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

IBM DOORS

Polarion Requirements

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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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.

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

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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

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

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
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM DOORS	27.6%
Polarion Requirements	16.3%
Other	56.099999999999994%

Application Requirements Management

Featured Reviews

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

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

"IBM DOORS has a well-refined ASPICE template"

"The shell scripting is the solution's most valuable aspect."

"Starting to use the solution is pretty straightforward. There isn't too much of a learning curve."

"Very customizable and can be as powerful as you want it to be."

"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."

"The ROI is really excellent, as I can manage customizations for projects across different regions with different standards, which significantly reduces process overhead and efforts while the team has detailed support that makes these customizations easy to handle."

"It helps to manage requirements efficiently, which significantly improves the way requirements are managed."

"I like the way we can simply link requirements with one another and with test descriptions and then automatically produce reports that are required to show compliance to our customers. It is a combination of requirements management and reporting that I like, but I really have very little to do with the reporting part of it. I don't know how easy or hard it is to create those reports."

More IBM DOORS pros

"The biggest improvement would be in the transparency we have now. We have very complex products. We make whole systems with difficult and diverse areas such as hardware, software, mechanical and printing, etc. To get the overview of all the requirements into a system, at that sizing, is the main advantage we have in the organization now."

"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."

"A valuable feature from my side would be the comparison corporization."

"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."

"I would say there is value in how powerful, configurable, and user-friendly it is."

"I like the way this solution is structured."

More Polarion Requirements pros

Cons

"It is complicated sometimes, such as the logic about updating, moving from one server version to another, and the communication between restricted and non-restricted servers."

"The software and GUI is very outdated."

"Enhancing security measures, particularly when handling multiple projects simultaneously, would be beneficial to prevent data loss within DOORS."

"IBM DOORS should cover all engineering functions seamlessly, not just requirement engineering."

"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. It's just a monster, so a lower-cost version would be the thing that we'd like to see."

"The kind of dashboard is not very convenient."

"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."

"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

"Polarion Requirement needs to have a feature where we can track changes and compare documents. Currently, we do it manually."

"The areas of Polarion Requirements that have room for improvement include usability, and the user interface, which was a little bit poor."

"If we have more than one thousand work items in one live-book then it becomes almost unusable."

"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 risk assessment functionality needs improvement, like FMEA risk management."

"One thing to consider is increased flexibility in terms of workflow configuration."

"In my opinion, the main area for improvement in Polarion Requirements is its user interface. It should be easier for engineers to understand how it works, as many features are not very easily understandable for end-users."

More Polarion Requirements cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's expensive."

"Licensing fees are billed annually and there is no support included with what I pay."

"I don't personally know what the numbers are. I just know that one of the reasons we've limited it to three seats is a function of cost."

"The licensing cost is too high."

"Pricing can vary depending on the size of the organization and how contracts are negotiated."

"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."

"I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with one being very affordable and ten being quite expensive."

"I am not sure why it is so expensive, but one license will cost approximately $15,000 in US dollars."

More IBM DOORS pricing and cost advice

"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."

"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."

"The product's price is high."

"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."

"I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."

"Polarion Requirements is a little pricey."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

25%

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

29%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Transportation Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	38

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	5

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?

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?

See all answers

Comparisons

Jama Connect vs IBM DOORS

Compared 16% of the time

Jira vs IBM DOORS

Compared 15% of the time

IBM DOORS Next vs IBM DOORS

Compared 9% of the time

OpenText Dimensions RM vs IBM DOORS

Compared 4% of the time

PTC Integrity Requirements Connector vs IBM DOORS

Compared 4% of the time

More IBM DOORS Competitors

Jama Connect vs Polarion Requirements

Compared 11% of the time

IBM DOORS Next vs Polarion Requirements

Compared 7% of the time

Jira vs Polarion Requirements

Compared 5% of the time

Helix ALM vs Polarion Requirements

Compared 3% of the time

OpenText Dimensions RM vs Polarion Requirements

Compared 2% of the time

More Polarion Requirements Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM DOORS

January 2026

Download IBM DOORS product report

Buyer's Guide

Polarion Requirements

January 2026

Download 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.

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