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Codebeamer vs IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 18, 2026

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

Codebeamer
Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM Engineering Lifecycle M...
Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites
13th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites category, the mindshare of Codebeamer is 7.7%, up from 7.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) is 3.9%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Codebeamer7.7%
IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)3.9%
Other88.4%
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites
 

Featured Reviews

SHRINIVAS ALAGERI - PeerSpot reviewer
Architect at itcinfotech
Built-in project management modules simplify processes while compatibility improvements are needed
Codebeamer could improve its customization capabilities and integration options. For instance, older versions of PDM Windchill face compatibility issues with newer versions of Codebeamer, requiring users to downgrade Codebeamer to establish integration. The installation on Linux can be tricky, and backward compatibility needs enhancement. Also, Codebeamer struggles with some DevOps integrations and lacks AI features for enhanced user assistance.
Juergen Albrecht - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Director at CCC Systems Engineering Suisse GmbH
Combining tools for effective data analysis while customization and integration need improvement
The most valuable feature is how IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) allows me to present to the customer what the actual software, even hardware, will do. It helps them gain an impression of the complexity of the functionality and find an easier way to decide whether to implement it. A picture says more than one thousand words, which is why I work with the combination of ELM and the specification of DOORS. The automation capabilities I built use column-based scripts for analysis to search, fetch, and transfer information. When I open modules, it automatically analyzes the changes since the last opening by me.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The traceability is so simple that I don't need to do any additional configurations related to traceability."
"The solution easily replaces IBM DOORS, which no longer offers maintenance in China."
"Utilizing Codebeamer has helped my organization by saving time in our processes."
"Other benefits observed from using Codebeamer include its excellent release management and access management features."
"The most valuable aspect is the integration with third-party tools, as we don't have to use different tools to start from the stakeholder requirements down to subsystems."
"The key features of Codebeamer include templates and basic structures, most of which are created and readily available for deployment out of the box, reducing deployment time."
"Codebeamer stands out against competition due to these features."
"The platform provided the flexibility to expand our business processes, accommodating or altering them to suit the requirements of a changing environment."
"It's easy to use."
"At the same time, if you're working from the architect or the designing team you, it's quite easy to manage the resources online."
"The cataloging is a very valuable feature. For a lot of enterprises, they end up not knowing which applications do specific features. The cataloging helps with this. It's not that verbose, but it still gives you allowances to put in more detail."
"Everyone in a team can work on the same platform and share the same information."
"We have something called the GC (global configuration), which is a unique feature compared to any other competitor we have in the ALM space."
"For companies in heavily regulated industries who are doing product development, IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) is a good tool as it helps them create documentation that satisfies auditors."
"I would rate the stability of this product a nine out of ten."
"One of the key advantages of IBM Rational ALM is its workflow capabilities, which enable seamless collaboration between development and production teams and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the progress and readiness of the solution. Additionally, the solution is good for integration."
 

Cons

"Codebeamer could improve its customization capabilities and integration options."
"Certain areas in Codebeamer could be improved, like addressing small issues, glitches, or bugs."
"Codebeamer's UI is somewhat boring, while Jira's is more exciting and user-friendly."
"The search and replace feature within the tool itself could be improved."
"There should be more integration tools available. Although Codebeamer has a substantial amount of integration options with multiple tools, new technologies and software constantly emerge."
"It would be helpful if Codebeamer's overall processing and integration with software like Jira could be improved."
"Codebeamer is not completely compatible with our internal network setup."
"The solution has a very small market share in China. It's almost like a startup."
"The reporting functionality needs to be improved."
"One of the complaints from users is that they have to click buttons too many times for just a simple task. Changing this would lead to a better user experience."
"If you look at the UI, it was literally designed ten years ago, and even at the time it was introduced, it was already somewhat outdated."
"The product must be more user-friendly."
"Of course it would be related to customer experience. The solution is not user friendly at all. It needs an expert to use it, although the reporting feature was okay."
"IBM Rational ALM should remove the features not used by the customers and keep this product as lightweight as possible."
"There is not enough beginner support material in the form of FAQs or simple training to help you get started."
"The GUI is a little bit outdated."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Codebeamer is not a cheap solution."
"It is reasonably priced and in accordance with the industry standards."
"They're not the most expensive product on the market, but they're not the cheapest either — I'd say codeBeamer ALM is moderately priced."
"Pricing is good when compared to similar ALM solutions."
"The price of the solution could be reduced. Many of our customers are not using all the features and this could be why our clients feel the price is too high."
"IBM Rational ALM has both monthly and yearly licensing options."
"The solution is not cheap."
"We have a contract, but I am not aware of the details."
"This product is a little expensive and we had to pay extra to have them set it up for us."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
32%
Computer Software Company
13%
Healthcare Company
7%
Retailer
6%
Manufacturing Company
22%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
University
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about codeBeamer ALM?
The platform provided the flexibility to expand our business processes, accommodating or altering them to suit the requirements of a changing environment.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for codeBeamer ALM?
Codebeamer is fairly priced against competition. Customers prefer it due to its pricing, scalability, features, functionality, and integration with multiple tools. On a scale of one to ten, I would...
What needs improvement with codeBeamer ALM?
I would like to improve the speed of Codebeamer, and what I believe is lacking is a way to define or set up role-specific user interfaces. Codebeamer is a very powerful tool, but the experienced us...
What needs improvement with IBM Rational ALM?
I think usability should be improved in IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) as the top priority. If you look at the UI, it was literally designed ten years ago, and even at the time it was i...
What is your primary use case for IBM Rational ALM?
For companies in heavily regulated industries who are doing product development, IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) is a good tool. It helps them create documentation that satisfies auditors.
 

Also Known As

codeBeamer ALM
IBM Engineering Rhapsody, Rational ALM, MKS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Medtronic, Align Technology, Daimler, Samsung, Harman, Dassault
Tennis Australia, WeCloud AB, Port Otago Limited, Logicalis US, Valmer, The Chevrolet Volt, Ashurst
Find out what your peers are saying about Codebeamer vs. IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.