LeanIX vs SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer comparison

SAP LeanIX and SAP are both solutions in the Enterprise Architecture Management category. SAP LeanIX is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.0, while SAP is ranked #22. SAP LeanIX holds a 10.1% mindshare in AM, compared to SAP’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of SAP LeanIX users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of SAP users who would recommend it.

LeanIX

Read 25 LeanIX reviews

5,459 Views
4,313 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

SAP Enterprise Architecture...

Read 1 SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer review

369 Views
365 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

LeanIX

SAP Enterprise Architecture...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between LeanIX and SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about SAP LeanIX, Quest Software, MEGA International and others in Enterprise Architecture Management.

To learn more, read our detailed Enterprise Architecture Management Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Architecture Management

January 2026

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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

LeanIX

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SAP Enterprise Architecture...

Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management

22nd

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of LeanIX is 10.1%, down from 15.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer is 1.6%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Architecture Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
LeanIX	10.1%
SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer	1.6%
Other	88.3%

Enterprise Architecture Management

Featured Reviews

NormanGarnett

Managing Director at Global Information Technology Corporation

Building Strategic Enterprise Architecture Journeys with Comprehensive Process Mapping and Risk Management

They will continue to improve LeanIX. I'm actually supposed to be at the SAP Sapphire this year. There are a couple of recommendations I know some of my colleagues have made. For me, I have not looked into additional recommendations for LeanIX because I've been held in really just utilizing it for the purposes it has. One of the things that I know I've had is being able to build it into decent process flows for changes. While LeanIX does have the capability, one of the challenges that I've found, even with working with Subway, was that being able to build that out into a detailed solution for a developer or for new process design was one of the challenges, just making that leap. But there's enough information that comes out of LeanIX to be utilized, and that would be one of the areas I would suggest.

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Artur Chyziewicz

Co-Owner at Edusolution s.c.

Great training available with traceability a key feature

I use this solution to model enterprise software architecture. We are customers of SAP and an educational organization in Poland. Traceability is a fantastic feature. They should upgrade the algorithm. The solution currently has an old algorithm and there are now free tools on the market that…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"My favorite feature of LeanIX is its ability to induct attribute-driven surveys."

"It offers neat visualization and referencing functionality while enabling the creation of landscape maps and showing the relationship between different applications."

"Ease of use is the most valuable feature. From an enterprise architecture perspective, it's not too cumbersome with too many functionalities, yet it has a lot of attributes for the content it covers."

"We've been able to develop some nice looking reports, and the dashboard's capability to map is very easy compared to Enterprise Architect."

"Interfaces well with downstream systems of data."

"LeanIX has good usability and stability. This SaaS is intuitive, easy to use, and comes with a nice reporting feature."

"LeanIX is quite mature, enabling me to load applications, IT components, and map them to business capabilities to identify gaps and manage risk."

"My favorite feature of LeanIX is its ability to induct attribute-driven surveys."

More LeanIX pros

"Traceability is a fantastic feature."

Cons

"Does a poor job of being able to allocate detailed costings to components within the network."

"The solution’s API integration needs to improve. I would like to see a digital screen watch feature also in the solution."

"The solution uses Gartner's time-based framework for application rationalization. One more thing that you can consider is having some add-on frameworks for the same, not just Gartner."

"Another area for improvement is that when you're starting to look into more advanced information, using the solution's APIs and its customizations, documentation for that specific aspect is not very good. There is not too much support built into the offering for that aspect, for a developer."

"Not a ten because you always have that gap between complexity and easy to use. And the more complex the tool becomes, the more difficult it is to get the usability."

"The modeling could be improved."

"The whole integration architecture view of interfaces/data exchange could be improved."

"It's hard to predict the pricing of the system."

More LeanIX cons

"The algorithm is outdated and should be upgraded."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the pricing a one out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"The pricing is very good. We definitely get good value for the money."

"The solution's pricing is based on a licensing model that is competitive and in line with other products."

"LeanIX uses application-based account licensing, where the cost is multiplied by the number of applications in the software implementation."

"It cost me $91,000 a year for 300 applications. For any enterprise, 300 applications are minimal, as many have well over 1,000 applications."

"The tool needs to include more flexible licensing options. We do not use the tool all the time. So pricing should be considered only when we use the tool."

"There is a sweet spot of where they need to be on pricing right now. They could go up a little bit in pricing, but it has to do with the cost savings, and it has to do with the practitioners using it. I use it where I get cost savings and I can justify it, but they probably have the ability to flex a 10% up channel on their sales on that. So, they could increase their settle price, not their offering price, when they sell. They can probably hold that up a little bit higher than it is because there are cost savings that we can drive from it."

"As the tool is cloud-based, its cost is more affordable."

Information not available

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Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	13

No data available

Questions from the Community

Any experience with Strategic Project Portfolio Management Solutions?

Hi @Cheryl Joseph Looking at the crossover between Project and Portfolio management with EA, then Planview could be a good choice. If looking at Portfolio Management from an EA perspective then Le...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for LeanIX?

My experience with pricing is not directly known, as it was handled by others, but it is subscription-based. The tool was part of the RISE license in a previous project.

See all answers

What needs improvement with LeanIX?

From a pricing perspective, it is not a cheap tool. It is relatively expensive compared to some of its competitors. I can't really think off the top of my head at the moment about any features that...

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Compared 6% of the time

Sparx Prolaborate vs LeanIX

Compared 2% of the time

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Compared 21% of the time

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Compared 20% of the time

MEGA HOPEX vs SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer

Compared 14% of the time

erwin Data Modeler vs SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer

Compared 13% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

LeanIX

January 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Architecture Management

January 2026

SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer report

Download SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer product report

Also Known As

No data available

SAP EA Designer

Interactive Demo

SAP LeanIX

Demo not available

SAP

Overview

SAP LeanIX provides enterprise architecture solutions that modernize IT and transform businesses, integrating AI-enriched, SaaS tools to enhance architecture visualization and evolution.

Embracing a comprehensive approach, SAP LeanIX supports organizations globally with tools that foster IT landscape optimization and forward-looking architecture creation. It offers solutions for real-time IT overviews, risk management, and architectural planning. These capabilities ensure that enterprises have the flexibility and insights needed to maximize their business impact and align their IT strategies with their organizational goals. SAP LeanIX is recognized for its ease of use, flexible reporting, and the ability to seamlessly integrate various data sources.

What features define SAP LeanIX?

Flexible Reporting: Enables personalized data views.
Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface similar to social networks.
Integration Capabilities: Extensive out-of-the-box options.
Real-Time Feedback: Facilitates instant data integration.
Application Portfolio Management: Comprehensive IT analysis.
Seamless ServiceNow Integration: Smooth data flow integration.

What benefits and ROI can users expect from SAP LeanIX?

Data Management: Efficient data capture and tagging.
Cost Optimization: Streamlines operations cost-effectively.
Dashboard Presentation: Enhances strategic decision-making.
Business Alignment: Aligns technology with business strategies.
Educational Resources: Provides valuable learning materials.

SAP LeanIX is implemented across industries to enhance enterprise architecture, application portfolio management, and business capability mapping. Its use extends into cloud governance, data flow analysis, and integration architecture, allowing multiple organizations to improve operational visibility and strategic planning. It also enables cataloging systems and app rationalization while linking capabilities for improved lifecycle management.

SAP LeanIX

The SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer Web application is a user-friendly, collaborative tool for creating and maintaining a complete landscape architecture that is easy to capture and understand visually. People in a wide variety of roles can readily use it, so all necessary stake-holders can participate directly in the planning and design of the architecture. You can manage change by providing effective governance of your architecture changes and calculating their costs and benefits, so that you can keep implementation efficient and cost-effective. Through robust traceability in this multirole, intuitive, collaborative environment, you gain the insight to support compliance at the outset and throughout architecture change cycles.

SAP

Sample Customers

Bosch Rexroth, NSW Department of Education, Yamaha Motor Corporation, Tetra Pak, Deutsche Bahn, Flynn, SKF AB, NTT Group, Travis Perkins, SEEK, Haworth, Asahi Beverages, MediaMarktSaturn, KAO USA, Ørsted, The Mark Anthony Group of Companies, AmTrust, Banco Itaú Unibanco, SHL Medical,...

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Architecture Management

January 2026

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Find out what your peers are saying about SAP LeanIX, Quest Software, MEGA International and others in Enterprise Architecture Management. Updated: January 2026.

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