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Codebeamer vs IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 30, 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

Codebeamer
Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites
9th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM Engineering Lifecycle M...
Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites
12th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites category, the mindshare of Codebeamer is 9.3%, up from 5.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) is 3.7%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites
 

Featured Reviews

SHRINIVAS ALAGERI - PeerSpot reviewer
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 ( /products/ptc-windchill-reviews ) 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
Combining tools for effective data analysis while customization and integration need improvement
The most valuable feature is how IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) ( /products/ibm-engineering-lifecycle-management-elm-reviews ) 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

"One of the most valuable features of Codebeamer is its strong performance."
"Codebeamer stands out against competition due to these features."
"The biggest advantage of Codebeamer is its ability to directly use built-in project management modules without the need for extensive customization."
"Since implementing this solution we have better communication and information exchange with customers."
"You can track the metrics in the Agile dashboard very easily."
"Codebeamer is user-friendly"
"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."
"The tools for requirement capture we have found very useful."
"The most valuable feature is the reporting of the CPU usage on the dashboard."
"The integration with Git works well."
"Everyone in a team can work on the same platform and share the same information."
"It's easy to use."
"It is relatively easy to use and user-friendly once the setup is complete."
"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."
"IBM Rational ALM is a very good tool. I like the management and traceability features and the test management tool. The latter is not linked with the stories and fixed management. It is really useful, and we can create test plans. We can also test some metrics related to QA."
 

Cons

"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."
"I would like to see more, easily trackable reports."
"The primary challenge is adapting the standard product to our workflows and specific needs."
"We would like to see more industry-specific features that are tailored to the vertical markets."
"Codebeamer could improve its customization capabilities and integration options."
"The search and replace feature within the tool itself could be improved."
"One improvement could be to reduce the system or server requirements. For a client with a medium configuration server, Codebeamer did not work initially until the system was upgraded."
"During migrations from other platforms to CodeBeamer, there have been instances where we encountered issues that required redoing certain tasks."
"The GUI is a little bit outdated."
"IBM Rational ALM should remove the features not used by the customers and keep this product as lightweight as possible."
"The interconnectivity between packages is a major support problem and can be improved."
"The reporting functionality needs to be improved."
"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."
"The directory designer manager is uncivil. The design manager is clearly really unstable."
"There is not enough beginner support material in the form of FAQs or simple training to help you get started."
"The features should be more intuitive. If I'm looking for something, its location should be easy to locate."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Codebeamer is not a cheap solution."
"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."
"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 solution is not cheap."
"We have a contract, but I am not aware of the details."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
31%
Computer Software Company
15%
Healthcare Company
7%
Retailer
5%
Manufacturing Company
24%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
11%
Transportation Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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?
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. Therefore...
What needs improvement with IBM Rational ALM?
Improvement is needed in bridging DNG and Rhapsody and vice versa for better data exchange from both sides with some trigger technologies. This would provide a visual reminder of changes in a modul...
What is your primary use case for IBM Rational ALM?
Most of my primary use cases involve the combination of IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) ( /products/ibm-engineering-lifecycle-management-elm-reviews ) and DOORS, including both Classic D...
 

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: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.