IBM Blueworks Live vs. Microsoft Visio

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
IBM Blueworks Live
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Blueworks Live is cloud-based business process management software that provides users with a collaborative environment for documenting, analyzing, and building business process mapping.N/A
Microsoft Visio
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft offers Visio, a diagramming tool for building flowcharts, diagrams (e.g. network diagrams), org charts and floor plans, available online as a subscription and also in enterprise level packages (e.g. Visio Professional).
$5
per month per user
Pricing
IBM Blueworks LiveMicrosoft Visio
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Visio Plan 1
$5.00
per month per user
Visio Plan 2
$15.00
per month per user
Visio Standard 2024
$309.99
one-time fee On-premises diagramming solution, licensed for one PC
Visio Professional 2024
$579.99
one-time fee On-premises diagramming solution, licensed for one PC
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
IBM Blueworks LiveMicrosoft Visio
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
IBM Blueworks LiveMicrosoft Visio
Features
IBM Blueworks LiveMicrosoft Visio
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
IBM Blueworks Live
8.3
Ratings
1% above category average
Microsoft Visio
-
Ratings
Dashboards8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Process Engine
Comparison of Process Engine features of Product A and Product B
IBM Blueworks Live
7.7
Ratings
8% below category average
Microsoft Visio
-
Ratings
Process designer8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Process simulation8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Business rules engine5.80 Ratings00 Ratings
SOA support7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Process player8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for modeling languages7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Form builder8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Model execution7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration
Comparison of Collaboration features of Product A and Product B
IBM Blueworks Live
8.5
Ratings
1% above category average
Microsoft Visio
-
Ratings
Social collaboration tools8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Content Management Capabilties
Comparison of Content Management Capabilties features of Product A and Product B
IBM Blueworks Live
6.2
Ratings
27% below category average
Microsoft Visio
-
Ratings
Content management6.20 Ratings00 Ratings
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User Ratings
IBM Blueworks LiveMicrosoft Visio
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.3
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
IBM Blueworks LiveMicrosoft Visio
Likelihood to Recommend
Pharmacies are subject to several regulatory obligations, including FDA and HIPAA rules. Pharmacy teams may record and view compliance-related procedures in a uniform format with IBM BLueworks Live. This facilitates Audit tracking, ensures process compliance at every stage, and keeps audits running smoothly.
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I believe any company or individual that is looking to get a process map visualized; would be a great tool. The tool is a great way to get complex ideas onto “paper” for all to see. Visio can be harder to use if you have an idea that is going in many different directions. If all ideas can fit on one page, this is the tool to use to visualize it all.
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Pros
  • Easy to create process diagrams quickly, while collaborating with others.
  • Create linkages to sub-processes and other workflows.
  • Track activities using metadata such as which IT systems are utilized.
  • Use the glossary terms to find where different roles or systems are involved in processes throughout your org.
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  • The templates for basic flowcharting are simple to use and cover most of the basic functions and touch points in a diagram.
  • The variety of included icons and connectors means it's very easy to create floor plans and/or network diagrams.
  • The ease at which you can customise connectors with different colours/thickness makes it very effective in overall presentation of a diagram.
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Cons
  • In particular, we have had problems with the availability of the service because the platform frequently crashed.
  • Is not easy to pull some indicators.
  • We would like to be able to see a different interface, long ago with the same.
  • Payment process is not easy.
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  • Its inability to delve deeply into micro information successfully.
  • It is a paid software which comes after paying a Microsoft licensing fee.
  • The cost is high and the integration of the stencil library is unnecessarily fragmented.
  • The more you use it, the faster and more effective you will get.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
We use Microsoft Visio to keep our diagrams updated and to that end we will need the subscription to keep using the software. Otherwise we will be left with PDF versions of the diagrams.
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Usability
No answers on this topic
I think Microsoft Visio is pretty easy to initially pick up and understand the user interface to dive into make basic models. It would be nice if there were some fit for purpose templates so that not as much time needs to be spent on some types of engineering diagram structure. Trying to work on a single Visio file with multiple team members is also a sticking point.
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Support Rating
I have gotten great response for the very few times I needed support.
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Overall, I feel that Microsoft's support is weak. They are now such a behemoth that their model of putting documentation online for their users to sift through is totally outgrown. Given the amount of money you pay for these licenses, Microsoft should provide easy one-on-one support for their products via email or chat. The idea of paying their rates for support incidents is ridiculous. If you have an enormous amount of time on your hands, use their support websites and you will eventually find a solution most of the time.
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Alternatives Considered
Blueworks Live was part of a project deal. We did not keep it after the project. We found there are many solutions offering similar or superior capabilities - the fact that Blueworks does not fully support the universal BPMN standard was a big letdown for us. The pricing also did not make sense as a standalone solution.
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I have personally never used or evaluated other programs similar to Microsoft Visio. I started using it following an indication from a colleague who told me that our University distributes it free of charge to its users. Since I first used it (more or less three years ago), I have never left Microsoft Visio. Excellent!
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Return on Investment
  • It has helped us reduce miscommunication between our departments, such as production, inventory, and shipping, thus reducing delays.
  • Now, most things are automated; we can quickly know when a product will be in low stock.
  • With the help of custom charts, we are easily able to determine our best-selling product of the month and week, which helps us market according to stats.
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  • Greatly enhanced time to create share and finalize documentation.
  • Better collaboration between disparate teams, such as marketing opts and sales ops.
  • Transparency/visibility into standardize, workflows and processes have led to better team, relationships, and better results that translate directly to the bottom line and ROI.
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ScreenShots

IBM Blueworks Live Screenshots

Screenshot of the IBM Blueworks Live interface which fosters real-time communication and feedback, allowing users to work together on process models. It is used to track changes, share insights, and refine workflows with instant messaging directly within the platform.Screenshot of the Library feature in IBM Blueworks Live, which offers a hierarchical view of spaces, blueprints, decisions, and policies. Users can navigate and categorize processes to streamline business operations, ensuring teams have access the right information at the right time.Screenshot of the Discovery Map in IBM Blueworks Live, a tool used to map out complex workflows with drag-and-drop simplicity, making it easy to capture every step of a processes in a structured and clear format. Users can optimize operations by turning insights into action, aligning teams on what truly matters.Screenshot of the Process Diagram view in IBM Blueworks Live, a feature used to transforms Discovery Maps into standardized, swimlane diagrams that clearly outline roles, responsibilities, decisions, systems and process flows. Users can streamline process design with an interactive interface that simplifies complex tasks, enabling the delivery of results faster and more efficiently.Screenshot of the Details Panel in IBM Blueworks Live, used to access critical information such as cycle time, cost, and involved systems. This feature enables users to connect process details across workflows, make data-driven decisions, optimize resources, and enhance business processes, all while keeping stakeholders aligned.