Celonis Alternative — ClearWork

Get up and running in days, not months

TL;DR

If your immediate goal is to see how work really happens across SaaS apps (Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP GUI in the browser, etc.) and turn that into automatic process mapping, task mining, and actionable insights—ClearWork deploys fast at the UI layer with a lightweight browser capture, so you can start learning in days.

Celonis is a market-leading process intelligence/process mining platform optimized for system-of-record event data (ERP/CRM) and advanced data models (including object-centric). It’s powerful, but typically requires data connections and event-log modeling before value shows up.

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What Celonis is great at

• Process Intelligence leader: Celonis is recognized as a Leader in Forrester’s Process Intelligence Software, Q3 2025 report.
• Object-centric process mining: Beyond classic case-centric logs, Celonis supports object-centric models (Process Sphere) that map complex, interrelated processes across objects (orders, deliveries, invoices, etc.). ‍

Why this often takes time (inference): Process mining typically means you must extract data from systems, transform it into event logs, and model it before analysis—steps that usually involve IT/data teams. UiPath’s and Celonis’ own docs describe this architecture and event-log design pattern.

How ClearWork is different

• Capture reality at the UI layer: ClearWork starts by observing real user activity in the browser—page context, actions, dwell time—across your enterprise apps. No waiting on event-log pipelines.
• Automatic process mapping & task mining: Turn captured activity into as-is process maps and task flows with bottlenecks and friction points.
• AI-ready future state: Design to-be workflows (BPMN-style outputs) and push guidance back into the browser, enabling agent-orchestration and adoption.
• Faster time-to-first-insight: Because you don’t start with data engineering, teams typically get to “useful visibility in days”  and then enrich  over time.
• SaaS-heavy environments: Ideal when work happens in multiple web apps and you need cross-app journeys (e.g., lead→quote→case across Salesforce, CPQ, billing, support).

Why this is faster: UI-level capture avoids early dependency on system connectors + event-log modeling that process-mining projects require, which can extend timelines.

Feature comparison at a glance

When to pick ClearWork vs. Celonis

Choose ClearWork if you need:

• Immediate visibility into how work actually happens across web apps—without waiting on ERP/CRM data models.
• Automatic process mapping for discovery, change impact analysis, and adoption campaigns.
• Agent/AI orchestration driving downstream automation across multiple third party agents

Choose Celonis if you need:

• Object-centric analysis across interrelated system objects (orders, deliveries, invoices) at ERP depth. ‍
• Enterprise COE with governed connectors, PQL, and complex KPIs sitting on top of system-of-record data. ‍

Balanced view: many customers do both—fast UI-level discovery to steer priorities, then system-level mining where deep, governed analysis is warranted.

Implementation: what “days, not months” looks like with ClearWork

Day 0–2

• Enable the browser capture, set privacy scopes, define target flows and roles.

Day 3–7

• Start/stop guided recording sessions in core apps (e.g., Quote-to-Cash).
• Auto-generate as-is maps and task variants; flag bottlenecks and rework.

Day 8–14

• Draft future-state blueprints; attach guardrails align AI infused workflows.
• Publish a quick-wins plan and adoption checklist; instrument in-browser guidance.

FAQs

Is ClearWork a process mining tool?
ClearWork provides process intelligence via UI-level task mining + automatic mapping, then augments with system data. Celonis is a process mining/process intelligence platform focused on system event data and object-centric analysis. ‍

Why do process-mining projects start with data modeling?
Because mining relies on event logs (case ID, activity, timestamp) built from source systems; vendors document these steps explicitly. ‍

Does ClearWork replace Celonis?
Not necessarily. Many teams use ClearWork to replace the manual process discovery process, find inefficiencies and drive downstream adoption. Some users will still use Celonis to get a deeper view into the process and object flows rather than the people-centric flows.

Get Started Today

See your real workflows by Friday. Start a ClearWork pilot to generate automatic process maps and a quick-wins plan this week.

FAQ: ClearWork vs. Celonis

1. Is ClearWork the same as a process mining tool like Celonis?

Not exactly. ClearWork captures real user activity at the UI layer to generate process maps and task insights in days. Celonis mines system event logs and object-centric data models, which is powerful but requires more setup and IT involvement.

2. Why does ClearWork deliver insights faster?

ClearWork avoids dependency on ERP/CRM data models. By capturing actions directly in the browser, you see as-is workflows, bottlenecks, and friction points almost immediately — usually within the first week of a pilot.

3. When should I choose ClearWork over Celonis?

Choose ClearWork when you need quick visibility across SaaS apps (Salesforce, ServiceNow, CPQ, billing, support), automatic process mapping, and AI/agent orchestration for adoption campaigns. Celonis is best for deep ERP use cases requiring object-centric analysis across orders, invoices, and deliveries.

4. Can ClearWork and Celonis work together?

Yes. Many enterprises run ClearWork for fast UI-level discovery and adoption, then use Celonis for deeper system-level analysis once priorities are set. They complement each other.

5. What does a ClearWork implementation look like?

• Days 0–2: Enable browser capture, set privacy scopes, define roles.
• Days 3–7: Record target flows (e.g., Quote-to-Cash), auto-generate process maps.
• Days 8–14: Draft future-state workflows, attach guardrails, publish quick wins.