LIVE
APPN
Appian Corporation · Information Technology - Low-Code Process Automation
$20.95
-3.50% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
PEGA
Pegasystems Inc. · Information Technology - BPM & Low-Code Software
$30.09
-10.18% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
APPN
1
PEGA
3
Comparison scoreboard
PEGA LEADS 3/5AI Score
APPN 29.5
PEGA ✓37.2
1Y Return
APPN ✓-30.44%
PEGA -40.32%
Fwd P/E
APPN 16.68
PEGA ✓9.89
Target Up.
APPN +25.06%
PEGA ✓+93.36%
Op. Margin
APPN N/A
PEGA N/A
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
APPN vs PEGA Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Both APPN and PEGA are enterprise low-code and business process management platforms competing for digital workflow and application automation spending, with different customer concentrations and cloud transition stages. Pega has deeper roots in financial services and insurance BPM, while Appian has strong government and regulated industry positioning.
APPN vs PEGA compares two enterprise low-code BPM platforms competing for workflow automation spending, each with distinct customer profiles and ongoing cloud subscription transitions.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
PEGA holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. APPN has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-30.44% vs -40.32%), though PEGA trades at the lower forward P/E (9.89x vs 16.68x). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for PEGA (+93.36%) than for APPN (+25.06%).
Normalized 1Y performance
APPN
PEGA
Recent returns
APPN
PEGA
Analyst price targets & sentiment
APPN · 5 analysts
Price target range
analyst low$22.00
analyst high$37.00
analyst mean$26.20
current price$20.95
+25.1% upside to analyst mean
PEGA · 11 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Strong Buy (1.4/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$48.00
analyst high$71.00
analyst mean$58.18
current price$30.09
+93.4% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
APPN may suit investors who:
- →Want low-code BPM exposure with particular strength in government and regulated industry verticals
- →Value Appian's process intelligence and AI automation capabilities as differentiators
- →See opportunity as more enterprises adopt low-code approaches to accelerate application development
PEGA may suit investors who:
- →Want deep enterprise BPM exposure with particularly strong financial services and insurance customer relationships
- →Value Pega's AI decisioning (Next Best Action) differentiation in customer service and CRM
- →See long-term value in Pega's cloud transition unlocking more predictable recurring revenue
Performance & AI score
| Metric | APPN | PEGA |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 29.5 | 37.2 |
| AI rank | #2340 | #1433 |
| Latest close | $20.95 | $30.09 |
| 1M return | -3.50% | -10.18% |
| 6M return | -42.45% | -47.56% |
| 1Y return | -30.44% | -40.32% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | APPN | PEGA |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $6.96K (-30.4%) started 2025-06-18 | $5.98K (-40.2%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $1.6K (-84.0%) started 2021-06-18 | $4.48K (-55.2%) started 2021-06-18 |
| 10Y ago | $13.96K (+39.6%) started 2017-05-25 | $22.28K (+122.8%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | APPN | PEGA |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $1.54B | $5.03B |
| Trailing P/E | 1047.50 | 16.26 |
| Forward P/E | 16.68 | 9.89 |
| Price/Sales | 2.02 | 2.96 |
| EV/Revenue | 2.31 | 2.95 |
| Analyst target | $26.20 | $58.18 |
| Target upside | +25.06% | +93.36% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | APPN | PEGA |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 21.50% | -9.60% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | -60.60% |
| EPS growth | N/A | -60.60% |
| FCF margin | +11.57% | +31.37% |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | 0.12% | 20.04% |
| ROIC proxy | N/A | 51.74% |
| Return on equity | N/A | 51.74% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.37% |
| Beta | 0.86 | 0.84 |
| Debt/equity | N/A | 10.22 |
| Current ratio | 1.13 | 1.22 |
| Quick ratio | 0.97 | 1.14 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
APPN max drawdown58.98%
PEGA max drawdown54.79%
APPN max wkly drop19.24%
PEGA max wkly drop20.45%
5Y risk snapshot
APPN max drawdown87.45%
PEGA max drawdown78.59%
APPN max wkly drop30.53%
PEGA max wkly drop36.57%
10Y risk snapshot
APPN max drawdown92.04%
PEGA max drawdown79.21%
APPN max wkly drop30.53%
PEGA max wkly drop36.57%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | APPN | PEGA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -30.44% | -40.32% |
| CAGR | -30.46% | -40.34% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.39 | -0.89 | |
| Max drawdown | 58.98% | 54.79% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.92% | 11.85% | |
| Max wkly drop | 19.24% | 20.45% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -84.05% | -55.66% |
| CAGR | -30.73% | -15.01% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.37 | -0.15 | |
| Max drawdown | 87.45% | 78.59% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.34% | 20.75% | |
| Max wkly drop | 30.53% | 36.57% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +39.57% | +118.04% |
| CAGR | +3.75% | +8.11% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.31 | 0.29 | |
| Max drawdown | 92.04% | 79.21% | |
| Max daily drop | 27.79% | 20.75% | |
| Max wkly drop | 30.53% | 36.57% |
Business comparison
| Category | APPN | PEGA |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Appian Corporation | Pegasystems Inc. |
| Sector | Information Technology - Low-Code Process Automation | Information Technology - BPM & Low-Code Software |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | Appian provides a low-code application development and business process management (BPM) platform, enabling enterprises to build complex workflow applications with less coding, with AI, data, and process automation capabilities integrated throughout. | Pegasystems provides AI-powered business process management (BPM), CRM, and low-code development software for large enterprises, with particular strength in customer service, decisioning, and case management automation for financial services, insurance, and healthcare. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Appian's cloud subscription revenue growth, total subscription revenue retention, customer count among large enterprise and government clients, and path to sustained profitability. | Investors track Pega's cloud Annual Contract Value (ACV) and backlog growth as the company transitions from perpetual to cloud subscription, client lifetime value metrics, and operating leverage improvement. |
APPN strengths
- →Low-code platform enables faster enterprise application development with reduced IT dependency
- →Strong positioning in regulated industries (government, financial services, life sciences) with complex compliance requirements
- →AI process intelligence and automation capabilities add incremental value for enterprise workflow optimization
PEGA strengths
- →Deep enterprise BPM and decision management capabilities with strong switching costs once deployed in mission-critical workflows
- →Long-standing enterprise relationships across financial services, insurance, and healthcare provide durable revenue base
- →AI decisioning capabilities (Next Best Action) are differentiated in CRM and customer service applications
Risks to watch — APPN
- →Revenue growth has been more moderate than many enterprise software peers, with a mix of cloud and on-premises customers still transitioning
- →Competes against both larger BPM vendors (Pega, ServiceNow) and newer low-code platforms
- →Path to GAAP profitability requires ongoing operating leverage improvements
Risks to watch — PEGA
- →Cloud transition from perpetual licensing creates near-term revenue headwinds as multi-year recognition shifts
- →Slower growth versus newer low-code and workflow automation competitors may reflect market maturity in core verticals
- →Higher execution and complexity risk as Pega maintains both complex on-premises and cloud deployments
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