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IBM Rational ClearQuest vs Visual SourceSafe [EOL] comparison

IBM and Microsoft are both solutions in the Software Configuration Management category. Additionally, 80% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
IBM Rational ClearQuest
Read 4 IBM Rational ClearQuest reviews
  • 774 Views
  • 402 Comparison Views
80% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between IBM Rational ClearQuest and Visual SourceSafe [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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To learn more, read our detailed Software Configuration Management Report (Updated: March 2026).
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Software Configuration Management
March 2026
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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 Rational ClearQuest
Average Rating
7.2
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Defect Tracking (1st), Software Configuration Management (7th)
Visual SourceSafe [EOL]
Average Rating
7.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

it_user808977 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user808977
Software Developer at a tech vendor with 11-50 employees
It can be adapted to any process flow
ClearQuest is a Defect Tracking system with a highly adaptable state machine together with an easy to use API, which can do all of the functions available in the GUI. This simplifies integration and automation of many steps is why the organization still uses a much older version, as there are no…
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it_user134535 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user134535
Software Developer at a marketing services firm with 11-50 employees
Provides for the setup of software development teams in a sandbox environment. I would like to see external backup for project source code files to the cloud.
We migrated most of the projects to Team Foundation Server (TFS). Visual SourceSafe could borrow some new features from TFS such as: * Improved protection of source code against file corruption due to software crashes, power outages, and computer viruses * External backup for project source code files to the cloud * Support for Git
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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

"The workflow feature with stateful record types and the ability to implement these rapidly in our project have been of value to us."
"Customization level of the tool to meet client’s requirements, you can do almost all of the customizations for a project or ticket management system, and notification, hooks, and UI customization are very stable."
"This enabled us to completely migrate from paper-based forms to electronic forms for a number of business areas."
"In combination with a good Configuration Management plan, an organization can create an optimal level of administration and automation creating good traceability in your tasks."
"The combination of a highly flexible state machine together with a platform independent API enables possibilities to automate many steps that in many systems are manual."
"It can be adapted to any process flow and easily be integrated with other in-house tools using the ClearQuest API."
"Visual SourceSafe 2005 allows for more than one developer to check out the same source code file and contribute to it, just like with Git and other distributed source control systems."
 

Cons

"Lack of a modern web interface compared to other systems might discourage customers."
"Lack of a modern web interface compared to other systems might discourage customers."
"The user interface could benefit from a more modern look and feel."
"It’s very expensive, especially considering that there are much more economical options out there."
"However, the user interface seems very static and the user experience was not the best."
"Visual SourceSafe could borrow some new features from TFS such as improved protection of source code against file corruption due to software crashes, power outages, and computer viruses, external backup for project source code files to the cloud, and support for Git."
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884,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
34%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
5%
University
5%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
No data available
 

Comparisons

IBM Rational ClearCase vs IBM Rational ClearQuest Logo
IBM Rational ClearCase vs IBM Rational ClearQuest
Compared 21% of the time
Microsoft Azure DevOps Server vs IBM Rational ClearQuest Logo
Microsoft Azure DevOps Server vs IBM Rational ClearQuest
Compared 15% of the time
OpenText Solutions Business Manager vs IBM Rational ClearQuest Logo
OpenText Solutions Business Manager vs IBM Rational ClearQuest
Compared 12% of the time
Jira vs IBM Rational ClearQuest Logo
Jira vs IBM Rational ClearQuest
Compared 12% of the time
Panaya Test Dynamix vs IBM Rational ClearQuest Logo
Panaya Test Dynamix vs IBM Rational ClearQuest
Compared 11% of the time
More IBM Rational ClearQuest Competitors
IBM Rational ClearCase vs Visual SourceSafe [EOL] Logo
IBM Rational ClearCase vs Visual SourceSafe [EOL]
Compared 46% of the time
More Visual SourceSafe [EOL] Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM Rational ClearQuest vs. Panaya Test Dynamix
March 2026
IBM Rational ClearQuest reportDownload IBM Rational ClearQuest product report
Buyer's Guide
Software Configuration Management
March 2026
Visual SourceSafe [EOL] reportDownload Visual SourceSafe [EOL] product report
 

Also Known As

Rational ClearQuest
No data available
 

Overview

IBM Rational ClearQuest is a fully customizable database workflow application development and production system. It provides flexible change and defect tracking, customizable processes, near real-time reporting and lifecycle traceability for better visibility and control of the software development lifecycle. IBM Rational ClearQuest provides scalable, multiplatform support to any size organization so you can continue to customize processes as your development needs evolve.

IBM

Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, a file-level version control system that delivers restore point and team coordination capabilities.

Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

Atos SE, STM, Regence BlueCross BlueShield
XP Investimentos, Weichert Lead Network, Arelik, ACS
Buyer's Guide
Software Configuration Management
March 2026
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