Billing methods and billable items for Alibaba Cloud RPA-Robotic Process Automation(RPA)-阿里云帮助中心

This topic explains how to choose and purchase Alibaba Cloud RPA editions for different scenarios and provides purchasing recommendations. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Free trial

A free trial is available for the public cloud version of Alibaba Cloud RPA. Learn how to activate the free trial.

Product specifications

Alibaba Cloud RPA has a client/server (C/S) architecture and includes the following components:

editor (client): Used to develop automated business processes, also known as RPA applications. This component is for RPA developers, such as your IT team.
robot (client): Used to execute developed RPA applications. For example, business personnel can select an RPA application from the robot client and run it with a single click to simulate manual operations.
console (server): Allows administrators to manage all aspects of your organization's robotic process automation (RPA) implementation.

For more information, see Introduction to Alibaba Cloud RPA.

Alibaba Cloud RPA supports two deployment modes:

	Features	Use cases	Required purchases
`public cloud`	You do not need to manage the deployment or maintenance of the RPA `server`. You only need to install and use the `robot`s and `editor`s.	Automating tasks on public internet platforms. `robot` `client`s within your corporate network can connect to the `public cloud` RPA `server` over the internet. Large-scale `robot` scheduling and execution.	RPA `robot` software `license` RPA `editor` software `license`
`on-premises deployment`	The entire product suite, including the `server`, `robot` `client`s, and `editor` `client`s, is deployed in your own environment.	RPA `client`s such as `robot`s and `editor`s cannot connect to the `public cloud` RPA `server` over the internet due to network isolation. The systems targeted for automation have high security requirements.	RPA `robot` software `license` RPA `editor` software `license` RPA `server` software `license`

Important

on-premises deployment supports various environments, including your local virtual machines or container environments, your VPC on Alibaba Cloud, and Apsara Stack Enterprise.
This topic focuses on the public cloud version. For more information about on-premises deployment, contact us.

RPA robot license specifications

Feature category		`Advanced Edition` (robot)	`Professional Edition` (robot)
Standard automation capabilities¹	Web automation	Supported	Supported
	Desktop application automation	Supported	Supported
	MS Office/WPS	Supported	Supported
	Common ERPs (Kingdee/Yonyou/SAP/Oracle/...)	Supported	Supported
	Win32/Java applications	Supported	Supported
	AI²	Supported	Supported
Advanced automation capabilities³	Mobile automation	Not supported	Supported
`robot` task scheduling	Manual trigger	Supported	Supported
	Scheduled trigger	Supported	Supported
	API trigger	Supports execution on a specified `robot`	Supports automatic scheduling of `robot` tasks
`robot` management and O&M	Manual management (installation, login, etc.)	Supported	Supported
`robot` management and O&M	Automatic management (creation, login, etc.)	Not supported	Supported
RPA account allocation⁴	Allocation method	Manual assignment to specific users (named-user license)	Concurrent access with automatic allocation

Notes:

¹: For details on the scope of standard automation capabilities, see the user guides for visual components and the code SDK.

²: Supports the use of Alibaba Cloud OCR or AI products from other vendors. To use Alibaba Cloud OCR, you must first purchase and activate it on the OCR product purchase page.

³: To use advanced automation capabilities, please contact us to activate them.

⁴: RPA account (license on the console) allocation methods:

a) Advanced Edition: Ideal for a fixed number of users. Each license is manually assigned by an administrator to a specific user account (sub-account) and cannot be shared.

b) Professional Edition`: Ideal for scenarios with a large or variable number of users, such as an entire department. Licenses are not tied to specific user accounts (sub-accounts) and can be shared among multiple users. The system enforces a limit based on the total number of Professional Edition licenses. If the number of concurrent users reaches the license limit, new users cannot log in until an existing user logs out.

c) Mixed licensing: You can combine Advanced Edition and Professional Edition licenses. For example, you can purchase two Advanced Edition licenses and five Professional Edition licenses.

RPA editor license specifications

Feature category		`Advanced Edition` (editor)	`Professional Edition` (editor)
Development method	Visual development	Supported	Supported
Development method	Code-based development	Supported	Supported
Standard automation capabilities¹	Web automation	Supported	Supported
	Desktop application automation	Supported	Supported
	MS Office/WPS	Supported	Supported
	Common ERPs (Kingdee/Yonyou/SAP/Oracle/...)	Supported	Supported
	Win32/Java applications	Supported	Supported
	AI²	Supported	Supported
Advanced automation capabilities³	Mobile automation	Not supported	Supported
Application management	Application publishing	Supported	Supported
Application management	Component management	Supported	Supported
RPA account allocation⁴	Allocation method	Manual assignment to specific users (named-user license)	Concurrent access with automatic allocation

Notes:

^1-4: Same as for RPA robots.

`Product pricing`

Pricing for the public cloud version

Product specification	`Billing method`	Annual list price (per `license`)	3-month list price (per `license`)
`Advanced Edition` - `robot` `license`	Per named user account	5,000	1,500
`Advanced Edition` - `editor` `license`	Per named user account	12,000	3,600
`Professional Edition` - `robot` `license`	Per concurrent user session	15,000	4,500
`Professional Edition` - `editor` `license`	Per concurrent user session	25,000	7,500

Purchase links
- robot license: Buy now
- editor license: Buy now
After a successful purchase, you can view your purchase records on the Billing Management page of the Alibaba Cloud console. You can also check the quantity and expiration dates of your robot and editor licenses in the License Management menu of the RPA console.
FAQ

Question	Answer
Are there any limits on the number of `editor`s and `robot`s or their relationships?	There is no limit to the number of `automation process`es you can develop with an `editor`. The `license` controls the number of developer accounts that can use the `editor`. A valid `robot` can run any `automation process` within your organization. For example, you can use 1 `editor` to develop 100 `automation process`es and run them on 20 `robot`s.
Are `editor` or `robot` licenses tied to a specific computer?	No, `robot` and `editor` licenses are not tied to any specific computer. Robot or editor authorization is linked to an RPA account. An administrator must first create a sub-account and assign it robot or editor authorization. For more information, see Log on to the Alibaba Cloud RPA console. Users can use the `client` after logging in with their RPA account. The computer where the `client` is installed must provide the necessary software environment, such as a compatible version of Chrome.
Do licenses differentiate between an `attended robot` and an `unattended robot`?	No. Both `Advanced Edition` and `Professional Edition` `robot` licenses can be used for attended and unattended automation.

`Total cost of ownership`

When using RPA, your total cost of ownership (TCO) includes the following:

Category	Includes	Recommendation
RPA product costs	`robot` `license` and `editor` `license` `server` `license` (for `on-premises deployment` only)	See this topic for evaluation methods.
Resource costs	Host resources for running `robot` and `editor` `client`s. Various resources required for `server` deployment (for `on-premises deployment` only).	Client resource requirements
`automation process` development and maintenance costs	The work hours required to develop and maintain `automation process`es.	If you require implementation services from a service provider, they will estimate the work hours based on your business requirements.

Use the following process to evaluate the edition and quantity of RPA licenses you need:

Choose between public cloud RPA and on-premises deployment RPA.
- Decide whether to deploy the entire RPA product suite in your environment based on network isolation and data security requirements.
- For financial automation scenarios, some customers choose to deploy the full RPA product suite in their own environment.
- For e-commerce operations, customers often use the public cloud version of Alibaba Cloud RPA.
Evaluate the license editions for your robots and editors.
- Choose between the Advanced Edition and Professional Edition based primarily on your required automation capabilities. You can determine your needs during a trial or Proof of Concept (POC) phase.
Estimate the number of robot and editor licenses.
- Number of editor licenses: This depends on the number of RPA developers. Typically, one to two licenses are sufficient.
- Number of robot licenses: Estimate this number based on your business requirements. Contact us for help with sizing.