Compare · mainframe midrange

VSAM VS z/OS_

As of 4 November 2026, z/OS is named by 257 companies and VSAM by 126; VSAM skews to companies under 200 people (27% vs 32%), z/OS to companies over 1,000 (48% vs 54%).

As of 4 November 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.

The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: VSAM's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, z/OS rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.

VSAM: 2–200 employees
27%
z/OS: 2–200 employees
32%
VSAM: 1,000+ employees
54%
z/OS: 1,000+ employees
48%
Postings per company, 90 days
5.2 · 4.1
Website or DNS footprint
0 · 0
126companies name VSAM
257companies name z/OS
133name both
652 · 1,045postings in 90 days, VSAM · z/OS
02 — Side by side

Who chooses which

Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.

By company size
SegmentVSAMsharez/OSshareLeans
Self-employed11%42%even
2-10 employees54%156%even
11-50 employees108%3212%z/OS
51-200 employees1915%3614%even
201-500 employees1411%249%even
501-1000 employees97%239%even
1001-5000 employees2016%3413%VSAM
5001-10000 employees32%145%z/OS
10,001+ employees4536%7529%VSAM
By industry
SegmentVSAMsharez/OSshareLeans
Technology & software6552%11545%VSAM
Business & finance services4536%9838%z/OS
Manufacturing & industry43%73%even
Automotive22%21%even
Commerce & trade22%62%even
Health care22%10%even
Transport, logistics & rental22%31%even
Public, community & associations11%94%z/OS
Consumer services & leisure11%31%even
Media & content11%83%z/OS
Property & construction11%31%even
Utilities & infrastructure––21%outside top 12
By country
SegmentVSAMsharez/OSshareLeans
United States8366%12850%VSAM
United Kingdom76%83%VSAM
Brazil43%––outside top 12
Germany43%145%z/OS
Canada32%42%even
Spain32%42%even
Argentina22%––outside top 12
Australia22%62%even
France22%249%z/OS
MY22%––outside top 12
Portugal22%52%even
Finland11%––outside top 12
Denmark––42%outside top 12
Poland––42%outside top 12
Sweden––42%outside top 12
Belgium––31%outside top 12
Postings by team (share of each tool's postings)
SegmentVSAMsharez/OSshareLeans
Software engineering48555%45728%VSAM
IT operations & business systems14216%56735%z/OS
Data & AI789%191%VSAM
Product, program & project management192%473%even
Sales61%40%even
Customer service & success20%30%even
Engineering (non-software)20%413%z/OS
manufacturing and production10%121%even
Quality, safety & environment10%10%even
Unclassified10%50%even
Finance & accounting––131%outside top 12
construction and civil––20%outside top 12
Administration & office––10%outside top 12
Education & training––10%outside top 12
logistics warehouse and transport––10%outside top 12
Cite this

Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.

z/OS is named by 257 companies in job postings and VSAM by 126; 133 name both. (Breaknorm, 4 November 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/vsam-vs-z-os)
How we know

Read from the source, not self-reported

Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →

  • Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
  • Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
  • SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
  • Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
FAQ

VSAM vs z/OS: questions

Which is more used, VSAM or z/OS?

By companies naming it in their own job postings, z/OS (257) over VSAM (126). By website-and-DNS footprint, z/OS (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.

Who chooses VSAM?

27% of VSAM companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 32% for z/OS. 54% of VSAM companies have over 1,000 employees, against 48% for z/OS.

Do companies run both?

133 companies name both in their postings, usually VSAM in marketing and z/OS in sales, or during a migration.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.

Companies and people

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with the person who owns it

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