What is the difference between RPA, IPA and hyperautomation?

These terms describe automation at increasing levels of sophistication.

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RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is rule-based automation of structured data. A bot logs into systems, navigates interfaces, reads text fields, and enters data following predefined rules. RPA works well when data is structured, rules are clear, and the process follows the same path every time. Think: looking up a PO number in your ERP and verifying the amount matches.

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IPA (Intelligent Process Automation) adds AI to handle what rules cannot. IPA reads unstructured data like emails, varied PDF layouts, images, and handwritten notes. Machine learning classifies documents, NLP extracts meaning from text, and computer vision reads images. Think: processing an invoice from a new supplier with a layout the system has never seen before.

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Hyperautomation combines RPA, AI, process mining, orchestration, and low-code development across an entire value stream. It's not a product but an operating model for organisations automating many processes simultaneously and optimising them based on data.

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In practice, the label matters less than the problem. Roborana builds solutions that match what the process requires, whether that's pure RPA, RPA with AI steps, or a broader automation strategy spanning multiple processes.