When it comes to system architecture, having the right tools is essential. System architect tools are essential for businesses, organizations, and even individuals looking to maintain efficient and effective operations.
These tools help manage complex data streams, increase productivity, identify potential risks & problems early on, and reduce costs & complexity while increasing the scalability & performance of applications.
This blog post will discuss 8 of the best system architect tools and systems architecture software options, along with their features and pricing.
What are system architect tools?
System architect tools are software programs used to design and build computer systems. They can help with tasks such as modeling the system, creating diagrams, and specifying requirements.
System architect tools offer the ability to design systems effectively for different scenarios by providing the necessary frameworks for defining application architecture.
This includes analysis functions such as modeling systems at various levels of abstraction (serverless computing or microservices) or enterprise-level solution designs with multiple interconnected processes and services. System architects can use these tools to break down their projects into smaller components tailored to specific customer needs or requirements quickly and accurately.
Here is the list of 8 best system architect tools:
1. IBM Rational Software Architect Designer
IBM Rational Software Architect Designer is a software design tool that enables developers to design, develop, and deploy software architectures.
Features
- Graphical abstractions
- Enhanced communication and collaboration
- Ease compliance and risk management
Pricing
It offers 2 pricing options.
- IBM rational software architect designer
- IBM rational software architect designer for WebSphere
You need to contact the vendor to get pricing details for each plan.
Other details
| Deployment | SaaS |
| Training | Documentation, Videos |
| Support | Online |
2. Microsoft Visio
It is a family of Microsoft Office and is a vector graphic and diagramming tool. With its help, you can work visually from anywhere at any time.
Features
- Diagram software
- Org charts
- Floor plans
- Network diagrams
- UML diagrams
- Process mapping
- Flow charts
- Visual collaboration
Pricing
Two pricing plans are there.
One month free trial is available.
Subscription plan
- Visio Plan 1 – It charges $5 per user per month
- Visio Plan 2 – It charges $15 per user per month
One-time purchase plan
- Visio standard 2021 – It charges $309.99
- Visio Professional 2021 – It charges $579.99
Likes
- It enables you to analyze images
- Easily understandable documents
- It gives a response in JSON and is easily understandable by Python or any other language.
Dislikes
- The software is a little bit expensive.
- It needs to provide stable frames as an input otherwise, the error comes.
3. Lucidscale
It is a system architecture diagram tool that enables teams to design, build, and deploy their business effectively.
Features
- Security and Compliance
- Accurate cloud diagrams
- Incident response
- Internal documentation
- Future development
Pricing
It offers a 14-day free trial without a credit card.
It offers two plans.
- Individual – This plan is for single users, charges $2000 per year, and includes one creator license.
- Team – It charges $2400 per year, including the creator and explorer licenses.
Likes
- The software is easy to use and represents the cloud architecture. In addition, it works with other cloud services such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
- It enhances security posture.
- It allows you to model the current system and make changes to it.
Dislikes
- There will be a chance of failing while integrating with AWS or GCP
- Difficult to integrate with google cloud
Languages Supported
German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
4. Modelio
Modelio is an open-source system modeling tool that allows you to design, model, and visualize your system. It supports UML, BPMN, Archimate, and SysML.
The latest version is 4.0.1, dated 3rd February 2020
It is licensed under GNU v3
Features
- UML modeler
- BPMN support integrated with UML
- Java code generator
- XMI import/export
- HTML model publishing
- Extension system
- Scripting language support
Pricing
It is open-source software.
Other details
| Supported device | Mac, windows |
| Support | Chat |
| Training | In-person, Documentation |
5. ArgoUML
ArgoUML is a system architect tool that allows you to create system diagrams and models. It is a Java-based software that is open source and free to use.
ArgoUML is used by system architects, system analysts, and software engineers to diagram system structures and analyze system behavior.
Features
- XMI support
- All 9 UML 1.4 diagrams supported
- Platform independent
- Export diagram as GIF, PNG, PS, EPS, PGML, and SVG
- Forward engineering / Reverse engineering
- Advanced diagram editing and zoom
- OCL support
Pricing
It is open source.
It is available in ten languages– American English, British English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Norwegian Bokmål, and Chinese.
6. Oracle Enterprise Architecture
Oracle Enterprise Architecture is a system architect tool that allows users to model, design, and manage their enterprise architecture.
It also enables end users to collaborate with Oracle to develop business processes. It provides a comprehensive view of the enterprise and helps users optimize their business processes and systems.
Features
- Visualization and analysis of current architecture
- In-built libraries for components and patterns
- Identification of opportunities for improvement and plan for changes
Pricing
The software has not provided pricing details, and you need to contact the provider directly.
Supported industries
- Automotive
- Communications
- Construction and Engineering
- Consumer Goods
- Energy and Water
- Financial Services
- Food and Beverage
- Government and Education
- Health
- High Technology
- Hospitality
- Industrial Manufacturing
- Life Sciences
- Media and Entertainment
- Oil and Gas
- Professional Services
- Retail
- Travel and Transportation
- Wholesale Distribution
Likes
- Provides customer-driven approach
- It makes technical architecture easy
Dislikes
- It takes more time to respond to service support
- You find many errors in the order of things on the screen
7. Sparx Systems
Sparx Systems is an Enterprise Architect that helps system architects to design, model, and manage complex systems. It offers many features that allow system architects to collaborate effectively on system designs.
The current version is 16.0
Features
- Unified architecture framework
- UML 2.0 Tools
- PHP UML modeling
- Business process modeling
- Model-driven architecture
- Requirements management
- Software development
- System engineering
Pricing
It offers four plans.
- Professional – Charges $229 per license for a standard license, $299 per license for a floating license
- Corporate – Charges $299 per license for a standard license, $399 per license for a floating license
- Unified – Charges $499 per license for a standard license, $649 per license for a floating license
- Ultimate – Charges $699 per license for a standard license, $899 per license for a floating license
Likes
- Entity drawing features and traceability is good
- It provides code editing with Syntex highlighter and Intellisense
Dislikes
- It becomes a bit slow when the model is large
- Moving a single attribute from one entity to another is not easy
- Check-in and check-out process is also slow
Other details
| Deployment | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based |
| Supported device | Mac, Windows |
| Support | Chat |
| Training | In Person, Live Online, Webinars, Documentation |
8. Archi
Archi is an open-source system architecture software, especially for Archimate models and sketches.
Features
- Supports archimate 3.1 languages
- Creation of archimate views and viewpoints
- A rich library of elements and patterns
- It is cross-platform and written in JAVA
- Supports devices like windows, Mac, and Linux
- Provides canvas modeling toolkit
Pricing
It is open-source software.
Likes
- Diagram creation and architectural views are good
- It provides add-ons for collaboration and more
- Catalog creation is easy
Dislikes
- Sometimes it will be slow when you have a lot of diagrams in a folder
- It does not provide Matriz functionality, and hence gap analysis is not possible
- Duplicating flows and copy, paste options are not smooth
Conclusion
There are a lot of system architect tools and systems architecture software options on the market these days. So, deciding which tool is best for your needs is not easy.
This article has compiled a list of the eight best system architect tools with their features, pricing, pros, and cons. We hope this post will help make your decision easier when choosing a tool or software program.
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