Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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 February 2026, in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites category, the mindshare of Codebeamer is 7.4%, down from 7.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) is 3.7%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Codebeamer7.4%
IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)3.7%
Other88.9%
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

"You can track the metrics in the Agile dashboard very easily."
"One of the most valuable features of Codebeamer is its strong performance."
"The platform provided the flexibility to expand our business processes, accommodating or altering them to suit the requirements of a changing environment."
"There is a lot of complexity involved, meaning it can do many things, which can be quite useful."
"Codebeamer stands out against competition due to these features."
"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 is user-friendly"
"Codebeamer's API-based integration and many other integration aspects with other solutions are very powerful."
"We have something called the GC (global configuration), which is a unique feature compared to any other competitor we have in the ALM space."
"The integration with Git works well."
"It helped us contain critical things, like source code and several documents, which is very important to us."
"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."
"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."
"It's easy to use."
"You can customize the board according to your needs."
"It is relatively easy to use and user-friendly once the setup is complete."
 

Cons

"We would like to see more industry-specific features that are tailored to the vertical markets."
"Codebeamer's UI is somewhat boring, while Jira's is more exciting and user-friendly."
"It's still a fairly new tool that lacks maturity right now."
"Codebeamer could improve its customization capabilities and integration options."
"I would like to see more, easily trackable reports."
"What is really disappointing is that some features which have been promised for years are still not mature enough to use."
"The search and replace feature within the tool itself could be improved."
"The primary challenge is adapting the standard product to our workflows and specific needs."
"Improvement is needed in bridging DNG and Rhapsody and vice versa for better data exchange from both sides with some trigger technologies."
"I would like to see better reporting features. The out-of-box reporting is - I don't want to say limited - but the focus is on the Scrum and Sprint reports. We need more reporting features regarding the history of the work, tracking it more deeply."
"The directory designer manager is uncivil. The design manager is clearly really unstable."
"The interconnectivity between packages is a major support problem and can be improved."
"Some improvements to the user interface (UI) would be helpful, such as exposing more services to make it easier to customize to the needs of each customer."
"The solution can improve in the development area and the customized applications."
"I think nowadays people are getting into Jira and other tools. What is happening is, this solution is becoming more traditional, whereas Jira and other tools are more attractive for the new users to learn and start using because of the graphical interfaces."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"Codebeamer is not a cheap solution."
"It is reasonably priced and in accordance with the industry standards."
"This product is a little expensive and we had to pay extra to have them set it up for us."
"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."
"The solution is not cheap."
"We have a contract, but I am not aware of the details."
"IBM Rational ALM has both monthly and yearly licensing options."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites solutions are best for your needs.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
32%
Computer Software Company
13%
Healthcare Company
6%
Retailer
5%
Manufacturing Company
22%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

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: February 2026.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.