IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs PTC Integrity comparison

IBM and PTC are both solutions in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites category. IBM is ranked #13 with an average rating of 6.5, while PTC is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.7. IBM holds a 3.9% mindshare in ALM, compared to PTC’s 4.2% mindshare. Additionally, 77% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 68% of PTC users who would recommend it.

IBM Engineering Lifecycle M...

Read 20 IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) reviews

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1,608 Comparison Views

77% willing to recommend

PTC Integrity

Read 13 PTC Integrity reviews

1,808 Views
1,808 Comparison Views

68% willing to recommend

IBM Engineering Lifecycle M...

PTC Integrity

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 18, 2026

PTC Integrity and IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management compete in the software development and lifecycle management space. Users generally favor the comprehensive features of IBM ELM, although PTC Integrity offers advantages in cost and support, suggesting a balance between price and capability.

Features: PTC Integrity offers robust change and configuration management with seamless platform integration, excellent requirement capture tools, and powerful workflow creation. IBM ELM provides extensive reporting capabilities, strong traceability for complex projects, and a customizable auditing trail.

Room for Improvement: PTC Integrity could improve its cloud deployment options and streamline its complex interface. It requires enhanced integration capacity with tools like Git. IBM ELM may benefit from a more intuitive user interface and simpler learning curve. It should also focus on enhancing real-time collaboration and better version control features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM ELM's cloud-based model facilitates flexibility and quick setup, paired with proactive customer support. PTC Integrity's on-premises deployment requires more initial effort but offers dedicated service. They differ in the choice between cloud-friendly and traditional setup options.

Pricing and ROI: PTC Integrity shows a lower initial cost, appealing to budget-conscious users, although longer ROI realization may occur due to feature depth. IBM ELM presents higher upfront costs but potentially faster ROI through feature integration and productivity improvements, highlighting a clear cost versus benefit divide.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs. PTC Integrity Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs. PTC Integrity

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 Engineering Lifecycle M...

Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

13th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

PTC Integrity

Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

12th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

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 IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) is 3.9%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PTC Integrity is 4.2%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
PTC Integrity	4.2%
IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)	3.9%
Other	91.9%

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

Featured Reviews

Juergen Albrecht

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.

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Srikumar Aravinda Krishnan

Lead Engineer at a transportation company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Unified platform streamlines workflows though user interface needs improvement

The most valuable feature of PTC Integrity is its integration with our existing PTC tools, especially for drawing release activities. By using PTC Integrity, we have a unified platform that eliminates the need to switch between different systems for hardware and software tasks. This integration fosters real-time collaboration, allowing vendors to efficiently transfer details and share data through PTC Integrity. The platform also enables us to raise reports that other team members can access and utilize. Furthermore, the stable nature of the solution enhances its value, contributing to seamless operations.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Everyone in a team can work on the same platform and share the same information."

"It is relatively easy to use and user-friendly once the setup is complete."

"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 helped us contain critical things, like source code and several documents, which is very important to us."

"I would rate the stability of this product a nine out of ten."

"The integration with Git works well."

"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."

"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."

More IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) pros

"The most valuable feature of PTC Integrity is its integration with our existing PTC tools, especially for drawing release activities."

"We found the requirement management and the version control features to be the most useful for our client."

"It's a good tool to manage software versions, update the status, and manage tasks."

"The tool is quite structured and has a good command set."

"Complete traceability as per process requirements."

"The most valuable feature is traceability starting from the requirements until the end of a project."

"I have found that previously, the OEM sector was managing everything, possibly manually. However, with the introduction of the product, it has become much easier for customers to handle their products. Previously, customers were using different software to manage their products. However, PTC Integrity offers a solution for requirements management, test management, and even development to support live ticket management. So instead of using multiple software tools, we can use it for all these purposes."

"We have been using it because it gives certain abilities in the automotive industry, such as auditing or keeping track of information."

More PTC Integrity pros

Cons

"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."

"There is not enough beginner support material in the form of FAQs or simple training to help you get started."

"The user interface requires significant improvement as it is overly complex."

"IBM Rational ALM should remove the features not used by the customers and keep this product as lightweight as possible."

"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 features should be more intuitive. If I'm looking for something, its location should be easy to locate."

"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."

"In the next release, we expect a traceability metrics configuration where we can configure the user stories. We also expect them to improve or simplify the query process."

More IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) cons

"For complex businesses, the internal templates could have more flexibility and compatibility."

"It's not so customizable. Compared to other tools, defining user stories is a slightly more cumbersome process as an ALM engineer."

"There are not enough reports. People would like to see something similar to what is available in JIRA."

"I would like to see better integration from the architectural side."

"The web version does not have all the functionalities of the non-web version. Administration and adding/removing fields, etc. cannot be done on the web version. People want solutions that are compatible with Android. I also want to have a version by which I can bulk edit all the fields."

"We are unhappy because everything that we needed required customization and this is not a plug-and-play type of solution at all."

"To be honest, the third controller system is kind of old. There are lots of transactional changes that have not been implemented in PTC. If you have a larger project, for example, whenever you give bits and need to change 10,000 files you can just commit them. But here the work style is a little more file based, so you'll have to take care of almost all the files individually. It's not a single commit like you do here, but rather you have to allocate time for each component or file that you want to check in or commit. That's a very big issue."

"The user-friendliness of PTC Integrity can be improved. The interface is not intuitive for first-time users and takes time to get accustomed to."

More PTC Integrity cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM Rational ALM has both monthly and yearly licensing options."

"The solution is not cheap."

"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."

"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."

"The product is expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

22%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

University

Manufacturing Company

25%

Computer Software Company

14%

Healthcare Company

10%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	12

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Rational ALM?

The solution is customizable.

See all answers

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...

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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.

See all answers

What do you like most about PTC Integrity?

I have found that previously, the OEM sector was managing everything, possibly manually. However, with the introduction of the product, it has become much easier for customers to handle their produ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PTC Integrity?

PTC Integrity is expensive, but it is cheaper compared to IBM Rational. The comparative affordability in pricing is an advantage.

See all answers

What needs improvement with PTC Integrity?

The user-friendliness of PTC Integrity can be improved. The interface is not intuitive for first-time users and takes time to get accustomed to. A more straightforward and intuitive interface would...

See all answers

Comparisons

Jira vs IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)

Compared 19% of the time

Codebeamer vs IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)

Compared 16% of the time

Microsoft Azure DevOps vs IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)

Compared 10% of the time

Polarion ALM vs IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)

Compared 9% of the time

Rally Software vs IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) Competitors

Codebeamer vs PTC Integrity

Compared 48% of the time

Jira vs PTC Integrity

Compared 11% of the time

Polarion ALM vs PTC Integrity

Compared 11% of the time

OpenText Application Quality Management vs PTC Integrity

Compared 5% of the time

TFS vs PTC Integrity

Compared 4% of the time

More PTC Integrity Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)

January 2026

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) report

Download IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) product report

Buyer's Guide

PTC Integrity

January 2026

Download PTC Integrity product report

Also Known As

IBM Engineering Rhapsody, Rational ALM, MKS

MKS

Overview

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) offers an integrated platform with customizable workflows, Scrum planning tools, and resource management features, enhancing project execution and collaboration.

ELM supports Agile and Scrum project management through its integration with tools like Git and IBM Doors, providing cataloging, traceability, and reporting capabilities. While users benefit from requirement management and dashboard functionalities, the interface and reporting could be improved for better navigation and customization. Its cloud-based architecture facilitates compliance and auditing, making it a valuable tool for engineering teams focusing on configuration and version control.

What are the essential features of IBM ELM?

Customizable Workflows: Tailor project processes to specific needs for adaptability.
Scrum-Based Planning: Facilitate Agile project management with Scrum tools.
Resource Management: Efficiently allocate and track resource usage.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrate with Git and IBM Doors for enhanced traceability.
Global Configuration: Manage configurations across locations for consistency.

What benefits should users consider?

Compliance Support: Provides tools essential for meeting industry regulations.
Collaboration: Streamlines team communication for smooth project execution.
Stakeholder Alignment: Enhances visibility and alignment with personalized dashboards.
Traceability: Ensures complete tracking of requirements and changes for accountability.

ELM is widely used in the automotive and manufacturing sectors for managing requirements and monitoring performance. Engineering teams leverage ELM for Agile methodologies, with central teams deploying it for end-to-end development processes including requirement gathering and backlog management. Stability and improved integration support remain critical implementation areas, along with enhanced governance features for comprehensive application.

IBM

The PTC Integrity Software Suite provides a comprehensive set of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and Systems Engineering capabilities that enable cross-discipline collaboration, improve time-to-market, streamline compliance, and reduce product risk. Simplify the complexity involved in developing today's complex engineered and smart, connected products.

PTC

Sample Customers

Tennis Australia, WeCloud AB, Port Otago Limited, Logicalis US, Valmer, The Chevrolet Volt, Ashurst

TRW Automotive

Buyer's Guide

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs. PTC Integrity

December 2025

Free Report: IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs. PTC Integrity

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