Compare · Jama Connect
OpenV as a Jama Connect alternative: what each does
Jama Connect is a requirements platform offered as a Jama-run cloud, with built-in test management, a Review Center with approver roles, and published frameworks for medical and airborne work; it is priced by quote. OpenV is a hosted requirements and V&V tool you can start free today, with test evidence and AI agents on your own AI subscription. It has no electronic signatures or separate approver role yet.
Checked by Desktop Machine Shop, the makers of OpenV, against each vendor’s own pages. Something out of date? Tell us.
Which to choose
- Your reviews need separate moderator, reviewer and approver roles and signing that asks for the password again.
- You want vendor frameworks for IEC 62304, ISO 14971, DO-178C or ARP4754 work.
- You need a US government cloud: Jama offers AWS GovCloud.
- You want to see the price and start today: a free account, no sales call.
- You want AI agents on an AI subscription you already have, rather than an AI add-on.
- You want every export, ReqIF included, on every plan.
- You want the option to self-host the same product free.
Side by side
Each statement about Jama Connect is what Jama Software says on its own pages, linked beside it.
| OpenV (hosted) | Jama Connect | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Single User plan free; team plans are coming soon, and workspaces created during the alpha keep every feature free. | Quote only. Jama says hosting and reviewer licences are free. Jama Software |
| Hosted service | Hosted at openv.app by Desktop Machine Shop, the makers of OpenV. Also free to self-host under the MIT License. | Jama Connect Cloud, run by Jama, and AWS GovCloud (US). Jama Software |
| Traceability and baselines | Typed, rule-checked links from needs to requirements, design, hazards and tests; suspect links; a traceability matrix and gap reports; immutable baselines with comparison. | Custom relationship types and rules, suspect links, impact analysis and baseline comparison. Jama Software |
| Test management | Built in: test runs recorded against test-case versions, evidence with SHA-256 digests, and a V&V status report. | Built in: test cases, test runs and test cycles, with a Test Runner licence type. Jama Software |
| Reviews and approval | Review rounds and a review queue; public read-only links, and reviewer links that let an outside reviewer sign in and comment without editing. No electronic signatures and no separate approver role. | Review Center with moderator, reviewer and approver roles; signing asks the user to log in again. Jama Software |
| ReqIF and other formats | ReqIF 1.x import and export. Round trips are tested OpenV to OpenV; exchange with other tools has not been tested yet. Export to PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, JSON and ReqIF on every plan. Import reads JSON and ReqIF only. | ReqIF through Jama Connect Interchange, which names DOORS, DOORS Next, Codebeamer and Polarion as exchange partners. Jama Software |
| Word and Excel | Export to Word and Excel; no Word or Excel import. | Word and Excel import and export. Jama Software |
| AI | AI agents run on your own Claude Code, Codex or Gemini subscription and, by default, propose changes for a person to approve. | Jama Connect Advisor checks wording against INCOSE rules and EARS and drafts test cases; engineers accept its suggestions. A paid add-on for cloud customers. Jama Software |
| Regulated frameworks | No certification and no tool qualification kit for ISO 26262, DO-178C, IEC 62304 or any other standard. | Frameworks for medical devices (IEC 62304, ISO 14971, ISO 13485) and airborne systems (DO-178C, DO-254, ARP4754). Jama Software |
| Getting started | A free account with no card, today. | A free trial on request. Jama Software |
Moving to OpenV
Export ReqIF from Jama through Jama Connect Interchange and import it into a new OpenV project, then check counts by type, a sample of bodies, links on artifacts you know well and every list attribute.
OpenV’s ReqIF exchange with Jama has not been tested yet, so run the first move as a pilot on one project and open an issue with anything that does not come across.
The ReqIF page says what an import and an export carry.
What OpenV does not do
- No electronic signatures, so 21 CFR Part 11 and similar rules are not met by OpenV alone.
- No separate approver role: any project editor can approve, including their own change.
- No certification and no tool qualification kit for ISO 26262, DO-178C, IEC 62304 or any other standard.
- ReqIF exchange with DOORS, DOORS Next, Polarion or Jama has not been tested yet; treat a first move as a pilot.
- OpenV is in alpha: features and screens still change between releases.