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IBM BPM vs Pega Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.5
IBM BPM enhances process efficiency, reduces errors, and often recovers costs within a year despite moderate licensing costs.
Sentiment score
7.6
Pega Platform boosts efficiency, revenue, and ROI up to 80% through improved processes, automation, and quick digital transformation.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
IBM BPM's customer service is praised for expertise but needs improvement in response times and handling complex issues.
Sentiment score
6.8
Pega Platform's customer support receives mixed reviews; premium service users report higher satisfaction but slower response for critical issues.
We had a contract that provided on-site support, which was very satisfactory.
The technical support from Pega is very low, rating a one or two out of ten.
I never needed support from the platform standpoint, but if additional features are required, we have regular meetings with the product team for feedback.
Pega's technical support team is very helpful.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
IBM BPM is scalable but requires tuning and monitoring for performance amid challenges and varied user satisfaction.
Sentiment score
7.6
Pega Platform is scalable across industries with some performance challenges, requiring robust infrastructure and strategic capacity planning.
I found IBM BPM to be scalable to a certain level but it struggled with large volumes of concurrent transactions.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM BPM is generally stable with improved performance, occasional instability issues, and effective support for resolving problems.
Sentiment score
7.7
Pega Platform is generally stable and reliable, but high task volumes or configurations can cause occasional glitches.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM BPM needs intuitive configuration, better integration, improved scalability, simplified processes, UI refinement, enhanced features, and reduced pricing.
Users report Pega Platform's complexity, UI issues, and limited customization, seeking improved AI, better support, and enhanced integration.
IBM BPM also lacks smaller solutions, so I must purchase multiple solutions to start with workflows and applications.
Pega introduced Constellation, which allows a user to build a more engaging visual experience.
My learning curve in robotics has been challenging.
 

Setup Cost

IBM BPM is a costly solution with complex licensing, best suited for large enterprises seeking powerful capabilities.
Pega Platform is costly for small businesses, offering scalable features and negotiable pricing, ideal for large enterprises.
SAP is more expensive, but IBM BPM is very expensive.
The pricing is expensive, and this is an issue.
Pega is priced higher than open-source options like Flowable but is suitable for large-scale industries like banking and insurance.
 

Valuable Features

IBM BPM is praised for process orchestration, integration, user interface, automation, and strong analytics with low-code deployment.
Pega Platform offers rapid deployment, strong integration, and flexible workflows with extensive functionalities for diverse industry needs.
The integration capabilities of IBM BPM are excellent.
Management capabilities such as dashboards.
Pega Platform is excellent for enterprise-level solutions with integrations to entire systems, including case management, service orchestration, CRM, decision-making capabilities, digital process automation, and AI-driven functionalities.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM BPM
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
5th
Ranking in Process Automation
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
110
Ranking in other categories
Application Infrastructure (7th)
Pega Platform
Ranking in Business Process Management (BPM)
3rd
Ranking in Process Automation
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
Business Rules Management (1st), Rapid Application Development Software (6th), Low-Code Development Platforms (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Business Process Management (BPM) category, the mindshare of IBM BPM is 7.6%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Pega Platform is 5.7%, down from 7.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Process Management (BPM)
 

Featured Reviews

Mohammed Almalki - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good case management and its integration with process design but there's a learning curve
If you're already an IBM shop with the necessary skills and personnel, then I would recommend using it. However, it requires a yearly investment. So, if you're prepared for that, then go for it. New users will need at least six months to get comfortable with IBM BPM, at least initially. So, there's a learning curve. Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. Two main reasons: the skillset required to manage it and its integration complexity.
AshishKumar4 - PeerSpot reviewer
A customer-centric solution with easy setup, but the UI and support should be better
My advice would be to know what a product is offering and align your requirements. You should have a clear vision of how you want to use a product and make sure that you are getting what you are looking for. Many times, the salespeople sell something, but the end client or the company doesn't get what they were looking for. So, first of all, the company needs to have a clear vision of the product and requirements. I've been working mostly with Pega throughout my career. I find it very good in terms of how easily a process can be developed around a customer's thinking. I've not seen any other tool that can be used in such a manner. So, from my perspective, as a developer, I would always recommend Pega, and I would always go for it. Overall, I would rate it a seven out of ten.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
31%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
28%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which is better, IBM BPM or IBM Business Automation Workflow?
We researched both IBM solutions and in the end, we chose Business Automation Workflow. IBM BPM has a good user interface and the BPM coach is a helpful tool. The API is very useful in providing en...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM BPM?
SAP is more expensive, but IBM BPM is very expensive. If a scale of one to ten is used, I would rate IBM BPM at nine in terms of pricing.
Is Pega BPM easy to work with and can beginners utilize this software?
You do need some preparation to be able to use all functions of Pega BPM. However, all users of this platform are in luck as it comes with good documentation and you can learn pretty much everythin...
Have you encountered any issues while using Pega BPM and were you assisted by the company?
My company has been using this tool for years and the only issue we have had, if you can call it that, was while setting it up. When we were setting it up initially, we had some drawbacks and could...
When you consider the features and benefits of Pega BPM, would you say this product is fairly priced?
Pega BPM can be considered overpriced for some; it all depends on the size of your company and the requirements of your customers. Sure, there are products out there that do the things that Pega B...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

WebSphere Lombardi Edition, IBM Business Process Manager, IBM WebSphere Process Server
Pega BPM, Pegasystems, SmartBPM, PegaRULES
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Barclays, EmeriCon, Banca Popolare di Milano, CST Consulting, KeyBank, KPMG, Prolifics, Sandhata Technologies Ltd., State of Alaska, Humana S.A., Saperion, esciris, Banco Espirito Santo
The State of Maine, ANZ, Coca-Cola, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), ME, New South Wales, OptumRx, Texas Department of Transportation, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM BPM vs. Pega Platform and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
830,726 professionals have used our research since 2012.