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Modelio VS PlantUML

Compare Modelio VS PlantUML and see what are their differences

Modelio logo Modelio

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

PlantUML logo PlantUML

PlantUML is an open-source tool that uses simple textual descriptions to draw UML diagrams.
  • Modelio Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-25
  • PlantUML Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-22

Modelio features and specs

  • Open Source
    Modelio is freely available as open-source software, which means there are no licensing costs, and it encourages contributions from the developer community.
  • Wide Range of Modeling Standards
    Supports various modeling standards like UML, BPMN, and SysML, providing versatility in handling different project requirements.
  • Extensible
    Offers a modular architecture with plugins and extensions, allowing users to expand its functionalities according to their needs.
  • Built-In Code Generation
    Includes features for generating code from models, which can accelerate development processes and ensure consistency between design and implementation.
  • Integrated Project Management
    Combines modeling capabilities with project management features like requirement tracking, enabling comprehensive oversight of project development.

Possible disadvantages of Modelio

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive feature set and wide range of supported standards, new users may find it challenging to learn and utilize all functionalities efficiently.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance lags, especially when working with large models or complex projects, which can hinder productivity.
  • Limited Documentation
    Although the community contributes to its support, the official documentation can be less comprehensive compared to commercial tools, causing difficulties for users seeking in-depth guidance.
  • Interface Usability
    The user interface may not be as modern or intuitive as some proprietary alternatives, possibly affecting user experience and ease of use.
  • Dependency on Community Support
    Being open-source, it primarily relies on community support for updates and bug fixes, which may result in slower issue resolution compared to commercially supported tools.

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.

Analysis of Modelio

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Modelio is a solid choice for those seeking a robust, open-source modeling tool that supports multiple modeling languages and offers integration capabilities.

Why this product is good

  • Modelio is considered a good modeling tool because it provides extensive support for UML, BPMN, and other modeling standards. It offers a range of features suitable for software design, including support for Java code generation and reverse engineering. Additionally, Modelio is open-source, which makes it accessible for individuals and organizations looking for a cost-effective modeling solution. Its modular architecture allows users to extend its functionality through various add-ons and plugins, enhancing its versatility.

Recommended for

    Modelio is recommended for software developers, architects, and business analysts who require a comprehensive modeling tool to facilitate their design and analysis tasks. It is particularly well-suited for teams that rely on UML and BPMN for their projects and prefer an open-source solution to customize and extend as needed.

Analysis of PlantUML

Overall verdict

  • Yes, PlantUML is a good tool for developers and teams who need a straightforward and efficient way to create and manage diagrams within their projects. Its text-based approach allows for easy updates and maintenance, which is beneficial in agile and fast-paced development settings.

Why this product is good

  • PlantUML is appreciated for its simplicity and versatility in creating UML diagrams. It allows users to write diagrams using a concise text-based language, which can be easily integrated into code repositories for version control. This approach facilitates collaboration and documentation among developers. Moreover, it supports various diagram types beyond UML, such as sequence diagrams, class diagrams, and state diagrams, and can be integrated with other tools and editors, enhancing its utility across different environments.

Recommended for

  • Software developers
  • Technical architects
  • Project managers
  • Teams using agile methodologies
  • Educators teaching software design

Modelio videos

Modelio 3.8 - New Features

More videos:

  • Review - Naujo Mazda CX-3 modelio pristatymas Vilniuje

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 Modelio and PlantUML)
Diagrams
16 16%
84% 84
Office & Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
Flowcharts
0 0%
100% 100
UML
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 Modelio and PlantUML

Modelio Reviews

12 of the Top-Rated Free and Open-Source BPM Software Solutions
Description: Modelio is an open-source, extensible modeling environment that supports HTML, BPMN, UML, and other formats. The main features of Modelio’s platform include UML modeling tools, HTML publisher module, Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), Java code generator, an XMI import/export functionality, scripting language support, and an extension module. Modelio is...
BEST 28 UML Tools in 2020
Modelio is the first modeling environment. The tool combines BPMN support and UML support. It provides support for a wide range of models and diagrams.
Source: www.guru99.com
10 Best Open Source BPM Tools
Modelio is an open-source BPM tool which has been active in the industry for about 20 years. The software is excellent for your customization needs. Its users range from developers and business architects to analysts.
20 Free Open Source BPM Software for Businesses in 2021
Using Modelio, users can configure their own modules to suit their needs while the software adapts to the way you customise it. Modelio is highly flexible & scalable and comes with a wide range of pre-programmed modules such as WSDL Designer, Java Designer, Togaf Architect, and UML Testing profile. Users can add model extensions and other additions, to address their business...
40 Open Source, Free and Top Unified Modeling Language (UML) Tools
Modelio is an Open Source UML tool developed by Modeliosoft. Modelio provides complete support of the enterprise architecture to manage the enterprise and information system complexity. Wide enterprise repository covering the analysis of Goals, Requirements, Risks, business models (processes, organization, etc.), application and technical models; Complete horizontal and...

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 12 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.

Modelio mentions (0)

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

PlantUML mentions (12)

  • Owning my own data, part 1: Integrating a self-hosted calendar solution
    That particular diagram seems to have been generated by https://plantuml.com according to the image's metadata. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Common Mistakes in Architecture Diagrams (2020)
    I have to confess I am guilty of this — I used to just draw some unstructured circles and arrows on a whiteboard and call it enough. Lately I've been trying to work my way through lots of different diagram types from https://plantuml.com/, and it does help to wrap my mind around the existing options. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • 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 / 7 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 / 10 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 / 10 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

UML Designer - UML Designer provides a set of common diagrams to work with UML 2.5 models.

draw.io - Online diagramming application

ARIS Express - ARIS Express is based on the proven ARIS methodology and industry standards.

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.

Diagramo - Diagramo is an online flowchart software - diagrams (create, edit and share)

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.