BMC AMI DevX vs Gen comparison

BMC and Broadcom are both solutions in the Mainframe Application Development category. BMC is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.7, while Broadcom is ranked #3. BMC holds a 32.9% mindshare in MAD, compared to Broadcom’s 7.6% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of BMC users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

BMC AMI DevX

Read 19 BMC AMI DevX reviews

4,709 Views
1,224 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Gen

Read 6 Gen reviews

623 Views
623 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

BMC AMI DevX

Gen

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 14, 2025

Gen and BMC AMI DevX are competing in the enterprise software market. BMC AMI DevX has the upper hand in terms of feature richness, making it appealing for organizations needing comprehensive mainframe tools.

Features: Gen is known for robust code generation, model-driven development, and agility across platforms including COBOL, Java, and Windows. BMC AMI DevX offers advanced debugging, comprehensive mainframe support, and integrates seamlessly with DevOps environments.

Room for Improvement: Gen could enhance cloud integration, provide more customizable templates, and improve analytics capabilities. BMC AMI DevX could simplify its user interface, offer better real-time collaboration tools, and streamline its deployment across varied environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Gen allows straightforward deployment suitable for various business sizes, with responsive customer service. BMC AMI DevX offers more complex deployment tailored for large enterprises with extensive customer service coverage.

Pricing and ROI: Gen provides lower initial setup costs and favorable pricing enhancing ROI for budget-conscious organizations. BMC AMI DevX, while having higher initial costs, ensures significant long-term ROI with its advanced features and mainframe-centric value.

To learn more, read our detailed BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen

December 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 881,707 peers since 2012

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

BMC AMI DevX

Ranking in Mainframe Application Development

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Configuration Management (1st), Debugging (7th), Database Development and Management (18th), Test Data Management (6th), Mainframe Testing Tools (1st), Data Masking (6th)

Gen

Ranking in Mainframe Application Development

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Mainframe Application Development category, the mindshare of BMC AMI DevX is 32.9%, down from 43.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Gen is 7.6%, up from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Mainframe Application Development Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
BMC AMI DevX	32.9%
Gen	7.6%
Other	59.5%

Mainframe Application Development

Featured Reviews

RobertSamson

Technical Consultant at Services Robert Samson SCRS

Improves disaster recovery processes and offers an efficient CPU cycle optimization

Using BMC Data Management for IMS and DB2 on z/OS has greatly improved our database administration tasks. Although we don't test the database before production, we have experienced benefits in disaster recovery situations and capacity management. For instance, when facing capacity issues during peak transaction times, I've been able to quickly allocate additional resources to ensure smooth operations. This has been crucial, especially during times when the demand surges, such as peak flight hours.

Read full review

Ismo Remes

Consultant

Full packets enable software implementation on the mainframe and client sides

I rate it eight out of 10. It's just very powerful tool, very powerful product to use. Nowadays, there are a couple of mainframe companies, using mainframe products, so to be honest, I'm not recommending it. Of course, if you have mainframe and you have do something in the mainframe that’s different.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We can develop in parallel today on ISPF, but it's giving us the advantage of the newer interface into the mainframe programming languages that younger programmers can use and are familiar with, rather than using the ISPF green screen."

"I think the most valuable features are code management, code deployment, and code generation. The fact that those three features are included makes BMC Compuware ISPW a robust product. If one of those features was missing, it would be less robust and less interesting. But because it has those three features, it is a very good solution for code development and management."

"I like the ability that it has to format copy books in a presentable manner. So, you will be able to see the starting offset in length of each field within the layout."

"I like the ability to flow through the source and see what happens to the data as the statements are executed. If there is a fault, it will track the event, and we can then look back to see why it may have caused the fault. You can also reverse engineer your test. You can set it so that you can go backward as well as forward in your test. This is something that I haven't done here at my company. Compuware Xpediter is one of the best debugging tools for mainframe software development. We have currently licensed only the COBOL language for Xpediter, but I know they have other languages, including Assembler, PL/I."

"From a user perspective, the GUIs make it easier for people to see and interact with files on the mainframe."

"One of the features that the developers like is that they can retrieve what they need with the tool. They don't have to go through some process or request something be done by another team. They can get the programs they need, compile them, retrieve the JCL and alter the JCL if they need to, and put these programs wherever they need to go for their testing."

"The most valuable feature of Topaz is Xpediter. It's more flexible than Xpediter through MVS."

"It does our CICS NEWCOPYs and our Db2 binds for us, whereas before, that was a manual process. It takes a lot of the workload off of the operations folks and off the DBAs."

More BMC AMI DevX pros

"Full packets, enable you to develop software and systems using these packets, and implement software on the mainframe side and the client side. You can use the same packets, so it's very powerful."

"CA Gen has provided us web development capability."

"You can easily manage the code, and you can easily find other changes, other group changes, other models, other components."

Cons

"I'm always looking for improvement in things like the documentation, to make things a little bit easier and simpler to understand, a place where people can go to troubleshoot issues."

"The ability to edit source code that has special characters is limited. The ability to incorporate or convert REXX into macros that are usable under the Topaz software is not there. And the REXX macros that I have developed over 40 years of work are useless, so I have a toolbox I can't use or deploy using the Topaz technology, while I can use it under MVS."

"Better discussions to identify inventory prior to the start of any migration would be helpful for potential clients that have applications with code that is not modified often."

"We plan to replace BMC Compuware File-AID due to its price. Two years back, we paid 11,000 dollars. However, the current price is 27,900 dollars. The price has increased to at least eight times its initial cost. We would need to pay around 60,000 dollars to have all three products together. We also encountered issues during version updates."

"The solution could be improved by being better integrated with the open world. In the next release, I would like to have the ability to work in an open environment whilst remaining integrated with the legacy environment."

"When you're setting up the parameters for how ISPW will work in your shop, there are a lot of questions that have to be answered... BMC Compuware should have more in-depth explanations about what the choices in each question mean. If you pick A, what does that mean has to happen? What does that impact? If you pick B, what does that mean? What does that impact?"

"Technical support has gotten better over the years, though there's always room for improvement."

"DB2 is a hard tool to grasp. It's hard for users to learn how to use it. It's not easy to see how it works."

More BMC AMI DevX cons

"I cannot use DB2 specifications, DB2 comments, easily."

"The product needs to be well marketed, then adopted. I am not seeing many customers using the product."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price point is great."

"I like the seat-based licensing much more than MSU-based licensing, and that the cost has been competitive."

"In general, Compuware tools are very competitive."

"It has saved our developers time and effort when working on documentation, which is now more readable and fluent."

"The only thing I would mention related to the licensing and/or the pricing, is that they have some visualization features in there that are licensed by concurrent users. We're starting to trip up on that. We're looking to probably increase the number of concurrent licenses that we have. But those types of licensing strategies, where they license by concurrent users or the number of seats is confusing for some people. They don't understand why it works sometimes and doesn't work other times."

"In terms of pricing, there isn't an extra charge for the parts of it we use. It comes with the licenses we purchased for other products, so no complaints there. The licensing is built in with the other products that you purchase from Compuware."

Information not available

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Mainframe Application Development solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

34%

Insurance Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	16

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Compuware File-AID?

The product has made our mainframe data management process easier. It has helped us save manhours. The tool's most valuable feature is the ability to edit tape files. Its ability to clone files is ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Compuware File-AID?

We plan to replace BMC Compuware File-AID due to its price. Two years back, we paid 11,000 dollars. However, the current price is 27,900 dollars. The price has increased to at least eight times its...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Compuware File-AID?

We use the solution clone test files.

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Comparisons

Endevor vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 16% of the time

IBM File Manager vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 9% of the time

InterTest vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Debug for z/OS vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 5% of the time

IBM InfoSphere Optim vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 3% of the time

More BMC AMI DevX Competitors

IBM Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition (IDzEE) vs Gen

Compared 34% of the time

BMC AMI DevOps for Db2 vs Gen

Compared 30% of the time

More Gen Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX

February 2026

Download BMC AMI DevX product report

Buyer's Guide

Endevor vs. Gen

December 2025

Download Gen product report

Also Known As

File-AID, Data for Db2, Code Debug, Data Studio, Workbench for Eclipse, Code Pipeline

CA Gen

Overview

BMC AMI DevX is a comprehensive solution enhancing code management and testing efficiency. It offers debugging capabilities within financial applications and integrates data management seamlessly, serving major banking sectors with reliable performance.

AMI DevX is tailored for banking industries, optimizing application debugging in COBOL and enhancing data handling in robust financial systems. It simplifies mainframe data management with real-time insights, improving efficiency through editing and cloning functionalities. The tool's integration with Compuware File-AID for IMS and DB2 ensures streamlined development processes. Challenges include a steep DB2 learning curve and initial setup complexities, with technical support inconsistencies and steep pricing impacting affordability. Despite this, its valuable features significantly support large banking operations.

What features make BMC AMI DevX valuable?

Line-by-Line Code Debugging: Allows precise identification and rectification of issues.
Variable Change & Line Skipping: Flexibility in testing without recompiling.
Database-Independent Testing: No need for loading databases during testing.
Real-Time Data Insights: Enhances decision-making with immediate information.
Data Warehousing & Analytics: Facilitates comprehensive data analysis.
Integration & Formatting: Streamlines development by simplifying data processes.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Improved Efficiency: Streamline data management and editing capabilities.
Robust Debugging: Effective in both online and batch COBOL program debugging.
Enhanced Financial Application Support: Superior handling in grants and loans applications.
Comprehensive Testing: Enables creation of clone test files for thorough testing.

In large banking sectors, BMC AMI DevX is integral for grants and loans-related applications. Its robust nature supports financial systems, offering debugging for COBOL, updating data in Compuware File-AID for IMS, and integrating DB2. Users implement this for exceptional data management and application reliability.

BMC

CA Gen provides a single, integrated development environment that can help your teams create and maintain large-scale business applications for multiple platforms. This streamlined environment can help reduce manual labor and speed migration time while ensuring the future relevance of existing environments and applications.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Helvetia, The IMT Group, Hapag-Lloyd, Royal Bank of Canada, Chunghwa Telecom

Global bank

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen

December 2025

Free Report: BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen

Find out what your peers are saying about BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen report.

See our list of best Mainframe Application Development vendors.

We monitor all Mainframe Application Development reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.