GitHub vs IBM Rational ClearCase comparison

GitHub and IBM are both solutions in the Version Control category. GitHub is ranked #3 with an average rating of 9.0, while IBM is ranked #9 with an average rating of 6.0. GitHub holds a 6.9% mindshare in VC, compared to IBM’s 5.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of GitHub users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of IBM users who would recommend it.

GitHub

Read 94 GitHub reviews

1,524 Views
619 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Rational ClearCase

Read 6 IBM Rational ClearCase reviews

565 Views
346 Comparison Views

66% willing to recommend

GitHub

IBM Rational ClearCase

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

IBM Rational ClearCase and GitHub are version control systems. GitHub seems to have the upper hand due to its cloud-based deployment, extensive integrations, and widespread adoption.

Features: IBM Rational ClearCase offers comprehensive version control, management of complex project environments, and dynamic views. GitHub provides collaborative tools, social coding features, and third-party integrations.

Room for Improvement: IBM Rational ClearCase could benefit from enhanced cloud support, increased user-friendly features, and modern integrations. GitHub can improve by offering deeper enterprise-level configurations, broader DevOps tool support, and refined on-premise solutions.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: GitHub's cloud-based model reduces setup complexity and offers easy access across platforms with efficient customer support. IBM Rational ClearCase has a more complex setup, requiring dedicated infrastructure and client-server configurations.

Pricing and ROI: GitHub offers flexible pricing models with free and paid plans, ensuring better ROI with scalable growth options. IBM Rational ClearCase often entails higher initial costs due to infrastructure needs, leading to a steeper cost curve for smaller teams.

To learn more, read our detailed GitHub vs. IBM Rational ClearCase Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GitHub vs. IBM Rational ClearCase

June 2025

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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

GitHub

Ranking in Version Control

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Security Tools (7th)

IBM Rational ClearCase

Ranking in Version Control

9th

Average Rating

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Configuration Management (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Version Control category, the mindshare of GitHub is 6.9%, up from 6.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Rational ClearCase is 5.5%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Version Control

Featured Reviews

Pervez Roy

Solutions Architect at Small Systems LTD

Very good for collaboration on software projects

We use GitHub for code repository alongside Bitbucket GitHub is very good for collaboration on software projects. We prefer Bitbucket for commercial use, while GitHub is used for open source. You can get the differences, history of changes, and version control for various pull requests. You can…

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Daniel Antonio Jimenez Quintana

IT Systems Architect at Banco Ripley

Difficult to use, not efficient, but stable

We are using IBM Rational ClearCase in Peru at two large banks for a code repository. However, it is not meant to be used as a repository I have found it very difficult to understand many functionalities in IBM Rational ClearCase. We have had many problems and it is not user-friendly. I have…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"GitHub is a very good tool, and people should use it more than any other, even Bitbucket."

"The ease of the planning board feature in GitHub is very valuable."

"GitHub's version control is valuable."

"The product has a very user-friendly interface and user-friendly security."

"GitHub provides the SFH key to protect our passwords and connection."

"The most valuable features of GitHub are the ease of integration into Microsoft Azure DevOps. The process that you need to deploy into Microsoft Azure becomes fairly simple and the templates are already available, a lot of the engineers find it easier to use."

"I find GitHub very user friendly."

"Complication free with good ability for third-party integrations."

More GitHub pros

"ClearCase integrates well with other engineering tools and frameworks such as the Eclipse environment."

"The tool had features similar to Git for version control. It offered branching and merging capabilities, providing better control over code management. Integration was possible with other tools, including some change management tools. The overall process was normal."

"IBM Rational ClearCase is a stable solution. I have not had any difficulty with reliability."

Cons

"We would like this solution to have a more user-friendly interface."

"If something has to be moved into approvals, and if they don't approve it in a few hours, then they should move the approval request to some other user, or they should have a way to escalate it."

"We are not able to access GitHub from our VPN."

"The solution could have better support for the Markdown language."

"The solution needs some more controls for deleting code."

"I decided not to use GitHub but developed my tool because I found it more efficient. I'm familiar with my tools, making them easier to use. I like being able to customize them to fit my workflow and the way I think.. Software development is like a personal workshop, and I tailor my version control to match my approach."

"I faced one or two breakdowns. That said, they lasted only for a few seconds or a minute."

"The development team pushes the code into a repository, and the CI/CD pipeline will perform the build. We need open-source libraries to perform the builds. It would be helpful to have the ability to link to open-source libraries like npm libraries. I don't know if GitHub Actions provides this. I would like to see that in GitHub Actions if they don't."

More GitHub cons

"The protection needs to be improved."

"The solution's UI is slow compared to other tools. It is an old tool."

"I have found it very difficult to understand many functionalities in IBM Rational ClearCase. We have had many problems and it is not user-friendly."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It’s an open-source solution."

"The licensing model for GitHub is user-based. Whenever the new developer joins we have to get a new license and register their ID. The overall price of the solution is reasonable."

"GitHub is an open-source application. It's free to use."

"The price of this solution is reasonable."

"I use the free version of the tool."

"The product is reasonably priced."

"You don't have to pay for a license if you are using the free version."

"The basic licensing model is free, and if you need to have technical support and such things, then it does cost something. You only need to pay extra if you need technical support."

More GitHub pricing and cost advice

"This is a very expensive product."

"IBM Rational ClearCase, like any other IBM tool, is expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

24%

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about GitHub?

The control is the most valuable feature as developers can work on a single code.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GitHub?

I am not aware about the pricing, so I will not be able to give feedback.

See all answers

What needs improvement with GitHub?

Sometimes we do not get the exact solution, and the suggested solution does not work, so GitHub could improve in that area. We have used GitHub mainly for the code generation part. That is the only...

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What do you like most about IBM Rational ClearCase?

The tool had features similar to Git for version control. It offered branching and merging capabilities, providing better control over code management. Integration was possible with other tools, in...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Rational ClearCase?

IBM Rational ClearCase, like any other IBM tool, is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Rational ClearCase?

The solution's UI is slow compared to other tools. It is an old tool.

See all answers

Comparisons

Bitbucket vs GitHub

Compared 16% of the time

Snyk vs GitHub

Compared 12% of the time

OpenText Core Application Security vs GitHub

Compared 10% of the time

AWS CodeCommit vs GitHub

Compared 8% of the time

Qualys Web Application Scanning vs GitHub

Compared 3% of the time

More GitHub Competitors

Git vs IBM Rational ClearCase

Compared 43% of the time

IBM Rational ClearQuest vs IBM Rational ClearCase

Compared 22% of the time

Bitbucket vs IBM Rational ClearCase

Compared 16% of the time

Apache Subversion vs IBM Rational ClearCase

Compared 7% of the time

Endevor vs IBM Rational ClearCase

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Rational ClearCase Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GitHub

June 2025

Download GitHub product report

Buyer's Guide

Software Configuration Management

June 2025

Download IBM Rational ClearCase product report

Also Known As

No data available

Rational ClearCase

Overview

GitHub is a web-based Git repository hosting service. It offers all of the distributed revision control and source code management (SCM) functionality of Git as well as adding its own features. Unlike Git, which is strictly a command-line tool, GitHub provides a Web-based graphical interface and desktop as well as mobile integration. It also provides access control and several collaboration features such as bug tracking, feature requests, task management, and wikis for every project.

GitHub

IBM Rational ClearCase is an enterprise-grade configuration management system that provides controlled access to software assets, including requirements, design documents, models, test plans and test results. It be can be integrated with other IBM solutions, including IBM Rational Team Concert, IBM Rational ClearQuest, IBM Rational Asset Manager and IBM Rational Application Developer for WebSphere Software.

IBM

Sample Customers

Dominion Enterprises, NASA, Braintree, SAP, CyberAgent

Atos SE, FEI, STM

Buyer's Guide

GitHub vs. IBM Rational ClearCase

June 2025

Free Report: GitHub vs. IBM Rational ClearCase

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