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Enterprise Architect VS PlantUML

Compare Enterprise Architect VS PlantUML and see what are their differences

Enterprise Architect logo Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architect - UML Design Tools and UML CASE tools for software development | Sparx Systems

PlantUML logo PlantUML

PlantUML is an open-source tool that uses simple textual descriptions to draw UML diagrams.
  • Enterprise Architect Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-18
  • PlantUML Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

Enterprise Architect features and specs

  • Comprehensive Toolset
    Enterprise Architect offers a wide range of tools for various aspects of system development, including requirements management, business modeling, and software design.
  • Supports Multiple Standards
    The software supports numerous standards such as UML, SysML, BPMN, and TOGAF, making it versatile for different industries and project needs.
  • Collaboration Features
    Provides a robust set of features for team collaboration, including version control integration, role-based security, and shared repositories.
  • Extensible and Customizable
    Allows for extensive customization through scripts, add-ins, and the use of custom templates, enabling teams to tailor the tool to their specific processes.
  • Rich Documentation Capabilities
    The tool can generate comprehensive documentation and reports, aiding in the dissemination and clarity of project details.
  • Simulation and Validation
    Offers simulation and model validation features, enabling users to test and verify their designs before implementation.

Possible disadvantages of Enterprise Architect

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and capabilities, new users may find the software complex and difficult to master initially.
  • User Interface
    The user interface can feel outdated and cluttered, which might hinder the user experience and efficiency.
  • Performance Issues
    Users have reported that the software can be slow, especially with larger models or repositories.
  • Cost
    The pricing can be high, particularly for small businesses or individual users, potentially limiting its accessibility.
  • Limited Real-time Collaboration
    While it supports team collaboration, real-time co-editing features are limited compared to some modern cloud-based modeling tools.
  • Complex Setup
    Setting up and configuring the tool to meet specific organizational needs can be complex and time-consuming.

PlantUML features and specs

  • Simple Syntax
    PlantUML uses a plain text language that is easy to learn, making it accessible for both technical and non-technical users.
  • Quick Diagram Creation
    Due to its straightforward text-based syntax, diagrams can be created and modified quickly without the need for a graphical interface.
  • Version Control Friendly
    Diagrams are stored as text files, making them easy to manage with version control systems like Git.
  • Integrations
    PlantUML integrates well with many other tools and platforms including IDEs (e.g., IntelliJ, VSCode), documentation generators (e.g., Doxygen, Sphinx), and project management tools.
  • Wide Range of Diagrams
    PlantUML supports a variety of UML and non-UML diagrams, including sequence diagrams, use case diagrams, class diagrams, and more.
  • Open Source
    PlantUML is an open-source tool, which makes it free to use and allows for community contributions and extensions.

Possible disadvantages of PlantUML

  • Learning Curve
    While the syntax is simple, users unfamiliar with text-based diagramming may need time to become proficient.
  • No GUI
    PlantUML lacks a graphical user interface (GUI), which might be a disadvantage for users who prefer drag-and-drop diagram creation.
  • Complex Diagrams
    For very complex diagrams, the text-based syntax can become cumbersome and hard to manage.
  • Rendering Limitations
    The style and formatting options are less flexible compared to some dedicated graphical diagramming tools.
  • Performance
    For large diagrams, the text-to-diagram rendering process can be slow.
  • Security Concerns
    Using PlantUML with remote server options might raise security issues, particularly when dealing with sensitive information.

Enterprise Architect videos

How to Manage Review Discussions in Enterprise Architect 13.5

More videos:

  • Review - Let's have a look at Enterprise Architect

PlantUML videos

PlantUML - beautiful quick diagrams to explain your models

More videos:

  • Review - Folge16 - PlantUML und IntelliJ
  • Tutorial - PlantUML Gizmo Tutorial: Google Docs Add-on
  • Review - Mermaid vs PlantUML vs HackerDraw: Which One Is Best For You?
  • Review - Using PlantUML For Diagrams In A GitLab Wiki

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Enterprise Architect and PlantUML)
Technical Computing
100 100%
0% 0
Diagrams
16 16%
84% 84
Flowcharts
16 16%
84% 84
Numerical Computation
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Enterprise Architect and PlantUML

Enterprise Architect Reviews

We have no reviews of Enterprise Architect yet.
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PlantUML Reviews

Top 7 diagrams as code tools for software architecture
PlantUML is a tool that allows you to write diagrams such as sequence, object, component, usecase, class diagrams and more.
5 great diagramming tools for enterprise and software architects
PlantUML is an open source tool and syntax that allows you to make sequence, use case, class, object, and other diagrams from code. It also supports non-UML diagrams like JSON and YAML. In addition, it enjoys support from ArchiMate, ERD, Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), and other common notation styles. Its simple, plain-text definitions make creating, sharing, and...
Source: www.redhat.com
Software Diagrams - Plant UML vs Mermaid
For C4 Models, Mermaid support is still experimental. This shows as you have little control over the way the diagram is rendered, and some parts are unreadable (i.e., arrows over nodes). PlantUML works as you would expect and has support for more advanced setup like sprites. Not even close on this one. Winner: PlantUML
9 Best UML Software For Mac & PC
PlantUML is another free open source sequence diagram software that uses text input to build UML charts. PlantUML requires using a specific PlantUML Language to construct sequence charts but once learned it’s very flexible.
Source: machow2.com
40 Open Source, Free and Top Unified Modeling Language (UML) Tools
PlantUML is a component that allows users to quickly write sequence diagrams, usecase diagrams, class diagrams, activity diagrams, component diagrams, state diagrams, deployment diagrams, object diagrams and wireframe graphical interfaces. Diagrams are defined using a simple and intuitive language. Images can be generated in PNG, SVG or LaTeX format and it is also possible...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PlantUML seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Enterprise Architect mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Enterprise Architect yet. Tracking of Enterprise Architect recommendations started around Mar 2021.

PlantUML mentions (10)

  • LLM + Mermaid: How Modern Teams Create UML Diagrams Without Lucidchart
    Today, tools like Mermaid and PlantUML have taken center stage, thanks to their ability to generate diagrams with text-based commands. Even better, AI-powered assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and GitHub Copilot have made generating diagrams even easier. These tools work directly within a developer's environment, creating diagrams that are version-controlled and integrated seamlessly into workflows. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Blockdiag – simple diagram images generator – blockdiag 1.0 documentation
    While inactive blockdiag was small and nice for automatically annotating documentation. As you can see it hasn't been maintained for a few years. https://github.com/blockdiag/blockdiag With complex diagrams, I find good old PlantUML diagrams more useful if not as initially pretty as mermaid. Plus it will output archimate without having to touch that UI https://plantuml.com/ But really it is horses for courses.... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Introduction to Haskell Diagrams
    Use a high-level language like Plant UML, D2, Graphviz which are good for the purpose they are designed for, but not for generic purpose diagramming. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Devs need system design tools, not diagramming tools
    I feel like https://plantuml.com/ gets close to what I want by being able to make diagrams with code, but for system design what I really want is to be able to have diagrams generated directly from the code itself, maybe with some extra comments/annotations that help it along. Does anything like that exist already? - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Code Diagrams - 3 Tools to Try
    PlantUML, like Mermaid, is an open source tool that allows users to create diagrams from plain text descriptions. PlantUML is the original ‘diagrams as code’ platform. It has a deep feature set, can be integrated into just about any environment, and can be extended to fit just about any use case. For example, the most useful thing to me about PlantUML is its support for visualizing .JSON files. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Enterprise Architect and PlantUML, you can also consider the following products

MATLAB - A high-level language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization, and programming

draw.io - Online diagramming application

Wolfram Mathematica - Mathematica has characterized the cutting edge in specialized processing—and gave the chief calculation environment to a large number of pioneers, instructors, understudies, and others around the globe.

yEd - yEd is a free desktop application to quickly create, import, edit, and automatically arrange diagrams. It runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Unix/Linux.

Modelio - Modelio is an open source modeling tool supporting natively UML, BPMN and model exchange with XMI.

LucidChart - LucidChart is the missing link in online productivity suites. LucidChart allows users to create, collaborate on, and publish attractive flowcharts and other diagrams from a web browser.