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IBM InfoSphere Optim vs Toad Data Modeler comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 23, 2025

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 InfoSphere Optim
Ranking in Database Development and Management
14th
Average Rating
6.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Toad Data Modeler
Ranking in Database Development and Management
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Database Development and Management category, the mindshare of IBM InfoSphere Optim is 2.4%, down from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Toad Data Modeler is 3.1%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Database Development and Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Toad Data Modeler3.1%
IBM InfoSphere Optim2.4%
Other94.5%
Database Development and Management
 

Featured Reviews

Kenneth Estanislao - PeerSpot reviewer
Solutions Designer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Backups become efficient while cost concerns remain
I am still working with IBM and we are transitioning to other tools rather than using IBM InfoSphere Optim. We use other tools, but I cannot recall the name because I am not the one currently handling it. It has transitioned to other architects. For IBM InfoSphere Optim, we are still currently using it, but we have transitioned to the newer version, the latest one with support for AWS S3. I cannot identify a main competitor for IBM InfoSphere Optim because we have transitioned to other architects, and they are the ones looking for other tools. The last comparison I did was almost 4 years ago. I am not using any AI technology with IBM InfoSphere Optim. I rate IBM InfoSphere Optim a seven out of ten. The tool is good, but the price is not favorable as it is the most expensive part. I can recommend IBM InfoSphere Optim for enterprises.
KQ
Senior engineer at a government with 201-500 employees
Creates intuitive diagrams with comprehensive control over relationships
1) When updating a model after generating a schema, if only a few tables are imported, the tool assumes you want to delete the rest. If you have a large model, you repeatedly have to clarify that you don't want to delete each one. 2) If one could view the same model on physical, logical, and conceptual levels while retaining all information specific to each level (including layout), that would be excellent.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We like that we can easily restore the database with just a few clicks."
"I feel the solution to be a bit faster than the traditional methods, which makes it easy to customize."
"The compression feature is valuable because it achieves around 80% compression."
"We like that we can easily restore the database with just a few clicks. The database is linked as well."
"It is not feasible for small businesses. It is not used in a small company."
"Toad allowed us to run the query on the cloud DB and return data from the query, making things much faster."
"I found all features valuable and necessary in Toad Data Modeler, particularly how good the solution is for modeling, database schema generation, and database re-engineering."
"Auto-complete is the best feature of the solution."
"The feature I really like is the graphical part, especially the control of the relationships, because you can move them around any way you want, which makes it easy to create a comprehensive and easy-to-understand diagram."
"Horizontal layout for each connected database connection makes it easy to work with multiple databases at the same time."
"SQL Developer is much better than it was."
"Toad is 100% value for money product."
 

Cons

"IBM InfoSphere Optim can be implemented on AWS, but it costs more than double what we're currently paying, so it's not really of good value for us."
"While masking PII information in huge tables [more than 500 million record count with more than five PII columns present] the Extract-Convert-Load [ECL] process becomes extremely slow and can take a huge amount of time."
"We're looking for a solution that can be implemented on AWS. IBM InfoSphere Optim can be implemented on AWS, but it costs more than double what we're currently paying. So, it's not really of good value for us."
"The potential room for improvement for IBM InfoSphere Optim is usually its cost, as it is too expensive."
"While the solution is very supportive of Db2, it is not so friendly when it comes to IMS databases."
"Toad crashes sometimes and it will lose all the saved database information."
"The one thing about it is that there are almost too many features and options; some we don’t even use."
"It is not feasible for small businesses. It is not used in a small company."
"When updating a model after generating a schema, if only a few tables are imported, the tool assumes you want to delete the rest, which is cumbersome."
"The product should provide better debugging features."
"It's quite stable but takes a bit of a time to run SQL queries if the database is huge."
"Many users don't know how to add licensing to Toad, or where it is shown, so they could make that easier."
"Although a lot of people get deceived by the name “Data Analysis”, it has capacity of any enterprise tool, but not to the point of creating multiple pipes in one integrated work-flow, batching the work-flows and running them parallel for data loads."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM InfoSphere Optim is a very expensive solution. Actually, it's the most expensive archiving solution that we have."
"Though I'm not involved in the licensing for Toad Data Modeler, I believe it's per user and not cheap."
"Price-wise, the lesser it is, the better it is for me, especially in Egypt. I think that the licensing cost ranges from 1,000 to 9,000. Also, it includes maintenance and support for a year."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Construction Company
7%
Retailer
7%
Insurance Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM InfoSphere Optim?
The potential room for improvement for IBM InfoSphere Optim is usually its cost, as it is too expensive. Currently, there are no issues with IBM InfoSphere Optim; the only problem is the cost, whic...
What is your primary use case for IBM InfoSphere Optim?
My current use case for IBM InfoSphere Optim is just for doing backups. We are using IBM InfoSphere Optim specifically for backup purposes.
What advice do you have for others considering IBM InfoSphere Optim?
I am still working with IBM and we are transitioning to other tools rather than using IBM InfoSphere Optim. We use other tools, but I cannot recall the name because I am not the one currently handl...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Toad Data Modeler?
Considering its functionality, I would rate its pricing as a seven out of ten. It could be cheaper yet is still pretty good.
What needs improvement with Toad Data Modeler?
1) When updating a model after generating a schema, if only a few tables are imported, the tool assumes you want to delete the rest. If you have a large model, you repeatedly have to clarify that y...
What is your primary use case for Toad Data Modeler?
There are two main use cases. One is reengineering an existing model and making changes from a database. The other is making a new model from scratch. These use cases involve all kinds of systems, ...
 

Also Known As

IBM Optim, Optim
Toad
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Durham Police Department, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., Continental, KCE Electronics Public Company Limited, The University of Adelaide, Migros Zurich, COPROB
Zions Bancorporation
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM InfoSphere Optim vs. Toad Data Modeler and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
894,738 professionals have used our research since 2012.