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IBM DOORS vs Jama Connect vs Jira comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Application Requirements Management category, the mindshare of IBM DOORS is 27.4%, down from 33.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Jama Connect is 12.3%, down from 14.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Jira is 11.2%, down from 15.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Requirements Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM DOORS27.4%
Jira11.2%
Jama Connect12.3%
Other49.10000000000001%
Application Requirements Management
 

Featured Reviews

Amol Dumbre - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Manager at Forvia
Integrated lifecycle management has supported global A‑SPICE projects and custom reporting
I believe the toolchain currently covers all of our requirements. Even for A-SPICE and related requirements, I can add attributes and manage things effectively because the tool is highly customizable. I can continue updating things and managing different processes. The only gap I have identified is in code-level coverage reporting. I have coverage traceability from IBM DOORS through the architecture and design, but I am unable to demonstrate code-level coverage reporting. That reporting capability would be helpful. Testing is covered very well through IBM Test Manager. The traceability to code is something I feel there may be certain gaps in, though I may not be fully aware of all capabilities since my role is different and I primarily receive reports rather than being an end user. Regarding the traceability feature, I am not an end user but rather receive reports from my team, so my perspective is limited.
Juergen Albrecht - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Director at CCC Systems Engineering Suisse GmbH
Has required better change management and easier tool integration but supports certification needs and strong collaboration
The visualization tools are nearly similar, so it does not matter if you use DNG or even Jama Connect, but at Jama Connect, the selection and setup for running complex scripts is very powerful and fast compared to IBM, which is sometimes very slow due to the complex software which has lost focus on usability. The collaboration capabilities of Jama Connect are fantastic, and when comparing IBM, PTC, and Jama Connect, they are nearly equal because all three have recognized the importance of collaboration in today's work environment. The feature that I really appreciate about Jama Connect is its allowance for certifications through the FAA and FDA organizations in the US, which in the past was not possible for smaller companies because larger ones, such as Boeing and Airbus, often advised against using unapproved tools.
Akhil Viswam - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Agile workflows have streamlined sprint planning and tracking for faster feature delivery
Jira has a very good interface and it is very easy to manage sprints, tasks, and epics. The main feature is the hierarchy, as features can be converted into epics and topics, allowing bigger tasks to be partitioned into smaller ones. The hierarchy feature in Jira helps the team significantly compared to other tools that have been used, such as Trello, which is mainly useful only for a waterfall model. For modern Agile practices, Jira is the most adapted tool in the industry. Another valuable feature is that Jira APIs have been used for data science projects to analyze tasks and get insights. This has also been very helpful in the project.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What I like about DOORS is baselines, it's easy and I use the capability of multiple users. The traceability or links between different levels are very nice. Additionally, it is used by all of our suppliers, which brings us commonality."
"It enables us to manage our customers' requirements effectively and efficiently."
"DOORS is a very mature and stable product these days."
"Compared to other tools that I have used over the past 20 years, DOORS is the best of the best."
"The program is very stable."
"I like being able to sort and categorize the requirements and the exporting functions."
"The most valuable feature for me is the ability to enter data into one table, or context, and link it across modules."
"Traceability on requirements for a huge project in an organization is a big gain."
"The relationship mapping feature is especially helpful, as it allows us to connect different requirements and compliance-related documentation."
"The most valuable feature is the user-friendly interface."
"Traceability is a key differentiator for Jama Connect, especially compared to Jira."
"The user experience is better than the competition."
"In Jama Connect, users have the capability to view and manage all test cases directly within the platform and execute them. The entire product specification, spanning various domains such as electrical, mechanical, software, and testing, is consolidated within Jama Connect."
"It is good at requirements management and test management, and for day-to-day users, it is very user-friendly."
"Technical support answers fairly quickly compared to others like IBM or Atlassian. They also offer quite a good knowledge base for advanced cases and how to plan it, etc. via videos that they provide. They are quite useful."
"I like Jama Connect because it's easy to use and understand. The widgets are great, and linking is straightforward. The solution is not complex compared to its competitors."
"Jira has impacted the productivity and cost efficiency for me and my development team, though I have faced some challenges with Jira during this time."
"I like the ease with which we can do our workflow administration, especially with respect to defects."
"In general, the GUI is nice."
"The most valuable feature of Jira is the reporting feature, which allows us to track our team's tasks."
"We use multiple plugins and tools which are integrated with Jira, it provides good output as we expected and we are basically hoping to increase the number of users."
"The product is good, stable and very cost-effective for small teams."
"All in all, these tools, with little effort or cost, have allowed us to provide what larger consulting and product firms struggle to provide due to legacy products, system acquisitions, and compliance."
"The UI is good. It's simple and not very complicated. It's very good for tracking."
 

Cons

"The Rational DOORS client is terribly slow if you are not on-site with the server."
"The user interface for the Change Proposal System could be improved."
"It could be more user-friendly. It's not a beautiful tool. The user interface is gray. It has only lists inside, and it's horrible when you want to add tables. It's tough to add tables and manage them. It also becomes difficult when you want to add images."
"IBM DOORS should cover all engineering functions seamlessly, not just requirement engineering."
"It would have been ok ten years ago, but we are used to having better tools now."
"Replacing a word document is always hard."
"The problem is that because the GUI is so bad, you either have to spend a lot of money customizing the interface yourself, or a lot of money on training."
"One thing that I would like to see is a lower-cost version of it that we could use for smaller projects. Sometimes, we do projects for commercial customers who would benefit from something like DOORS, but it's just so expensive."
"I have inquired about pricing for this solution but have not yet heard anything, so their response time in this regard is something that should be improved."
"The initial setup is a bit complex."
"I believe one of the weak points is the reporting side."
"I think there's room for improvement, especially with the review process. Reviews should be integrated with requirement evaluation instead of being separate from it. The review should not run parallel to the requirement."
"The collaboration feature in Jama Connect could be improved because it is only used by a limited number of people within an organization due to license costs."
"Test management can be improved. It's not so scalable. The user interface needs to split things into small projects."
"There are some security concerns with Jama Connect, including two-factor enablement."
"The solution is very software-centric, and its validation piece is not time-efficient at all."
"It would be helpful to have a better tutorial for learning and to have a better understanding of what the features are and what they do."
"In terms of what could be improved, it is a bit harder for management or the business partners."
"In terms of improvement, I think Jira (Jira Agile, specifically) can be made more user-friendly. Most of the time, when people are somewhat used to the process, they find it easy to work with. But the thing is, if I want to create a sprint, I'd like the ability for it to come out like a kind of board or something like that. For example, they could offer something like a wizard for users who want to quickly create a sprint on the spot with a few clicks. I think that could be useful."
"A lot of the user interface could be updated."
"We would like to see integration between Tempo and Jira."
"Jira is raising their prices for the license, which is like a trap because many other providers offer services like Jira but for much cheaper."
"At first, the documentation is typically light on needed information, is buggy, or is a little old."
"However, it is quite difficult to use and manipulate."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have to pay for a license. I think it's a one-time payment as my company hasn't notified me about more charges. I don't think it's expensive for large corporations, but it will be costly for an average person."
"The licensing cost is too high."
"I think it's expensive because you have to pay for the licenses to IBM and all that and maintain them."
"Licensing fees are billed annually and there is no support included with what I pay."
"IBM is a bit too expensive in terms of pricing. Customers are paying a lot for the license, and the price is quite high for this kind of environment. It is quite high as compared to what we can get today with other solutions."
"It's expensive."
"It is expensive to onboard additional users."
"I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with one being very affordable and ten being quite expensive."
"If you want to have creative licenses, pricing may be an issue with the licenses, as it can become quite expensive over time to serve many people."
"Jama Connect is a little pricy."
"To have a single source for all the requirements and all the change requests our company gets is the most valuable feature. It has also helped us to keep track of reviews."
"The cost seems very competitive with other offerings."
"The tool's pricing is expensive. The new pricing is indeed quite expensive compared to what it was a few years ago. Last year, when we intended to renew our subscription, we found the pricing considerably higher."
"The ballpark figure is about $100 a month."
"We had a perpetual license but have changed to a subscription."
"As a company, we get a subsidized price, and it's lower than what's quoted on their website."
"The price of the solution could be less expensive. We pay annually for the solution."
"Almost everybody uses JIRA nowadays because it is the most cost-effective solution."
"For very small companies, if you have less than 10 individuals, it is $10 a year for each of the products. When we were a part of the enterprise and had more than 10 people using it, or before they came up with this solution for small companies, it was $2,500 a year for the license for Jira and Confluence, and I believe something like $600 a year to perpetuate the license. I can't remember if it was $600 or $2,500 annually. It was for up to 25 people at the time, and this was in the early 2000s and mid 2000s."
"I don't have the number, but I sure wish Jira was less expensive. Its price point should be a little lower, and it should be more flexible for users who are just ticket viewers."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
25%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
8%
Government
6%
University
5%
Manufacturing Company
27%
Healthcare Company
9%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
8%
Government
5%
Manufacturing Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise38
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business107
Midsize Enterprise58
Large Enterprise151
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Rational DOORS?
Over the years, the first version cost something around 5800 euros.
What needs improvement with IBM Rational DOORS?
I believe the toolchain currently covers all of our requirements. Even for A-SPICE and related requirements, I can ad...
What is your primary use case for IBM Rational DOORS?
I manage the entire application lifecycle management, which includes requirement management, architecture, and softwa...
What do you like most about Jama Connect?
I like Jama Connect because it's easy to use and understand. The widgets are great, and linking is straightforward. T...
What needs improvement with Jama Connect?
I think Jama Connect's change management feature is not well developed at this stage, as it lacks many steps for mark...
What is your primary use case for Jama Connect?
I am currently dealing with all options based on what the customer wants because my goal is not to promote one tool o...
Is Jira better or would you go with Micro Focus ALM Octane?
Hi Netanya, Basically , it all depends on the use cases for your environment and the business needs. Hope the below d...
Which is better - Jira or Microsoft Azure DevOps?
Jira is a great centralized tool for just about everything, from local team management to keeping track of products a...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Jira?
Jira itself is fairly priced for the features it provides, but pricing is a bit higher than some alternatives, mostly...
 

Also Known As

Rational DOORS
No data available
Jira Software
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Infosys, Chevrolet Volt
Deloitte, SpaceX, Omnigon, Delft University
Square, Nasa, eBay, Cisco, SalesForce, Adobe, BNP Paribas, BMW and LinkedIn, Pfizer, Citi.
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM, Atlassian, Jama and others in Application Requirements Management. Updated: March 2026.
885,789 professionals have used our research since 2012.