HEFLO

HEFLO is a cloud business process management platform that connects BPMN modeling with process documentation, publishing, and workflow automation. It is aimed chiefly at consultancies and large organizations handling complex, high-volume processes. The appeal is a continuous path from diagram to operational workflow; the trade-off is that broader portal capacity and SLA-backed support sit with Enterprise.

Overview

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, HEFLO combines process design and documentation with low-code automation. It supports BPMN 2.0, version history, and exports to BPMN 2.0 XML, image files, and PDF. That breadth suits teams that need process models to inform ongoing work, while organizations looking only to store or export diagrams can use the free Academic plan.

Key features

Process landscape design, PDF documentation generation, and online portal publishing give teams ways to organize and share process definitions beyond the modeling canvas. Lite adds organizational chart and mind map diagrams, multilingual documentation, and feedback on published documentation. These tools make HEFLO more useful for maintaining process knowledge across an organization than for drawing isolated flows.

Automation uses configurable graphical elements, allowing processes to be built with little or no coding. HEFLO also says its ChatGPT integration can produce draft diagrams and workflows from a short description. Analysts still need to review and refine those drafts, so the feature can help start a model but does not remove the need for process expertise.

Enterprise includes deadline alerts, analytics, data export, and REST/JSON web service integration, including connections to services such as Zapier. It also includes DocuSign and DeepL integrations and SSO. These additions make Enterprise the relevant tier for organizations that need integrations and operational oversight; they are not part of the listed Lite or Academic features.

The responsive interface works across smartphones, tablets, and computers, and a mobile app supports reviewing and approving tasks. Security provisions include AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.2 or higher in transit, and AWS KMS-managed keys. Process data is hosted in AWS Ireland for the EU and São Paulo for Latin America; some supporting services process limited data in other AWS regions under Standard Contractual Clauses. HEFLO lists an Article 28 DPA, Standard Contractual Clauses, an appointed DPO, and processing records. It says its ISMS is being prepared in alignment with ISO/IEC 27001, without claiming certification.

HEFLO states that its contractual availability SLA is above 99%, backed by multi-availability-zone architecture and automatic failover. Paid plans include chat support for users with the Administrator profile. Advanced plans add phone and portal support with guaranteed response times, making the support tier a meaningful consideration for teams that need a defined escalation path.

Pricing

Academic is free. It includes cloud-stored diagrams, image downloads, import and export, and Reddit community support. It is suited to learners or teams that need to keep and share diagrams, but it does not include the documentation and automation features described for paid plans.

Lite has custom pricing and is purchased online inside the application. It includes PDF documentation, Academy courses, documentation publishing and feedback, process landscape, organizational chart and mind map diagrams, multilingual documentation, and chat support without an SLA. Its limited documentation portal makes it a practical step up for teams that need to publish process material, though the portal cap and lack of SLA support may constrain larger or service-critical deployments.

Enterprise has custom pricing, billed through Contact sales. It adds business process automation, deadline alerts, AI, web service integration, SSO, DocuSign and DeepL integrations, analytics, data export, expanded portal capacity, and phone, chat, and portal support with an SLA. It is the plan for organizations needing the broadest operational and support scope, but buyers should weigh that against the requirements and cost of a sales-led plan.

Platforms

HEFLO is available on web, Android, iOS, and through an API. Its responsive interface and mobile task approvals support access across devices, while API availability matters to organizations connecting process work to other systems.

Who it's for

HEFLO is strongest for consultancies and large companies managing complex, high-volume processes and looking to improve productivity, reduce costs, or scale operations. Academic suits diagram storage and image downloads; Lite fits teams that need documentation and a limited publishing portal. Organizations that need expanded portal capacity, integrations, or support with guaranteed response times should assess Enterprise. A reader seeking only straightforward diagram creation may not need the wider management and automation scope.

Pros and cons

• Pros: BPMN modeling connects to documentation, portal publishing, and low-code automation, supporting a process from design into operational use.
• Pros: BPMN 2.0 XML, image, and PDF exports plus version history support sharing and maintaining process work.
• Pros: Enterprise includes REST/JSON integration, SSO, analytics, and SLA-backed support for organizations with broader operational needs.
• Cons: The free Academic plan is limited to diagrams, image downloads, import/export, and community support.
• Cons: Lite has a limited documentation portal and no support SLA, which may not suit larger deployments that depend on publishing capacity or response commitments.
• Cons: Enterprise pricing is custom, so teams must contact sales to assess the cost of its expanded capacity and integrations.

Alternatives

Process Mapping Software and Business Process Management Software are useful starting points for comparing tools by category.

Consider Bonita if a freemium platform with a free plan and free trial fits your selection process; its Bonita Free plan costs nothing and allows 150 process instances per month with no time limit or credit card requirement.

Camunda may suit teams evaluating a free development option: Self-Managed Development is free for local development and testing, with no license required.

Open-BPMN is a free alternative for readers considering an open source BPMN tool; the project is led by Imixs, a Munich-based business process management company.

Bizagi Modeler offers a free plan at no cost for one user, with unlimited processes and models and local storage only. It may suit an individual who wants unlimited model count and can work with files stored locally.

Crismo has a free Individual plan at no cost forever, with BPMN 2.0 modeling, diagram versioning, and basic PNG and PDF exports. It is an option for readers prioritizing those core modeling and export needs.

ProcessMind offers a free plan at no cost for one member, unlimited models, and 20 AI credits per month, with no extra seats or free viewer seats. It may fit a solo user who values AI credits and unlimited models within that seat limit.

bpmn.io is a free option built around open source toolkits for BPMN, DMN, CMMN, and forms, and may suit readers seeking those toolkits.

Flowable is another freemium option; its engines are Apache 2.0 licensed and written in Java.

Verdict

Choose HEFLO if your organization needs BPMN models to become documented, published, and automated workflows in one cloud platform. Its strongest case is the combination of process design, low-code automation, exports, and enterprise integrations. Look elsewhere if you need only basic diagram work, or if the limited portal and support terms on Lite cannot meet your operational requirements and Enterprise is not a fit.