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Should I use Archi?

Open Source ArchiMate Modelling - archimatetool.com

Worth it. The default free pick for enterprise architects doing ArchiMate modelling — zero licence cost and well-regarded in EA communities. Not for teams needing web collaboration, vendor SLAs, or simple diagramming.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 14 public sources. Formal review volume is thin (6 G2 reviews, none on SourceForge), so satisfaction signals lean on community forums.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Archi

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Enterprise architects modelling in ArchiMate
  • Budget-conscious EA teams avoiding vendor lock-in
  • Solo architects and consultants
  • Public-sector orgs needing open-source tooling

Not for

  • Teams wanting real-time, web-based multi-user editing
  • Anyone needing a vendor support contract or SLA
  • People who just need simple diagrams — ArchiMate is heavy
  • Orgs wanting a managed SaaS EA repository

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

No vendor support — help comes from forum and GitHub issues only

medium

Collaboration needs the coArchi Git plugin — fiddly for non-technical teams

medium

Lock-in risk if you later migrate to or from paid EA suites, peers warn

medium

One medium CVE (CVE-2023-40235, CVSS 6.5) — keep the app updated

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and MIT-licensed — zero licence cost
  • Recommended in EA communities as the free alternative to paid tools
  • Cross-platform toolkit with scripting via jArchi
  • Model sharing and collaboration via coArchi Git plugin
  • Adopted by organizations like Municipality Nijmegen

Cons

  • Eclipse-based desktop app; no web edition
  • Almost no review volume; satisfaction is hard to gauge
  • Support is community forum and GitHub only
  • ArchiMate notation is verbose for lightweight diagramming

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/04/2026 - 14 sources - One medium-severity CVE (CVSS 6.5) on record; code is open source and releases are code-signed.

official x3review x8security x2news x1
  • CVE-2023-40235, Medium-severity vulnerability in Archi, CVSS 6.5, tracked on NVD.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 14

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, MIT-licensed, no tiers or fees
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Repeatedly the default free pick in EA forums
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Full ArchiMate toolkit, jArchi scripting, coArchi sharing
  • Support quality: 2/5. Forum and GitHub issues only, no SLA
  • Security posture: 3/5. One medium CVE; open code, signed releases
  • Free Price MIT open-source licence
  • 6 G2 reviews Phil Beauvoir (creator) seller page
  • Yes Free tier No paid tiers at all
  • 1 medium Known CVEs CVE-2023-40235, CVSS 6.5

Pricing

Archi

Free

  • Full ArchiMate modelling toolkit
  • MIT licence, commercial use allowed
  • Community support only

Security

One medium-severity CVE (CVSS 6.5) on record; code is open source and releases are code-signed.

  • CVE-2023-40235Medium-severity vulnerability in Archi, CVSS 6.5, tracked on NVD.⁷

What users say

EA practitioners on Reddit and Gartner Peer repeatedly recommend Archi as the go-to free ArchiMate tool, though formal review counts are tiny.

Alternatives

Compare Archi with each alternative.

  • Modelio

    Open-source alternative covering ArchiMate and UML

  • Sparx Enterprise Architect

    Paid suite with deeper traceability and repository features

  • Visual Paradigm

    Commercial modelling suite with broader diagram support

    Archi vs Visual Paradigm

Companies that use it

  • Municipality Nijmegen12
Full analysis

Based on 14 public sources. Formal review volume is thin (6 G2 reviews, none on SourceForge), so satisfaction signals lean on community forums.

Free, open-source ArchiMate desktop tool. Best free EA modelling option, but desktop-only with community support.

Methodology

Based on 14 public sources. Formal review volume is thin (6 G2 reviews, none on SourceForge), so satisfaction signals lean on community forums.

Sources

  1. Reddit: Free Alternatives for Enterprise Architectreddit.com
    review
  2. Gartner Peer: paid EA apps and vendor lock-ingartner.com
    review
  3. Methods & Tools: Archi overview and licensingmethodsandtools.com
    review
  4. G2: Phil Beauvoir products (Archi creator)g2.com
    review
  5. SourceForge: Archi reviewssourceforge.net
    review
  6. Useful EA: Low-cost EA tools compareduseful-ea.com
    review
  7. NVD: CVE-2023-40235nvd.nist.gov
    security
  8. SignPath: Archi project signingsignpath.org
    security
  9. Archi official sitearchimatetool.com
    official
  10. GitHub: archimatetool/archigithub.com
    official
  11. GitHub: coArchi model repository plugingithub.com
    official
  12. Archi Spotlight: Municipality Nijmegenarchimatetool.com
    news
  13. Reddit: ArchiMate and verbosityreddit.com
    review
  14. Medium: Building jArchi for Archimatemedium.com
    review

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