Enterprise architecture tools · October 2026 Edition
SAP LeanIX vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Eight of fourteen models named SAP LeanIX first on the direct prompt; one named Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. SAP LeanIX was named by twelve of the fourteen models and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect by thirteen and SAP LeanIX carries 33 labels and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect 29, so the shares are not directly comparable.
SAP LeanIX
accepted challengerNamed in two categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share25%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#1#5A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels3329A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, SAP 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 Ardoq · SAP LeanIX vs LeanIX · SAP LeanIX vs Archi
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.
SAP LeanIXFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Direct81
Paraphrase30
Comparative62
Budget-constrained121 against SAP LeanIX · 1 against Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Scale-constrained201 against SAP LeanIX
Negative003 against SAP 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, SAP LeanIX and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect were named in the same answer forty-three times, of the 119 answers naming SAP LeanIX and the 77 naming Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect. In those answers Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect took the first choice eight times and SAP LeanIX eighteen.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where SAP LeanIX and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect stood in it.
| Model | DirectSL | ParaphraseSL | ComparativeSL | Budget-constrainedSL | Scale-constrainedSL | NegativeSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | SL | SL | SL | |||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | SL | SL | SL | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | SL | SL | | |||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | SL | | SL | |||
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | SL | SL | SL | SL | SL | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | SL | | SL | |||
| Kimi K2 | SL | SL | | SL | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | SL | | ||||
| MiniMax M2.5 | SL | | SL | |||
| GPT-6 Luna | SL | SL | SL | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | SL | SL | SL |
SL SAP LeanIX Sparx Systems Enterprise ArchitectSL first choiceSL named as an alternativeSL argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, SAP LeanIX on the left and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect on the right.
Sparx Systems Enterprise ArchitectSL first choiceSL named as an alternativeSL argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, SAP 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 SAP LeanIX and Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect stood in it.
SAP LeanIX first, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect an alternative
8 of 14 modelsSparx Systems Enterprise Architect was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniSAP LeanIX alternatives: Bizzdesign Horizzon, Orbus Software, Sparx Systems
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
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
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect first, SAP LeanIX not the choice
1 of 14 modelsSAP LeanIX 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
1 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Muse Glimmer 30BArdoq alternatives: Bizzdesign Horizzon, SAP LeanIX, Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect
Neither was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Ardoq, LeanIX alternatives: Archi, Bizzdesign Horizzon
Perplexity SonarLeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Sparx Enterprise Architect
Llama 4 MaverickSparx
Qwen 3.7 FlashLeanIX alternatives: Ardoq, Bizzdesign Horizzon, Sparx Systems
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 nine points.
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect14%#2 of 12SAP LeanIX5%#5 of 12
The full small business standing →Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: SAP LeanIX leads at mid-market.
SAP LeanIX25%#1 of 10
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect5%#5 of 10Enterprise
SAP LeanIX leads by forty-one points.
SAP LeanIX43%#1 of 11
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect2%#9 of 11What the models said about SAP LeanIX
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“SAP LeanIX, if you need a highly bespoke metamodel... That's not a reason to avoid LeanIX if its standard model fits” GPT-6 Luna · negative prompt · soft negative
“Medium-High Risk: Customization & Data Model Rigidity ... LeanIX if you need deep customization” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Often targets larger enterprises; check if the licensing/price is competitive for <1k users.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · scale prompt · soft negative
“agile cloud-based solutions with strong integration and collaboration features are typically recommended, e.g. SAP LeanIX, Ardoq, or BlueDolphin” Muse Glimmer 30B · scale prompt · first choice
“Choose LeanIX if you want to quickly understand what applications you own, how much they cost, and how they map to business goals.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“LeanIX is highly accessible for mid-market companies due to its out-of-the-box usability and modular pricing structure” Gemini 3.5 Flash · paraphrase 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 LeanIXSAP LeanIX vs ArchiSAP LeanIX vs Bizzdesign HorizzonArdoq vs Sparx Systems Enterprise ArchitectLeanIX 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.