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PTC Windchill vs Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

PTC Windchill
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
20th
Average Rating
6.4
Reviews Sentiment
4.9
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Engineering Process (1st), PLM Tools (1st)
Sparx Systems Enterprise Ar...
Ranking in Enterprise Architecture Management
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Design (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of PTC Windchill is 0.6%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is 12.7%, down from 17.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Architecture Management
 

Featured Reviews

CW
Effective lifecycle management improves with strong version control and deep integration needs
There is room for improvement in implementing features fully. The user interface is inconsistent and outdated. It appears that different departments or locations have implemented features differently, leading to inconsistency. There is a significant need for improved integration, particularly using OSLC for connecting with other tools like SAP ERP or ALM tools. The version control, while consistent, lacks flexibility regarding changes in CAD data and requires manual intervention for BOM management analysis.
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

"The strong point of Windchill is its close connection between the CAD structure and the bill of materials structure."
"I like how the product integrates with other technical solutions."
"The version control maintains consistent versions, which is beneficial."
"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"
"The installation was very easy."
"The most valuable feature is the integrated data model, so if I change the name of an item, all models using that object are automatically updated."
"It's a stable and scalable solution. I like that it's similar to Rational Rose."
"Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect was easy to set up and it took just twenty minutes."
"Customizable and tailored to the environment. Several template frameworks are provided."
"There are a couple of things. Price is one thing, but we also like the scriptability of it. We got into scripting it and automating tasks with it, and it is super duper easy to do and helpful. The API has improved over the years. We automate everything, and I love the automation aspects of it."
"The solution saved a lot of time, about 30%."
 

Cons

"Some parts of the system are exclusive, so we can't work with them."
"There is room for improvement in implementing features fully."
"I would not recommend doing business with PTC regardless of the product."
"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."
"The solution's interface could be more straightforward."
"The solution needs to offer better support for the mobile-based system. Right now, it's not working."
"Because its easy to create diagrams one needs to be vigilant on the housekeeping of orphaned fragments - I have written my own scripts to do this, maybe they are available now."
"The documentation could be better. Where I work, we speak French and we don't speak English, so we don't have anything in French. It's perfect in English, but we need something in French."
"Its best features are not intuitive or easy to learn. Most companies I have worked with, when I see what they are doing with it , are not using more than 5% of what they could and should be doing with it."
"The integration could be improved."
"I have found the solution is lacking options. The general usability needs improvement and more compliance to CML definitions."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate PTC Windchill's pricing a seven out of ten since it is pricey."
"It is cheaper than other solutions. Its cost is around $686 per year. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."
"The solution is quite expensive."
"Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is priced well. The price we pay is approximately $20 per month. Other solutions I have found to be much more expensive."
"The licensing is not as expensive as some of the other data modeling tools such as Erwin."
"We paid 1200 euros as a once-off cost. All add ons and integrations come at an additional cost."
"It’s the best deal in town, by far."
"Pricing and licensing is very attractive, simple, and straightforward."
"There is no license required for this solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
29%
Computer Software Company
10%
Healthcare Company
9%
Transportation Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about PTC Windchill?
I like how the product integrates with other technical solutions.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PTC Windchill?
I rate PTC Windchill's pricing a seven out of ten since it is pricey. The costs are fixed, and there are no additional costs.
What needs improvement with PTC Windchill?
There is room for improvement in implementing features fully. The user interface is inconsistent and outdated. It appears that different departments or locations have implemented features different...
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 ...
 

Also Known As

Windchill, Atego Artisan Studio, Integrity Modeler, Intralink
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bose, Valliant Group
OmniLink
Find out what your peers are saying about PTC Windchill vs. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.