IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager vs ServiceNow Cloud Observability comparison

IBM and ServiceNow are both solutions in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category. IBM is ranked #60, while ServiceNow is ranked #39 with an average rating of 7.5. IBM holds a 0.2% mindshare in APM, compared to ServiceNow’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 50% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of ServiceNow users who would recommend it.

IBM Tivoli Composite Applic...

Read 2 IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager reviews

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515 Comparison Views

50% willing to recommend

ServiceNow Cloud Observability

Read 4 ServiceNow Cloud Observability reviews

780 Views
757 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Tivoli Composite Applic...

ServiceNow Cloud Observability

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 24, 2024

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager and ServiceNow Cloud Observability are two prominent tools in IT management and monitoring. Users are happier with the support of IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager, yet ServiceNow Cloud Observability's features often make it seem worth the price.

What features are offered by IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager in comparison to ServiceNow Cloud Observability?

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager is praised for its extensive monitoring capabilities, including comprehensive application management, deep-dive analytics, and robust performance tracking. ServiceNow Cloud Observability is valued for its integration and automation features, providing seamless data integration, enhanced workflow automation, and real-time alerts.

What areas of improvement can be found in IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager in comparison to ServiceNow Cloud Observability?

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager's users seek more intuitive navigation, enhanced integrations, and user-friendly interfaces. ServiceNow Cloud Observability users wish for better documentation, faster issue resolution, and improved support resources.

How is the ease of deployment and customer service of IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager in comparison to ServiceNow Cloud Observability?

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager offers a more complex deployment but receives commendations for its robust customer service. ServiceNow Cloud Observability is noted for its smoother deployment and responsive support.

What setup costs and ROI can be seen with IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager in comparison to ServiceNow Cloud Observability?

Users find IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager's setup costs reasonable and its ROI satisfactory. ServiceNow Cloud Observability's pricing is considered higher, yet the ROI is substantial due to its comprehensive features.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager vs. ServiceNow Cloud Observability Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager vs. ServiceNow Cloud Observability

July 2025

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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 Tivoli Composite Applic...

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

60th

Average Rating

6.6

Reviews Sentiment

4.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

ServiceNow Cloud Observability

Ranking in Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

39th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability category, the mindshare of IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager is 0.2%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow Cloud Observability is 0.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

Featured Reviews

Christian Campos

Sales manager at Prodeo Innovation

Integrates well with IBM technologies, but it's outdated and lacks essential features

Implementing synthetic monitoring for our Internet banking site has been challenging. The installation process is difficult, requiring continuous support and specialist expertise due to our limited knowledge of managing it effectively. I have concerns about the complexity of the tool and the challenges in managing it effectively. The support provided is not satisfactory, and the specialists available lack sufficient training and expertise in using the tool.

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Prashant-Sharma

Senior Software Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

Provides effective observability and offers robust alerting and monitoring capabilities

We use some SDK to integrate like tips in our code, in our Java code or whatever code, rightly, Skylight or whatever. So, the SDK that we use is not very easy to get a hold of. So, a person who is more experienced is able to write proper code so that an operation can have an operation name to set. So, SDK would be improved for developers so that the integration and code will get easier. The support team could be better. Because of the different versions of different tactics of integrating reactive code base, the documentation is not very clear if someone has to be onboard. I would rate the documentation of Lightstep a five out of ten. It could need improvement. Currently, what happens is, suppose in a stream, we have lots of spans. So if there is something I can filter, for example, in a single trace, there are ten calls with it. And if I have to filter, I have to go inside the individual trace to get the call. In future releases, I want to see if it is possible to filter them at a very high stream level. So, for example, I want to filter the calls only from service A, ten calls, and I want to filter only two calls out of ten. So, instead of doing that filter at the trace level, can I do it at a stream level.

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's main value lies in its integration with its own technologies, which can be seen as a benefit in environments where IBM products are extensively used."

"The solution is very stable. We never had any issues with stability."

"To a certain extent, it is possible to save on the costs of the product."

"The ability to create a stream based on different parameters, operation name, service name, URL, tags, and URI part, is one valuable feature."

"The solution Lightstep/ServiceNow has a couple of pretty advanced functionalities to help us investigate a deviation and help the development teams have better observability in the environment using distributed and complex services."

"The UI is very intuitive."

Cons

"The installation process is difficult, requiring continuous support and specialist expertise due to our limited knowledge of managing it effectively."

"The user interface was not good."

"The design of this solution is not very intuitive and probably could come with more friendly tips for beginners."

"The dashboard and graphics must be improved."

"The support team could be better. Because of the different versions of different tactics of integrating reactive code base, the documentation is not very clear if someone has to be onboard. I would rate the documentation of Lightstep a five out of ten. It could need improvement."

"In terms of licensing, users would want the product to offer them the ability to tailor the tasks offered in the solution to suit their needs."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the pricing a nine to ten. It is very expensive."

"The product is expensive. I rate the tool's pricing model an eight out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

30%

Government

11%

Healthcare Company

Non Profit

Financial Services Firm

19%

Manufacturing Company

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Retailer

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about LightStep?

The UI is very intuitive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with LightStep?

There are a lot of workflows and connectors. In terms of licensing, users would want the product to offer them the ability to tailor the tasks offered in the solution to suit their needs.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for LightStep?

I use the solution in my company since it has multiple tenants available. Basically, what happens in business is that you have a hybrid setup model, and for that, you extensively use a cloud platfo...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 32% of the time

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Compared 22% of the time

Catchpoint vs IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager

Compared 18% of the time

IBM Application Performance Management vs IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager

Compared 16% of the time

Splunk AppDynamics vs IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager

Compared 12% of the time

More IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager Competitors

Datadog vs ServiceNow Cloud Observability

Compared 30% of the time

Grafana vs ServiceNow Cloud Observability

Compared 25% of the time

Dynatrace vs ServiceNow Cloud Observability

Compared 17% of the time

IBM Instana Observability vs ServiceNow Cloud Observability

Compared 10% of the time

Splunk Observability Cloud vs ServiceNow Cloud Observability

Compared 9% of the time

More ServiceNow Cloud Observability Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and Observability

August 2025

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager report

Download IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

ServiceNow Cloud Observability

July 2025

Download ServiceNow Cloud Observability product report

Also Known As

Tivoli Composite Application Manager

LightStep

Overview

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager for Application Diagnostics on z/OS manages real-time problem detection, analysis, and repair to help maintain the availability, performance and general health of on-demand composite applications. it can gain in-depth diagnostic information for specific application requests to identify the root cause of problems. This software provides a consistent way to manage composite applications throughout Java EE application environments. Set alerts to help detect and fix potentially troublesome situations before they affect users. It can resolve performance issues faster and reduce downtime costs.

IBM

ServiceNow Cloud Observability is a comprehensive platform designed to enhance visibility, control, and performance monitoring of your IT infrastructure and applications. It seamlessly integrates log management, trace management, metrics monitoring, and infrastructure monitoring in real-time, leveraging AI and machine learning for automated tasks and actionable insights. With benefits including improved visibility, faster incident resolution, enhanced application performance, simplified IT operations, and reduced costs, this cloud-native solution is ideal for businesses of all sizes with complex IT infrastructures. It integrates seamlessly with ServiceNow IT Operations Management (ITOM), supports OpenTelemetry standards, and provides AI-powered insights along with pre-built dashboards and reports.

ServiceNow

Sample Customers

Michelin Tire Corp

InVision, Twilio, Lyft, Yext, DigitalOcean,

Buyer's Guide

IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager vs. ServiceNow Cloud Observability

July 2025

Free Report: IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager vs. ServiceNow Cloud Observability

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Tivoli Composite Application Manager vs. ServiceNow Cloud Observability and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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