ArchiLU or Ardoq: Criteria for Comparing
Ardoq builds architecture on a graph with a configurable metamodel; ArchiLU starts from a predefined model that follows ArchiMate. The comparison rests on the team that will maintain the model, the decisions to record and the hosting you expect.
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Ardoq in brief
Ardoq is published by Ardoq AS, in Oslo, Norway. The vendor presents a platform built around a graph, with full metamodel flexibility. Its AI features include Ardoq AI, agents and an MCP gateway that gives external AI tools permission-aware access to architecture data.
ArchiLU in brief
ArchiLU is enterprise architecture software published in Luxembourg by MIP-IT SARL. Its repository links capabilities, value streams, processes, applications, technologies, providers and contracts; each object can have an owner, and objects without one remain visible.
Configurable metamodel or predefined model
Ardoq lets the organisation define its metamodel. ArchiLU starts from a predefined model that follows ArchiMate and is organised by ArchiMate 4 domain; processes are drawn in BPMN, and a trial instance starts with the ArchiLU Reference.
The choice depends on the team. A configurable metamodel needs someone to design it and make it evolve. A predefined model needs checking that it covers the objects your decisions require.
Ownership, decisions and AI
Both platforms open MCP access to AI assistants. Compare what the assistant can read and change, with whose permissions, and what record its actions leave.
In ArchiLU, AI reads the context available to the person using it; the administrator can forbid it for a person or a role. Requests are qualified as a decision record (ADR) or an architecture document (ADD), and the board keeps each decision with its reason. Run the same steps in each tool: assign an owner, have a board decide, let an AI act with a person’s permissions.
Hosting and licensing
Ardoq is delivered as SaaS on AWS, with hosting in the European Union, the United States, Australia and Canada, among others. With ArchiLU, each organisation has its own instance, hosted in the European Union; deployment on your premises is available as an option, on quotation.
Neither charges per user: Ardoq announces pricing per application, with unlimited users, and ArchiLU an annual subscription per organisation, readers included. Ask each vendor for a quotation on your actual scope, the list of subprocessors and what the export contains.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between ArchiLU and Ardoq?
- Ardoq relies on a graph with a configurable metamodel and is billed per application. ArchiLU starts from a predefined model that follows ArchiMate, links each object to its owner and is billed per organisation. Both offer unlimited users and MCP access.
- Do we need a configurable metamodel or a predefined model?
- A configurable metamodel suits a team able to design it and make it evolve. A predefined model suits you when it already covers the objects your decisions need. Check this with your own cases during the trial.
- How do we compare the two platforms on our case?
- With the same data and the same tests: a designated owner who accepts or declines, a board decision with its reason, an AI acting with a person’s permissions, then a full export.