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Apache Airflow vs IBM Case Foundation comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 18, 2024

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

Apache Airflow
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM Case Foundation
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
32nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of Apache Airflow is 6.1%, down from 8.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Case Foundation is 0.4%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Process Management (BPM)
 

Featured Reviews

Madhan Potluri - PeerSpot reviewer
We efficiently manage and monitor production pipelines through job resumption and error log integration
We utilize Apache Airflow for managing machine learning production pipelines. The deployment of our machine learning models takes place through Apache Airflow. We configure pipelines, decide on the frequency of recalibration, deployment, and dataset training Apache Airflow allows us to resume…
Nouman Nawaz - PeerSpot reviewer
Mature product in terms of security and stable product
The architecture is a bit difficult, but in BAW, they introduced the Business Automation Workflow. It's a bit easier compared to Case Manager. Currently, we use Case Manager, so it's a bit difficult to upgrade and handle, but BAW is comparatively much better and easier to handle. The limitation is only for customization because IBM doesn't support it. In some scenarios, if you want some business processes to be customized, we have already spoken two or three times with IBM representatives that we have to customize some of the features in this business process. They would say that if you want to do this automation at your own end, then okay, fine, go ahead, but we are not supporting all this customization. The only thing is the customization because it's a complete standard application.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The best feature is the customization."
"Since the solution is programmatic, it allows users to define pipelines in code rather than drag and drop."
"Airflow integrates well with Cloudera and effectively supports complex operations."
"The initial setup was straightforward and it does not take long to complete."
"Its user-friendly interface makes it straightforward to operate, offering a plethora of features for data preparation, buffering, and format conversion."
"The tool is user-friendly."
"Apache Airflow is easy to scale and its UI improves with each release."
"Since Apache works very well on Python, we can manage everything and create pipelines there."
"The content management is great."
"It is easy to set up workflows that notify the user depending on certain events."
"The most valuable feature is the content manager part of the file as it is very stable, robust, and reliable."
"The most valuable features are those involving decision making, analysis, and anything related to event documents because those processes are related to content as well."
"The most valuable feature is its stability, which is why we are using it."
"A valuable feature includes seamless integration with the document management system, along with robust capabilities in analytics and reporting."
"It provides us the capability of producing b​​usiness processes for documents that are launched immediately when a document comes into the repository."
"Flexible and the ability to divide search screens, and to search for documents. The ECM feature inside the system is great."
 

Cons

"I have some issues with the solution's communication."
"Apache Airflow improved workflow efficiency, but we had to find solutions for large workflows. For instance, a monthly workflow with 1200 jobs had to be split into three to four pieces as it struggled with large job numbers. Loading a workflow with 500 jobs could take 10 minutes, which wasn't acceptable."
"We cannot run real-time jobs in the solution."
"The problem with Apache Airflow is that it is an open-source tool. You have to build it into a Kubernetes container, which is not easy to maintain, and I find it to be very clunky."
"UI can be improved with additional user-friendly features for non-programmers and for fewer coding practitioner requirements."
"The in-built package dependencies in Python have some issues in Apache Airflow, making it an area that needs improvement."
"The scalability of the solution itself is not as we expected. Being on the cloud, it should be easy to scale, however, it's not."
"There is a need for more features on experimental evolution steps."
"Once a workflow is launched then it stays static forever, which is a problem because if there is a change in the business then you cannot change the workflow."
"The interface needs to be more user-friendly."
"90% of the feedback we receive states that the UI is not very user-friendly."
"Comparing the solution with other interfaces, IBM BPM is much better than Case Foundation. They need to make this solution's interface more user-friendly."
"The service as it currently stands is out-of-date and lacks flexibility."
"The cloud version could use more stability."
"We are now using microservices but there are some areas where the coordination with FileNet is problematic."
"There are some features that could be enhanced like the document viewer"
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is cheap."
"The solution is free if you use Amazon AWS."
"Apache Airflow is a cheap solution."
"We are using the open-source version of Apache Airflow."
"We use a community edition of Apache Airflow. It is open source and free."
"Apache Airflow is a free solution that can be downloaded and ready for use at any moment."
"It's open-source."
"I use the tool's open-source version."
"IBM Case Foundation is a little expensive."
"The price falls in the middle range—not overly expensive but not extremely affordable either."
"Pricing is in the mid-range, it is not cheap, but it's not expensive."
"This is not an expensive solution and we are using the standard license."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
27%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Retailer
5%
Government
15%
Insurance Company
11%
University
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which would you choose - Camunda Platform or Apache Airflow?
Camunda Platform allows for visual demonstration and presentation of business process flows. The flexible Java-based option was a big win for us and allows for the integration of microservices very...
What do you like most about Apache Airflow?
Apache Airflow is easy to use and can monitor task execution easily. For instance, when performing setup tasks, you can conveniently view the logs without delving into the job details.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apache Airflow?
We don't experience issues with pricing as Apache Airflow is part of a larger platform. It is a sub-feature and not an individual purchase.
What do you like most about IBM Case Foundation?
A valuable feature includes seamless integration with the document management system, along with robust capabilities in analytics and reporting.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Case Foundation?
It was affordable, but right now, ten years later, the cost of the product is extremely high. That's why we are looking for another product.
What needs improvement with IBM Case Foundation?
The architecture is a bit difficult, but in BAW, they introduced the Business Automation Workflow. It's a bit easier compared to Case Manager. Currently, we use Case Manager, so it's a bit difficul...
 

Also Known As

Airflow
Case Foundation, FileNet Business Process Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Agari, WePay, Astronomer
Suncorp Group Limited
Find out what your peers are saying about Apache Airflow vs. IBM Case Foundation and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.