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Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs Visual Paradigm comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

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

Sparx Systems Enterprise Ar...
Ranking in Business Process Design
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Architecture Management (2nd)
Visual Paradigm
Ranking in Business Process Design
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Business Process Design category, the mindshare of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is 11.5%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Visual Paradigm is 6.6%, up from 6.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Business Process Design
 

Featured Reviews

Milan Sterba - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Angie Ibrahim Eissa - PeerSpot reviewer
A software application designed for software development teams to model business information systems and manage development processes
Setting up Visual Paradigm is easy. There's hardly any configuration needed, unlike some other tools. You just choose your method and diagram type, and you're good to go. As for improvements, integrating project management features with diagrams could be better. Viewing outputs could also be smoother, especially when working with multiple files.Deployment is quick and painless. It practically takes no time at all to set up. And because I also teach at the university, I use Visual Paradigm for my classes and case studies. It's easy to switch between products, and my students have no trouble using it on their own.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the integrated data model, so if I change the name of an item, all models using that object are automatically updated."
"The initial setup is easy."
"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."
"I like Sparx's BPM features and the way it lets you create the diagram."
"The solution is easy to use, supports SysML and UML, and is able to connect to MATLAB. This is very important for us."
"Customizable and tailored to the environment. Several template frameworks are provided."
"The product offers very good support for all mainstream modeling notations and architectural frameworks."
"Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect was easy to set up and it took just twenty minutes."
"I find it very user-friendly for my purposes, which is creating business process models that I can publish as HTML pages. It has worked flawlessly for my project, and my clients are able to utilize it as an internal web portal for their process documentation and other needs."
"The most valuable feature of Visual Paradigm is the ability to design form flows, add libraries, create organizational charts, and connect them all together."
"The initial setup is straightforward."
"Visual Paradigm is simple and easy to use."
"The initial setup is extremely straightforward."
"The solution is stable. It hasn't crashed, stopped or caused any issues in any way."
"Stable design software with multiple functions and features. It's simple to install and easy to use."
"Some of the most valuable features of this process modeling tool are process simulation and process animation."
 

Cons

"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."
"I think that collaboration can be better."
"It would be great if we could decrease the use of different parts of the Toolbox."
"It would be nice to have it supported on the Linux operating system."
"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."
"Using EA involves a steep learning curve if you want to understand its capabilities and functionality."
"When collaborating with other people, it needs to be more user-friendly."
"The solution needs to offer better support for the mobile-based system. Right now, it's not working."
"For me, what needs improvement in Visual Paradigm is the limited features included in the $99 license, which is the cheapest option. If more features could be included in the cheapest licensing package, Visual Paradigm would be better, especially for businesses that have a limited budget for buying software."
"I would like to see something for visualizing innovation work maps."
"It's still early for me to comment since I've only been using it for two months, but the responsiveness when diagramming needs to be improved."
"The solution can be heavy on resource usage."
"From time to time, we experience some troubles when we work as teams."
"More flexibility when choosing the type of diagram would be nice."
"The solution could be more compatible with other products in the future."
"The product's versioning capability needs improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The Corporate Edition, or one of the bundles, is the way to go."
"We have an annual license, and it's very affordable."
"The license for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is paid yearly, but I don't handle that area. It's good for its price, so I'm rating it a five out of five, but I'm not using it much. I also don't have information regarding additional costs apart from the standard licensing fees."
"It is very economical and low cost. You have to pay for a one-time license, and it is active forever."
"It’s the best deal in town, by far."
"Its price is very good for the value that you get with it."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"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."
"The pricing of Visual Paradigm is very appropriate and affordable. There are no hidden costs involved."
"This product is fairly cheap, but if you want more complex features, e.g. integration with other products, it does require an additional cost."
"In terms of pricing, I find Visual Paradigm's subscription services reasonable, especially for the modern and standard editions. However, the premium products can be a bit pricey, especially considering our location in the Middle East. Currently, paying around a hundred dollars per user translates to almost six hundred Egyptian pounds, which can add up. For enterprise licensing, I think the perpetual license option could be more affordable. If it were cheaper, say around five hundred dollars, I would have invested in multiple perpetual licenses long ago. Sometimes, to manage costs, we share accounts among team members or switch access on and off for certain members who aren't actively working on projects. As for additional costs, there are charges for cloud services, which I'm considering because I've already exceeded the free capacity."
"Compared to other solutions such as IBM Rational which is expensive, This solution is priced low."
"Over the years I've seen an increase in price, and it makes it difficult for a single person company, like me, to decide whether to extend the license."
"Visual Paradigm has two models available. One of them is the educational edition, and another is the business edition. For my personal usage, I use the educational version mostly. In a project, my customers have to purchase a license."
"I rate Visual Paradigm's pricing a five out of ten."
"You can move between the tiers from month to month so you are not restricted to one pricing model."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
17%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Educational Organization
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
University
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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.
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...
What needs improvement with Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
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 ...
What do you like most about Visual Paradigm?
The solution is the best application for data modeling. It helps to architect business processes. Its best features are pricing and functionality.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Visual Paradigm?
I mentioned using the free version. The free version of Visual Paradigm does not incur any setup costs and offers a set of usable features.
What needs improvement with Visual Paradigm?
I didn't use it so deeply that I found areas that needed improvement or features that were missing. So far, its existing features were sufficient for my needs. There is a certain inherent complexit...
 

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

OmniLink
Adobe, Apple, at&t, Caterpillar, Intel, NASA, Nokia, Toyota
Find out what your peers are saying about Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs. Visual Paradigm and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.