ARIS Architect and Designer vs Visio comparison

Software AG and Microsoft are both solutions in the Business Process Design category. Software AG is ranked #15 with an average rating of 7.4, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.9. Software AG holds a 0.9% mindshare in BPD, compared to Microsoft’s 12.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of Software AG users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Visio and ARIS Architect and Designer compete in the diagramming and business process management software category. Visio seems to have the upper hand in integration and template variety due to its seamless connection with Microsoft Office. ARIS excels in enterprise architecture with its robust process management tools.

Features: Visio's strengths lie in its vast template library, making quick diagramming tasks feasible for those familiar with Microsoft tools, while offering seamless Office integration. ARIS Architect and Designer is advantageous for advanced process management with comprehensive tools like BPMN 2.0 validation and deeper business analytics.

Room for Improvement: Visio could benefit from expanding support for features like XPDL import/export, pen input on Surface devices, and better layering control. ARIS Architect and Designer should consider simplifying collaboration features, improving import/export flexibility, and enhancing usability in data handling to better adapt to various environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Visio provides deployment flexibility across Private Cloud, Public Cloud, and On-premises platforms, with varied customer service experiences highlighting useful self-help resources but occasional hurdles in real-time support. ARIS Architect and Designer primarily focuses on on-premises deployment, with noted complexities in licensing affecting customer service, yet offering a structured enterprise deployment approach.

Pricing and ROI: Visio's diverse pricing strategies, including a cost-effective Office 365 bundle, make it accessible and supportive of strong ROI by ensuring quick setup and efficient usage. Despite a higher cost, its integration benefits often justify the investment. Conversely, ARIS Architect and Designer's higher licensing expenses might deter potential users, although ROI can be significant in settings maximizing its features, albeit the cost remains a barrier.

To learn more, read our detailed ARIS Architect and Designer vs. Visio Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

ARIS Architect and Designer vs. Visio

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

IBM Blueworks Live

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Business Process Design category, the mindshare of IBM Blueworks Live is 3.5%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ARIS Architect and Designer is 0.9%, down from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Visio is 12.5%, down from 13.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Design

Featured Reviews

AjarMathur

Global Innovation Director at Ernst & Young

An easily scalable and affordable solution that enables users to document and digitize processes with ease

IBM Blueworks is BPMN 2.0 compliant, but it does not adapt to the overarching BPMN 2.0 concepts. There is only one kind of BPMN 2.0 diagram. It is a process diagram. It doesn't have the concept of separate tools, which other products offer. If I had to do a hardcore BPMN 2.0 modeling, the product would have its own reservations. There were features we could not explore from a BPMN 2.0 perspective. Most of the time, people who are shifting from Microsoft Office tools to a digitized way of working still want the reporting capabilities to be strong. Some tools, like ARIS or Signavio, offer customized solutions from the reporting perspective. If I have documented my whole finance process and want to fetch out a complete SOP report in a very customized manner, IBM Blueworks cannot provide it. We have to rely on some other services. So that's one area in which we always struggled, how to really customize the reporting aspects. I understand that we need to keep the tool a little more asset-light. It's very difficult to keep adding many options, but at least a few BPMN 2.0 options were needed. We have been suggesting to IBM that we should have some way of customizing the reporting. At least we should get a custom way of reporting it into different formats like Excel or putting up a logo for one of the clients so that their SAP can be printed that way.

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MohamedSalah13

CEO at TargetState

The solution is stable and has a responsive support team, but it is not flexible, and exporting data is difficult

I am not satisfied with the solution. The product is not flexible. There are some issues in exporting the data. It is very hard. Importing from other formats is also very hard. Once we work with ARIS, we are stuck with it. We cannot switch to a different solution because migration is very hard. Also, the UI is not the best. The tool must allow users to export data into different formats, especially common ones. Sometimes, we need to export it to Word files.

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IckyDu Buisson

Enterprise Architect at Employment and Labour; Compensation Fund, Unemployment& Insurance Fund

Good modeling and flexibility but object oriented features needed

Visio should be object-oriented to enable the reusability of objects across different models. Currently, changes made in one model do not automatically reflect in other related models. Having a repository behind the objects would significantly improve its utility, providing a structured environment for managing various architectural components and their relationships.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"IBM Blueworks Live is cloud-based and provides easy access to all your processes in one place."

"Valuable features include real-time modeling and design work, the ability to perform workshops with clients in real-time with the tool, and getting instant output."

"Collaboration is most valuable. You can collaborate online with many people. People can comment, and you can comment back. It is just like a social network, and that, for me, is very good."

"It is a stable solution since there has not been any downtime. Everything loads fast."

"In terms of the collaboration features, from the point of discovery, it was useful to go to load up the policies and the rule sets that the client had. And in terms of exploring options and being able to model a variety of different processes, that was incredibly useful as well."

"For me, what I find to be the most valuable is its simplicity and the association with Microsoft Office."

"The ease of documenting and digitizing the processes was valuable to us."

"I like the two-tiered approach, that is, discover and then drill down to the main steps. You can right click and attach risk, policies, and much more. It is a user-friendly solution."

More IBM Blueworks Live pros

"The support team is very responsive."

"We use the product for modeling, conducting process checks, doing process flow, running, and analyzing the report."

"The user interface is easy to work with."

"One of the standout features for me is its synchronization to a publication server. It makes sharing diagrams and links with non-users easy."

"It is suitable for banks, insurance companies, public administration, etc. The method is very adaptable and can be applied independently of the business."

"The most important feature is ARIS's ability to turn a process design into data to analyze anything you want. For example, we have some analysis reports in ARIS that can guide us when we want to change a system. It shows us how this change will affect all of the organization's processes."

"One of the most valuable features is how user-friendly ARIS is, compared to other BPM tools. This tool has very diverse types of assets available. ARIS also has a lot of customizable options, different model types, object types, a number of attributes, and a lot of customization is possible. In comparison, Signavio is very limited in terms of model types and object types. So these customizations ARIS offers are really valuable to any client who wants to create a BPM repository."

"It's really fast. It's much faster compared to Enterprise Architect."

"The tools tab within Visio has been amazingly useful, and it is updated quite frequently. Along with how Visio handles components and everything else, I would call it an easy-to-use tool."

"The most valuable feature is that it is integrated with other tools in the Microsoft Office suite, as well as at the backend with products like SharePoint and Microsoft Teams."

"It keeps track of its connections as you move things around."

"If you are a knowledgeable individual, the initial setup isn't too difficult."

"It is easy to learn and implement."

"The most valuable features are that the user experience is simple, and it's customizable."

"It is pretty easy to use if you are looking for this type of solution."

"One of the things that I like is the automation from external data."

More Visio pros

Cons

"IBM Blueworks is BPMN 2.0 compliant, but it does not adapt to the overarching BPMN 2.0 concepts."

"I can't insert any images. For example, within the process map, if I want to put it in the box or rectangle, or circle. If I have to use one image or icon, that's not possible."

"Sometimes, the tool is automatic, which can complicate it, but once you're accustomed to manipulating it, you can use it very effectively."

"The font size is really, really small and it's really not useful to print out process models because you cannot read what's written in different boxes. This makes it necessary for people to have access to the tool. We view licenses to see how the printing or output is. It's not very good."

"We would like the ability to add additional custom colors. We would like to color additional items to add notes to the blueprint."

"We'd also like to see it be Six Sigma or Lean compatible, a lot of people have asked about that."

"Spaces are not well organized; space controls are lacking."

"The ability to create a very structured rule. With the capability that we have right now, Blueworks Live is more process focused. We should be able to enhance it to include a lot more of decisions as well."

More IBM Blueworks Live cons

"Sometimes, it's not easy to convince customers to use this methodology because it's a bit rigid."

"Even with a formal modeling language, users can still draw freely and make a bit of a mess in your repository. It should also improve usability."

"The support team takes a long time to respond to our queries."

"The simulation part still has some way to go. It's a good feature, and it's something that other vendors don't have right now, but it can still be improved. Some features are needed in ARIS Architect, so advanced users can do things through drag-and-drop functionality."

"The product is not flexible."

"You can have a collaboration feature, but it's necessary to have ARIS Connect which is a separate, costly product."

"This product could be improved by lowering the licensing cost. More organizations could use ARIS if they slashed the licensing costs even a little bit."

"We face problems when the product's capacity is increased."

"Visio's scalability could be improved. I had a license through my school and it would have been great to be able to collaborate with more people."

"Lacks stencils for new technologies in the solution."

"The behavior of the interface can sometimes be unpredictable."

"There could be better integration between Visio and Word, especially when it comes to importing graphics from the one to the other."

"Visio should be object-oriented to enable the reusability of objects across different models."

"It can be complex. If you don't know a little bit about it, it can get really confusing."

"When you use a BPA solution you can open an end-to-end process in one window, go down, or go up between layers to different places. You should be able to see descriptions of the steps of the process."

"The application grid seems to be unreliable which makes simple tasks complicated."

More Visio cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Based on the licenses purchased, from a footprint perspective, you can have as many people as you want. You have multiple different categories of licenses to keep the cost low."

"The solution is very, very cost-effective."

"There are editor licenses that are around 50 euros per month, and contributor licenses that are around 30 euros per month."

"We are seeing ROI from this solution. The solution has saved us time."

"They have a free subscription model that gives a lot of power to the users."

"The solution is not very expensive."

"Price wise, IBM Blueworks Live is in the middle range, and I would give it a five out of ten."

"Making it less expensive would be good."

"The product is expensive."

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

"Many customers find the licensing configuration confusing. There are many different sub-details in the licensing, making it very difficult for us to understand what we are buying and what we are using with what."

"The licenses are very costly. I've seen many people who are hesitant or not able to use ARIS Suite just because of the license cost. Even though they like all the functionalities and understand the value of everything ARIS provides, they aren't able to implement it."

"The pricing of Visio is much better. It has a free version of the cheapest functionality which is enough for us."

"There is a licensing fee, but it is fairly priced."

"It's not the cheapest product, but it's extremely valuable."

"While I don't recall the exact price I do recall that it was quite high."

"The product is inexpensive if you already have Microsoft products in your environment. The license encompasses all the required services."

"The yearly cost is approximately $400 CAD ($300 USD)."

"My organization has paid for the solution. However, I have used it personally without payment. There is a free option available."

"I don't have any issue with the pricing. It has a subscription-based model, and the subscription is done on a yearly basis. Of course, we need internal approvals in place."

More Visio pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

19%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

19%

Computer Software Company

12%

Insurance Company

12%

Government

Financial Services Firm

15%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Blueworks Live?

The solution is easy to operate. Also, there is an automatic mode to make the business flow. You don't have to put an...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Blueworks Live?

The solution costs around 600-700 dollars/year, which is quite affordable.

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What needs improvement with IBM Blueworks Live?

Sometimes, the tool is automatic, which can complicate it, but once you're accustomed to manipulating it, you can use...

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What do you like most about ARIS Architect and Designer?

The support team is very responsive.

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What needs improvement with ARIS Architect and Designer?

At this moment, we are moving all of these features to the web, which makes it easier to use in a browser. It can be ...

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What is your primary use case for ARIS Architect and Designer?

ARIS Architect is like a nuclear product in the suite. Users have the Designer and the administration module as well....

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How easy is it to migrate process flow charts (modeled using tools like Visio) into Bizagi?

I have been using Bizagi with a major project for a state government agency for about four years now. It is pretty st...

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What do you like most about Visio?

The diagrams Visio creates are quite impressive in the sense that we can cooperate with more colleagues in one task a...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Visio?

One of the main problems with Visio is its licensing options and associated issues, which lead to discussions about t...

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Comparisons

SAP Signavio Process Manager vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 17% of the time

Lucidchart vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 15% of the time

ARIS Cloud vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 9% of the time

Camunda vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 8% of the time

ARIS BPA vs IBM Blueworks Live

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Blueworks Live Competitors

ARIS Cloud vs ARIS Architect and Designer

Compared 100% of the time

More ARIS Architect and Designer Competitors

Bizagi vs Visio

Compared 16% of the time

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs Visio

Compared 14% of the time

Visual Paradigm vs Visio

Compared 10% of the time

Lucidchart vs Visio

Compared 7% of the time

Camunda vs Visio

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Blueworks Live

December 2024

Download IBM Blueworks Live product report

Buyer's Guide

ARIS Architect and Designer

December 2024

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Buyer's Guide

Visio

November 2024

Download Visio product report

Also Known As

IBM Lombardi Blueprint

ARIS Architect & Designer, ARIS Architect, ARIS Designer

Microsoft Visio

Learn More

IBM

Software AG

Microsoft

Overview

IBM Blueworks Live is a cloud-based business process modeling tool that helps you discover, map and document your processes. It is easy to use, allowing you to learn and perform business process modeling in minutes.

With Blueworks Live you can:

Simplify business process modeling
Quickly build business processes in a straightforward, cloud-based interface designed for both IT and business users.

Improve process efficiency and accuracy
A central process repository eliminates version control and consistency issues by providing users real-time access to process workflows.

Enhance cross-team collaboration
A shared team workspace engages all business process owners, encouraging cross-team participation and continuous process improvement.

ARIS is the market-leading solution for professional business process management and modeling. Whether you want to document the "as-is" state of your operations for quality or certification reasons or design the "to-be" in terms of continuous improvement in your transformation program, ARIS is the best choice for establishing a single source of truth regarding all process excellence topics in your organization. It is for any organization looking to digitally transform their business, increase operational excellence and customer experience and ensure compliance in execution. ARIS helps you to make the most out of your processes with Process Mining, Risk & Compliance Management, RPA and much more.

What makes the difference?

The most comprehensive platform for process excellence in the market
Easy to use
Covers business & IT architecture from all angles
Full flexibility and >100 diagram types
Customer-driven development based on best practices
Strong partner ecosystem

ARIS is the market-leading solution for any organization and ideally suited to digitally transform the organization, increase operational excellence and customer experience and ensure compliance in execution.

Visio is an innovative collaborative solution that enables users to quickly visualize data-connected business process flows with a host of integrated intuitive features that bring the power of Microsoft 365 to Visio. Visio allows users to easily create professional diagrams, graphs, and other visual data, easily anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. Users are able to confidently and easily transform data into creative powerful visuals. Visio provides dozens of easy-to-use templates along with thousands of customizable colorful shapes that bring a user's best ideas to life. Visio is available for all Microsoft 365 commercial users and is available on desktop and Web applications.

Visio Features

Visio can easily create visual data for today’s business needs. Some of its most useful visual data include:

Flowcharts: Users can easily bring business concepts to fruition with Visio’s robust flowchart features. Visio provides a huge library of shapes, stencils, and templates to transform numbers and data into impactful, easy-to-understand business stories.
Organizational charts: Visio makes it easy to design articulate org charts to better visualize team, reporting, and hierarchy structures. Users are then able to seamlessly share the charts with stakeholders, teams, and employees.
Network diagrams: Users are able to creatively display how a system design processes function and visually illustrate how devices and networks interact with each other using a variety of network shapes, templates, and connector tools.
Brainstorming: Visio makes brainstorming simple and actionable with a wide range of templates designed specifically for interpreting problems and mapping out solutions, including fishbone and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) diagrams.
Floor plans: Users can design ergonomic workspaces, retail store layouts, new homes, and more with accurate, scalable templates and tools to help them better visualize function, flow, and overall aesthetic appeal.
Accessible: Visio is able to integrate with a wide variety of accessibility tools, such as Narrator, Accessibility Checker, and high-contrast support, to ensure Visio diagrams are available to your entire team.

Reviews from Real Users

“Visio has improved my workflow by making it easy to create charts, diagrams, and essential illustrations to use in my client reports and proposals. It has saved me a lot of time I would otherwise spend creating visuals for clients manually.” - Michael B., Principal Consultant at Lexington Consulting

“I use it for diagramming networks, racks, data centers, data flow applications, etc. It is a useful tool to map data flows, network objects, and computer science technology and to show to clients. It does what I need it to do. It's a tool I've used the longest, so I know it the best, and that's probably the claim to fame.” - Greg S., Director of Solution Architecture at Winslow Technology Group

“We use Visio for architecture modeling. We also use it to facilitate communication with other people. The feature I like most about Visio is that it acts as a facilitator of communication, as it displays information in a way that's easier to understand.” - Guy M., IT/Business Architect at a financial services firm

Sample Customers

Cloudsoft Corp. Ltd., Bayer, S¾SS, Essex County Council

Tesco, Weifu, Airbus, Siemens, Proximus, Alicorp, Sekerbank, Bancor, Philips,Sky, Emirates NBD, Dubai Municipality, Suva, U.S. Army, Australia Post, Westfalen Weser Energie - ARIS serves customers across all industries and of every size worldwide. Companies trust ARIS as the market leader for process excellence with more than 30 years of experience in the market, 10 million users worldwide, from 1 user companies to the Fortune 500.

Thomas College, Hamburg Port Authority, Portigon AG, Conseil G_n_ral du d_partement des Hautes-Alpes, AAA Auto a. s., Commonwealth Financial Network, ICA, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company

Buyer's Guide

ARIS Architect and Designer vs. Visio

December 2024

Free Report: ARIS Architect and Designer vs. Visio

Find out what your peers are saying about ARIS Architect and Designer vs. Visio and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.

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We monitor all Business Process Design reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.