IBM App Connect Reviews

Vendor: IBM

4.1 out of 5

25 reviews
100% willing to recommend

What is IBM App Connect?

Rapidly connect public clouds, private clouds and on-premises application

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IBM App Connect is the #12 ranked solution in top Cloud Data Integration solutions. PeerSpot users give IBM App Connect an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. IBM App Connect is most commonly compared to Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC): IBM App Connect vs Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC). IBM App Connect is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 56% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 14% of all views.

Helped 861,524 peers since 2012

Featured IBM App Connect reviews

Emirhan Guven

Team Leader, Software Development at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees

The transition between version 12 and version 13 presents some challenges. While version 12 had approximately 10 features, version 13 includes around 200 features with cloud platform compatibility. The learning curve for developers moving from version 12 to 13 could be smoother. When using new components, better context explanations would be beneficial. In version 13, accessing new features requires connecting through a web browser, which can be challenging to understand. The explanation of new features could be more user-friendly.

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Mehdi El Filahi

Co-Founder at tenekit

There is room for improvement in the logging messages. Sometimes, if you put someone new into App Connect, they can abandon it the same day. The logging is really painful. However, IBM has made efforts to integrate with Elasticsearch for logging, so that's an improvement. Overall, the logging can be difficult at times. One more important point is that if IBM improves its CI/CD capabilities, it will make a big difference. Right now, I have to create my own CI/CD setup from scratch for every client, which is inefficient. Back in 2013, I worked with Sonic ESB, and even then, it had CI/CD with Maven. With App Connect, you need to build everything yourself when using tools like Jenkins, Bamboo, or CircleCI. IBM really needs to provide official support for this.

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DeepikaSharma

Senior Software Engineer at CIMB Bank Berhad

Plugins for the repositories are a little difficult to find. It requires some information in the toolkit and if there were some links, options, or search buttons that would simplify things. I would like to have some predefined plugins built-in to App Connect with a list to choose from because some people use SVN, some use GitHub, and others use Bitbucket. The solution has a DFU mode which IBM states can easily be seen in the variables. It's not that easy to see and is lacking definition. When you're testing the code, you test it with the tool, but you also test the flow that you've created in the tool kit and see the values and what has been created in between the flows. I would want to see it presented in a more defined manner so that it's easy to view while you are debugging. I'd like to have more visibility when testing and debugging the code.

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IBM App Connect mindshare

As of July 2025, the mindshare of IBM App Connect in the Cloud Data Integration category stands at 5.1%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Data Integration

PeerResearch reports based on IBM App Connect reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	Cloud Data Integration	Jul 14, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jul 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM App Connect vs AWS Glue	Jul 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM App Connect vs AWS Database Migration Service	Jul 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	IBM App Connect vs Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)	Jul 14, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Informatica Intelligent Data Management Cloud (IDMC)	4.0	5.4%	93%	185 interviews Add to research
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform	4.0	6.6%	92%	58 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

IBM App Connect offers user-friendliness, stability, and an extensive array of adapters facilitating swift integration. It excels in handling complex integrations, providing high automation and transformation capabilities. With robust security, scalability, and reliability, it efficiently connects various endpoints and technologies like Kafka and SAP. Its interface simplifies configurations, reducing the need for deep expertise. Users value its maturity, documentation, container deployment, protocol support, and effective message routing, making integration management streamlined across different software environments.

"The transformation capabilities in IBM App Connect are particularly beneficial."
"I recommend IBM App Connect Enterprise to everyone."
"The solution is very fast-paced when it comes to making things right. We can quickly download what we need if we need any app migrations for our software business. We can download it plenty of times when we need to use it. It gives us very high speed for delivering any development."

Room for Improvement

IBM App Connect needs enhanced support options, more connectors, and a simplified user interface. Users seek improved integration, particularly with HR systems and network files. Better logging, CI/CD capabilities, and version transition guidance are essential. Users desire more collaborative features for developers and streamlined installation processes. Cost concerns hinder wider adoption. Extensive training and a stronger community would aid in usability, while improved security and event streaming capabilities are requested for future enhancements.

"IBM App Connect occasionally crashes for various reasons, requiring problem-solving intervention."
"Finding developers for the product is difficult since it is a niche solution. I know the OpenShift environment is running well for the microservice environment. We had some issues with the other environment we tried to implement. It can be easily implemented internally, but we have some problems in practice."
"I've been using IBM App Connect for about twenty-five years, and while I like it, there are some areas for improvement. The trace policy is ridiculous, and the biggest issue is the cost—it's expensive. People would use it much more if the price point weren't so high."

ROI

IBM App Connect users report long-term value through centralized integrations, boosting operational efficiency, particularly by reducing issue resolution time. They acknowledge that recognizing an ROI demands expertise particularly in managing complex integrations involving Salesforce, SAP, and security protocols. Benefits include efficient service handling and decreased downtime, yet detailed financial savings remain unquantified without specialized financial analysis. Skilled personnel enhance its effectiveness, highlighting a need for technical knowledge to maximize ROI.

Pricing

IBM App Connect pricing is considered high, with costs varying based on licensing models, partnerships, and transaction volumes. Licensing can be complex, often tied to containers or end points, and typically requires annual or multi-year contracts. Costs may exceed $10,000 annually, with enterprise customers often noting the need for unlimited endpoints to avoid additional expenses. Despite its high cost, IBM offers discounts and includes technical support. Setup time depends on implementation complexity.

"IBM App Connect's pricing is high compared to other products."
"App Connect is not cheap."
"The solution's pricing isn't cheap, but you can get good discounts based on your competitive deal."

Popular Use Cases

IBM App Connect is primarily used for integrating applications and APIs. Organizations utilize it to act as an integration hub, manage enterprise and financial transactions, connect with systems like SAP and SharePoint, and transform data formats such as XML to JSON. It serves as a middleware, enabling data movement, validation, and centralization. App Connect is employed in industries like banking, insurance, and e-commerce, supporting tasks like API management, security, and enterprise service bus functionalities.

Service and Support

IBM App Connect's customer service and support receive mixed feedback. Users find the technical support generally helpful, with quick responses to straightforward inquiries. Critical issues are addressed promptly, yet response times can be delayed, particularly for product-specific and complex cases. Local IBM support may struggle, but global support is effective. Users note inconsistencies, with some experiencing efficient assistance while others encounter delays. Remote support improvements and timely acknowledgments for reported issues are desired.

Deployment

Initial installation experiences with IBM App Connect vary. Some find it straightforward, especially if familiar with similar systems or with proper training. It can be complex without experience, often requiring a team for deployment. Cloud and on-premises setups differ in complexity. Automated tools and existing infrastructure can simplify processes. Documentation and correct configurations are crucial. Maintenance and upgrades are manageable, especially with use of Kubernetes or OpenShift environments.

Scalability

IBM App Connect exhibits strong scalability, particularly in cloud and containerized environments. Its use with Kubernetes and OpenShift simplifies scaling. While some face challenges with the Hypervisor Edition and costs, others find it effective in handling traffic and easy to expand. Users rate its scalability highly, appreciating the flexibility to manage varying demands efficiently. Licensing considerations impact decisions, but many successfully integrate numerous applications without performance issues.

Stability

IBM App Connect is largely stable, with most users experiencing minimal issues. Some concerns arise with cloud stability and resource management if not well-designed. A few users reported configuration-related issues or occasional bugs, which are quickly fixed by IBM. Regular maintenance and updates are recommended to mitigate problems. IBM App Connect has been reliable over extended use, scoring high in stability ratings, with some noting complexities in service configurations that require attention.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our IBM App Connect Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Educational Organization

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Retailer

Real Estate/Law Firm

Insurance Company

Healthcare Company

Comms Service Provider

Media Company

University

Energy/Utilities Company

Construction Company

Transportation Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Legal Firm

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Performing Arts

Hospitality Company

Consumer Goods Company

Logistics Company

Compare IBM App Connect with alternative products

Learn more about IBM App Connect

App Connect Professional is IBM’s cloud integration offering which delivers an integration solution
• With ease-of-use, flexibility and increased responsiveness to the evolving business needs, while removing the daunting complexities of integration.
• Provides the powerful combination of a ‘simple integration experience’ for business users looking to automate how their applications talk to each other; coupled with a ‘configuration based integration’ approach for IT.
• App Connect Professional is for the teams and integration developers who need to solve more complex problems and need powerful tooling for integration scenarios

IBM App Connect was previously known as IBM Cast Iron.