Drools vs Progress Corticon
Drools
kie.apache.org
Progress Corticon
progress.comSide by side
| Figure | Drools | Progress Corticon |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Business Rules Management Software | 8.0 (#6) | 7.8 (#10) |
| Founded | 2001 | 1981 |
| Purpose | Drools is a forward-chaining and backward-chaining inference-based rule engine used to build expert systems. | Corticon automates complex business decisions so business and domain experts can keep outcomes consistent and transparent as requirements change. |
| Rule authoring | Rules can also be expressed through Excel decision tables, rule templates, or a Java executable model API. | Corticon Studio provides spreadsheet-style modeling tools for business staff to manage sophisticated rules without coding. |
| Security | The Apache Security Team coordinates handling of Apache project vulnerabilities and encourages private reports before public disclosure. | Progress’s Trust Center lists an OE, Data Cloud, and Corticon SOC 2 Type 2 report and describes company security practices including zero-trust architecture, audits, source-code scanning, and external penetration tests. |
| Support | The project lists a users mailing list and Zulip chat as community contact channels. | Progress provides a product download center with Corticon listed for product packages, installers, fixes, and version upgrades. |
Plans
In their own words
Drools
Drools is a free, open-source rule engine for building expert systems with forward- and backward-chaining inference. Its DMN engine supports Conformance level 3, covering the features in that standard, and can statically analyze decision tables for gaps and overlaps. For event processing, it reasons over streams using temporal operators, sliding windows, and event expiration. Developers can define rules in DRL text files alongside Java code, or use Excel decision tables, rule templates, or a Java executable model API. Rule units organize rules with typed containers for input data, and Kogito can generate REST endpoints from them. Drools rules can also be called by a BPMN business rule task in jBPM within the same service. Apache KIE states that the DMN engine passes 99.9% of DMN TCK tests as of version 10.2.0. The project is available for API, Linux, and self-hosted use at free. Getting started requires an IDE, JDK 21 or 17, and Maven 3.9 or later. Apache KIE is undergoing incubation and has not yet been fully endorsed by the ASF.
Progress Corticon
Progress Corticon is a decision automation platform for managing complex business rules and delivering consistent, explainable outcomes as requirements change. In Corticon Studio, business staff can build rules using spreadsheet-style and visual modeling tools without coding. Teams can test and simulate decisions against real scenarios before deployment, then make decision services available through standard APIs. Corticon connects to relational databases and web services with built-in data access or custom connectors. It can run on premises, in cloud or hybrid environments; Corticon Server runs rules as a web service or in process for Java and .NET applications. Corticon for JavaScript also runs in serverless functions on AWS and Azure and in client-side web and mobile apps. Versioning, traceability, and decision rationale support governance and review. Explicit rules can validate and constrain AI recommendations, while AI assistance can generate rules and test cases or explain existing rule assets. Pricing is on request, with no free plan. A trial can be requested; the pricing note lists a 90-day trial.