Here’s a draft for a dev.to post based on the article “Celonis Alternative – ClearWork – Get Up and Running in Days, Not Months”.
Celonis Alternative? Why ClearWork Gets You Results in Days, Not Months
If your job involves process mapping, discovery, or automation in SaaS-heavy environments, you might have felt the pain of waiting weeks (or months!) to get real visibility from process mining platforms. Enter ClearWork, a new take on process intelligence that lets teams see real user journeys and get actionable maps in days.
TL;DR
ClearWork offers automatic process mapping and task mining by capturing browser-based user actions—across any SaaS app—so you get value almost immediately.
Celonis remains a leader in classic process mining for deep-dive data, but often requires event-log engineering before showing insight.
What Celonis Is Great At
Process Intelligence leader (named a Leader in Forrester’s Process Intelligence Software, Q3 2025).
Object-centric process mining: Can map complex, multi-object journeys (orders, deliveries, invoices) in ERP/CRM systems.
But… Requires getting the right data out of your systems, transforming it into event logs, and modeling—work that almost always needs IT/data-teams upfront.
How ClearWork Is Different
UI-Level Capture: Rather than pulling logs from backend systems, ClearWork records what users actually do in their browser (context, actions, dwell time, etc.).
Automatic Mapping: Real user journeys are mapped directly, with bottlenecks and friction flagged instantly.
No Waiting on IT: Minimal setup (browser extension, privacy guardrails), so ops teams can lead the charge.
Best for SaaS Work: Especially powerful if your workflows span multiple cloud apps (think quote-to-cash jumping between Salesforce, CPQ, and support platforms).
Fast Time-to-First-Insight: Get useful visibility in days—then plug in system-level data over time.
Quick Comparison
Area ClearWork Celonis
Primary data path UI activity capture (browser) System-level connectors + event-log models
Initial setup Lightweight extension = live in days Connect/build data model, transform → insight after modeling
Process modeling As-is maps, to-be blueprints Advanced, object-centric, multi-object
Best for SaaS-heavy, fast discovery, AI agents System-of-record, deep KPIs, complex orgs
Time-to-value Days Weeks-to-months (varies)
Skills required Ops + analyst (little IT) Data/IT, data modeling, governance
When to Pick Each
Choose ClearWork if you need:
Immediate process visibility across web apps.
Fast change impact analysis for adoption, onboarding, or optimization.
To orchestrate AI/agent-driven guidance or automation with real-world context.
Choose Celonis if you need:
Deep dives into object-centric ERP/CRM data.
Complex, enterprise-grade KPIs with governed connectors.
System-of-record analysis and modeling.
Often, teams use both: Start with UI-level mapping to discover and prioritize, then go deeper with data modeling as needed.
What “Days, Not Months” Looks Like
Day 0-2: Enable browser capture, define flows & privacy.
Day 3-7: Kick off guided recordings, instantly see as-is maps & pain points.
Day 8-14: Draft future-state blueprints, publish a quick-wins plan, guide users in-browser.
FAQs
Is ClearWork a process mining tool?
Not quite—ClearWork is process intelligence via UI-level task mining, mapped instantly, then enriched with system data over time.
Do they compete?
Sometimes. Many orgs use ClearWork for initial mapping/discovery, then rely on Celonis for deeper, system-level analysis.
Ready to see your workflow maps by Friday?
Check out ClearWork’s free pilot offer and experience true “days, not months” process visibility.
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