# Enterprise architecture tools for enterprise buyers: what AI models recommend, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. Asked as "enterprise architecture tool" and as "application portfolio management tool", six framings each, to fourteen models with search on, on behalf of an enterprise B2B company. Added to the October 2026 Edition on October 4, 2026; its answers are read by the distilled judge (ai-indexes-judge-qwen3-14b-run3), not the claude-opus-5 judge of the earlier categories. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/operations/enterprise-architecture-tools/enterprise/

**Standing:** SAP LeanIX leads with 43% of first choices; verdict clear leader. 58 first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts.

## First-choice share

| # | Product | Share | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAP LeanIX | 43% | 4% | 57 |
| 2 | Ardoq | 21% | 7% | 57 |
| 3 | LeanIX | 10% | 21% | 14 |
| 4 | Bizzdesign Horizzon | 3% | 18% | 34 |
| 5 | MEGA HOPEX | 3% | 32% | 25 |
| 6 | Avolution ABACUS | 2% | 0% | 15 |
| 7 | Planview Portfolios | 2% | 0% | 11 |
| 8 | ServiceNow Enterprise Architecture | 2% | 18% | 17 |
| 9 | Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect | 2% | 37% | 19 |
| 10 | OrbusInfinity | 0% | 16% | 19 |
| 11 | Sparx Enterprise Architect | 0% | 56% | 18 |

## Each model's first choice on the direct prompt

- Claude Haiku 4.5: no first choice
- GPT-5.4 mini: Bizzdesign Horizzon, MEGA International; alternatives Orbus Software, SAP LeanIX, Software AG
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: SAP LeanIX; alternatives Ardoq, Avolution ABACUS, Bizzdesign Horizzon, MEGA HOPEX
- Perplexity Sonar: SAP LeanIX; alternatives Bizzdesign Horizzon, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
- Grok 4.1 Fast: SAP LeanIX; alternatives Bizzdesign Horizzon
- Mistral Small: Ardoq, Avolution ABACUS; alternatives IBM Rational System Architect, MEGA HOPEX, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: SAP LeanIX; alternatives Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, MEGA HOPEX
- Llama 4 Maverick: no first choice
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: LeanIX; alternatives Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, SAP Archibus / Solution Manager, Sparx Enterprise Architect
- Kimi K2: MEGA HOPEX, SAP LeanIX; alternatives Ardoq, Software AG Alfabet
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: Ardoq; alternatives Bizzdesign Horizzon, Erwin Data Modeler, Essential Cloud, MEGA HOPEX
- MiniMax M2.5: no first choice
- GPT-6 Luna: SAP LeanIX; alternatives Ardoq, OrbusInfinity, ServiceNow Enterprise Architecture Workspace
- Muse Glimmer 30B: Ardoq, SAP LeanIX; alternatives Avolution ABACUS, Bizzdesign Enterprise Studio, IBM Rational System Architect, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect

## Sources the answers cite

80 of 84 answers came back with a source list, from 14 of 14 models. Sites named in the most answers:

- superblocks.com: 41 answers, 41 citations
- ardoq.com: 40 answers, 69 citations
- leanix.net: 36 answers, 56 citations
- cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com: 36 answers, 37 citations
- catio.tech: 28 answers, 28 citations
- gartner.com: 27 answers, 30 citations
- g2.com: 26 answers, 44 citations
- erstudio.com: 26 answers, 26 citations

Pages named in the most answers:

- https://superblocks.com/blog/enterprise-architecture-tools (41 answers)
- https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tools/10-best-enterprise-arch/131705694 (34 answers)
- https://catio.tech/blog/enterprise-architecture-tools (28 answers)
- https://erstudio.com/blog/enterprise-architecture-tools (26 answers)
- https://thectoclub.com/tools/best-enterprise-architecture-software (22 answers)
- https://capstera.com/knowledge-hub/articles/enterprise-architecture-tools-guide (21 answers)
- https://itechguides.com/buyers-guide-top-20-enterprise-architecture-tools (21 answers)
- https://archiq.app/enterprise-architecture-tools (20 answers)
- https://ciopages.com/buyer-guides/enterprise-architecture-tool (20 answers)
- https://ardoq.com/knowledge-hub/enterprise-architecture-tool (18 answers)

## Warned against

- Sparx Enterprise Architect: 10 of 18 labels negative. "Traditional per-user licensing (like Sparx Enterprise Architect at $229-$699 per user) becomes extremely expensive and unpredictable" (MiniMax M2.5, budget prompt)
- MEGA HOPEX: 8 of 25 labels negative. "heavyweight enterprise-suite modeling platforms (like legacy Aris, MEGA HOPEX, or similar) even when they have small architecture teams" (MiniMax M2.5, negative prompt)
- Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect: 7 of 19 labels negative. "Why avoid/be cautious: Outdated UI, steep learning curve, file-based or basic repository leading to "email attachment chaos"" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt)
- Lucidchart: 6 of 6 labels negative. "Don’t use generic diagramming / whiteboard tools as an EA platform ... Microsoft Visio, Lucidchart, Microsoft PowerPoint" (Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt)

## Record

- Method: https://it-ai-index.com/methodology/
- Raw judge labels and full responses: https://it-ai-index.com/data/
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, it-ai-index.com.