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IBM MQ Reviews

Vendor: IBM
4.2 out of 5
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What is IBM MQ?

    IBM MQ is a middleware product used to send or exchange messages across multiple platforms, including applications, systems, files, and services via MQs (messaging queues). This solution helps simplify the creation of business applications, and also makes them easier to maintain. IBM MQ is security-rich, has high performance, and provides a universal messaging backbone with robust connectivity. In addition, it also integrates easily with existing IT assets by using an SOA (service oriented architecture).

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IBM MQ is the #1 ranked solution in top Business Activity Monitoring solutions, top Message Queue Software, and top Message Oriented Middleware (MOM) solutions. PeerSpot users give IBM MQ an average rating of 8.4 out of 10. IBM MQ is most commonly compared to MuleSoft Anypoint Platform: IBM MQ vs MuleSoft Anypoint Platform. IBM MQ is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 65% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 32% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
IBM MQ
December 2025
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IBM MQ mindshare

Product category:
Message Queue (MQ) Software
As of December 2025, the mindshare of IBM MQ in the Message Queue (MQ) Software category stands at 22.9%, up from 22.8% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Message Queue (MQ) Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM MQ22.9%
ActiveMQ22.7%
Red Hat AMQ9.8%
Other44.60000000000001%
Message Queue (MQ) Software

PeerResearch reports based on IBM MQ reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryMessage Queue (MQ) SoftwareDec 29, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersDec 29, 2025Download
ComparisonIBM MQ vs ActiveMQDec 29, 2025Download
ComparisonIBM MQ vs Amazon SQSDec 29, 2025Download
ComparisonIBM MQ vs MuleSoft Anypoint PlatformDec 29, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform4.08.1%92%60 interviewsAdd to research
ActiveMQ4.022.7%89%28 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers
Last updated Dec 7, 2025

Valuable Features

IBM MQ users highlight its reliability and guaranteed delivery, critical for financial transactions. They appreciate its ability to scale effectively and handle large volumes of data across multiple platforms. Robust security features, including encryption and SSL, are valued for protecting sensitive data. Its ease of integration and compatibility with various applications enables seamless data transfer, essential for complex environments. High availability and message persistence ensure continuous operations, making it a preferred choice for industries demanding intense data handling.
  • "IBM MQ has positively impacted my organization by enabling asynchronous processing, which means we do not need to wait for any responses from our downstream systems."
  • "The best features of IBM MQ were stability and straightforward application functionality; it has vendor support, which was a significant advantage, and in case of any production issues, we definitely get vendor support, whereas with Kafka and others, we have to rely on open community and our research."
  • "The best thing about IBM MQ solution is that it's guaranteed delivery and it's fast."

Room for Improvement

IBM MQ could benefit from improved security features and resilience, with a focus on modernizing its user interface for easier use across generations. Support for more third-party tools and enhanced integration with cloud services and APIs would be advantageous. The need for better graphics or dashboards and a more streamlined management interface is evident. Enhancements in monitoring and pricing adjustments are frequently mentioned. Users are keen on more straightforward migration processes and better high-availability support.
  • "IBM MQ has limitations regarding scaling options. The licensing costs associated with scaling up and down were significant, which is why we are moving to Apache-based services such as Kafka."
  • "I'm not really aware of how they help in this."
  • "The customer service or technical support from IBM is not as good as we expected; it could be better. They don't meet our standards due to the timing to get a person with knowledge."

ROI

IBM MQ demonstrates strong dependability for organizations using it long-term with noticeable returns within two years due to reduced bugs and maintained costs. Users note the buffering feature for handling transaction spikes and the capacity to build scalable clusters. It provides cost savings in development and operations, serving as an important tool for financial messaging and integration platforms, though some find direct cost impact challenging to measure.

Pricing

IBM MQ's pricing model is primarily based on Processor Value Unit licensing, where costs can be high but often consolidated in enterprise agreements. Users highlight IBM MQ as expensive, especially compared to open-source options. However, the comprehensive features, reliability, and scalability often justify the cost for large enterprises. While some organizations find the pricing reasonable within bundled contracts, others seek alternatives due to high licensing fees. Costs include usage-based charges, annual licensing, and additional fees for multi-platform solutions.
  • "If one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the tool's price a seven. The product is expensive."
  • "The license for IBM MQ is commercial and not cheap. You get a multi-platform solution, which is important because it lets you connect systems on mainframes, personal solutions, Unix, Linux, etc."
  • "The pricing needs improvement."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use IBM MQ for reliable message delivery and integration across various systems, ensuring guaranteed transmission for critical business transactions. It facilitates synchronous and asynchronous communication between applications and systems. IBM MQ is widely adopted in banking, financial services, and enterprises for tasks like file transfers, data exchanges, and connecting legacy systems with modern applications. Its extensive use in diverse global environments supports ATM transactions, mobile banking, web services, and cloud migrations.

Service and Support

The technical support for IBM MQ generally receives positive feedback, with strength in responsiveness and expertise, especially for critical issues. Some find the wait times and response times for lower-priority issues could improve. Customers appreciate the documentation and find many issues are self-resolvable. Reports indicate some dissatisfaction with navigating the support system and occasional quality inconsistencies. Despite some mixed reviews, support is mostly rated highly, reflecting a good level of satisfaction among users.

Deployment

Many users found IBM MQ's initial setup straightforward, especially with prior experience or assistance from IBM. Complexity arose from configurations, large infrastructures, and integrating with pre-existing systems. Familiarity helped some, while others faced challenges with distribution and clustering. On-premises setups were generally simpler than cloud implementations. Automation and structured processes eased deployment, though some environments required manual intervention. Expertise helped overcome initial hurdles, but the setup time varied depending on system requirements and configurations.

Scalability

IBM MQ demonstrates strong scalability across various environments, effectively handling high transaction volumes and diverse workloads. Users report ease of scaling both vertically and horizontally, leveraging queue managers and clustering capabilities. Some face challenges with older versions or specific configurations, but overall, MQ's flexibility enables adaptation to changing needs. Certain organizations mention concerns about complexity and manual scaling requirements compared to cloud-native solutions, yet MQ remains a reliable choice for many enterprises.

Stability

Users consistently indicate IBM MQ as stable, with some highlighting rare stability issues linked to external factors rather than IBM MQ itself. Many report continuous uptime, asserting reliability even in complex environments. It's deemed efficient, with high performance and uptime ratings frequently mentioned. Technical support is appreciated, though some note room for enhancement in user-friendliness. Despite occasional capacity-related challenges, users express high satisfaction with its dependability and robustness, often rating stability as excellent.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our IBM MQ Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise118
By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews
Company SizeCount
Small Business255
Midsize Enterprise142
Large Enterprise729
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
32%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Healthcare Company
5%
Government
4%
Retailer
4%
Insurance Company
4%
Transportation Company
3%
Media Company
3%
Educational Organization
3%
Comms Service Provider
3%
Performing Arts
3%
Real Estate/Law Firm
2%
Energy/Utilities Company
2%
Outsourcing Company
2%
University
1%
Non Profit
1%
Legal Firm
1%
Hospitality Company
1%
Construction Company
1%
Wholesaler/Distributor
1%
Consumer Goods Company
1%
Photography Company
1%
Pharma/Biotech Company
1%
Marketing Services Firm
1%
Logistics Company
1%
Recreational Facilities/Services Company
1%

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Learn more about IBM MQ

IBM MQ can be deployed:

  • On-premises
  • In the cloud
  • Hybrid cloud

IBM MQ supports the following APIs:

  • MQI (Message Queue Interface)
  • REST
  • .NET
  • MQTT
  • JMS
  • IBM MQ Light


IBM MQ Features

Some of the most powerful IBM MQ features include:

  • High availability
  • Stability and scalability
  • Flexible deployment options
  • Uniform clusters
  • Automated and intelligent workload balancing
  • Broad language, API, and messaging protocol support
  • Administrative features that simplify messaging management
  • Open standards development tools
  • Simple management tools

IBM MQ Benefits

Some of the benefits of using IBM MQ include:

  • Multi-style messaging: IBM MQ supports simple multi-style messaging, making it easy to connect diverse systems with support for message queuing, transactions, and more.

  • Reduced risk: With IBM MQ you will never lose a message, and messages are never delivered more than once.

  • Cloud-native: Because IBM MQ has a minimal infrastructure, it is suitable to be cloud-native, and therefore has the capability to always remain on.

  • Available anywhere: Using IBM MQ, you have access to secure messaging anywhere, at any time.

  • Secure: IBM MQ makes sure to keep your data safe by using TLS secured communications, providing access identity management, message-level security, and more measures to protect your information.

  • Easy for application programmers: To use IBM MQ, application programmers do not need to have any knowledge of communications programming.

  • Technical support: IBM MQ has a large user community and also provides support 24/7 as needed.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by IBM MQ users who are currently using the solution.

PeerSpot user Sunil S., a manager at a financial services firm, explains that they never lose messages are never lost in transit, mentioning that he can store messages and forward them as required: "Whenever payments are happening, such as incoming payments to the bank, we need to notify the customer. With MQ we can actually do that asynchronously. We don't want to notify the customer for each and every payment but, rather, more like once a day. That kind of thing can be enabled with the help of MQ."

Another PeerSpot reviewer, Luis L. who is a solutions director at Thesys Technologies, says that IBM MQ is a valuable solution and is "A stable and reliable software that offers good integration between different systems."

The head of operations at a financial services firm notes that "I have found the solution to be very robust. It has a strong reputation, is easy to use, simple to configure in our enterprise software, and supports all the protocols that we use."

In addition, a Software Engineer at a financial services firm praises the security benefits of it and states that “it has the most security features I've seen in a communication solution. Security is the most important thing for our purposes."

IBM MQ was previously known as WebSphere MQ.

IBM MQ customers

Deutsche Bahn, Bon-Ton, WestJet, ARBURG, Northern Territory Government, Tata Steel Europe, Sharp Corporation

Related questions

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What Is The Biggest Difference Between ActiveMQ and IBM MQ?
  • 39
What is the biggest difference between IBM MQ and RabbitMQ?
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How does IBM MQ compare with VMware RabbitMQ?
  • 26
When evaluating Message Queue, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
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What Message Queue (MQ) Software do you recommend? Why?
  • 53
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  • 78
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Why is Message Queue (MQ) Software important for companies?

Product Categories

Product Categories
Message Queue (MQ) Software
Business Activity Monitoring
Message Oriented Middleware (MOM)

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IBM MQ Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
SWIFT manager at Raiffeisen Bank Aval4.5We use IBM MQ for payment processing across countries in a stable production environment. It's reliable, well-documented, and secure, though accessing IBM support is challenging. Improvements could include additional features and a graphical interface. Pricing comparisons are unavailable.
Enterprise Technical Leader at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees4.0I use IBM MQ primarily for ACE and B2B applications, and it’s been reliable, fast, and stable over the years. Though pricey, it scales well, offers solid support, and I’d rate it an eight out of ten.
Dev lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees3.5I use IBM MQ as a reliable middleware solution for our enterprise. Its stability and resilience make it top-notch, though it needs better cloud compatibility. It effectively integrates systems, offering ROI despite lacking direct financial impact.
Senior Manager, MW & DB Automation at a computer software company with 11-50 employees5.0No summary available
Integration Solution Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees4.5I've used IBM MQ for four years and appreciate its stability, support, and security, but scaling limitations and licensing costs have led us to transition to Apache Kafka for better flexibility and cost efficiency.
Director, At Tiaa Senior Technical Lead at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees4.5I've used IBM MQ for about ten years, mainly for asynchronous API integrations. It's stable, scalable, and supports JMS well, though I’d like improved message rollback features. Overall, it's excellent for workflow messaging.
Software Engineer IV at Royal Cyber Inc.5.0We use IBM MQ for handling large volumes of financial transactions with backend systems, ensuring messages aren't lost. Its reliable message delivery supports revenue generation. I currently find no need for improvements and appreciate the cost savings and ROI.
Vice President - Senior IT Audit Manager at Northern Trust Corporation4.5I primarily use IBM MQ for data transfers and configuring queues within applications. Its most valuable feature is its reliability and strong security. It's still in a research phase, so specific improvements are difficult to suggest.