IBM Blueworks Live vs iServer comparison

IBM and Orbus Software are both solutions in the Business Process Design category. IBM is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.3, while Orbus Software is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM holds a 3.1% mindshare in BPD, compared to Orbus Software’s 2.4% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of Orbus Software users who would recommend it.

IBM Blueworks Live

Read 22 IBM Blueworks Live reviews

2,199 Views
1,913 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

iServer

Read 18 iServer reviews

2,253 Views
1,239 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

IBM Blueworks Live

iServer

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

iServer and IBM Blueworks Live compete in the business process management space. IBM Blueworks Live holds an edge with its robust features that justify its cost, despite iServer's competitive pricing and support.

Features: iServer offers strong integration capabilities and customizability, catering to comprehensive enterprise architecture needs. It integrates well with Microsoft Office, enabling workflow and document management. Its flexible platform supports enterprise architecture modeling and importing data. IBM Blueworks Live focuses on intuitive process management with collaboration tools and BPMN 2.0 compliance. It facilitates process documentation centrally and supports process version control. Its ability to collaborate in real-time and create process models easily makes it user-friendly.

Room for Improvement: iServer's on-premise deployment requires significant setup effort and could benefit from streamlined processes. Its complex customization might need additional user training. Enhancing its reporting and visualization features could also improve user experience. IBM Blueworks Live can improve its integration with non-IBM products. Its process modeling might benefit from more detailed analytics and reporting functionalities. Additional customization options could enhance flexibility for diverse business needs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: iServer offers an on-premise deployment model requiring significant setup and offering extensive support. This allows extensive customization but involves more initial effort. IBM Blueworks Live, being cloud-based, allows for easier deployment and straightforward customer support. It provides an agile implementation process, helping with faster adoption for businesses.

Pricing and ROI: iServer has flexible pricing, emphasizing long-term ROI through customization benefits, ideal for complex environments. It proposes a cost-benefit that integrates well with existing systems. IBM Blueworks Live offers a clear pricing structure with quicker ROI delivery. Its lower setup costs and fast deployment contribute to immediate value and potentially lower overall costs.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Blueworks Live vs. iServer Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Blueworks Live vs. iServer

December 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

IBM Blueworks Live

Ranking in Business Process Design

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

iServer

Ranking in Business Process Design

16th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Architecture Management (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Business Process Design category, the mindshare of IBM Blueworks Live is 3.1%, down from 3.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of iServer is 2.4%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Design Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Blueworks Live	3.1%
iServer	2.4%
Other	94.5%

Business Process Design

Featured Reviews

Nupur Wadhwa

Consultant 2 at Protiviti

Enables efficient process mapping but requires improvement in maintaining server stability

The pricing of the solution can be quite expensive when compared to competitors, though IBM Blueworks Live stands out from a technical standpoint. IBM Blueworks Live provides clear ROI as it saves both time and money. I have successfully imported Visio flowcharts into both IBM Blueworks Live and ARIS. Both tools handled the imports successfully, though some manual intervention was required because Visio is quite a basic tool. Importing flowcharts into advanced tools such as ARIS and IBM Blueworks Live requires some manual effort. The primary advantage is the ease of use. I have not encountered any features in other tools that I couldn't find in ARIS. This is a major factor because I don't have to switch between tools to find specific features. Using ARIS for the past three years has built confidence and trust in the tool.

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Antonios Lazanakis

Senior IT Solution Architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Flexible, easy to use, and easy to import data

We use iServer to establish an enterprise architecture function in our organization iServer is a very flexible platform for defining your own enterprise architecture model. It is very easy to import data, and we also have good integration with Visual Drawing Tools and SharePoint. The solution is…

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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

"We are you using the product as a process mapping tool and as part of a larger process improvement project. We use it with IBM BPM and IBM ODM. We get an automated workflow solution for our customers, an improved workflow automation."

"It has the ability to document in different formats. It is not tied to a specific model. You can look at it from different angles and see the intuitive nature of it. It always generates a valid diagram. You cannot create something that is not BPMN compliant."

"In terms of the collaboration features, from the point of discovery, it was useful to go to load up the policies and the rule sets that the client had. And in terms of exploring options and being able to model a variety of different processes, that was incredibly useful as well."

"The stability is pretty good. It is highly available, which is key. You don't lose your work and can autosave."

"The business process discovery is excellent. The diagram or blueprinting functionality of the solution are very good. It's quite easy. You can link the sub-processes and get a big overview of the whole process then."

"It is a stable solution since there has not been any downtime. Everything loads fast."

"It's very easy, very quick to create a process map. It has templates. The look and feel is very nice. What we want to achieve out of the process map, we can achieve it using Blueworks."

"IBM Blueworks Live provides clear ROI as it saves both time and money."

More IBM Blueworks Live pros

"iServer is a very flexible platform for defining your own enterprise architecture model."

"iServer is a solution that helps catalog enterprise architect solutions and catalog information."

"The most valuable features of iServer are the integration with Microsoft Office and the interface is similar to Microsoft applications making them easy to use."

"The most valuable feature is its reporting capability. It offers various packages for different types of reports, such as business and project management reporting packs."

"The solution is easily modified to suit your needs."

"We like the governance."

"I have to think less with this solution. It's simple."

"This is a flexible tool compared to some other solutions."

More iServer pros

Cons

"IBM Blueworks is BPMN 2.0 compliant, but it does not adapt to the overarching BPMN 2.0 concepts."

"We would like the ability to add additional custom colors. We would like to color additional items to add notes to the blueprint."

"Spaces are not well organized; space controls are lacking."

"The user interface is quite easy at first but process analysts soon run into roadblocks of limited functionality, which is disappointing."

"The initial setup is neither straightforward nor complex however you do need to know what you are doing."

"The ability to create a very structured rule. With the capability that we have right now, Blueworks Live is more process focused. We should be able to enhance it to include a lot more of decisions as well."

"We haven't yet been able to dabble in case management with Blueworks Live, as it is not yet offered with the product."

"I wish Blueworks Live had simulations built in, but it doesn't. It also lacks a feature of reporting; ad hoc, drag and drop reporting. A lot of senior people are always asking for reports, and there's no reporting feature within IBM Blueworks."

More IBM Blueworks Live cons

"The migration tool needs to be included in the main package, and not as a separate license."

"iServer should invest in enhancing the capabilities of the embedded drawing tool, draw.io."

"Cannot see which activities are control activities."

"I haven't used this solution long enough to know what areas could be improved."

"iServer is a solid tool. Occasionally, we needed to contact the vendor to clarify details such as porting issues, missing components, and model specifics."

"The performance is slow, which is something that should be improved."

"It definitely needs help to improve the visual aspect of the solution."

"There are other solutions out there that have a better user interface."

More iServer cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are seeing ROI from this solution. The solution has saved us time."

"The solution is very, very cost-effective."

"Price wise, IBM Blueworks Live is in the middle range, and I would give it a five out of ten."

"The solution is not very expensive."

"There are editor licenses that are around 50 euros per month, and contributor licenses that are around 30 euros per month."

"They have a free subscription model that gives a lot of power to the users."

"Making it less expensive would be good."

"Based on the licenses purchased, from a footprint perspective, you can have as many people as you want. You have multiple different categories of licenses to keep the cost low."

"The solution is cheaper than its competitors."

"The product has a moderate pricing."

"It's about 13K to set up and 9K for the license for three months. I think it's about 20K a year, but we haven't firmed up on pricing yet because the price depends on how long we commit to the solution."

"Aim for the exact number of people who shall define/review approve and view the processes, as it will impact the cost."

"The price of iServer is reasonable compared to other solutions."

"They offer annual subscriptions for developing countries, which are not affordable for small or medium businesses."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

21%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	18

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Blueworks Live?

The solution is easy to operate. Also, there is an automatic mode to make the business flow. You don't have to put any lines or arrows in a decision point in IBM Blueworks Live; it's very automatic.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Blueworks Live?

I do not have exposure to IBM Blueworks Live pricing since this is managed by other personnel who handle the financial aspects of licenses.

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What needs improvement with IBM Blueworks Live?

I do not use Security Identity Governance and Intelligence, as it is not implemented here. I would prefer an on-premises solution for IBM Blueworks Live, and this could be a recommendation. Regardi...

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What needs improvement with iServer?

iServer should invest in enhancing the capabilities of the embedded drawing tool, draw.io. draw.io is a drawing tool used to draw architectural diagrams, flow diagrams, etc. It is an alternative to...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iServer?

We use iServer to establish an enterprise architecture function in our organization.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering iServer?

I would recommend the solution to other users. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

Visio vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 22% of the time

SAP Signavio Process Manager vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 18% of the time

Lucidchart vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 11% of the time

ARIS Cloud vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 11% of the time

ARIS BPA vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 8% of the time

More IBM Blueworks Live Competitors

BiZZdesign HoriZZon vs iServer

Compared 13% of the time

LeanIX vs iServer

Compared 13% of the time

MEGA HOPEX vs iServer

Compared 12% of the time

OrbusInfinity vs iServer

Compared 9% of the time

Visio vs iServer

Compared 6% of the time

More iServer Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Blueworks Live

January 2026

Download IBM Blueworks Live product report

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Architecture Management

January 2026

Download iServer product report

Also Known As

IBM Lombardi Blueprint

No data available

Overview

IBM Blueworks Live is a cloud-based business process modeling tool that helps you discover, map and document your processes. It is easy to use, allowing you to learn and perform business process modeling in minutes.

With Blueworks Live you can:

Simplify business process modeling
Quickly build business processes in a straightforward, cloud-based interface designed for both IT and business users.

Improve process efficiency and accuracy
A central process repository eliminates version control and consistency issues by providing users real-time access to process workflows.

Enhance cross-team collaboration
A shared team workspace engages all business process owners, encouraging cross-team participation and continuous process improvement.

IBM

iServer is a unified software platform and enterprise modeling environment that extends and enhances the familiar, market leading Microsoft Visio and Office products. Core capabilities provided by iServer include an enhanced Microsoft Visio diagramming interface, a powerful central repository for all enterprise architecture or business process models and documentation, and a range of tools for visualization, analysis and decision making.

Orbus Software

Sample Customers

Cloudsoft Corp. Ltd., Bayer, S¾SS, Essex County Council

Barclays, Cathay Pacific, Deloitte, British Gas, MasterCard

Buyer's Guide

IBM Blueworks Live vs. iServer

December 2025

Free Report: IBM Blueworks Live vs. iServer

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