Enterprise architecture tools · October 2026 Edition
Ardoq vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Three of fourteen models named Ardoq first on the direct prompt; one named Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. Ardoq was named by thirteen of the fourteen models and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect by thirteen and Ardoq carries 47 labels and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect 29, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in one category this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share18%5%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate15%17%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#2#5A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels4729A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Ardoq reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.SAP LeanIX was named alongside these two in nine of the fourteen direct answers. SAP LeanIX vs Ardoq · SAP LeanIX vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect · Ardoq vs LeanIX
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the enterprise architecture tools page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
ArdoqFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Direct31
Paraphrase20
Comparative22
Budget-constrained022 against Ardoq · 1 against Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Scale-constrained50
Negative005 against Ardoq · 4 against Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Ardoq and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect were named in the same answer fifty-seven times, of the 145 answers naming Ardoq and the 77 naming Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. In those answers Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect took the first choice fourteen times and Ardoq seven.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Ardoq and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | ||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | |||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | ||
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | ||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | ||||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | |
Ardoq Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Ardoq on the left and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Ardoq and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect stood in it.
Ardoq first, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect an alternative
3 of 14 modelsSparx Systems Enterprise Architect was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Ardoq, LeanIX alternatives: Archi, Bizzdesign Horizzon
MiniMax M2.5Ardoq, SAP LeanIX alternatives: Essential Cloud, Sparx Enterprise Architect
Muse Glimmer 30BArdoq alternatives: Bizzdesign Horizzon, SAP LeanIX, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect first, Ardoq an alternative
1 of 14 modelsArdoq was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Mistral SmallSparx Systems Enterprise Architect alternatives: Ardoq, iServer365
Neither was the first choice, one was named
8 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Gemini 3.5 FlashSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Orbus Software, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Perplexity SonarLeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Sparx Enterprise Architect
Grok 4.1 FastSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
DeepSeek V4 FlashSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Qwen 3.7 FlashLeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, Sparx Systems
Kimi K2SAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Avolution ABACUS, Bizzdesign Enterprise Studio, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
GLM 4.7 FlashXSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, Sparx Enterprise Architect
GPT-6 LunaSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, OrbusInfinity
Neither was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.GPT-5.4 miniSAP LeanIX alternatives: Bizzdesign Horizzon, Orbus Software, Sparx Systems
Llama 4 MaverickSparx
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect leads by six points.
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect14%#2 of 12Ardoq8%#4 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: Ardoq leads at mid-market.
Ardoq18%#2 of 10Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect5%#5 of 10Enterprise
Ardoq leads by nineteen points.
Ardoq21%#2 of 11Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect2%#9 of 11What the models said about Ardoq
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Avoid high-end tools like LeanIX, Bizzdesign, or Ardoq” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · hard negative
“High Risk: Pricing/Packaging Changes ... Ardoq if you have a very large application portfolio (>1,000 apps) and budget sensitivity.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Ardoq is an example often flagged for this: ... exclusively a cloud-hosted SaaS platform — there is no on-premises deployment option” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“Dynamic visualization & linking complex relationships. Very user-friendly for non-architects. | Great for "living repository" approach.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
“Ardoq is the most cited "modern" option for teams that want browser-based real-time collaboration and automated dependency mapping.” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“LeanIX and Ardoq are usually the strongest fits because they prioritize portfolio views, impact analysis, and change planning” Perplexity Sonar · comparative prompt · first choice
What the models said about Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Highest Caution/Steepest Learning Curve ... Frequently cited as one of the most problematic” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid: - Sparx Enterprise Architect if you need business-friendly EA” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“The learning curve is steep with nested menus and features hidden in dialogs... Users report outdated design, poor UI, difficulty understanding and finding required tools, and performance issues” Claude Haiku 4.5 · negative prompt · soft negative
“It maintains a dominant 18% market share in the defense and aerospace sectors and remains the most cost-effective solution for large-scale deployments” Claude Haiku 4.5 · comparative prompt · first choice
“Choose Sparx EA when you need deep, standards-based architecture modeling, full control of the repository, and the lowest cost at scale” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“If you want a powerful, cost-effective, on-premise tool with deep modeling, choose Sparx Enterprise Architect.” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
Also compared
SAP LeanIX vs ArdoqSAP LeanIX vs Sparx Systems Enterprise ArchitectArdoq vs LeanIXArdoq vs ArchiArdoq vs Bizzdesign HorizzonLeanIX vs Sparx Systems Enterprise ArchitectArchi vs Sparx Systems Enterprise ArchitectSparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs Bizzdesign HorizzonAll fifteen head-to-head pages and the full EA tools standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.