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Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs iServer comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

iServer
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
7th
Ranking in Business Process Design
13th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sparx Systems Enterprise Ar...
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
2nd
Ranking in Business Process Design
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of iServer is 4.7%, up from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is 13.9%, down from 18.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Architecture Management
 

Q&A Highlights

it_user153078 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 23, 2014
 

Featured Reviews

Antonios Lazanakis - PeerSpot reviewer
Flexible, easy to use, and easy to import data
We use iServer to establish an enterprise architecture function in our organization iServer is a very flexible platform for defining your own enterprise architecture model. It is very easy to import data, and we also have good integration with Visual Drawing Tools and SharePoint. The solution is…
Milan Sterba - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient documentation generation through organized model structure with a good price-performance ratio
Whenever I begin a new project with Sparx, I have to spend time training people on how to use it since it is not straightforward. Although it's a powerful product with plenty of features, it's not easy for even experienced users to find their way without guidance. This is not the most user-friendly solution.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Good and effective reporting features, which help in decision making."
"The solution is easily modified to suit your needs."
"The most valuable features of iServer are the integration with Microsoft Office and the interface is similar to Microsoft applications making them easy to use."
"Tech support is very responsive. They solved issues within a prompt response time."
"There were lots of different requirements, and collaboration and review is one of the biggest things. There is also Office 360 integration, and there's flexibility to use it as a database as well."
"The product has a valuable customized model."
"The initial setup is easy."
"iServer has valuable features for workflow and document management."
"Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect supports multiple modeling languages like ArchiMate for database design, software lifecycle visualization, and team management."
"Sparx offers good flexibility."
"We have found the stability to be very reliable."
"Ability to maintain cross-references for all models in all levels - great tractability."
"Sparx has got a range of modeling features, and I am comfortable with all its offering. I've used a lot of tools over the phone. I found EA Spark, probably the most feature rich product all in all compared to other products. The solution is very cost-effective and that is its best feature. It's a very good delivery architecture tool, which also has enterprise architecture capabilities, and it's got full life cycle processes and software development. So for me, it's a pretty comprehensive tool"
"It is a very flexible product. It can do a lot. It is also a reliable product."
"It provides good utilization and it's a convenient tool for building exact architectural work."
"We use it to develop and maintain the Enterprise Conceptual Model, migrated from erwin a couple of years ago."
 

Cons

"The migration tool needs to be included in the main package, and not as a separate license."
"Enhancing integration options with ERP or ITSM-related solutions for triggering automated requests for process definitions, changes, and tracking them in the iServer."
"The one issue is that if you want to import predefined work, you need to put the licensing model in. So if you wanted to import work that was done before, you then need to buy a separate product for that."
"There can be some performance issues using the solution that should be improved. When you make modifications modify to files there are embedded data within that can take a while to process."
"There could be features for process mining, process simulation, and analytics."
"I haven't used this solution long enough to know what areas could be improved."
"There are other solutions out there that have a better user interface."
"It definitely needs help to improve the visual aspect of the solution."
"This solution has some limitations from a business perspective."
"Weak in regards to data modelling. No logical or physical modelling or migration from conceptual to physical."
"Greater OMG UML and XMI compliance"
"Even if there are web-based tools in the Enterprise Architecture tool ecosystem (like Prolaborate), the main modeling application is still a fat client application."
"It should be made Windows compatible."
"There should be a MATLAB-specific toolbox added to the solution with better compatibility. The connections currently are good but in the future, it needs a huge improvement."
"If you just want to create some diagrams with shapes and arrows, then use Visio."
"The window froze for five or ten seconds. You can click and click again and it takes a second to come up. It might have been specific to a version."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is cheaper than its competitors."
"It's about 13K to set up and 9K for the license for three months. I think it's about 20K a year, but we haven't firmed up on pricing yet because the price depends on how long we commit to the solution."
"The product has a moderate pricing."
"They offer annual subscriptions for developing countries, which are not affordable for small or medium businesses."
"Aim for the exact number of people who shall define/review approve and view the processes, as it will impact the cost."
"The price of iServer is reasonable compared to other solutions."
"The license for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is paid yearly, but I don't handle that area. It's good for its price, so I'm rating it a five out of five, but I'm not using it much. I also don't have information regarding additional costs apart from the standard licensing fees."
"They have the price on their site for the enterprise version, and we do receive a small discount."
"This product has a paid license, with a yearly subscription option."
"Pricing and licensing are suitable even for small companies."
"We had a yearly license."
"Licenses are pretty low cost compared to, for example, ARIS."
"The licensing is not as expensive as some of the other data modeling tools such as Erwin."
"The pricing for ultimate version is steeply high."
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Answers from the Community

it_user153078 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 23, 2014
Sep 23, 2014
Thanks Dorian. We've had look at IBM Systems Architect, but due to the size of our organization and IBM licensing structure, hence we opted for the two in question.
2 out of 4 answers
it_user96945 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 22, 2014
I have not used those two. I have used/use IBM Systems Architect, Visual Paradigm and Rational Rose and my experience with those is that is you want true team cooperation, they always ask you to buy something more. Usually there is a separate tool/SW to make teamwork work. Give them all the specs ahead of time so that if something is not there, you can go back and ask for them to fix the problem. Dorian W Smith
it_user78465 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 22, 2014
I have no experience with these solutions. John Becker
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
34%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
6%
Educational Organization
18%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about iServer?
iServer has valuable features for workflow and document management.
What needs improvement with iServer?
iServer should invest in enhancing the capabilities of the embedded drawing tool, draw.io. draw.io is a drawing tool used to draw architectural diagrams, flow diagrams, etc. It is an alternative to...
What is your primary use case for iServer?
We use iServer to establish an enterprise architecture function in our organization.
What do you like most about Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
The stability has been good and satisfactory. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
One of the reasons many public sector institutions in the Czech Republic use it is that it provides a very good price-performance ratio. While it might be cumbersome to learn, it still delivers exc...
What needs improvement with Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect?
Whenever I begin a new project with Sparx, I have to spend time training people on how to use it since it is not straightforward. Although it's a powerful product with plenty of features, it's not ...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Barclays, Cathay Pacific, Deloitte, British Gas, MasterCard
OmniLink
Find out what your peers are saying about Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs. iServer and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
845,589 professionals have used our research since 2012.