An architecture designed for all stakeholders
With Boldo, teams can consult the same assets and reuse their data across several visualizations. Readers explore shared content, while editors contribute according to their roles and access domains.
Looking for a draw.io (diagrams.net) alternative?
draw.io is a generic diagram editor. Boldo connects diagrams to a structured architecture repository. Compare their scopes.
draw.io and Boldo: free-form diagram or structured repository
draw.io (diagrams.net)
Description
draw.io, whose reference web app is app.diagrams.net, is an open source diagram editor under the Apache 2.0 license. The web app and desktop client are free, with no account required. Files can be stored locally or in Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub, GitLab, Nextcloud and Atlassian. Depending on the storage, draw.io offers real-time co-editing, comments and revision history.
Boldo addresses a different need: objects and relationships are saved in a repository and reused across several visualizations. draw.io can attach properties to shapes and generate diagrams from CSV, but this metadata stays tied to the diagram; on its own it does not provide a shared EA repository with a metamodel and reusable instances.
Key Features
Exhaustive shape library
Google Drive / Confluence integration
Open source app under the Apache 2.0 license
Fluid drag-and-drop interface
Pros
Free web and desktop apps
Local, cloud or self-hosted storage
Many integrations and shape libraries
Cons
No central EA repository provided by the vendor
Consistency across files depends on the storage and governance you choose
No EA metamodel enforced on diagrams
Move from frozen illustrations to living data
Boldo · Aperçu produit
draw.io is not limited to pixels or to shapes without information: a shape or connector can carry custom properties, and the editor can generate diagrams from CSV data. These properties, however, stay inside the diagram file and do not form a central catalog of applications, technologies or capabilities shared across several views.
Boldo structures information through a customizable metamodel. An asset can be reused across several visualizations, which reflect the repository data. This distinction matters when the same application or relationship has to stay consistent across many views.
Secure the ownership and longevity of your knowledge
draw.io lets the organization choose where to store its files. With Google Drive, OneDrive, Nextcloud or Atlassian, permissions, co-editing and history can be managed by the storage platform. Fragmentation is therefore not inevitable; it depends on the folder structure, conventions and governance put in place around the files.
Boldo centralizes assets in its own repository, distributes access by role and hosts data in France. draw.io saves diagrams in the storage chosen by the user.
Boldo · Aperçu produit
Make architecture readable for everyone
Boldo · Aperçu produit
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The complexity of a draw.io diagram depends on how it is designed. Pages, layers, links, navigation, groups and interactive display let you structure content aimed at different audiences.
Boldo offers several formats connected to the repository: views, diagrams, charts, nested maps and dashboards.
Boldo versus other EA solutions
Compare Boldo with more than 10 other enterprise architecture modeling and mapping solutions.
Hosted in France
Boldo hosts data in France.
A flexible metamodel that adapts to your reality
Every organization is different. Boldo offers a flexible and scalable metamodel that adapts to your context, your constraints and your maturity level. You do not have to fit into a rigid framework: the model evolves with your organization, not the other way around.
Several visualizations from the same data
Boldo lets you present the same knowledge in several forms: views, diagrams, charts, nested maps and dashboards. Each format meets a different need, from detailed exploration to the presentation of indicators.
Published pricing
From 39 € excl. VAT per editor/month, detailed public pricing on the pricing page, Enterprise on quote. The free 14-day trial, with no commitment, launches directly from the app.
draw.io (diagrams.net) vs Boldo
| draw.io (diagrams.net) | Boldo | |
|---|---|---|
Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Free web and desktop editors, open source (Apache 2.0); paid Atlassian apps | Public pricing, from 39 € excl. VAT per editor/month (Enterprise on quote) |
| Free trial | Free use without an account | Free 14-day trial, no commitment, self-service |
User experience | ||
| Consistency across views | No central repository; consistency to organize across files and storage platforms | (repository assets reused across several visualizations) |
| Time to implement | Immediate for a diagram; governance to organize | Self-service start, CSV/XLSX import of existing data |
Collaboration | ||
| Access rights management | No native management; depends on the chosen storage or integration | (roles, access domains, rights down to the property level) |
| SSO and security | No user accounts; depends on the storage platform | (SAML, 2FA, IP allowlist, audit logs) |
| Real-time collaborative modeling | No native co-editing; depends on the storage or integration | (diagrams and process flows, live cursors) |
| Comments | File level, depending on the storage platform | (comments on assets) |
| Object-level history and versioning | File level, depending on the storage | (per asset: properties and relationships, with author) |
Modeling | ||
| Custom object type creation | No EA metamodel; customizable shapes and libraries | (configurable metamodel) |
| Object hierarchies | Groups, layers and pages, inside the diagram file | (hierarchical relationships, nested maps) |
| Custom properties | Metadata on shapes and connectors, tied to the file | (12 types, including score, currency and unique key) |
| Custom relationships | Customizable graphical connectors, tied to the file | (directional relationship types, defined in the metamodel) |
| ArchiMate metamodel support | ArchiMate shape library, without metamodel validation | Free metamodel, to adapt to your framework; no ArchiMate library provided |
Visualization | ||
| Dynamic views (auto-synchronized) | (all visualizations reflect the live inventory) | |
| Nested maps | Nested groups and containers within a diagram | (hierarchies computed from relationships, image export) |
| Data visualization | Diagram generation from CSV and Mermaid | (charts, composite dashboards: views, diagrams, flows) |
| Bi-directional Data ↔ Visuals synchronization | ||
| Impact analysis | (AI copilot, relationships and nested maps) | |
Data and automation | ||
| Public API | Documented integration API and embed mode | (REST API v1, OpenAPI, bulk, API keys) |
| Access for AI assistants (MCP) | Not documented by the vendor | (MCP server with OAuth) |
| Batch imports | Import and generation from CSV | (CSV and XLSX, validation before import) |
| SaaS hosting | Web app; diagrams are not stored by draw.io | (hosted in France) |
| Sovereign hosting | Depends on the chosen storage or self-hosting | (hosted in France, Scaleway Paris) |
| On-premise hosting | ||
Other alternatives
LeanIX
Description
LeanIX is an enterprise architecture and application portfolio management platform designed to help large organizations document, analyze and govern their application landscape. Positioned for large accounts, the solution is particularly focused on Application Portfolio Management (APM), technology risk management and support for transformation programs, notably around SAP.
LeanIX primarily targets architecture and transformation teams that want to structure and steer complex IT environments at scale. The platform emphasizes data consistency, standardized reporting and integration with the ecosystem.
Key Features
Application Inventory (Fact Sheets)
Dependency Matrices
Survey Management
Compliance Reporting
SAP LeanIX Connector
Pros
Configurable best-practice metamodel
Documented SAP and third-party integrations
Cons
Per-application pricing, amounts on request
Separate modules for APM, technology risk and roadmaps
Ardoq
Description
Ardoq is a data-driven enterprise architecture platform designed to help organizations visualize, analyze and steer complex IT environments. By connecting applications, systems and processes into a living repository, Ardoq replaces static diagrams with dynamic views.
Key Features
Dynamic knowledge graph
Future-state (to-be) scenarios
API-driven automation
Intelligent data importer
Ardoq Discover (collaborative portal)
Pros
Data-driven repository
API and automations
Future-scenario management
Cons
Pricing not published, on quote
Horizzon
Description
A European business design and enterprise architecture platform, Bizzdesign Horizzon connects strategy, business capabilities, operating models and IT architecture within a unified environment.
The solution is primarily aimed at large organizations looking to structure, steer and govern complex transformations.
Key Features
Full ArchiMate/TOGAF support
Lifecycle management
Strategic roadmap
Governance and validation workflow
Graphical design of views
Pros
ArchiMate and TOGAF support
Architecture analysis and roadmaps
Views intended for several stakeholders
Cons
Pricing not published, on quote
Scope depends on the modules and configuration
ArchiMate proficiency remains useful for standardized modeling
HOPEX
Description
Bizzdesign Hopex is the platform originating from MEGA International and now offered within the Bizzdesign portfolio.
It connects enterprise architecture, data, risk, compliance and processes within a shared repository.
The solution is primarily aimed at organizations looking to formalize their architecture exhaustively, relying on solid repositories and methodological frameworks.
Key Features
Unified EA/GRC/Process repository
Data modeling
Application Portfolio Management (APM)
Regulatory compliance analysis
Automated workflows
Pros
Unified repository for EA, data, risk and processes
APM, TPM, BPM and GRC on the same platform
Impact analysis through repository relationships
Cons
Pricing not published, on quote
Scope spread across several solutions
Configuration to scope according to the disciplines enabled
BlueDolphin
Description
BlueDolphin is an enterprise architecture platform developed by ValueBlue. It helps organizations align strategy, business processes, IT and data within a shared repository, with strong capabilities for modeling (current / target state), impact analysis and collaboration between stakeholders.
Key Features
Architecture repository
Application portfolio management
Impact analysis
Process diagrams
SmartViews synchronized with data
Pros
Collaboration between architecture, IT and business
Public API and integrations
Visualizations connected to the repository
Cons
Pricing not published, on quote
Offering focused on SaaS
