Smart Bear Software
Welcome CodeCollaborator

" Our team balked at code reviews at first. Now we can't imagine working without Code Collaborator. "

—Brian Toombs
Cisco Systems®
Code Collaborator
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How does CodeCollaborator stack up?

Compare Code Collaborator with:  

Smart Bear
CodeCollaborator
Smart Bear
CodeReviewer
Cross-platform Windows-only
Custom fields & workflow Only one defect field; no review fields or workflow options
Review & defect metrics collected automatically No metrics
Customizable reports No reports


Detailed Comparison

Clients & Platforms
Smart Bear
CodeCollaborator
Smart Bear
CodeReviewer
Support for Windows, Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X YesNo
Windows only
Command-line user interface YesNo
Web-based user interface YesNo
Rich-client user interface YesYes
Eclipse plug-in integration YesNo
Web Services API for system integration, reporting, and automation Yes
Public, documented API exposes the entire the data model. Free Java libraries included. Additional sample code included.
No
SSL Support YesNo
Works with any editor or IDE YesYes
Works outside an editor or IDE YesYes
Integration with CodePickle allowing developers to work on multiple simultaneous changes to source code files without being blocked until reviews are returned Yes
Windows only, for now
Yes
Serverless over LAN networks NoYes
Supports distributed developers over WAN networks YesYes
Using optional, free Web Services proxy server
Version Control Integration
Smart Bear
CodeCollaborator
Smart Bear
CodeReviewer
Perforce Integration YesYes
Perforce P4Win/P4V Plugin YesNo
However, Perforce changelists are detected automatically by the client.
ClearCase Integration YesYes
Subversion Integration YesYes
CVS Integration YesYes
Vault Integration YesYes
MKS Integration No
coming soon!
No
Reviews & Files
Smart Bear
CodeCollaborator
Smart Bear
CodeReviewer
Supports reviews of local changes not yet committed to version control YesYes
Supports reviews of changes already committed to version control YesYes
Can review file differences rather than complete file inspections YesYes
Can perform whole-file inspections YesYes
Automatically detects local file changes Yes
Via version control integration
Yes
Via version control integration
Packages local file contents and differences for delivery YesYes
Can search for completed reviews based on file name or type YesNo
General Review Process
Smart Bear
CodeCollaborator
Smart Bear
CodeReviewer
Supports multiple simultaneous review participants YesNo
Supports multiple participants serially YesYes
Tracks comments made during code review YesYes
Tracks defects found during code review YesNo
Negative comments block check-in but are not specially tracked for metrics
Chat-style comment history showing dialogue for each thread of conversation YesYes
Can view proposed code changes in color-coded before/after view YesYes
Can leave comments on individual lines of code YesYes
Can export proposed changes on reviewer's machine for testing YesYes
Supports review checklists YesYes
Supports configurable review participant roles for workflow and reporting YesNo
Metrics & Reporting
Smart Bear
CodeCollaborator
Smart Bear
CodeReviewer
Builds audit trail of review communication YesYes
Saves audit trail along with actual file changes Yes
Audit trails and review metrics available in data or Web Services
Yes
Audit trails stored in the version control check-in comment
Automatically collects metrics for man-hours/kLOC, defects/kLOC, and man-hours/kLOC YesNo
Built-in reporting Yes
Reporting system built-in; external report tools can use database or Web Services interface
No
Custom reports Yes
In-product custom reports as well as 3rd-party tools against the database
Yes
XML report files generated; also available through CodeReports
Sophisticated searching, e.g. finding all reviews of a certain file, or done by a certain user, or searching within comment or defect text YesYes
Administrative Control
Smart Bear
CodeCollaborator
Smart Bear
CodeReviewer
Allows custom fields for defects to track e.g. severity, type, or phase-injected YesNo
Allows custom fields for reviews to track e.g. project, phase, or relevant bug ID's YesNo
Admin option preventing developers from checking in code before it is reviewed Yes
Using supplied SCM server triggers
Yes
Users check in code from the product
Permits only certain users to have access to administer server configuration YesNo
Can restrict viewing reviews to certain users YesNo
Can track and administrate all current reviews YesYes
Can administer user lists YesYes
Can authenticate from LDAP/ActiveDirectory instead of maintaining user list YesNo
But user list is determined automatically