflow automation with process mapping, forms and RPA, aimed at business users rather than Java developers.
- 4
Process Street55.9Checklist-style workflows anyone can build, a simpler option for recurring processes than a BPMN engine.
- 5
Appian54.4Fully managed enterprise low-code platform when you'd rather not run the servers yourself.
Why people left Bonita
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
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Reviews
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Bonita: common questions
What is Bonita?
Bonita: Open-source BPM platform with a desktop studio for building and running process-based applications. Best for IT teams in regulated or public-sector organisations that want self-hosted BPM they control. Available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and you can host it yourself.
Is Bonita free?
Yes. Bonita is free, open-source software.
Is Bonita open source?
No, Bonita is not open source.
What platforms does Bonita run on?
Bonita is available for Windows, macOS, Linux and Self-hosted.
What are the best alternatives to Bonita?
The highest-ranked Bonita alternatives right now are Flowable, Pipefy and Nintex. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Bonita vs Flowable: what's the difference?
Both Bonita and Flowable are free and open source. Only Bonita runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Only Flowable runs on Web.