Planview Portfolios vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect comparison

Planview and Sparx Systems are both solutions in the Enterprise Architecture Management category. Planview is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.5, while Sparx Systems is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.1. Planview holds a 0.9% mindshare in AM, compared to Sparx Systems’s 13.9% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Planview users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Sparx Systems users who would recommend it.

Planview Portfolios

Read 63 Planview Portfolios reviews

353 Views
202 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Sparx Systems Enterprise Ar...

Read 99 Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect reviews

4,858 Views
3,580 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Planview Portfolios

Sparx Systems Enterprise Ar...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Planview Portfolios and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect compete in the project and portfolio management and enterprise modeling categories. Planview stands out with its robust resource management features, while Sparx impresses with its extensive modeling capabilities, making Planview Portfolios seem to have a slight edge due to its comprehensive functionality and perceived ROI in strategic decision-making support.

Features: Planview Portfolios offers capacity planning, comprehensive resource management, and integration with reporting tools like Tableau. It provides flexibility in configuring assignments for Agile and non-Agile teams. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect supports multiple modeling notations, including UML, BPMN, and ArchiMate. It features document generation and the ability to trace requirements through various phases, offering extensive modeling capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Planview Portfolios could improve its reporting capabilities and user intuitiveness in workflows. There is also a need for enhanced end-to-end work management and project prioritization. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect would benefit from a more user-friendly interface and collaboration features. Improved visualization and tool integration are also needed to enhance seamless portfolio management.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Planview Portfolios supports flexible deployment options, including public and private cloud configurations, and is generally praised for efficient customer service, though response consistency can improve. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is mainly on-premises with some cloud availability. Customer support is considered less effective, with longer resolution times compared to Planview's service.

Pricing and ROI: Planview Portfolios is perceived as expensive yet valuable for its functionality. FLEX licensing provides toolset flexibility, positively impacting ROI through operational efficiency. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is more affordable, offering cost-effective modeling tools with good feature value, contributing to ROI through low licensing costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Planview Portfolios vs. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Planview Portfolios vs. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Planview Portfolios

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

14th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Portfolio Management (8th)

Sparx Systems Enterprise Ar...

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

2nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Process Design (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of Planview Portfolios is 0.9%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is 13.9%, down from 18.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Architecture Management

Featured Reviews

Mark Hillman

Global Head of Portfolio Management at a wholesaler/distributor with 1,001-5,000 employees

User-friendly interface, but the reporting could be improved

The reporting is poor and requires improvement. The tiles and exception-based activities in the application are sufficient to get by. However, when it comes to producing executive reports, MI reports, or any other type of reporting, we must exit Planview and work offline. We have been working with them to improve on that, as well as using some of the Power BI capabilities that have been available for a while, but it's still more difficult than it should be. In the next release, I would like to be able to use the data in the tool to gain insight much more easily.

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Milan Sterba

Senior Enterprise Architect at Deepview S.r.o.

Efficient documentation generation through organized model structure with a good price-performance ratio

Whenever I begin a new project with Sparx, I have to spend time training people on how to use it since it is not straightforward. Although it's a powerful product with plenty of features, it's not easy for even experienced users to find their way without guidance. This is not the most user-friendly solution.

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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

"Its view into resource capacity and availability absolutely help us manage work. We can't plan out projects for delivery until we know if we have resources available to deliver them. That's been really critical. We look at our projects and see what availability of resources we have. That helps us to determine when we can start new work."

"Our reporting is much better. There is much more visibility on projects, schedules, tasks, and in our milestones. Now, we have a consistent way of reporting out to the committees and getting all of our schedules and milestones."

"It has been effective for our delivery. It's given us much better visibility into what is being delivered and when."

"I would say it works really well for forecasting remaining effort, especially in terms of forecasting the dollar amounts. We've gotten pretty good at adjusting rates because we have a lot of contract workers."

"The overall interface is very easy to use. It puts together strategy and execution across all your investments."

"We're still in an early stage. Things will change as we use it more. I did program reports that are important and that will provide us with value."

"It has helped improve governance, mostly. People want to know where their money's going. Projects sponsors need to know what we're spending money on and what our burn rate is. Planview can give that to you straightaway."

"We use expenditures quite a bit. We put in forecast expenditures and then we actualize them below the line in the little box in the bottom tray. Being able to track the project with relevant milestones is also valuable. Milestones are valuable because it helps us to keep the project on track. The expenditures are valuable because we need to be able to understand expenses that are beyond the regular resources in the projects."

More Planview Portfolios pros

"It's like a repository. So far, we use it only for Information Modelling."

"Modeling is a part of my work, and it has a lot of standard modeling languages. It is quite wide, and a lot is possible in it. We are not programming it ourselves, but if you are into programming and developing software yourself, you can go further and do a lot with Sparx. You can work from the framework and go into the details. With this solution, you get a lot of value at a low cost. It is also quite intuitive in terms of use. I like the use of it."

"The solution saved a lot of time, about 30%."

"The solution is easy to use, supports SysML and UML, and is able to connect to MATLAB. This is very important for us."

"The solution allows us to quickly present designs and concepts to customers and get their feedback, thereby moving the project forward step by step."

"Customizable and tailored to the environment. Several template frameworks are provided."

"It has led some teams to do better code reviews - to be less focussed on coding conventions (syntax) and more focussed on the semantics because of the abstraction level clear design affords."

"Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is very flexible and it is simple to define the metamodel. Additionally, it is lightweight on resources."

More Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect pros

Cons

"Sometimes within the application, when you pull a report, it takes awhile performance-wise for the reports to pull up."

"The content management definitely needs to improve. We don't really use content management for projects inside Enterprise One. We have actually switched to a SharePoint site. We have a feed from Enterprise One every night of all the projects that are created."

"Recently, we have gotten on a newer version. We're currently on version 15. Some of the things that we've been running into roadblocks on, it looks like the solutions will be coming out in versions 17 or 18. So, we have to upgrade before somethings can get completed."

"One big issue we have been having during our annual planning is that only the creator of a portfolio can edit it. This means that only the creator of a portfolio can edit which projects are included or excluded in it."

"Being the IT development manager who implements the upgrades for Planview, I would love to see more thorough testing of expenditures and more thorough testing in general. When we do an upgrade, we have to do quite a bit of testing because we can affect the bottom line."

"The only area that I can see currently needing improvement is just the modernization of the look and feel of it."

"The scheduling's kind of clunky in terms of its ability for us to see what stage work is at. They could have done better with that. It can be difficult to use."

"I think some of the administrative aspects of it could be a little easier, especially when it comes to designing reports. The reporting coming out of it could be a little bit better."

More Planview Portfolios cons

"The dashboard and connectivity could be improved."

"The database management area was not usable."

"If you just want to create some diagrams with shapes and arrows, then use Visio."

"The modeling tool is targeted toward a sophisticated user."

"Their technical support is not good in India. I wrote to them because I had a question, but I never got an answer. So, I just left it behind."

"It would be great if we could decrease the use of different parts of the Toolbox."

"What should be improved are the integration capabilities of the solution with Bizagi."

"This solution is quite complex to use. It would be nice if the learning curve wasn't so steep."

More Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our licensing costs are probably $150,000 to $180,000 a year with 270 licenses total."

"Our licensing fees are approximately $50,000 USD annually."

"I don't think we have necessarily purchased everything that I would have liked to have seen."

"When we went through that process, I believe it is competitive with others on the market. However, there are less expensive options available. It's a more premium offering at a higher price."

"We recently did a new bundle for all of Enterprise One. It includes some of the newer pieces, like Projectplace and LeanKit. It bundled our CTM in with it as well. I think the total came out to be about $900,000 a year. This is for unlimited licenses."

"We have several hundred licenses. It costs us several hundred thousand dollars a year."

"We are on the Flex licenses."

"We have portfolio managers, resource managers, project managers, and time reporting licenses. These are the licenses that we have."

More Planview Portfolios pricing and cost advice

"This product has a paid license, with a yearly subscription option."

"Pricing and licensing are suitable even for small companies."

"Use floating licenses strategically."

"I think our license costs roughly $1,000 a year, but I could be wrong."

"It is cheap."

"In terms of cost, Sparx EA is probably one of the cheapest tools I have ever used."

"Its price is very good for the value that you get with it."

"It's affordable. The only additional cost that we haven't yet figured out is the floating license. If you buy a floating license, you have to have a license management server, which comes at an additional cost that's not discussed. So, we haven't yet used the floating license. That’s because I haven't had a chance to figure that out."

More Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

16%

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Educational Organization

18%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Planview Portfolios?

Planview Management integrates seamlessly with other tools and systems used within the organization, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, customer relationship management (CRM) syst...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Planview Portfolios?

Planview Portfolios is not too expensive. You get what you paid for.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Planview Portfolios?

Enhancements are needed in: Advanced reporting and analytics: While Planview Management provides robust reporting and analytics capabilities, further enhancements could include more advanced data v...

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What do you like most about Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?

The stability has been good and satisfactory. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?

One of the reasons many public sector institutions in the Czech Republic use it is that it provides a very good price-performance ratio. While it might be cumbersome to learn, it still delivers exc...

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What needs improvement with Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 16% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

LeanIX vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect

Compared 8% of the time

More Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Planview Portfolios

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect

March 2025

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect report

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Also Known As

Planview Enterprise One, Troux

No data available

Overview

Planview Portfolios offers a comprehensive platform for managing IT, project and resource management, along with strategic planning. The tool focuses on optimizing resource allocation and financial analysis, supporting global operations.

Organizations use Planview Portfolios to streamline project tracking from inception to completion, enhancing strategic alignment with corporate objectives. The tool integrates with platforms like JIRA to provide seamless workflows and supports critical business processes, including budgeting and capacity planning. Teams benefit from customized configurations and robust reporting, further supporting effective decision-making. Despite its strengths, improvements are sought in navigation, documentation, and integration capabilities.

What are the key features?

Customizable interface: Allows personalization to meet specific needs.
Comprehensive resource and financial management: Enables detailed tracking and analysis.
Robust reporting: Provides extensive data insights.
Integration with Power BI: Enhances data access for stakeholders.
Resource and capacity planning: Optimizes workforce allocation.

What benefits should users expect?

Improved strategic alignment: Supports better decision-making.
Increased operational efficiency: Streamlines project management.
Enhanced resource optimization: Ensures optimal use of workforce.
Better financial insights: Allows precise budget tracking.

In industries like IT and project management, Planview Portfolios supports complex portfolio handling, ensuring visibility across global operations. Companies in these sectors leverage its strategic planning tools for strategic alignment and resource management, integrating with existing systems for improved process efficiency.

Planview

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is an enterprise solution that helps streamline, accelerate, and integrate software, system, and business development. With this intuitive modeling and design solution, enterprises can stay in control of their workplaces, enable collaboration, support their teams and colleagues, and manage complex projects. Software architects, business analysts, project managers, developers, support staff, and testers can unite under a single repository. Through numerous view points and potential sub-systems, users are offered a unified view in a complex environment.

With Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, users are also offered a shared model option which can be accessed quickly and securely by in-office and remote team members through the Enterprise Architect’s Pro Cloud Server. Building a coherent, verifiable model can be done by connecting and integrating a variety of behavioral and structural information in visual form. As a result, Enterprise Architect offers high performance, flexibility, and the ability to model, manage, and trace every stage of the business development and modeling process.

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect Features

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect assists in creating a unified and accessible vision in business development by offering a flexible platform with a unique set of rich features. These features include:

Test and debug - Streamline software development and visualize software with the simulation process. Users can test and confirm correct behavior, set and oversee test points, and debug and examine software.

Track tasks - Track, prioritize, and assign individual and group tasks to assist in the model’s development. Users can visually monitor their progress through the Gantt chart.

Open standards - Users can visualize and analyze running software with integrated custom tools. They can also run advanced simulations, team-based repositories, testing tools, and version control. In addition, the solution supports enterprise architecture frameworks such as UPDM and TOGAF.

Simulation - Create and debug embedded solutions by simulating behaviors and state models. Users can specify events, triggers, constraints, and more. Users can also specify extensive and complex structural systems and create custom domain-specific solutions.

Reviews from Real Users

Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect merges high-end tools, online availability, a dedication to open standards, and accessible pricing so enterprises can stay in control of their workplaces, whether remote or in-office. Users particularly like the architectural frameworks and the scalability.

Marc L., a principal architecture enterprise solution adviser at Cronomagic Canada, notes, "The product offers very good support for all mainstream modeling notations and architectural frameworks."

An enterprise architect at a manufacturing company writes, "Scalable solution for modeling, project sharing, and collaboration. Support for it is good."

Sparx Systems

Sample Customers

UPS, NatWest, Ingram Micro, Canadian Tire, Viessmann, Volvo, NASCO, UNESCO

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Buyer's Guide

Planview Portfolios vs. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect

April 2025

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