If you searched for “Kofax RPA”, you have probably noticed that the name has changed. Kofax rebranded as Tungsten Automation in January 2024, and the RPA product is now documented as Tungsten RPA. This guide explains what the product is, what it can do, how it compares with other RPA platforms, and who it suits.
Key takeaways
- Kofax RPA is now Tungsten RPA; the product originated as Kapow Software, which Kofax acquired in 2013.
- It uses a visual, low-code designer with a smart recorder, a browser extension and a desktop agent, and robots are monitored from a web console.
- It is strongest where web data extraction, document processing and invoice automation overlap.
- Pricing is not published, so request a quote and run a proof of concept before committing.
Kofax RPA is now Tungsten RPA
Tungsten Automation was announced on 16 January 2024 as the new name for Kofax, which Clearlake Capital and TA Associates had acquired from Thoma Bravo in 2022. The company positions itself around AI-powered workflow automation, with a particular focus on intelligent document processing, invoice and accounts payable automation. Tungsten’s documentation now refers to the product as Tungsten RPA, and version numbers follow the release year and quarter, for example 2025.2.
What Tungsten RPA does
Tungsten RPA lets you build software robots that imitate what a person does on a screen or website: logging in, extracting data, filling in forms, moving files and sending reports. Its main building blocks, as described in the vendor’s materials, are:
- Visual designer: build robots by dragging and dropping predefined actions, with little or no code.
- Smart recorder: record your steps on a web page or application and turn them into a robot.
- Browser extension: capture web elements and data reliably from web pages and web applications.
- Desktop agent: run robots on local machines or remote servers.
- Web-based management: schedule, monitor and manage robots from a browser.
Typical uses include data entry and migration, web data extraction, report generation, email handling and validation checks between systems.
Here is a video overview of the product from the earlier Kofax days; the interface has since been updated, but the concepts are the same:
Strengths and limits
| Strengths | Limits to check |
|---|---|
| Strong web data extraction heritage from Kapow | Smaller community and talent pool than UiPath or Power Automate |
| Natural fit with Tungsten’s document and invoice automation | Pricing is quote-based and not published |
| Low-code design for non-programmers | Fewer third-party integrations and marketplace assets |
| Works with existing applications without APIs | Check the roadmap for AI agent features before choosing |
How it compares with other RPA platforms
Tungsten RPA competes with UiPath, Automation Anywhere, Microsoft Power Automate and SS&C Blue Prism. It tends to be considered by organisations that already use Tungsten (Kofax) products for capture and document processing, or that need heavy web data extraction. If you are choosing a platform from scratch, start with our UiPath competitors comparison and see how RPA differs from intelligent automation for where AI fits.
Getting started
- List two or three processes using the checklist in our RPA best practices guide.
- Ask Tungsten or a partner for a trial and build one process end to end.
- Measure handling time, success rate and exceptions against the manual baseline.
- Plan support and monitoring before going live; see how to set up an automation CoE.
Product names, features and prices change. Confirm current details on the vendor’s website before making a purchase decision.
Example: from invoice email to ERP posting
Tungsten is best known for document and invoice processing, so a common pattern combines its capture technology with RPA:
- Supplier invoices arrive in a shared mailbox as PDFs.
- Document processing classifies each invoice and extracts supplier, date, amounts and line items.
- A robot logs into the accounting or ERP system, looks up the purchase order and posts the invoice.
- Invoices that fail validation go to a person with the reason highlighted.
- The robot sends a daily report of posted and rejected invoices.
This keeps people on the judgement work and removes the retyping. For the document side of this pattern, see intelligent document automation.
Checklist for evaluating Tungsten RPA
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Do we already use Tungsten (Kofax) capture or invoice products? | Existing products may integrate more smoothly and share licensing |
| How many applications have no API? | These are where screen automation adds the most value |
| Which developers or partners can support it locally? | The talent pool is smaller than for the largest platforms |
| How are robots licensed and monitored? | Licensing models affect cost as you scale |
| What is the roadmap for AI and agents? | Automation platforms are changing quickly |
Whichever platform you shortlist, run the same pilot process on each and compare build time, reliability and cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kofax RPA the same as Tungsten RPA?
Yes. Kofax rebranded as Tungsten Automation in January 2024, and the RPA product is now documented under the Tungsten RPA name.
Where did Kofax RPA come from?
It originated as Kapow Software, a web data extraction and automation product that Kofax acquired in 2013.
Is Tungsten RPA free?
There is no free edition that we know of, and pricing is not published. Contact Tungsten or a reseller for a quote or trial.
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