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IBM BPM vs IBM WebSphere BPMS comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 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

IBM BPM
Ranking in Process Automation
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
112
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Management (BPM) (7th), Application Infrastructure (6th)
IBM WebSphere BPMS
Ranking in Process Automation
27th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Process Automation category, the mindshare of IBM BPM is 6.0%, down from 9.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM WebSphere BPMS is 0.3%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Process Automation Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM BPM6.0%
IBM WebSphere BPMS0.3%
Other93.7%
Process Automation
 

Featured Reviews

Ateeq Rehman - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation platforms streamline processes and offer flexibility, but AI integration and version upgrades pose challenges
In the technology world, there is always room for improvement. Technologies evolve day by day, especially with the emergence of artificial intelligence and generative AI models. Although IBM BPM is a substantial product, adopting and integrating new technologies quickly is not easy due to the migration and upgrade paths involved. Every time new versions are released, we face business and production challenges that make rapid adoption challenging. The main concern bothering me today regarding IBM BPM is the integration of AI components.
CB
Developers gain flexibility to build custom controls with numerous integration options
Looking forward, IBM WebSphere BPMS could add more adapters to integrate with SAP or Salesforce integrator in upcoming releases. Regarding AI-driven process optimizations, we have not implemented these features with IBM WebSphere BPMS. In recent versions, IBM has introduced some generative AI features, and we plan to migrate to the newer versions within approximately one year.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"IBM BPM is equipped with all the functionalities which are needed for building BPM enterprise-level applications."
"We have used a lot of out-of-the-box reporting on the process performance metrics. We have been able to make suggested changes to staff for this role or streamlining by eliminate some activities where people were not requiring a lot of work in the first place."
"Everything is coupled together and comes as one solution."
"The designer feature, compared to other solutions is easy to use."
"By automating several tasks, we have already reduced a lot of work for the business."
"The process creation."
"The reach with Integration Adapters and support for adding custom Java code are valuable features."
"Our customers use the solution as a workflow platform to manage their processes."
"IBM WebSphere BPMS provides significant return on investments, especially in the BAW component."
"We like the feature in which we can trace back instances."
"The UI capabilities of the solution are great. The speed of delivery is good."
"This product is flexible in its ability to integrate processes and it can be extended and integrated with other software."
"The most valuable feature of IBM WebSphere BPMS is the systematic framework it provides for building different systems."
 

Cons

"I would like it more documentation during the design phase."
"I have an interest around the robotic piece, and integrating that with the processes. I think that is certainly a good direction to be going."
"Needs better reporting. I do not think that we are fully taking advantage of what it already has yet."
"The interface is limited and should improve in the future."
"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."
"They don't have a mechanism to achieve processes, data sources, and data."
"I would say the scalability is very good but it's not perfect. It is much more scalable than it has been in the past but... it does require some work to keep it stable. So that is an area that should be improved."
"It is a rather thick stack because you have to have WebSphere skills, IBM BPM skills, and an understanding of how the product runs on WebSphere. A lot of this will start to get a lot easier as they put it in containers, which will allow the platform to manage itself in some regards."
"The user interface could be improved, and although integration opportunities are good, they could be improved further."
"There is a need for more capabilities in low-code and no-code development to increase efficiency and make implementation simpler."
"Sometimes there are tasks that failed without any reason."
"The solution lacks acceptable stability."
"Looking forward, IBM WebSphere BPMS could add more adapters to integrate with SAP or Salesforce integrator in upcoming releases."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It gives us a good return on investment."
"IBM could improve the price. It is far too expensive."
"It is pricey."
"I rate the tool's pricing a seven out of ten."
"The pricing is quite high, I would rate it two out of five."
"IBM BPM cannot be considered a cheaply priced product. IBM BPM is a really expensive product compared to other companies. One needs to opt for the perpetual licensing model offered by IBM."
"I think it's a reasonably priced tool, but it's important to consider which customers should buy this solution. It's designed for enterprise customers, not small ones."
"The solution might be expensive, but I can't give you a precise number. In the market here, I've seen two main products for BPM: IBM BPM and Camunda. Camunda is very popular and open-source, so there's no direct comparison."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
28%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Insurance Company
5%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise71
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better, IBM BPM or IBM Business Automation Workflow?
We researched both IBM solutions and in the end, we chose Business Automation Workflow. IBM BPM has a good user interface and the BPM coach is a helpful tool. The API is very useful in providing en...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM BPM?
Once it is installed, maintaining it is not a big issue.
What needs improvement with IBM WebSphere BPMS?
Looking forward, IBM WebSphere BPMS could add more adapters to integrate with SAP or Salesforce integrator in upcoming releases. Regarding AI-driven process optimizations, we have not implemented t...
What is your primary use case for IBM WebSphere BPMS?
IBM WebSphere BPMS allows users to build workflows and dashboards. It is a developer-friendly product. The product features a great UI interface that is mobile-friendly, tab-friendly, and desktop-f...
What advice do you have for others considering IBM WebSphere BPMS?
Understanding the benefits and improvements that come with using the product is essential. IBM WebSphere BPMS is performing excellently, and I do not see any significant areas requiring improvement...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager, IBM WebSphere Process Server
WebSphere BPMS
 

Overview

Information not available
 

Sample Customers

Barclays, EmeriCon, Banca Popolare di Milano, CST Consulting, KeyBank, KPMG, Prolifics, Sandhata Technologies Ltd., State of Alaska, Humana S.A., Saperion, esciris, Banco Espirito Santo
Schahin Group, Korean Credit Card Company, Versicherungskammer Bayern, Biogrid Australia
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM BPM vs. IBM WebSphere BPMS and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.