Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

ActiveBatch by Redwood vs IBM Workload Automation comparison

Sponsored
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.3
JAMS automates job management, reducing costs and labor while enhancing efficiency and allowing staff to focus on critical tasks.
Sentiment score
7.8
ActiveBatch enhances ROI with automation, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and supporting remote work, increasing revenue and accuracy.
Sentiment score
5.2
IBM Workload Automation is valuable for complex setups with trained teams, despite maintenance costs and slower performance on simpler networks.
The design of JAMS makes it very easy to copy jobs and make minimal changes while ensuring functionality.
Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
We require fewer team members to handle operations due to its robust automation.
Application Administrator Lead at Bluestem
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
JAMS offers impressive, knowledgeable support with quick, effective solutions, proactively addressing user needs through various channels.
Sentiment score
7.0
ActiveBatch by Redwood is praised for responsive support, though complex issues sometimes need customer advocates for resolution.
Sentiment score
8.3
Opinions on IBM Workload Automation's support vary; some praise it, while others face delays and inconsistent service.
Their response is prompt, exemplifying how support should be.
Manager of Reliability Engineering and Security Operations at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
They are very quick to respond depending on the issue's severity.
System Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
We contacted JAMS vendor, who guided us through the necessary steps, and after following their guidance, everything was resolved.
ETL Data Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
We often need to escalate issues to level two or three for solutions related to long-standing problems.
Application Administrator Lead at Bluestem
I would rate their support between eight and nine out of ten.
Technical Lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.6
JAMS efficiently scales to handle thousands of jobs daily, offering flexibility, ease, and consistent performance, though licensing may limit scalability.
Sentiment score
8.2
ActiveBatch by Redwood offers robust scalability, efficiently handling thousands of jobs and growing teams without bandwidth issues or disruptions.
Sentiment score
7.0
IBM Workload Automation is preferred for scalability in complex scheduling, with minor challenges at higher scales, especially in time zones.
We might be underutilizing it, but as more jobs require processing, additional servers would be necessary.
System Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
JAMS's scalability is noteworthy; we run 6,000 jobs per day without facing any problems.
Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
ActiveBatch by Redwood's scalability is excellent; it experiences minimal failures and outages.
Application Administrator Lead at Bluestem
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
JAMS is stable and reliable, with the desktop version praised, while rare issues are due to external factors.
Sentiment score
8.0
ActiveBatch by Redwood is reliable, efficiently reducing manual tasks, with minimal downtime often due to external factors.
Sentiment score
8.8
IBM Workload Automation is viewed as reliable and stable, with minor issues resolved swiftly, boosting user confidence.
We experience periods of major incidents annually due to capacity constraints, which result in job failures.
Manager of Reliability Engineering and Security Operations at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Being on the new version, there's been zero downtime.
System Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

JAMS users seek enhanced UI, search, automation, security, AI integration, and documentation to improve functionality and performance.
ActiveBatch needs a more intuitive interface, enhanced integration, better support, and customization for improved usability and efficiency.
IBM Workload Automation requires interface improvements, enhanced automation, better support, and lower maintenance costs to improve user experience.
Another area for improvement would be the addition of source control for jobs internally, as this feature would solve several problems for me.
Manager of Reliability Engineering and Security Operations at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
A major improvement would be the integration of AI to help us accomplish various tasks.
System Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
If around 5,000 or more jobs run at a time, JAMS slows down, and we have to wait around five to 10 minutes or restart JAMS scheduler services.
ETL Data Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
On the web console, users encounter daily activity issues where the job instances do not appear or update correctly, and they cannot view the latest logs.
Application Administrator Lead at Bluestem
I believe ActiveBatch by Redwood could be improved because the UI could be modernized.
Manager, Production Services at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
The maintenance charges have increased significantly, and a lower cost would be beneficial.
Technical Lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

JAMS offers competitive pricing for enterprise scheduling, with flexibility in licensing and lower costs than Control-M and Tivoli.
ActiveBatch offers cost-effective pricing with reliable support, though additional fees and subscription transitions may increase costs.
IBM Workload Automation is costly but offers flexible pricing models with cloud advantages and justifies expense with reliability and features.
The price is fair considering the functionality and importance of the tool, although the increase did unsettle our management.
System Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for ActiveBatch by Redwood has been great
Application Administrator Lead at Bluestem
 

Valuable Features

JAMS offers automation, intuitive scheduling, and integration, enhancing efficiency with flexible workflows, PowerShell support, and responsive user assistance.
ActiveBatch by Redwood enhances workflow automation with ease of use, extensive integrations, and robust alerting for efficient process execution.
IBM Workload Automation excels with dynamic scheduling, multiplatform integration, user-friendly GUI, real-time updates, and effective monitoring.
JAMS has positively impacted my organization by completely removing the headache of scheduling jobs, not just for the organization but for all internal operations teams need.
Cloud Engineer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
This efficient feature has been invaluable, enabling us to streamline our workflow and enhance productivity.
Manager of Reliability Engineering and Security Operations at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
The most valuable feature of JAMS is its user-friendly interface, especially after upgrading from version six to seven.
System Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
The addition of AI has made troubleshooting and supporting users through ActiveBatch by Redwood quicker for me.
Application Administrator Lead at Bluestem
The best feature that ActiveBatch by Redwood offers is the user interface.
Manager, Production Services at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
One valuable feature of IBM Workload Automation is the ability to combine different applications and platforms to organize jobs together, creating dependencies.
Technical Lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

JAMS
Sponsored
Ranking in Workload Automation
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ActiveBatch by Redwood
Ranking in Workload Automation
10th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
Process Automation (17th), Managed File Transfer (MFT) (15th)
IBM Workload Automation
Ranking in Workload Automation
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
33
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Workload Automation category, the mindshare of JAMS is 2.3%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ActiveBatch by Redwood is 2.8%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Workload Automation is 5.4%, down from 8.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Workload Automation Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
JAMS2.3%
IBM Workload Automation5.4%
ActiveBatch by Redwood2.8%
Other89.5%
Workload Automation
 

Featured Reviews

Patrick Norton - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager of Reliability Engineering and Security Operations at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Support has been among the most helpful and knowledgeable we've ever worked with but performance monitoring needs improvement
The monitoring of the JAMS product and its performance is an area of concern for me. I also need better tools to adopt version seven. Another area for improvement would be the addition of source control for jobs internally, as this feature would solve several problems for me. JAMS has some quirks. It has a bit of a learning curve. Some exceptions are not intuitive, such as when a job is terminated due to exceeding its defined runaway time limit. This generates a misleading exception message that is difficult for new users to understand and requires experience to interpret correctly. Stalled jobs present a unique challenge, particularly when pushing a system like JAMS version six to its limits. While rare, these instances occur when jobs become unresponsive despite appearing in API queries but not in the monitoring console. Although workarounds exist, they highlight the need for improved native monitoring capabilities within JAMS. Currently, the system assumes flawless operation, necessitating supplemental monitoring tools to detect issues like excessive pending or stalled jobs, ensuring timely intervention by our teams.
AS
Application Administrator Lead at Bluestem
Manages thousands of jobs daily and reduces downtime through secondary node support
The current feedback I receive from my end users regarding ActiveBatch by Redwood highlights issues with the tabs or panes during job modification. When the next user monitors it, they need to close the pane or job and reopen it to see the changes reflected. If the end user makes an update, it will not be visible unless they start from the beginning again. Implementing a refresh button would be helpful for real-time updates when the end user needs to see changes immediately. We currently face issues with the web console of ActiveBatch by Redwood. When users operate through an RDP session, every user has their own ActiveBatch by Redwood application. However, on the web console, users encounter daily activity issues where the job instances do not appear or update correctly, and they cannot view the latest logs. This issue is only present on the web console, as the application itself works without any problems. ActiveBatch by Redwood can be improved by adding more features, as we are not currently handling cloud-based applications like S3 buckets and Azure. Connecting to these cloud platforms would be a helpful enhancement.
reviewer2701716 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Lead at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Dynamic workload balancing facilitates efficient job scheduling and ensures continuity with a master-slave setup
One valuable feature of IBM Workload Automation is the ability to combine different applications and platforms to organize jobs together, creating dependencies. It's akin to an orchestra. Another feature is dynamic workload balancing, which I find enhances efficiency by automating job setup to run daily. Moreover, having a backup setup allows for immediate recovery if the master setup fails.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Workload Automation solutions are best for your needs.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Insurance Company
7%
Retailer
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
28%
Retailer
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise18
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise47
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise29
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about JAMS?
I find the historical tracking feature of JAMS invaluable for reviewing past events.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JAMS?
They recently switched to subscription-based pricing, which increased. The price is fair considering the functionalit...
What needs improvement with JAMS?
As far as we are using JAMS version 6, it looks good and there is nothing major to add about it. Everything is functi...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ActiveBatch Workload Automation?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for ActiveBatch by Redwood has been great; we recently renewed ...
What needs improvement with ActiveBatch Workload Automation?
The current feedback I receive from my end users regarding ActiveBatch by Redwood highlights issues with the tabs or ...
What is your primary use case for ActiveBatch Workload Automation?
My main use case for ActiveBatch by Redwood is that I handle the ActiveBatch by Redwood maintenance through upgrades ...
What needs improvement with IBM Workload Automation?
IBM Workload Automation could be improved by reducing its cost. The maintenance charges have increased significantly,...
What is your primary use case for IBM Workload Automation?
We use IBM Workload Automation ( /products/ibm-workload-automation-reviews ) as a scheduler. We install agents on the...
What advice do you have for others considering IBM Workload Automation?
I recommend IBM Workload Automation as it's a well-established and stable product. However, the cost is a concern. Th...
 

Also Known As

No data available
ActiveBatch
IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler, IBM TWS
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Teradata, Arconic, General Dynamics, Yum!, CVS Health, Comcast, Ghiradelli, & Boston’s Children’s Hospital
Informatica, D&H, ACES, PrimeSource, Sub-Zero Group, SThree, Lamar Advertising, Subway, Xcel Energy, Ignite Technologies, Whataburger, Jyske Bank, Omaha Children's Hospital
Standard Life Group, Banca Popolare di Milano, A*STAR, ArcelorMittal Gent
Find out what your peers are saying about ActiveBatch by Redwood vs. IBM Workload Automation and other solutions. Updated: November 2025.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.