ARIS Architect and Designer vs Visual Paradigm comparison

ARIS Architect and Designer

Read 27 Visual Paradigm reviews

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Visual Paradigm and ARIS Architect and Designer are software solutions competing in the business process modeling and enterprise architecture market. Visual Paradigm appears to excel in user satisfaction due to its affordability and supportive services, while ARIS Architect and Designer is recognized for its wide range of advanced features that justify its higher cost.

Features: Visual Paradigm is equipped with an intuitive interface and a comprehensive array of visual modeling tools that facilitate effective business process management and collaboration across various teams. It supports a seamless integration of different models and provides a broad selection of templates. ARIS Architect and Designer, by contrast, offers sophisticated analytics, extensive customization options, and a detailed repository that is beneficial for complex enterprise architecture projects.

Room for Improvement: Visual Paradigm could enhance its advanced analytics capabilities and offer more customization options for complex projects. It may also benefit from expanding its feature set to match high-level enterprise architecture needs. ARIS Architect and Designer could improve by simplifying its user interface and lowering the learning curve for new users. Reducing deployment complexity and optimizing its resource requirements would also enhance its appeal.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ARIS Architect and Designer requires specialized knowledge for deployment, an aspect balanced by its attentive customer support. Visual Paradigm, however, provides an easy installation process that caters well to both technical and non-technical users. It is praised for its excellent customer service, making the deployment experience straightforward and accessible.

Pricing and ROI: Visual Paradigm offers a competitive pricing structure, appealing to budget-sensitive organizations with its favorable return on investment. In contrast, ARIS Architect and Designer involves a higher initial expenditure, which is justified by its advanced features and value for enterprises seeking comprehensive architectural solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed ARIS Architect and Designer vs. Visual Paradigm Report (Updated: February 2026).

ARIS Architect and Designer vs. Visual Paradigm

February 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

ARIS Architect and Designer

Ranking in Business Process Design

11th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Visual Paradigm

Ranking in Business Process Design

9th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Business Process Design category, the mindshare of ARIS Architect and Designer is 1.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Visual Paradigm is 4.5%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Business Process Design Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Visual Paradigm	4.5%
ARIS Architect and Designer	1.3%
Other	94.2%

Business Process Design

Featured Reviews

BeenishMustafa

Consultant at KAFD DMC

Has raised concerns about pricing while expressing satisfaction with its contribution to optimizing internal processes

Considering the integration capability of the product, it contributes to data-driven decision-making in our case. We see some impact of reporting tools on performance tracking or strategic planning. We do different kinds of analysis in regard to due integration controls, risk, and how we can strengthen the processes and the activities. We use it for various purposes. Regarding the process visualization framework, it helps to improve communication and collaboration in the company in a positive way. Architect is managing all the library management and with regards to the filter management. It's always a positive side that if you want to use anything further, we know that we can reach out to the Architect to add those objects and those attributes. It's really good.

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reviewer2097357

Software Engineer at a aerospace/defense firm with 10,001+ employees

Innovation in diagramming has streamlined complex UML tasks

Visual Paradigm allowed me to create UML diagrams efficiently. The tool was smarter than other tools in terms of remembering the connections between components on the screen. For example, in other drawing programs, if I moved a box, I had to move the arrow, but Visual Paradigm handled those tasks automatically. This made it much quicker than using other tools like Visio or MagicDoor.

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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

"The support team is very responsive."

"It's really fast. It's much faster compared to Enterprise Architect."

"The most important feature is ARIS's ability to turn a process design into data to analyze anything you want. For example, we have some analysis reports in ARIS that can guide us when we want to change a system. It shows us how this change will affect all of the organization's processes."

"Considering the integration capability of the product, it contributes to data-driven decision-making in our case."

"The user interface is easy to work with."

"It is suitable for banks, insurance companies, public administration, etc. The method is very adaptable and can be applied independently of the business."

"One of the most valuable features is how user-friendly ARIS is, compared to other BPM tools. This tool has very diverse types of assets available. ARIS also has a lot of customizable options, different model types, object types, a number of attributes, and a lot of customization is possible. In comparison, Signavio is very limited in terms of model types and object types. So these customizations ARIS offers are really valuable to any client who wants to create a BPM repository."

"Considering the integration capability of the product, it contributes to data-driven decision-making in our case."

More ARIS Architect and Designer pros

"I love Visual Paradigm because it has many different types of diagrams. For any field of engineering, we can find a diagram."

"The pricing model is attractive."

"I like the structure. I can see the diagrams and everything I created."

"It is easy and intuitive to use, not excessively rigid, and quite flexible."

"It is a scalable solution since it can be used at an individual level as well as for enterprise-sized businesses."

"I like the fact that this solution is complete."

"The most valuable feature of the Visual Paradigm that I use is process modeling. Additionally, the solution has a complete set of features."

"It is a scalable solution...The initial setup was straightforward."

More Visual Paradigm pros

Cons

"The customer service of ARIS Architect and Designer was disappointing. It took forty days to conclude that partial data restoration was not possible, and it was suggested that the data might have been accidentally deleted, despite evidence to the contrary."

"Currently, we don't have any metrics to measure the success of ARIS Architect and Designer."

"Sometimes we feel that the designer needs more usability. I understand that the web module or the cloud version is much more user-friendly and easier to work on compared to the client that we download."

"Currently, we don't have any metrics to measure the success of ARIS Architect and Designer. We would appreciate it if you could share anything with us that we can do to find out the impact."

"The product is not flexible."

"The support team takes a long time to respond to our queries."

"Currently, we don't have any metrics to measure the success of ARIS Architect and Designer."

"This product could be improved by lowering the licensing cost. More organizations could use ARIS if they slashed the licensing costs even a little bit."

More ARIS Architect and Designer cons

"From time to time, we experience some troubles when we work as teams."

"Visual Paradigm could improve many aspects. The performance could be better because it can be low. When we have large and complicated models, it has a low speed and many bugs. Sometimes the solution stops and you have to restart Microsoft Windows on your PC. The larger database modeling cannot be done properly, I have to use another solution called SAP PowerDesigner."

"I would like to see something for visualizing innovation work maps."

"The user interface is not easy to navigate, so it should be made easier."

"The solution can be heavy on resource usage."

"The product can always get better as the industry changes."

"The solution's technical support can be improved and accessible for our company location since Visual Paradigm follows a remote support model with some challenges."

"In terms of room for improvement in Visual Paradigm, I tried looking for one. I'm pleased with the tool, but it would be great if you could integrate Visual Paradigm with more tools. For example, when moving from Visual Paradigm to another tool, such as Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, the process could be improved a bit. Still, I wonder if it's not limited by the standards Visual Paradigm follows, such as XMI files. It could be connected to limitations related to the standards rather than a tool limitation. When you move projects from Visual Paradigm into Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect via XMI files, you lose all your notes from the elements, so this is an area for improvement in Visual Paradigm. TOGAF support is an additional feature I'd like to see in the next release of Visual Paradigm. I'd also like the tool to have ArchiMate support. If both TOGAF and ArchiMate could be supported in Visual Paradigm and made part of a lower level of licensing or cheaper licensing models, that would be best for me."

More Visual Paradigm cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

"The product is expensive."

"The licenses are very costly. I've seen many people who are hesitant or not able to use ARIS Suite just because of the license cost. Even though they like all the functionalities and understand the value of everything ARIS provides, they aren't able to implement it."

"Many customers find the licensing configuration confusing. There are many different sub-details in the licensing, making it very difficult for us to understand what we are buying and what we are using with what."

"Compared to other solutions such as IBM Rational which is expensive, This solution is priced low."

"Over the years I've seen an increase in price, and it makes it difficult for a single person company, like me, to decide whether to extend the license."

"The pricing of Visual Paradigm is very appropriate and affordable. There are no hidden costs involved."

"This product is fairly cheap, but if you want more complex features, e.g. integration with other products, it does require an additional cost."

"Visual Paradigm has two models available. One of them is the educational edition, and another is the business edition. For my personal usage, I use the educational version mostly. In a project, my customers have to purchase a license."

"Visual Paradigm's pricing is not expensive."

"Visual Paradigm costs $99 per license. I chose the cheapest option from the pricing list."

"You can use Paradigm on a subscription basis and you can choose from different tiers of subscription."

More Visual Paradigm pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

10%

Insurance Company

Financial Services Firm

11%

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with ARIS Architect and Designer?

Currently, we don't have any metrics to measure the success of ARIS Architect and Designer. We would appreciate it if you could share anything with us that we can do to find out the impact.

What is your primary use case for ARIS Architect and Designer?

We spoke with you about ARIS Architect and Designer. We already have two architect licenses, I think three architect licenses, and we have, I think, six or seven designer licenses. Architect is bas...

What advice do you have for others considering ARIS Architect and Designer?

The reviewer is a consultant at KAFD. We would give ARIS Architect and Designer an overall review rating of ten out of ten.

What do you like most about Visual Paradigm?

The solution is the best application for data modeling. It helps to architect business processes. Its best features are pricing and functionality.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Visual Paradigm?

I purchased Visual Paradigm on my own, and it was competitively priced, so I was fine with the pricing.

What needs improvement with Visual Paradigm?

The product can always get better as the industry changes, however, I didn't necessarily feel it was lacking for what I did with it.

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No Magic MagicDraw vs Visual Paradigm

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Product Reports

ARIS Architect and Designer

February 2026

Download ARIS Architect and Designer product report

Download Visual Paradigm product report

January 2026

Also Known As

ARIS Architect & Designer, ARIS Architect, ARIS Designer

No data available

Overview

ARIS is the market-leading solution for professional business process management and modeling. Whether you want to document the "as-is" state of your operations for quality or certification reasons or design the "to-be" in terms of continuous improvement in your transformation program, ARIS is the best choice for establishing a single source of truth regarding all process excellence topics in your organization. It is for any organization looking to digitally transform their business, increase operational excellence and customer experience and ensure compliance in execution. ARIS helps you to make the most out of your processes with Process Mining, Risk & Compliance Management, RPA and much more.

What makes the difference?

The most comprehensive platform for process excellence in the market
Easy to use
Covers business & IT architecture from all angles
Full flexibility and >100 diagram types
Customer-driven development based on best practices
Strong partner ecosystem

ARIS is the market-leading solution for any organization and ideally suited to digitally transform the organization, increase operational excellence and customer experience and ensure compliance in execution.

Software AG

Visual Paradigm is a UML tool. The tool is designed for a wide range of users including software engineers, system analysts, business analysts and system architects, or for anyone who is interested in reliably building large-scale software systems using an object-oriented approach. In addition, Visual Paradigm supports the latest standards of UML notation.

Sample Customers

Tesco, Weifu, Airbus, Siemens, Proximus, Alicorp, Sekerbank, Bancor, Philips,Sky, Emirates NBD, Dubai Municipality, Suva, U.S. Army, Australia Post, Westfalen Weser Energie - ARIS serves customers across all industries and of every size worldwide. Companies trust ARIS as the market leader for process excellence with more than 30 years of experience in the market, 10 million users worldwide, from 1 user companies to the Fortune 500.

Adobe, Apple, at&t, Caterpillar, Intel, NASA, Nokia, Toyota