Enterprise architecture tools · October 2026 Edition
LeanIX vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Three of fourteen models named LeanIX first on the direct prompt; one named Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. LeanIX was named by ten of the fourteen models and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect by thirteen and LeanIX carries 20 labels and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect 29, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share16%5%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate25%17%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#5A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels2029A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, LeanIX reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Ardoq was named alongside these two in twelve of the fourteen direct answers. SAP LeanIX vs LeanIX · 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.
LeanIXFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Direct31
Paraphrase301 against LeanIX
Comparative02
Budget-constrained022 against LeanIX · 1 against Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Scale-constrained30
Negative002 against LeanIX · 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, LeanIX and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect were named in the same answer twenty-one times, of the 73 answers naming LeanIX and the 77 naming Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. In those answers Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect took the first choice six times and LeanIX zero.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where LeanIX 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 | | | |
LeanIX Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, LeanIX on the left and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where LeanIX and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect stood in it.
LeanIX first, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect not the choice
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
Perplexity SonarLeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Sparx Enterprise Architect
Qwen 3.7 FlashLeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, Sparx Systems
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect first, LeanIX not the choice
1 of 14 modelsLeanIX 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
5 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
Grok 4.1 FastSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
DeepSeek V4 FlashSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Kimi K2SAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Avolution ABACUS, Bizzdesign Enterprise Studio, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Muse Glimmer 30BArdoq alternatives: Bizzdesign Horizzon, SAP LeanIX, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Neither was named
5 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
GLM 4.7 FlashXSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, Sparx Enterprise Architect
MiniMax M2.5Ardoq, SAP LeanIX alternatives: Essential Cloud, Sparx Enterprise Architect
GPT-6 LunaSAP LeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, OrbusInfinity
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 five points.
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect14%#2 of 12LeanIX9%#3 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: LeanIX leads at mid-market.
LeanIX16%#3 of 10Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect5%#5 of 10Enterprise
LeanIX leads by nine points.
LeanIX10%#3 of 11Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect2%#9 of 11What the models said about LeanIX
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 (enterprise pricing, often $10K+ annually).” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · hard negative
“Modern SaaS platforms like LeanIX, Ardoq, and BiZZdesign frequently cost upwards of $10,000 to $50,000+ per year, placing them far out of reach” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · soft negative
“SaaS Platforms with "Asset-Based" Pricing (e.g., LeanIX, Ardoq) ... Unpredictable, ballooning licensing costs.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“For most mid-market B2B companies, LeanIX or Ardoq offer the best balance of cloud-native architecture, modern UX, and scalability.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“SaaS options like LeanIX, Bizzdesign, Ardoq, or Sparx Enterprise Architect, which support mid-sized orgs managing 50-500+ apps” Grok 4.1 Fast · scale prompt · first choice
“Widely considered the gold standard for modern Application Portfolio Management. It is incredibly user-friendly” Gemini 3.5 Flash · scale 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 LeanIXSAP LeanIX vs Sparx Systems Enterprise ArchitectArdoq vs LeanIXArdoq vs Sparx Systems Enterprise ArchitectLeanIX vs ArchiLeanIX vs Bizzdesign HorizzonArchi 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.