We use the solution for business processes and data modeling. It helps us with EPC diagrams and UML class diagrams. I use these features daily.
Chief Process Officer at Intetics
Useful for data modeling and EPC and UML class diagram creation
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is the best application for data modeling. It helps to architect business processes. Its best features are pricing and functionality."
- "Visual Paradigm's initial deployment was difficult since we did it for the first time. It is challenging to learn to use the product."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is the best application for data modeling. It helps to architect business processes. Its best features are pricing and functionality.
What needs improvement?
Visual Paradigm's initial deployment was difficult since we did it for the first time. It is challenging to learn to use the product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for a year.
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October 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't experienced any bugs using the product.
How are customer service and support?
Visual Paradigm's tech support is helpful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I had used Visual Paradigm before and insisted my current company to choose it.
How was the initial setup?
Visual Paradigm's initial deployment lasted two weeks. Once we understood the process, we could complete it in two days.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Visual Paradigm's pricing is not expensive.
What other advice do I have?
We had lost a diagram while working with the tool. However, it was because our staff was inexperienced with it. I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Founder at Rozhmaan
Complete feature sets, plenty of models, and useful document engine
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of the Visual Paradigm that I use is process modeling. Additionally, the solution has a complete set of features."
- "Visual Paradigm could improve many aspects. The performance could be better because it can be low. When we have large and complicated models, it has a low speed and many bugs. Sometimes the solution stops and you have to restart Microsoft Windows on your PC. The larger database modeling cannot be done properly, I have to use another solution called SAP PowerDesigner."
What is our primary use case?
I am a consultant and I have many projects with my customers where I use Visual Paradigm for business, process, and software analysis models.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of the Visual Paradigm that I use is process modeling. Additionally, the solution has a complete set of features.
Many companies and organizations use the Visual Paradigm for their goals and for many different purposes. It has many advanced features that you can use for enterprise architecture. There are many use cases it can be used for, such as strategies modeling and documenting enterprise architecture, software development, and business analysis. There are approximately 50 different models you can use and all of them are connected together. For example, we can use form modeling in BPMN modeling, or BPMN modeling in data modeling.
What needs improvement?
Visual Paradigm could improve many aspects. The performance could be better because it can be low. When we have large and complicated models, it has a low speed and many bugs. Sometimes the solution stops and you have to restart Microsoft Windows on your PC. The larger database modeling cannot be done properly, I have to use another solution called SAP PowerDesigner.
SAP PowerDesigner is only a little bit better when it comes to performance. Visual Paradigm was made with Java, and Java consumes a lot of RAM. However, Visual Paradigm has better modeling tools than other solutions, such as SAP PowerDesigner.
The interface and memos are a little unordinary. When we want to teach it to our teams and customers' teams, it is unusual. The manuals should be more similar to iPhones to make it easy for students to learn. They will become comfortable with the features, but the beginning can be a challenge.
In a future release, Visual Paradigm should add more Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) modeling process maps. For example, when we want to export BPMN models to Microsoft Visio, we have some issues. Their exporter does not work properly. It is not a feature to add, but it is a bug, they should fix. The process simulation could use some improvement.
Visual Paradigm has many spaces to expand and improve. If they can prepare a non-Java version, it would be a good decision for them because many users leave Visual Paradigm because of this.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Visual Paradigm for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Visual Paradigm is a stable solution. However, I have approximately 16 GB RAM in the PC I use for Visual Paradigm and everything operates well. However, when you are in an organization, they have many different PC and they have many problems. They have a stable version, but you have to have good RAM and a good CPU.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Visual Paradigm has some scaling features but to use them there is a steep learning curve and the features could improve. The scalability of the solution is limited.
I have approximately 10 people in my organization using this solution. My customer's users' usage of the solution varies depending on their organization. However, they typically have 10 to 50 persons using it.
How are customer service and support?
In Iran, we are limited in using international software. My company and customers, cannot use many direct supports, but we can use Visual Paradigm's Q&A online documents. We solve our problems with online support.
Visual Paradigm has good documentation for learning and for its features. It is detailed and well organized.
Some of the companies that use the solution have bought licensing outside of Iran and they did experience the support, and their feedback was good. I was not directly connected with support teams.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I use SAP PowerDesigner in parallel with Visual Paradigm, and they have many similarities because their purpose is the same.
Visual Paradigm is modern because of its UX, it gives a very good user experience, and has more models. For example, we can see many prepared models for modeling, but SAP PowerDesigner doesn't have some of these concepts. For example, you can document strategies in Visual Paradigm, but you cannot do it in PowerDesigner. We have a good user experience when we model with Visual Paradigm. The SAP PowerDesigner has more dated modeling tools.
An additional benefit of Visual Paradigm is the documenting engine. It has a very good documenting engine, which SAP PowerDesigner does not have. The documenting engine work by selecting your different models and text, and it generates the document for you. It maps it to a Word version, with all of your models, tables, and relations. It is a highly useful feature. One of our reasons for using Visual Paradigm is this document feature.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Visual Paradigm is very easy and simple.
All of the case tools, such as PowerDesigner and System Architect are easy to set up.
I rate the setup of Visual Paradigm a five out of five.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
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.
The educational version that is offered is free but it is not an open source version.
What other advice do I have?
It is a good solution but the performance, scalability, and other aspects could improve. I would not need to use SAP PowerDesigner if they improved the aspects that I mentioned.
I rate Visual Paradigm an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Visual Paradigm
October 2024
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Consultant at Dikstra Cipta Solusi
Easy to learn because of its simple GUI and has a bridging feature, but its cheapest licensing package could use more features because it's currently too limited feature-wise
Pros and Cons
- "What I like best about Visual Paradigm is its simple GUI, especially since I'm a new user. In my two years of experience with this tool, I didn't find it complex because I was able to learn how to use it via YouTube videos. Visual Paradigm is enough for me. I also find the bridging feature in the tool valuable."
- "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."
What is most valuable?
What I like best about Visual Paradigm is its simple GUI, especially since I'm a new user. In my two years of experience with this tool, I didn't find it complex because I was able to learn how to use it via YouTube videos. Visual Paradigm is enough for me.
I also find the bridging feature in the tool valuable.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Visual Paradigm for two years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, Visual Paradigm has been stable in the two years I've been using it. It's great stability-wise because it has weekly updates. When I turn on Visual Paradigm, it updates itself, so it's stable.
How are customer service and support?
I never had any issues with Visual Paradigm, so I didn't contact the technical support team. If I come across an issue, I'll search for answers on the internet first.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Visual Paradigm costs $99 per license. I chose the cheapest option from the pricing list.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Sparx, but Visual Paradigm is the best choice for me, budget-wise. When I'm looking for new modeling software, I'd rather get the cheapest pricing with fewer features than worry about higher pricing.
What other advice do I have?
I use Visual Paradigm for work, in particular, the application, not the online version.
My advice to anyone looking into using Visual Paradigm is to compare prices with competitors first. Before I decided to go with Visual Paradigm, I compared it with Sparx and other UML software online. Pricing is important because I belong to a small company with a limited operating budget. I prefer Visual Paradigm over others because it has a bridging feature and it's cheaper. I'd recommend it to friends, colleagues, or anyone else because of its pricing.
At the moment, my rating for Visual Paradigm is seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Chief Enterprise Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Stable, easy to set up, and has a diagramming feature that's easy and convenient even for complex models
Pros and Cons
- "What I found most valuable in Visual Paradigm is diagramming. I had a great user experience as diagramming in the tool is easy and convenient, even for complex diagrams or models. Visual Paradigm is the perfect tool for me, and I prefer it over Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. Visual Paradigm is better for collaboration if you consider, for example, versioning, so this is another valuable tool feature that's simple and embedded in the solution. In Visual Paradigm, it's also easy to set up the project with team members and collaborate, and it's also a pro of the tool."
- "In terms of room for improvement in Visual Paradigm, I tried looking for one. I'm pleased with the tool, but it would be great if you could integrate Visual Paradigm with more tools. For example, when moving from Visual Paradigm to another tool, such as Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, the process could be improved a bit. Still, I wonder if it's not limited by the standards Visual Paradigm follows, such as XMI files. It could be connected to limitations related to the standards rather than a tool limitation. When you move projects from Visual Paradigm into Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect via XMI files, you lose all your notes from the elements, so this is an area for improvement in Visual Paradigm. TOGAF support is an additional feature I'd like to see in the next release of Visual Paradigm. I'd also like the tool to have ArchiMate support. If both TOGAF and ArchiMate could be supported in Visual Paradigm and made part of a lower level of licensing or cheaper licensing models, that would be best for me."
What is most valuable?
What I found most valuable in Visual Paradigm is diagramming. I had a great user experience as diagramming in the tool is easy and convenient, even for complex diagrams or models. Visual Paradigm is the perfect tool for me, and I prefer it over Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.
Visual Paradigm is better for collaboration if you consider, for example, versioning, so this is another valuable tool feature that's simple and embedded in the solution. In Visual Paradigm, it's also easy to set up the project with team members and collaborate, and it's also a pro of the tool.
What needs improvement?
In terms of room for improvement in Visual Paradigm, I tried looking for one. I'm pleased with the tool, but it would be great if you could integrate Visual Paradigm with more tools.
For example, when moving from Visual Paradigm to another tool, such as Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, the process could be improved a bit. Still, I wonder if it's not limited by the standards Visual Paradigm follows, such as XMI files. It could be connected to limitations related to the standards rather than a tool limitation. When you move projects from Visual Paradigm into Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect via XMI files, you lose all your notes from the elements, so this is an area for improvement in Visual Paradigm.
Another point is that TOGAF and ArchiMate could be supported in Visual Paradigm as part of a lower level of licensing or cheaper licensing models, that would be best for me.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used Visual Paradigm for fifteen years. I had an excellent experience with this tool. I'm still using it, but only a little.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In general, Visual Paradigm is a stable solution. Every new release of the tool is smooth, so I found that Visual Paradigm is okay stability-wise.
How are customer service and support?
I've contacted the technical support for Visual Paradigm, and it's okay in terms of giving quick answers and being helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
At first, I was using just one solution, Visual Paradigm. I'm happy with it, but because Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is a standard in my country, I also started using Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. I prefer Visual Paradigm, though.
Regarding which solution is better, that would depend on your main project goal. If you're more oriented to modeling and modeling itself is most valuable to you, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is a bit better because you have better control of the models you create, so that's a plus. If you're into modeling for your programming project, I'd prefer Visual Paradigm over Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. Visual Paradigm is best for programming-oriented architects rather than for enterprise architects.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Visual Paradigm is effortless.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing for Visual Paradigm is a four out of five for me. I'm happy with its pricing.
What other advice do I have?
I'm using both Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect and Visual Paradigm.
I prefer the desktop version of Visual Paradigm, so it's the one I'm using.
My previous company had about twenty to thirty users of Visual Paradigm who used the tool simultaneously for small, distributed projects. My current company prefers Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect because it has a different versioning type than Visual Paradigm. Still, I'm using both Visual Paradigm and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.
My rating for Visual Paradigm is ten out of ten. I'm a devoted user of the solution and have nothing negative to say about it.
My company has no partnership with Visual Paradigm, and I'm just a tool user.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Architect at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Data modeling through an interface that makes it easy-to-use and understand
Pros and Cons
- "The pricing model is attractive."
- "The initial setup is straightforward."
- "It is easy-to-use and it helps understand its data modeling structure through the intuitive user interface."
- "There are some connectivity issues that crop up rarely when used with SQL Server."
- "The solution can be heavy on resource usage."
What is our primary use case?
I used the product because I needed to do data modeling for financial services, risk management, and investment activities.
What is most valuable?
I guess the most valuable feature is that I find it easy-to-use and understand its data modeling structure and user interface. It does database reverse engineering. It does database forward engineering. It tended to be quite good at all of those things.
What needs improvement?
I do not think I really used it enough to find a lot of things that I did not like. It really did what I expected it to do. I did have some connectivity issues between Visual Paradigm and SQL Server in one instance but that would be the only thing that I think might need to be addressed as an issue. It is hard to tell if it was the product or something else within SQL Server.
For how long have I used the solution?
I used Visual Paradigm in a previous organization for some time. On and off for maybe five years. I would not say I made extensive use of it as in I did not work with it every day, but I first started using it about five years ago and had to be relatively proficient with it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There was one particular bug that caused some instability issues. I can not remember what the cause of it was exactly, but Paradigm was having trouble with Microsoft SQL Server system versioning tables. It was only one of the tables that it had trouble with, and I do not know why. I actually never worked out why but I managed to work around the issue. It would just lock up in that one particular instance. That was the only problem with it that I had.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We did not really test out the scalability because it was just me using it. I did not roll it out to teams or anything like that. So it was just me. I also did the maintenance on my own.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In a previous organization, I had been using Visual Paradigm. I switched what I was using because I came to this organization and they are using ERwin. I did a little research into both the products for the sake of comparison and to see what the differences are and to gauge familiarity.
How was the initial setup?
The initial installation was very easy and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
I did not use the help of any consultants or tech support and got it up and running on my own pretty easily.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You can use Paradigm on a subscription basis and you can choose from different tiers of subscription. If you do not use the product much, you can only pay as little as $6 US a month. If you want to use some of the very advanced features for it, you pay as much as $197 a month. One of the nice things is that you can move between the tiers from month to month so you are not restricted to one pricing model.
What other advice do I have?
The advice I would give to people looking into this product is that I would suggest for them to try it. It is priced really well with an attractive pricing model.
On a scale from one to ten (where one is the worst and ten is the best), I would rate Visual Paradigm by giving it eight-out-of-ten. It could not really be any higher because of the connectivity issues I experienced with SQL Server. Also, I had a pretty good machine at the time and I got the impression that Paradigm could be quite a heavy user of resources. It took a lot of memory when it ran.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Enterprise Architect at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
More tool integration needed, but useful organizational chart creations, and simple initial setup
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Visual Paradigm is the ability to design form flows, add libraries, create organizational charts, and connect them all together."
- "Visual Paradigm can improve by having better process mining tools and model integration."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Visual Paradigm as a VPM process model and enterprise architect.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Visual Paradigm is the ability to design form flows, add libraries, create organizational charts, and connect them all together.
What needs improvement?
Visual Paradigm can improve by having better process mining tools and model integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Visual Paradigm for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
I rate the stability of Visual Paradigm an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 10 people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
The community support is very helpful.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Visual Paradigm was simple.
I rate the setup of Visual Paradigm an eight out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of the solution in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an open-sourced solution, it is free to use.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise new users of this solution to watch the introduction videos.
I rate Visual Paradigm a five out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head Of Research Department at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Allows teams to model business information systems and manage the development process
Pros and Cons
- "I love Visual Paradigm because it has many different types of diagrams. For any field of engineering, we can find a diagram."
- "From time to time, we experience some troubles when we work as teams."
What is our primary use case?
We use Visual Paradigm to create and manage development processes.
We have a license for 12 users, but in reality, there are more than 30 employees using this solution.
What is most valuable?
I love Visual Paradigm because it has many different types of diagrams. For any field of engineering, we can find a diagram. We've had a lot of great experiences with BPMN diagrams. We like that we can add extra layers of documentation and notes.
Also, the simulation feature is great. It allows us to analyze processes before really implementing them.
What needs improvement?
From time to time, we experience some troubles when we work as teams. When two users work on the same diagram, it can be difficult. Changes appear in the diagrams which can be difficult to resolve.
In the next edition, they mentioned that they will be including some new diagrams relating to infographics. If they can improve the infographics and they're backed by a database, it would be very useful.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Visual Paradigm is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Visual Paradigm is very scalable. We can easily increase the number of servers and users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support team is great. They are very responsive and are always quick to help us when needed.
How was the initial setup?
Visual Paradigm was very easy to install on our servers. We have two types of software; I installed both of them. It was very easy.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Software architect and development at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Multifunctional design software that's simple to install; offers ease of use and good stability
Pros and Cons
- "Stable design software with multiple functions and features. It's simple to install and easy to use."
- "Visual Paradigm is heavier and has more complexity than one of its competitors, e.g. Lucidchart. It could have been better if it was more simplified."
What is our primary use case?
I use Visual Paradigm for class diagrams and entity relationship diagrams.
What is most valuable?
What I really value in Visual Paradigm is ease of use. It's a good product. It also has different features and has more functionalities for different diagrams.
What needs improvement?
When compared to Lucidchart, Visual Paradigm is heavier than Lucidchart, though this product does provide more functionality. Its a trade-off between simplicity and complexity, with Visual Paradigm having more complexity, which could be an area for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Visual Paradigm for eight months, and I'm using its latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Visual Paradigm has good stability.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Visual Paradigm was simple. It only took 10 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I did the installation for this product myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This product is fairly cheap. If you want more complex features, e.g. integration with other products, it does require an additional cost, but I do not need those functionalities currently.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Lucidchart.
What other advice do I have?
Visual Paradigm is the best product I've used.
I'm just using this product for a drawing diagram, so I'm not looking for any integration, or any other feature it doesn't provide.
As Visual Paradigm is an on-premise product, it doesn't require deployment. It only needed to be installed. It also doesn't require maintenance.
Five people use this product in the organization, and it's mostly used on a daily basis.
If I compare Lucidchart with this product, Lucidchart is very simple to use when drawing diagrams, while Visual Paradigm has more functionalities and features you can apply to different diagrams.
My advice to people looking into implementing this product is that it's simple to use, and it has different functionalities and standard diagram features, so I'm recommending using it for designing purposes.
I'm giving Visual Paradigm a score of eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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