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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
6.0
Reviews Sentiment
4.9
Number of Reviews
2
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 June 2025, in the Enterprise Architecture Management category, the mindshare of PTC Windchill is 0.6%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is 13.4%, down from 17.9% 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 The user interface is inconsistent and outdated.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

"I like how the product integrates with other technical solutions."
"The strong point of Windchill is its close connection between the CAD structure and the bill of materials structure."
"The version control maintains consistent versions, which is beneficial."
"I like Sparx's BPM features and the way it lets you create the diagram."
"Its traversability is most valuable. I can use ArchiMate, and I can create a UML model. ArchiMate is for logical enterprise architecture, UML is for software engineering, and BPMN is for business processes. I can build it to have multiple models, and they are also traversable, which is not something that every tool allows. If there is a huge organization, you can segment it and have separate models for business technology or internal resource management system. You don't need to keep them in one model, and you can decide to segregate them."
"The stability has been good and satisfactory. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten."
"I like that there is support for software patterns."
"It is a useful tool for modeling and testing automated processes."
"The solution allows us to quickly present designs and concepts to customers and get their feedback, thereby moving the project forward step by step."
"The company has become more efficient and reduced its budget."
"The Business Process Modeling or BPM part is the most valuable. Its ability to simulate scenarios is also very useful. It can also create descriptions of the workflows. It has a feature in which if you create some BPMN process, a workflow diagram, and the description inside, you can actually simulate the whole scenario, and you get the description. That's very handy."
 

Cons

"I would not recommend doing business with PTC regardless of the product."
"There is room for improvement in implementing features fully."
"Some parts of the system are exclusive, so we can't work with them."
"The product could be improved in terms of its ease of use and documentation. While it offers a lot of functionality, it can be difficult to grasp how to utilize these features effectively."
"Using EA involves a steep learning curve if you want to understand its capabilities and functionality."
"I have found the solution is lacking options. The general usability needs improvement and more compliance to CML definitions."
"More challenging than other tools to maintain documents and document versions for an architecture board review."
"What should be improved are the integration capabilities of the solution with Bizagi."
"It would be nice to have it supported on the Linux operating system."
"The solution needs to offer better support for the mobile-based system. Right now, it's not working."
"The database management area was not usable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate PTC Windchill's pricing a seven out of ten since it is pricey."
"Pricing and licensing is very attractive, simple, and straightforward."
"It is very economical and low cost. You have to pay for a one-time license, and it is active forever."
"It’s the best deal in town, by far."
"The licensing is not as expensive as some of the other data modeling tools such as Erwin."
"The Corporate Edition, or one of the bundles, is the way to go."
"In terms of cost, Sparx EA is probably one of the cheapest tools I have ever used."
"It's reasonably priced for large organizations."
"This product has a paid license, with a yearly subscription option."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
26%
Computer Software Company
12%
Healthcare Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Educational Organization
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
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
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: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.