We use this solution for business workflow automation.
Chief Executive Officer at LeaseWeb
A very powerful solution, but it is not user-friendly
Pros and Cons
- "It is a very powerful solution."
- "It is not user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It is a a very powerful solution.
What needs improvement?
It is not user-friendly and requires a knowledgeable and skilled user to work with it. If an end-user has no idea about the technology, they will have difficulties. The product requires the end user to be skilled with prerequisites and have the ability to configure and tailor the product to express the workflow. Most IBM products in layer seven, middleware or the application layer, are not user-friendly.
The workflow is also difficult. In any organization, many departments are involved in the workflow from the start to the end of the procedure. That's why we must be aware of an organization's manual process to reflect it in the product. The product could ask the user questions, and based on the answers, it can develop the workflow, which makes it much easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for more than 12 years. It is deployed on private cloud.
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IBM BPM
September 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable and powerful solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution, and one small company that is a customer uses this solution. They do tender development proposal evaluations for clients.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy but using it after became a bit challenging. Deployment took about one day, and we are a big organization.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution an eight out of ten. I would advise others to compare IBM BPM with other equivalent products in the market before deciding.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Stable solution, setup is straightforward and helps to automate business processes
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has helped us automate business processes."
- "IBM BPM is stable, but sometimes there are issues with the server."
What is our primary use case?
It is an on-premises solution that helped us automate business processes like onboarding customers, loan management, loan approval, and leave approval.
What is most valuable?
The features allow you to connect, and things work seamlessly. The coding and the maps are also valuable. I feel good about the features, and its beauty is that anybody can design it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM BPM is stable, but sometimes there are issues with the server. I am unsure if the issue is due to the VAS server or the BPM, but there was some instability when we went through a few of the final enrollments.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We could not proceed with any scalability due to some business decisions.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted IBM Technical Support for IBM BPM. I have only engaged with support through forums and the blocks.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward. However, the debugging was not straightforward.
Deployment was also quick and not complicated. I was not part of the deployment team, but I believe we used an integrator for deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In terms of licensing, we have to make it free for the developers so more people can install and use it. It is important to make at least licensing free to try in the cloud, not just for IBM BPM but for any of the IBM products.
This can help companies start to push through solutions and proposals. For example, licensing could be free, providing developers something to try in the cloud. Because there are regular audits in all companies when you install, some companies may see this as harmful. Therefore, a provision to try it free on the cloud can increase the number of skilled PA developers.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
IBM BPM
September 2025

Learn what your peers think about IBM BPM. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.
BPM Application Developer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Has excellent integration capabilities and lets you do everything you want
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the integration capabilities - BPM can connect with almost any legacy or advanced system."
- "The stability varies because it involves a lot of other components like databases, so sometimes if something goes wrong there, it can't recover from the fatal errors."
What is our primary use case?
BPM is an internal workload tool, so I use it to move the funds between different accounts for client onboarding.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the integration capabilities - BPM can connect with almost any legacy or advanced system - and that you can design and implement UIs.
What needs improvement?
BPM could be improved with more flexibility in integration and by decreasing the learning curve, which keeps increasing with each new version.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've worked with this solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability varies because it involves a lot of other components like databases, so sometimes if something goes wrong there, it can't recover from the fatal errors.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
BPM is scalable, though not automatically.
How are customer service and support?
IBM's technical support is pretty good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is of medium complexity.
What other advice do I have?
As long as you have clear use cases, you can do pretty much whatever you want with this tool. I would rate BPM as eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of IT System Integration at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Stable but pricier than similar solutions
Pros and Cons
- "IBM BPM is stable."
- "I believe that if the license were cheaper, it would have a greater impact."
What is our primary use case?
We were using IBM BPM as part of our business automation solution. It was used to assist in automation during our RPA implementation.
What is most valuable?
IBM BPM is stable.
What needs improvement?
We didn't do a more thorough investigation to figure out which features were missing. We just decided to go with a more programmatical approach.
For how long have I used the solution?
We only used IBM BPM for a very short time—something like a year—and we decommissioned it already.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I cannot say how scalable IBM BPM is. It was stable, but we did not need to scale it. We have 7,000 employees total. However, since the solution is automated, there are no actual users — just automated tasks. So it would be equivalent to 10 or 15 users or something like that.
How are customer service and support?
We probably contacted IBM support at some point in time, but we had no issue with BPM.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had been using Drools for some other BPM implementations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We had a yearly license. I believe that if the license were cheaper, it would have a greater impact.
What other advice do I have?
I rate IBM BPM seven out of 10. I would say it's an option to consider, but I wouldn't recommend it since we've switched to another tool.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Software Trainee at Eidiko
Processes are simple to learn, install, and create
Pros and Cons
- "It has an elaborated way to explore the IBM BPM processes."
- "The integration could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use IBM BPM for banking purposes and other banking service-related queries.
What is most valuable?
IBM BPM is easy when it comes to creating processes.
It has an elaborated way to explore the IBM BPM processes.
Anyone can easily learn how to use IBM BPM, within a period of a month or two.
What needs improvement?
The integration could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM BPM for six months.
We are using the latest version, which is V8.
It is based on the local server.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM BPM is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
IBM BPM is a scalable solution.
We have 100 users in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
We have not contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have recently changed to Camunda BPM.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to install. It only took 10 to 15 minutes to complete the installation.
The guides are available on social websites.
IBM BPM is one of the several BPM tools that we are working with. Currently, our technical team is working on 50 to 70.
What about the implementation team?
We were able to complete the installation ourselves.
What other advice do I have?
This is a tool that I would strongly recommend to others.
I would rate IBM BPM a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
BPM Consultant at TECHCOMBANK
Has powerful team management and process performance features
Pros and Cons
- "Some of the features that I like the most are team management and process performance. They are both very useful and very powerful with regard to the workflow."
- "Some of the features are not enough for my business. We need to build custom user management for the many end users affected by BPM."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
In my Organization, we have a lot of business cases to bring to the BPM Platform. We bring all most workflow like ATM Operation, Loan process for Business Banking and Retail banking.
What is most valuable?
Some of the features that I like the most are team management and process performance. They are both very useful and very powerful with regard to the workflow.
It's a stable solution and can easily be deployed.
What needs improvement?
Some of the features are not enough for my business. We need to build custom user management for the many end users affected by BPM.
For IBM BPM, we have half a million users with their own processes in IBM BPM. Currently, we have a lot of processes, and we have a lot of custom groups for the onsite user to look at and run on their groups. When we add a lot of users at the same time to a group, the process admin is not enough for this, and we need to use the custom interface to do it. So, there are some issues with scalability.
The cost is higher in comparison to that of Camunda, for example.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using IBM BPM for a year.
We are currently on-premises but hope to have a cloud version as well. We have a lot of processes that may need to be run on-premises and on the cloud. We hope to use Amazon AWS for the hybrid cloud services.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good at present.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have had some issues with scalability. Currently, we have a lot of processes, and we have a lot of custom groups for the onsite user to look at and run on their groups. When we add a lot of users at the same time to a group, the process admin is not enough for this, and we need to use the custom interface to do it.
We currently have about 5000 users and may increase to 6000 to 7000 users next year. The users are member staff and managers.
How are customer service and technical support?
The customer support has been fine with IBM.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used LinuxONE, but we have a lot of solutions related to IBM. We chose IBM BPM for the sake of consistency.
How was the initial setup?
We didn't have any big issues with the network deployment.
We needed two people for the deployment.
What about the implementation team?
We have in-house and also use some vendors for development. If the rate is level 1 to 10 I think I will rate for 6.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I already compared some solutions related to business process management, and I saw that the cost of IBM BPM is more expensive compared with that of Camunda, for example.
We also pay for support.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing This solution We already create a business case to compare some Enterprise Solution. Have Page, Cammuda, IBM BPM
What other advice do I have?
If you follow good business processes, I think that IBM BPM on-premises is a good choice. It's a good solution, and I would rate it at eight on a scale from one to ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Client Partner at Peristent Systems
Good support, easy to set up, and scalable, but tedious to customize and has closed infrastructure
Pros and Cons
- "Setting it up is fairly easy. If somebody has knowledge of the system, he or she will be able to do it fairly quickly."
- "From the testing perspective and minor enhancements perspective, customization is something that is a little tedious as compared to new tools. In addition, various open-source tools that are available are not working with IBM BPM."
What is our primary use case?
A banking client is using IBM jBPM for Customer Due Diligence, and they are having user screens developed in Brazos. I think they are treating it like headless BPM, but it is not actually headless BPM. So, some of the screens and the navigation are from the old jBPM technology itself, and they have some of the customizations on top of that by using Brazos screens.
What is most valuable?
Initially, when it was developed eight or nine years back, it was really good because of the features and usability.
Setting it up is fairly easy. If somebody has knowledge of the system, he or she will be able to do it fairly quickly.
What needs improvement?
From the testing perspective and minor enhancements perspective, customization is something that is a little tedious as compared to new tools. In addition, various open-source tools that are available are not working with IBM BPM.
Some of the flows that are developed are end-to-end flows rather than modular flows. With a complex system, such as Customer Due Diligence, there are a lot of reviewers and profiles, and people need to log in and use the same flow again and again, which makes the maintenance of the tool difficult.
The security and testing side of things can be improved. If something can be done to make the latest tools and technologies available for doing the testing from the performance side and security side, it would add a lot of value. Currently, it is very difficult to put all of those tools on top of the closed infrastructure of IBM. Some of the new tools, such as Camunda, have solved this a little bit with the security scan that needs to be done in the DevSecOps pipeline that we are using nowadays.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM is known for stability and reliability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
From a scalability perspective, it is already being used as a very complex system, and it is working okay. The new solutions, such as Camunda, say that they are good from the scalability perspective, but it has not yet been proven, especially in the financial world. That's the reason we're rating Red Hat and IBM higher in this regard.
How are customer service and technical support?
Initially, there was a lot of to-and-fro communication with the IBM team. Without them, it was not possible at all. Their support was good.
Because it is very IBM-centric in terms of technology, getting the right people is very difficult. That's the reason why people go to the support team more for getting answers. This is something that is good in other offerings available in the market where the customization can be done very easily, resulting in fewer calls going to the support team.
Their support is very good. People are good, and everything is good, but in this modern world, there should not be a need to go to the support most of the time.
How was the initial setup?
Its deployment was good and easy, but the problem was that we were not able to get the people with the right skills. It is not like Java technology for which you get a lot of people with skills. It requires very specific skills, which was another challenge that the client was facing. That's why they asked us.
We don't own the entire application. We have just done a small part of it. They are now looking at what needs to be done and how they can modernize it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing is managed by the client, but we know it is yearly.
Camunda is relatively cheaper. There is not much difference in pricing of IBM and PEGA. For large licensing, there are discounts as well.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are currently checking out various BPM solutions and seeing how IBM BPM stands with respect to other BPM tools that are available. Red Hat is now IBM, and we found the Red Hat BPM to be a little bit more open source. So, the problem the client is getting may get resolved by Red Hat BPM. Our recommendation is Red Hat BPM and not Camunda, which is an okay solution, but it is a new kid in the market. From the robustness perspective, we are leaning towards Red Hat BPM, but the client has not taken a decision yet.
There are two types of BPM products available. One is the platform solution, and the other one is a little bit open-source kind of solution. Camunda is kind of open-source.
What other advice do I have?
If you are looking for a good solution where you don't need to do multiple enhancements and there is a good troubleshooting and support team, you can definitely go ahead with this solution. If you are looking for a lot of customization after implementing a BPM suite, then I would recommend Red Hat BPM over IBM BPM. For example, in the financial industry, we have critical processes that keep on changing because of regulatory changes. For such cases, Red Hat BPM is more suitable.
I would rate IBM BPM a seven out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
BPM Architect at GBM
Improved user interface, easy to scale, and highly reliable and stable
Pros and Cons
- "This solution has always been lacking in the user interface (UI), it needed to be improved a lot. However, from the acquisition of Spark UI, the UI is much better. Overall the solution is robust and has the ability to integrate with any product for complex workflows."
- "IBM BPM integrated with Spark UI and the UI is now much better, but they still need to improve the UI because competitors have predefined templates and other additional features. In these competitor's solutions, you are able to use the templates, map your data, and the form is ready to use. With this solution, you need to write a lot of code to have the same quality as the competitor's templates. It would be a benefit to make this platform more towards low-code or no-code."
What is our primary use case?
I am a Solution Architect and I support both cloud and on-premise versions of IBM BPM. I use the solution for banking applications, such as account opening, fund transfers, corporate and credit limit approval process. In the insurance sector, digitalization, underwriting, life insurance claim settlement process, and vehicle claim settlement process.
What is most valuable?
This solution has always been lacking in the user interface (UI), it needed to be improved a lot. However, from the acquisition of Spark UI, the UI is much better. Overall the solution is robust and has the ability to integrate with any product for complex workflows.
What needs improvement?
IBM BPM integrated with Spark UI and the UI is now much better, but they still need to improve the UI because competitors have predefined templates and other additional features. In these competitor's solutions, you are able to use the templates, map your data, and the form is ready to use. With this solution, you need to write a lot of code to have the same quality as the competitor's templates. It would be a benefit to make this platform more towards low-code or no-code.
The REST web service integration needs to improve by providing other features, such as different security options.
In an upcoming release, they should add video calling capabilities to the solution. I work mainly in the Middle Eastern market and many of the bank companies use video Know-Your-Customer (KYC) to call the customer directly from the BPM tool. They do this for customer verification, such as document and identity authentications. Additionally, every organization at some point would like to send out letters to their customers, for example, welcome letters, but there is no easy way to do it with this IBM BPM. There needs to be a template available or an attachable generated PDF document that can be made easily within this solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable. When looking at all the features reliability is one of the strongest points of this solution. It has greater scalability and stability compared to the other competitors, such as Appian.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is really good. The scalability of IBM BPM is one of the best in the market because you can scale seamlessly. You can add any number of user licenses, CPU cores, or other components.
Most of the customers I have are enterprise companies using this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
The support is not very good. When we raise the Problem Management Report (PMR) for any support, they usually take a long time to respond. They tend to ask a lot of questions instead of evaluating the system themselves by doing screen sharing sessions or other troubleshooting evaluations. There are times when we finally get a response from support but the solution they gave is not helpful and the issue remains.
I rate IBM BPM customer support as seven out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
I have been using this solution for a long time and for me the setup is not difficult. However, it is a little complex if it is your first time or when you compare it to competitors. The length of time it takes to do the setup depends on the hardware environment, but it typically does not take very long.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is fair for an enterprise solution that has both cloud and on-premise deployments and when comparing to competitors. Recently IBM has introduced Cloud Pak which allows for more flexible licensing options for automation and other features.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have evaluated Appian.
What other advice do I have?
I rate IBM BPM a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator, solutions architect

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Learn More: Questions:
- What are the functional differences between Camunda BPM and IBM BPM?
- Is IBM BPM independent from Database Management Systems and Application Servers?
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Now with more improvements BAW is released. Also it is interesting to observe that BAW is becoming more agile.