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3SL Cradle vs IBM DOORS comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

3SL Cradle
Ranking in Application Requirements Management
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
9.2
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM DOORS
Ranking in Application Requirements Management
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Requirements Management category, the mindshare of 3SL Cradle is 2.1%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM DOORS is 28.0%, down from 34.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Requirements Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM DOORS28.0%
3SL Cradle2.1%
Other69.9%
Application Requirements Management
 

Featured Reviews

Siegmar-Schuenke - PeerSpot reviewer
Operation manager at OpenCage
Flexible solution that manages all your needs
I mainly use 3SL Cradle to manage the requirements from service projects 3SL Cradle's most valuable feature is its flexibility in managing all your needs immediately.  3SL Cradle could be improved with better support for SysML functionalities. In the next release, I would like 3SL Cradle to be…
Amol Dumbre - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Manager at Forvia
Integrated lifecycle management has supported global A‑SPICE projects and custom reporting
I believe the toolchain currently covers all of our requirements. Even for A-SPICE and related requirements, I can add attributes and manage things effectively because the tool is highly customizable. I can continue updating things and managing different processes. The only gap I have identified is in code-level coverage reporting. I have coverage traceability from IBM DOORS through the architecture and design, but I am unable to demonstrate code-level coverage reporting. That reporting capability would be helpful. Testing is covered very well through IBM Test Manager. The traceability to code is something I feel there may be certain gaps in, though I may not be fully aware of all capabilities since my role is different and I primarily receive reports rather than being an end user. Regarding the traceability feature, I am not an end user but rather receive reports from my team, so my perspective is limited.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"3SL Cradle's most valuable feature is its flexibility in managing all your needs immediately."
"Very customizable and can be as powerful as you want it to be."
"IBM Rational DOORS keeps everything organized."
"It is very customizable and easy to scale."
"The most valuable feature is the management verification and login."
"The data logs are ver conveneint."
"I really like the customization that can be done using the DOORS Extension Language (DXL)."
"This product can help improve how your organization proceeds through solution development."
"The ROI is really excellent, as I can manage customizations for projects across different regions with different standards, which significantly reduces process overhead and efforts while the team has detailed support that makes these customizations easy to handle."
 

Cons

"3SL Cradle could be improved with better support for SysML functionalities."
"There needs to be quicker access to tech support. When I have a two minute question that takes two minutes to answer, it shouldn't take me 45 minutes and/or a few days of callbacks to get to the right technical support person. It's unnecessary and frustrating for the user."
"I think there is probably room to improve by offering free training."
"Overall, the user experience should be enhanced."
"The kind of dashboard is not very convenient."
"The customer must also have the tool to import the changes and accept them as a part of the review."
"There are problems with communicating between DOORS and Microsoft Office."
"It's difficult to set the code on the solution."
"IBM DOORS should cover all engineering functions seamlessly, not just requirement engineering."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with one being very affordable and ten being quite expensive."
"The licensing cost is too high."
"We have to pay for a license. I think it's a one-time payment as my company hasn't notified me about more charges. I don't think it's expensive for large corporations, but it will be costly for an average person."
"IBM is a bit too expensive in terms of pricing. Customers are paying a lot for the license, and the price is quite high for this kind of environment. It is quite high as compared to what we can get today with other solutions."
"It is expensive to onboard additional users."
"IBM DOORS is available at a reasonable price"
"The licensing costs for the product are quite high."
"I think it's expensive because you have to pay for the licenses to IBM and all that and maintain them."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
25%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
25%
Energy/Utilities Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
5%
Manufacturing Company
26%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
8%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise38
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with 3SL Cradle?
The support is consistent globally. However, heavier support is provided in certain locations. Improvement in support is necessary. Assistance is available to acquire information and utilize userna...
What advice do you have for others considering 3SL Cradle?
If you have time to take some courses about 3SL Cradle, it will give you more time in the project to familiarize yourself with Cradle. I recommend it, but you need to do it within a very short time...
What do you like most about IBM Rational DOORS?
The traceability matrix in DOORS improved our project outcomes. It helps ensure coverage of requirements at different levels, from user requirements to software requirements to test requirements.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Rational DOORS?
Over the years, the first version cost something around 5800 euros.
What needs improvement with IBM Rational DOORS?
I believe the toolchain currently covers all of our requirements. Even for A-SPICE and related requirements, I can add attributes and manage things effectively because the tool is highly customizab...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Cradle
Rational DOORS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

NASA, In-Depth Engineering Corporation, Avibras
Infosys, Chevrolet Volt
Find out what your peers are saying about 3SL Cradle vs. IBM DOORS and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.