IBM Public Cloud vs Salesforce Platform comparison

IBM and Salesforce are both solutions in the PaaS Clouds category. IBM is ranked #15 with an average rating of 6.7, while Salesforce is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.3. IBM holds a 3.3% mindshare in PSP, compared to Salesforce’s 2.5% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of Salesforce users who would recommend it.

IBM Public Cloud

Read 18 IBM Public Cloud reviews

2,896 Views
197 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

Salesforce Platform

Read 95 Salesforce Platform reviews

1,803 Views
425 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

IBM Public Cloud

Salesforce Platform

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

Salesforce Platform and IBM Public Cloud are key competitors in the tech industry with distinct strengths. Salesforce Platform holds an edge in features tailored for sales and marketing, while IBM Public Cloud offers competitive pricing and customization.

Features: Salesforce Platform is renowned for its agility, ease of integration, and advanced configuration options, supporting wide-ranging business processes. It provides a robust partner ecosystem, enabling scalability and a multitude of free applications. IBM Public Cloud excels in offering bare metal server options, comprehensive AI integrations, and flexible architecture akin to AWS, ideal for businesses seeking simplicity and customization.

Room for Improvement: Salesforce is encouraged to simplify reporting, improve back-office integration, and streamline interface transitions like Lightning Components. Cost-effective data storage and pricing adjustments are necessary for scaling businesses. IBM Public Cloud requires a more user-friendly interface, enhanced speed, comprehensive documentation, and easier configuration and deployment processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both Salesforce Platform and IBM Public Cloud are praised for deployment versatility. Salesforce offers varied cloud options with mixed customer support reviews, while IBM Public Cloud is noted for its hybrid and public cloud strengths accompanied by responsive support and effective issue resolution, though it can improve in escalation speed.

Pricing and ROI: Salesforce is considered costly, particularly for startups, yet it delivers substantial ROI through improved productivity and sales attributed to its CRM features. IBM Public Cloud provides a more affordable pricing model, especially against AWS or Azure, offering free developer tiers and reduced costs in remote data centers, appealing to medium enterprises seeking cost-effectiveness.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Public Cloud vs. Salesforce Platform Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Public Cloud vs. Salesforce Platform

June 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 860,632 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 Public Cloud

Ranking in PaaS Clouds

15th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IoT Platforms (6th)

Salesforce Platform

Ranking in PaaS Clouds

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Mobile Development Platforms (2nd), Rapid Application Development Software (5th), Low-Code Development Platforms (6th), No-Code Development Platforms (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the PaaS Clouds category, the mindshare of IBM Public Cloud is 3.3%, down from 4.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Platform is 2.5%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

PaaS Clouds

Featured Reviews

Premnath Jaganathan

Product Manager at Uop Ipl

Affordability and security improve our cloud experience while learning new systems

I'm not working with any AI features in IBM Public Cloud, but they are in the process of building it.I am very satisfied with the security that IBM Public Cloud provides. I would rate IBM Public Cloud eight out of ten, where one is worst and ten is the best.

Read full review

Yasser_Anter

Independent Business Consultant at Freelance

Has customization and integration capabilities which increase efficiency

Salesforce could improve by offering AI features or functionalities to help business decision-makers analyze business history, suggest forward strategies, and participate in events. The previous version had a complicated interface where multiple pages and data entries were required, which was not pleasant for sales teams or business users. Also, deploying Salesforce took a long time, about four to five months, which is not ideal for any business.

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

"One of the features that I really like about IBM Cloud is the flexibility where you can order your own hardware."

"The initial setup was very easy. It's quite straightforward. Deployment took about fifteen minutes. Everything is well organized."

"It's straightforward, has a good environment and is cost-effective."

"I've found the stability to be excellent. The performance is good."

"It provides robust analytics and management tools to give customers complete visibility into their environment and infrastructure."

"This product is very good because it is accessible in remote locations, and anyone can deploy from any place."

"This is a predictable and dependable service."

"The availability is second to none. Customer support is very good."

More IBM Public Cloud pros

"I like using the reports feature, but also the fact that we are able to have a smooth process when it comes to leads and opportunities."

"The tool's most valuable feature is the CRM. Salesforce Platform comes with out-of-the-box capabilities."

"What functions we don't get out of Salesforce, we typically receive from third-party applications that extend the capabilities. We integrate a lot of different products with Salesforce."

"The solution can scale."

"It's very flexible and offers tremendous features for customers."

"The solution provides a preferred method of backing up data."

"Salesforce is cloud-based, so there's no installation involved. You simply log in using the provided organization login. There's no need for installation."

"The low-code approach to Salesforce Platform is highly valuable."

More Salesforce Platform pros

Cons

"They could improve on customizing reporting capabilities."

"An area for improvement in IBM Public Cloud is getting up-to-date information on how to set up everything. It's hard to find new documentation."

"The product should offer more computing, similar to Amazon."

"They do not have a very good virtual network implemented, and the VPC is the most important feature that needs to be improved."

"It will be challenging to implement if you do not have any experience."

"I would like to see a more user-friendly deployment process in the next release of this solution."

"There is not a lot of support for this solution, which is something that needs to be improved."

"While they have about 99% of what we need, the only exception, perhaps, was the push notification feature that was discontinued. They delayed the replacement product."

More IBM Public Cloud cons

"Areas of improvement can be around Engagement of Customers feature and approvals of transactional records."

"In Salesforce, every customer is unique and it's not possible to bundle them together effectively if they are from the same company or move companies, et cetera."

"The solution's UI is horrible."

"They need an easy way of getting details and then adding to it and then being able to do it in a more simplified way"

"The initial setup is rather complex."

"It may be slow, but that is relative. When compared to Siebel CRM, which was large, clunky, and extremely slow, Salesforce seemed fast to me."

"Sometimes what will happen is we work on it and then we move to a different tab and work on something else. After five minutes, when we come back, it automatically signs out."

"A company needs to carefully consider how they set up Salesforce in order to ensure it benefits them."

More Salesforce Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM has a lesser price compared to other cloud service providers like Azure and AWS."

"The licensing fees are straightforward and predictable."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten."

"IBM Public Cloud is pretty cheap. They have an ongoing free tier that basically won't expire, so as long as your solution is small enough, you can have a test set that you can use for demos, which will cost you almost nothing."

"The price of IBM Cloud is very cheap compared to competitors AWS and Azure."

"We are using the trial version of this solution, so we have not paid anything."

"It pretty much has a standard price. There is no hidden price with IBM Public Cloud."

"Pricing is not as fair as Amazon or Azure."

More IBM Public Cloud pricing and cost advice

"Salesforce charges double the rates, or almost three times, compared to its competitors. Our company does incur additional charges for maintenance and support."

"I have heard that it is fairly priced. It offers ROI."

"The price varies depending on the cloud."

"It is a fair price for what it's offering, in comparison with other solutions that are available on the market."

"Pricing and license differ and depend on how much license you are purchasing from them."

"It is very expensive. Its licensing is on a monthly basis."

"Pricing for the Salesforce Platform is too expensive."

"I rate this solution a six out of ten for pricing. Though the solution is on the pricier side, it still offers good value for money."

More Salesforce Platform pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which PaaS Clouds solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

860,632 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

University

14%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is preferable - IBM Public Cloud or Microsoft Azure?

IBM Public Cloud is IBM’s Platform-as-a-Service. It aims to provide organizations with a secure cloud environment to manage data and applications. One of the features we like is the cloud activity ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Cloud?

The front end is not pervasive, so it is very difficult get the status of your current services or account from a mobile device.

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Public Cloud?

The most valuable feature of IBM Public Cloud is the AI integrations.

See all answers

How would you choose between Microsoft PowerApps and Salesforce Platform?

I think it depends on your use case. If your organization uses Microsoft Enterprise products, PowerApps will work better in your environment. Similarly, if you have a Salesforce integration in pla...

See all answers

How does Salesforce Platform compare with Azure?

Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform is not easy or intuitive to deploy. The difficulty will be impacted by the type of application that you are trying to use the platform to build. Organizations tha...

See all answers

Do you build applications using low-code or pro-code builders on Salesforce Platform?

At my organization, we have only used Salesforce Platform's low-code builder. The reason for this is not because we do not like the pro-code option, but because we do not see the need of using it, ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) vs IBM Public Cloud

Compared 36% of the time

Microsoft Azure vs IBM Public Cloud

Compared 30% of the time

Amazon AWS vs IBM Public Cloud

Compared 14% of the time

Dell ECS vs IBM Public Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

More IBM Public Cloud Competitors

Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs Salesforce Platform

Compared 18% of the time

Appian vs Salesforce Platform

Compared 16% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs Salesforce Platform

Compared 11% of the time

ServiceNow vs Salesforce Platform

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Azure vs Salesforce Platform

Compared 8% of the time

More Salesforce Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Public Cloud

June 2025

Download IBM Public Cloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Salesforce Platform

June 2025

Download Salesforce Platform product report

Also Known As

IBM Bluemix

Salesforce1, Force.com, Salesforce App Cloud

Overview

IBM Cloud is a full-stack cloud platform that spans public, private and hybrid environments. Build with a robust suite of advanced data and AI tools, and draw on deep industry expertise to help you on your journey to the cloud.

IBM

Salesforce Platform is a tool that provides application building with open application programming interfaces (APIs), integration tools, back-end services, starter templates, and developer environments. With a low-code interface, users are able to build applications and benefit from automated processes. The product helps customers to increase work productivity and save on IT costs through efficient, easy-to-understand, methods for creating applications.

Salesforce Platform allows companies to build and operate intelligent applications at scale and share them with employees and customers in real time. The tool secures companies' data while connecting and synchronizing it simultaneously across their Customer 360 accounts. The main components of the product are:

Application development: With low code, companies can build applications faster and automate their businesses.
Automation: The product can connect with Salesforce Genie, allowing employees to create seamless processes.
Security: The Shield component allows companies to secure their data and build applications.
Hyperforce: Companies have the option to scale globally and serve customers locally, providing secure, private, and agile solutions.
Einstein Intelligence: Organizations can utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to create personalized experiences for customers, potentially increasing companies’ growth.
Sandboxes: Salesforce Platform offers developers secure development environments where they can test, build, and deploy changes before rolling out final products.

Salesforce Platform Features

Also referred to as a “drag and drop app builder," this solution offers various features for customers to create intelligent applications and build personalized services for clients, partners, and employees within the apps.

Mobile feature: The mobile feature of Salesforce Platform allows users to build applications for mobile as well as turn already-made apps into mobile apps instantly.
AI: Through AI, users are able to personalize their applications, utilizing the smart assistant of the platform (called Einstein). The creation of customized services for clients can drive engagement and scale customer experience.
Vision feature: The Vision feature also utilizes Einstein Platform, where users can take advantage of Einstein Prediction Builder, Bots, Vision, and Language to create AI-powered applications.
Data protection: Salesforce Platform offers a data protection feature called Salesforce Shield. With it, companies can monitor app and data use, automate security policies, run compliance audits, and encrypt sensitive data.
Privacy and identity feature: Salesforce Customer Identity is a feature for privacy that offers user access through a single login. The feature provides a seamless user experience while maintaining a high level of security.
Community feature: The community feature of the product offers a digital experience platform where companies can create secure portals, applications, and websites.
Builder feature: The application building feature of Salesforce Platform offers various ways for users to create apps, including through low-code builders and pro-code tools.

Salesforce Platform Benefits

The benefits of using Salesforce Platform include:

Compared to manual coding products, Salesforce Platform is simpler for beginner users who want to develop a product.
The tool requires a low amount of coding, making it a quick and agile way to develop applications.
The adaptable design of the platform offers multi-layered security which maintains data accessible to users while protecting it from outside sources.
The product can be incorporated with various platforms and coding languages for application development.
The platform can be used to create applications compatible with large database systems like MySQL and Oracle.
Salesforce Platform allows collaboration between users, as it offers simultaneous access to various users at the same time.
Salesforce Platform is compatible with desktop databases such as Microsoft Access.

Reviews from Real Users

A vice president at a healthcare company values Salesforce Platform because it is flexible and user-friendly with helpful pre-built schemas.

Peter G., a senior technical consultant at a tech services company, rates Salesforce Platform highly because it is intuitive, quite easy to learn, and stores all kinds of relevant sales information.

Salesforce

Sample Customers

Uvionics Tech, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Alpha Modus, Inventive, Web Business Consulting, FindBrok, SilverHook Powerboats, United Way of Allegheny County

ADP

Buyer's Guide

IBM Public Cloud vs. Salesforce Platform

June 2025

Free Report: IBM Public Cloud vs. Salesforce Platform

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Public Cloud vs. Salesforce Platform and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

860,632 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our IBM Public Cloud vs. Salesforce Platform report.

See our list of best PaaS Clouds vendors.

We monitor all PaaS Clouds 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.