IBM Bob plans and Bobcoins, explained

Short answer

IBM Bob has three individual plans, Pro, Pro+, and Ultra, and an Enterprise plan for teams. Every plan includes an allowance of Bobcoins, the units Bob uses to measure work. Premium packages for Java, IBM i, and IBM Z are added on top. Prices vary by country and change over time, so this guide covers the structure rather than the numbers.

What a Bobcoin is

Each task Bob performs draws down Bobcoins, and heavier tasks use more. A quick question about a codebase uses few; a large refactor or a modernization run uses many more. That makes Bobcoins, not seats alone, the number to forecast.

The individual plans

IBM lists 50 Bobcoins for Pro, 180 for Pro+, and 1,000 for Ultra. As a rule of thumb, occasional use fits Pro, daily coding and reviews fit Pro+, and heavy modernization work fits Ultra. The free 30-day trial includes 50 Bobcoins, enough to try Bob on your own code.

What Enterprise adds

Enterprise is built for teams. IBM lists team member management, pooled Bobcoin usage, Bobcoin limits for teams and users, and seat and budget tracking. It is sold on an annual term with custom pricing, and it is the plan used for both IBM's SaaS and self-hosted deployment on Red Hat OpenShift.

Premium packages

Three premium packages add guided workflows for specific stacks: the IBM Bob Premium Package for Java, the Premium Package for IBM i (RPG, COBOL, CL, SQL, DDS), and the Premium Package for Z (COBOL, PL/I, assembler, JCL). They are licensed separately from the plan.

Forecast Bobcoins from a trial, not a guess. A few weeks of real use tells you more than any calculator.

How to choose

For one developer, pick the individual plan that matches how they will use Bob. For roughly two to nine developers, choose Enterprise if you want a shared budget and central control, or give each developer their own plan. At ten or more, Enterprise is usually the right answer. If code must stay in your own environment, the answer is Enterprise, self-hosted.

How Incede.ai helps

Incede.ai is authorized to resell IBM Bob. We size your plan and premium packages, send a formal quote, and include a free activation call. If you want Bob configured properly from day one, our 3-day setup creates teams, Bobcoin budgets, and project rules. The plan finder on our IBM Bob page gives a quick starting recommendation.