<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0303</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2010-11-22</periodOfReport>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0001084755</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>ARIBA INC</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>ARBA</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001183228</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>CALDERONI ROBERT</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>C/O ARIBA, INC.</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>807 11TH AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>SUNNYVALE</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>CA</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>94089</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>1</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>1</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>0</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle>Chairman and CEO</officerTitle>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2010-11-22</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>F</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
                <footnoteId id="F1"/>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>262547</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>20.80</value>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>D</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>739201</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>D</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value></value>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
        <nonDerivativeHolding>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>3809</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>I</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value>Through 401(k) Plan</value>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeHolding>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">Reflects shares withheld or surrendered to the Issuer to satisfy income and employment tax withholding obligations in accordance with Rule 16b-3 upon settlement/vesting of awards covering an aggregate of 622,482 shares, specifically with respect to the following awards:  33,330 shares acquired pursuant to a restricted stock award (the acquisition of which shares were reported on a Form 4 for October 15, 2007, the &quot;2008 RS Award&quot;); 166,650 shares acquired pursuant to a fiscal year 2008 Performance Stock Unit (the acquisition of which shares were reported on a Form 4 for October 23, 2008, the &quot;2008 PSU&quot;); and 422,502 shares acquired pursuant to a fiscal year 2009 Performance Stock Unit (the acquisition of which shares were reported on a Form 4 for October 28, 2010, the &quot;2009 PSU&quot;).</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">The end of period holdings for the reporting person's directly-owned shares reflects an adjustment from the number reported on the last-filed Form 4 because the end of period holdings reported in the prior Form 4 inadvertently included the 3,809 shares indirectly held by the reporting person through his 401(k) plan account (these shares are reported as indirectly owned in the table above) and did not include an aggregate of 199,980 shares that represent the sum of 33,330 shares related to the 2008 RS Award and 166,650 shares related to the 2008 PSU, each of which have been previously reported as described in Footnote 1.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <remarks></remarks>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>Robert Calderoni</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2010-11-24</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
