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

IBM DOORS vs Polarion Requirements comparison

IBM and Siemens are both solutions in the Application Requirements Management category. IBM is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.3, while Siemens is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.8. IBM holds a 27.6% mindshare in ARM, compared to Siemens’s 16.3% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of Siemens users who would recommend it.
IBM DOORS
Read 56 IBM DOORS reviews
  • 6,276 Views
  • 6,276 Comparison Views
88% willing to recommend
Polarion Requirements
Read 15 Polarion Requirements reviews
  • 2,635 Views
  • 2,635 Comparison Views
80% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

IBM DOORS and Polarion Requirements are established requirement management tools within the tech industry. Polarion is perceived to have the upper hand due to its ease of use and integration capabilities, offering higher value despite similar costs to IBM DOORS.

Features: IBM DOORS offers extensive customization through DXL scripting, allowing tailored process flows and integration with engineering tools. It provides detailed traceability, impact analysis, and configuration management. Polarion is known for traceability, seamless integration, and collaboration support, which is ideal for dynamic environments and offers consistency across requirements.

Room for Improvement: IBM DOORS presents a steep learning curve and complex integration issues with newer tools. Polarion's interface can be cumbersome, and its bulk editing and document review processes need enhancement. Users also desire more robust collaboration tools in Polarion.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM DOORS mainly supports on-premises deployments with hybrid options, while Polarion offers public and private cloud options, easing modern IT integration. IBM's customer service has improved but can be inconsistent, whereas Polarion benefits from stable support, fostering user confidence.

Pricing and ROI: IBM DOORS is costly with high licensing fees suited for large enterprises. Polarion, while also pricey, provides flexible licenses catering to different roles, potentially more cost-effective. Both tools provide significant ROI for substantial projects; Polarion's license flexibility may benefit varying project sizes with minimal initial investment.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed IBM DOORS vs. Polarion Requirements Report (Updated: February 2026).
Buyer's Guide
IBM DOORS vs. Polarion Requirements
February 2026
Download the complete report
Helped 881,565 peers since 2012

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 DOORS
Ranking in Application Requirements Management
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Polarion Requirements
Ranking in Application Requirements Management
4th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Application Requirements Management category, the mindshare of IBM DOORS is 27.6%, down from 34.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Polarion Requirements is 16.3%, up from 15.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Application Requirements Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM DOORS27.6%
Polarion Requirements16.3%
Other56.099999999999994%
Application Requirements Management
 

Featured Reviews

Amol Dumbre - PeerSpot reviewer
Amol Dumbre
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.
Read full review
Effendy Mohamed - PeerSpot reviewer
Effendy Mohamed
Principal Instrument and Control at PETRONAS
Positive impact on traceability while user interface and setup require improvement
The areas of Polarion Requirements that have room for improvement include usability, and the user interface, which was a little bit poor. The user configuration had some issues; you need to know all the details, so it's not really friendly for those who are not IT savvy. Someone who has a good IT background would be able to use it, but a regular person who just knows more or has always been dealing with Microsoft Word might find it difficult to use that system. Users need skills to work with this solution and also need to have some foundation of why those technical integrations and cross-referencing have to be done in such a way through systematization, which makes it difficult and not straightforward through the visibility of the user interface.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The data logs are ver conveneint."
"It has the features of: traceability, configuration management, and user access."
"Makes good work of prioritizing and planning product delivery."
"It helps to manage requirements efficiently, which significantly improves the way requirements are managed."
"Very customizable and can be as powerful as you want it to be."
"Traceability on requirements for a huge project in an organization is a big gain."
"Starting to use the solution is pretty straightforward. There isn't too much of a learning curve."
"I like the user interface with regard to creating links between requirements and tracing links to requirements."
More IBM DOORS pros
"A valuable feature from my side would be the comparison corporization."
"Polarion Requirements' most valuable features are link tracing, book entry, and sequence training features."
"Its flexibility and APIs are the most valuable."
"We can easily customize it because of the web services and open APIs. Also, the APIs are available. We integrated Polarion with one of Siemens' products, Teamcenter, which is especially useful for automotive industries. There is an open API for integration with Jira as well, so for me, customization is a strong point."
"I would say there is value in how powerful, configurable, and user-friendly it is."
"It is easier to produce documents using the platform."
"Polarion Requirements is a really great product despite the limitations I mentioned and the price which is getting more and more expensive."
"The most beneficial features of Polarion Requirements for traceability include the traceability function and also the historical and matchmaking or cross-referencing, which was very good."
More Polarion Requirements pros
 

Cons

"It's difficult to set the code on the solution."
"There are problems with communicating between DOORS and Microsoft Office."
"Both the performance and the price could be improved."
"It would be helpful if Microsoft provided a more user-friendly interface for updating and querying updates. Additionally, if there was a way for users to notify developers of any changes in requirements, it would allow for faster and more efficient updates to the solution's architecture. This could be in the form of a notification system that alerts developers of any changes that need to be made. Additionally, the solution is document-driven and it should be more digital."
"There needs to be quicker access to tech support. When I have a two minute question that takes two minutes to answer, it shouldn't take me 45 minutes and/or a few days of callbacks to get to the right technical support person. It's unnecessary and frustrating for the user."
"They need to provide users with information on what options would be best for their setup."
"The low performance of the solution is probably because it is quite an old tool."
"The images are not clear. We have to use them as OLE objects. And in the testing part, I'm not sure how to link it with it. This is my main concern."
More IBM DOORS cons
"It is not a stable solution, as we had issues with shared licenses."
"We encountered numerous challenges, such as issues with requirements, project management, timing, and planning. The main problem with Polarion at the outset, I believe, was our limited understanding of the planning phase. During that time, we were more focused on change management related to requirements. Recognizing the importance of planning has been a key realization for us. Another mistake we made was not comprehending the need to document these requirements to manage all the work items effectively. Now, we understand the significance of this documentation. As a result of these insights, we have started to see a growing number of competitors from Polarion in this field. One potential improvement could be enabling Polarion to export work items not just to Microsoft Office but also to other office tools."
"The platform's review process for the documents could be better."
"The usability of the solution should also be improved."
"Its user interface could be more user friendly. In addition, a lot of features are missing for test management. It should have the test case ordering feature."
"The user configuration had some issues; you need to know all the details, so it's not really friendly for those who are not IT savvy."
"Polarion Requirement needs to have a feature where we can track changes and compare documents. Currently, we do it manually."
"It is stable enough but if you would like to work with more requirement objects, then you will get timeouts."
More Polarion Requirements cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is expensive to onboard additional users."
"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."
"I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with one being very affordable and ten being quite expensive."
"IBM DOORS is available at a reasonable price"
"It's expensive."
"The licensing costs for the product are quite high."
"Licensing fees are billed annually and there is no support included with what I pay."
"I think it's expensive because you have to pay for the licenses to IBM and all that and maintain them."
More IBM DOORS pricing and cost advice
"I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"I believe the cost is subjective. It seems a bit pricey, but it depends on your perspective. To provide some context, I compared the prices with GitLab and Jira. Unfortunately, I couldn't find Jira's prices. However, GitLab costs around 40 euros, and DeepLab, which I recently discovered, also falls in a similar price range. I'm not sure about DeepLab's features or interface improvements, as they might have been implementing requirements management over the past six months. In contrast, Polarion costs around 50 to 60 euros based on the 2021 prices I have. While it may seem a bit expensive, it's worth considering whether the additional investment, perhaps around 68 euros per user, is justified. It might appear costly at first glance, but it's essential to acknowledge that it can greatly streamline your work processes."
"It is expensive but not for what it is. It is just the right price for what it is. Its price is also similar to other solutions."
"Polarion Requirements is a little pricey."
"The product's price is high."
"The pricing model is flexible. You don't have to pay for the full functionalities. And it's a one-time investment for the licenses. You purchase what you need and then can work with that."
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Application Requirements Management solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
881,565 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
25%
Aerospace/Defense Firm
8%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
5%
Manufacturing Company
29%
Computer Software Company
7%
Healthcare Company
5%
Transportation Company
4%
 

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 Business7
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Rational DOORS?
The traceability matrix in DOORS improved our project outcomes. It helps ensure coverage of requirements at different levels, from user requirements to software requirements to test requirements.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Rational DOORS?
Over the years, the first version cost something around 5800 euros.
See all answers
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 add attributes and manage things effectively because the tool is highly customizab...
See all answers
What do you like most about Polarion Requirements?
In my opinion, Polarion Requirements' most beneficial feature is the ability to manage specifications within a work-like document that functions as a work item. Its collaboration features have work...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Polarion Requirements?
I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Polarion Requirements?
The areas of Polarion Requirements that have room for improvement include usability, and the user interface, which was a little bit poor. The user configuration had some issues; you need to know al...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Jama Connect vs IBM DOORS Logo
Jama Connect vs IBM DOORS
Compared 16% of the time
Jira vs IBM DOORS Logo
Jira vs IBM DOORS
Compared 15% of the time
IBM DOORS Next vs IBM DOORS Logo
IBM DOORS Next vs IBM DOORS
Compared 9% of the time
OpenText Dimensions RM vs IBM DOORS Logo
OpenText Dimensions RM vs IBM DOORS
Compared 4% of the time
PTC Integrity Requirements Connector vs IBM DOORS Logo
PTC Integrity Requirements Connector vs IBM DOORS
Compared 4% of the time
More IBM DOORS Competitors
Jama Connect vs Polarion Requirements Logo
Jama Connect vs Polarion Requirements
Compared 11% of the time
IBM DOORS Next vs Polarion Requirements Logo
IBM DOORS Next vs Polarion Requirements
Compared 7% of the time
Jira vs Polarion Requirements Logo
Jira vs Polarion Requirements
Compared 5% of the time
Helix ALM vs Polarion Requirements Logo
Helix ALM vs Polarion Requirements
Compared 3% of the time
OpenText Dimensions RM vs Polarion Requirements Logo
OpenText Dimensions RM vs Polarion Requirements
Compared 2% of the time
More Polarion Requirements Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IBM DOORS
January 2026
IBM DOORS reportDownload IBM DOORS product report
Buyer's Guide
Polarion Requirements
January 2026
Polarion Requirements reportDownload Polarion Requirements product report
 

Also Known As

Rational DOORS
No data available
 

Overview

IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORS (DOORS) is a Requirements Management (RM) software designed to help organizations manage engineering project requirements throughout the development lifecycle. It provides a central location for capturing, defining, and organizing project requirements, facilitating communication and collaboration among stakeholders like engineers, system designers, and customers. Key features include requirements traceability, version control, and impact analysis, ensuring effective implementation and testing. DOORS improves efficiency, enhances communication, reduces risks, and supports better decision-making through clear visibility into requirements. Compared to its newer, web-based counterpart DOORS Next, the mature DOORS 9 offers a wider range of features with a traditional user interface but lacks web-based functionality and modern integration with IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) tools.

IBM
Polarion REQUIREMENTS is designed from the ground for highly effective, transparent and secure collaboration, while teams have the option to work in their familiar environments.
Siemens
 

Sample Customers

Infosys, Chevrolet Volt
NetSuite, Ottobock, Zumtobel Group, Kªster Automotive GmbH, Sirona Dental Systems, LifeWatch, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), PHOENIX CONTACT Electronics GmbH, Metso Corporation
Buyer's Guide
IBM DOORS vs. Polarion Requirements
February 2026
Free Report: IBM DOORS vs. Polarion Requirements
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM DOORS vs. Polarion Requirements and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
DOWNLOAD NOW
881,565 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our IBM DOORS vs. Polarion Requirements report.
See our list of best Application Requirements Management vendors.

We monitor all Application Requirements Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.