BMC AMI DevX vs Gen comparison

BMC and Broadcom are both solutions in the Mainframe Application Development category. BMC is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.8, while Broadcom is ranked #3. BMC holds a 26.8% mindshare in MAD, compared to Broadcom’s 12.8% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of BMC users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

BMC AMI DevX

Read 22 BMC AMI DevX reviews

7,355 Views
1,397 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Gen

Read 6 Gen reviews

1,496 Views
1,481 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

BMC AMI DevX

Gen

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 15, 2026

Gen and BMC AMI DevX are competing in the enterprise software market. BMC AMI DevX appears to have the upper hand due to its advanced features and comprehensive service.

Features: Gen offers robust integration, versatile development capabilities, and extensive lifecycle management. BMC AMI DevX provides specialized features for system operations, enhanced automation, and a broad feature set for competitive environments.

Room for Improvement: Gen could enhance user-friendly interfaces, offer more granular security features, and improve real-time analytics capabilities. BMC AMI DevX might focus on more straightforward customization, better integration with third-party tools, and more affordable pricing options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: BMC AMI DevX supports flexible deployment, backed by proactive customer engagement. Gen facilitates streamlined deployment with simple configurations, aligning with environments preferring minimal setup complexities.

Pricing and ROI: Gen is known for lower setup costs and balanced ROI with stable performance gains. BMC AMI DevX, despite higher setup costs, offers strong ROI through long-term gains thanks to its extensive feature set and scalability.

To learn more, read our detailed BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen

June 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

BMC AMI DevX

Ranking in Mainframe Application Development

1st

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Software Configuration Management (1st), Debugging (4th), Database Development and Management (14th), Test Data Management (4th), Mainframe Testing Tools (1st), Data Masking (4th), AI Software Development (190th)

Gen

Ranking in Mainframe Application Development

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Mainframe Application Development category, the mindshare of BMC AMI DevX is 26.8%, down from 42.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Gen is 12.8%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Mainframe Application Development Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
BMC AMI DevX	26.8%
Gen	12.8%
Other	60.4%

Mainframe Application Development

Featured Reviews

Wisdom Mbiza

Product Engineer at Absa Group

Modern tools have boosted mainframe file extraction speed and simplified everyday workflows

I definitely think BMC AMI DevX could be improved or enhanced in terms of the logging in features. BMC AMI DevX's logging in feature is not so great. Whenever you try to log in, it always prompts you for passwords. Then when you have to switch sessions, because we usually have to switch between production and UAT, there's no quick way of switching between the two. Every time you try to switch, it prompts you to log in. Additionally, there's a pop-up that I always receive. When you click X on it, it doesn't disappear. Eventually, I just end up minimizing it. Furthermore, the startup of BMC AMI DevX takes a long time to start up before it loads. It doesn't just immediately start up and it's ready. It takes a good solid two to three minutes before it's ready so that you can work on it. BMC AMI DevX's logins and the other ones I can understand because security has to be there, but I do feel that once I've logged in, I shouldn't need to log in again. The startup problem is the annoying one because if I want to do something, I need to open it two or three minutes earlier to give it time to load up. The startup problem is the one that definitely needs to be addressed.

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Ismo Remes

Consultant

Full packets enable software implementation on the mainframe and client sides

I rate it eight out of 10. It's just very powerful tool, very powerful product to use. Nowadays, there are a couple of mainframe companies, using mainframe products, so to be honest, I'm not recommending it. Of course, if you have mainframe and you have do something in the mainframe that’s different.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I think BMC AMI DevX has provided overall benefits and a positive impact because I've seen a lot of developers, not just the new developers, but even the old developers who have used the green screen their entire life, also developing with BMC AMI DevX and migrating into the newer screen."

"I think the most valuable features are code management, code deployment, and code generation. The fact that those three features are included makes BMC Compuware ISPW a robust product. If one of those features was missing, it would be less robust and less interesting. But because it has those three features, it is a very good solution for code development and management."

"It helps our staff work by speeding up their documentation process."

"BMC Data Management improved our data recovery process by simplifying it."

"The visual ability to see potential downstream impacts to changes being made assists our developers in understanding the impact associated with their change."

"The debugging is really the most important feature, enabling us to be able to step through."

"We have seen an improvement in the rate and level of quality at which we deploy changes."

"The most valuable feature of Topaz is Xpediter. It's more flexible than Xpediter through MVS."

More BMC AMI DevX pros

"Full packets, enable you to develop software and systems using these packets, and implement software on the mainframe side and the client side. You can use the same packets, so it's very powerful."

"It has lived long beyond what people thought was its life expectancy as a product, largely because it is such a quality tool that people can't replace."

"Coding on CA Gen is easy."

"CA Gen has provided us web development capability."

"If you want to be the first in market and you have a short time to generate, or to develop your application, and if you're looking for a platform that supports multiple frameworks, multiple platforms such as mainframe, Java, and .Net, or the others, you need a modelling tool, rather than a language or technology."

"You can easily manage the code, and you can easily find other changes, other group changes, other models, other components."

"If you’re writing a simple barebones COBOL program, it may take 20-30 hours, but with a solution like this it can be done in around four hours."

"Advantage Gen greatly enhanced productivity as well as development of solutions in mainframes, Client, and server applications."

Cons

"When you're setting up the parameters for how ISPW will work in your shop, there are a lot of questions that have to be answered... BMC Compuware should have more in-depth explanations about what the choices in each question mean. If you pick A, what does that mean has to happen? What does that impact? If you pick B, what does that mean? What does that impact?"

"The ISPW plugin could be improved to add some functionality which is already in ISPF panels and not in the plugin."

"It would be good if the vendors would work together or at least have some collaboration between them, so they would know what would work and what wouldn't work. Right now, the way things are working, they're relying on the customer to make everything work."

"Topaz Workbench often doesn't play well with other plugins in the environment."

"BMC AMI DevX's logging in feature is not so great. Furthermore, the startup of BMC AMI DevX takes a long time to start up before it loads."

"The area for improvement is related to the testing tools that are available for unit testing or acceptance testing. I know they have some out there that we are not licensed for at this time, but it seems like some of the Eclipse tools that are used for other programming languages, they're all just built-in and they're a little more intuitive to the developers. Making those testing tools as intuitive as possible, and as integrated as possible into the workbench, would be really beneficial."

"The ability to edit source code that has special characters is limited. The ability to incorporate or convert REXX into macros that are usable under the Topaz software is not there. And the REXX macros that I have developed over 40 years of work are useless, so I have a toolbox I can't use or deploy using the Topaz technology, while I can use it under MVS."

"We have noticed that Topaz supported Eclipse environments are rather old. It would be nice if Topaz were compatible with the more current Eclipse releases."

More BMC AMI DevX cons

"Nowadays, there are a couple of mainframe companies, using mainframe products, so to be honest, I'm not recommending it."

"If I look into the native COBOL language it can be more efficient, and CA Gen adds what seems to be some unnecessary lines of code; it’s not an apples to apples comparison."

"The world is changing, the technologies are changing - COOL:Gen needs to change as well."

"The product needs to be well marketed, then adopted. I am not seeing many customers using the product."

"Personally, I think the tool has taken a turn for the worse."

"The weak side is, I cannot use the DB2 specifications, DB2 comments, easily."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price point is great."

"The only thing I would mention related to the licensing and/or the pricing, is that they have some visualization features in there that are licensed by concurrent users. We're starting to trip up on that. We're looking to probably increase the number of concurrent licenses that we have. But those types of licensing strategies, where they license by concurrent users or the number of seats is confusing for some people. They don't understand why it works sometimes and doesn't work other times."

"I like the seat-based licensing much more than MSU-based licensing, and that the cost has been competitive."

"In general, Compuware tools are very competitive."

"It has saved our developers time and effort when working on documentation, which is now more readable and fluent."

"In terms of pricing, there isn't an extra charge for the parts of it we use. It comes with the licenses we purchased for other products, so no complaints there. The licensing is built in with the other products that you purchase from Compuware."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

33%

Insurance Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	18

No data available

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for BMC Compuware Topaz Enterprise Data?

I don't directly deal with the pricing side of the solution.

See all answers

What needs improvement with BMC AMI DevX?

To improve BMC AMI DevX, consideration should be given to cloud-style provisioning and development models, as well as integration of more AI capabilities. Enhancements in VS Code extensions to deve...

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What is your primary use case for BMC AMI DevX?

BMC AMI DevX solutions are primarily used for mainframe-based resources and application development, encompassing not only COBOL but also Workbench and VS Code for various purposes. Data management...

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Comparisons

Endevor vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 7% of the time

Perforce Delphix vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 5% of the time

IBM File Manager vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 4% of the time

Broadcom Test Data Manager vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 4% of the time

Rocket Enterprise Developer (formerly a Micro Focus product) vs BMC AMI DevX

Compared 3% of the time

More BMC AMI DevX Competitors

IBM Developer for z/OS Enterprise Edition (IDzEE) vs Gen

Compared 28% of the time

BMC AMI DevOps for Db2 vs Gen

Compared 21% of the time

Endevor vs Gen

Compared 18% of the time

More Gen Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX

July 2026

Download BMC AMI DevX product report

Buyer's Guide

Endevor vs. Gen

June 2026

Download Gen product report

Also Known As

File-AID, Data for Db2, Code Debug, Data Studio, Workbench for Eclipse, Code Pipeline

CA Gen

Overview

BMC AMI DevX is a mainframe DevOps platform for IBM Z environments that helps development and platform engineering teams increase release velocity, reduce change risk, and build a sustainable mainframe developer workforce.

Whether the priority is attracting the next generation of mainframe talent, safely evolving decades of business-critical code, accelerating release velocity, or demonstrating development ROI to leadership — BMC AMI DevX is designed to address all on a single platform. Teams can connect existing tools and adopt capabilities incrementally using an open-borders integration approach.

A 2025 Forrester Total Economic Impact study found that customers using BMC AMI DevX onboarded developers 50% faster, completed code changes 33% faster, increased release frequency by 50%, and reduced change failure rate by 33%.

Key capabilities:

Modern IDE integration (VS Code, Eclipse) with a unified development environment that reduces context switching
AI-powered code analysis including dependency mapping, impact analysis, and runtime execution path visualization
Automated unit, functional, integration, and performance testing with code coverage analysis
Git-compatible CI/CD integration with event-driven webhooks and an open plug-in library
DORA metrics and DevOps KPI tracking with AI/ML anomaly detection across the mainframe SDLC

BMC

Gen is a cutting-edge tool designed to streamline operations for tech-savvy audiences, focusing on diverse industries to optimize performance efficiently. Specifically crafted with advanced functionalities, Gen offers a unique approach to digital solutions, enhancing task management and boosting productivity.

Tailored to meet the demands of knowledgeable users, Gen integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, providing a robust platform that supports dynamic operations. Its intuitive interface, powered by innovative technology, facilitates smooth task execution and cultivates an agile working environment. Gen's adaptability allows users to leverage its capabilities across different industry sectors, ensuring optimal results and high productivity. It combines precision with user-friendly design, catering to the techno-savvy professionals who seek efficiency and speed without compromising on quality.

What key features define Gen's capabilities?

Seamless integration: Easily integrates with current systems to streamline workflows.
Scalability: Adapts to business growth, handling increased demand efficiently.
Automation: Automates repetitive tasks, freeing up time for strategic initiatives.

What benefits can users expect when exploring Gen reviews?

Cost-effectiveness: Reduces operational costs through process optimization.
Improved productivity: Enhances team performance by streamlining task management.
Enhanced flexibility: Offers adaptable solutions tailored to specific industry needs.

In industries such as logistics, healthcare, and finance, Gen implementation translates to tailored processes that align resources with precise requirements, ensuring substantial gains in efficiency. Through its strategic design, Gen meets industry-specific standards, streamlining processes and enhancing output quality and speed.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

NRB, Iberdrola, Consorzio Servizi Bancari

Global bank

Buyer's Guide

BMC AMI DevX vs. Gen

June 2026

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