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Comparison — IcePanel vs Draw.io

Comparing IcePanel and Draw.io for software architecture.

comparisondiagrammingsoftware architecture
29 May 2025
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⚡ TL;DR

🆚 Comparing IcePanel with Draw.io

IcePanel is a collaborative diagramming and modelling tool based on the C4 model. It helps teams consistently map software systems for different audiences. With IcePanel, you can create diagrams at different levels with a simple set of different object types and a single source of truth.

Draw.io is a general-purpose diagramming tool that helps teams create any diagram, from flowcharts to network diagrams and architecture diagrams. The flexibility means anyone can do everything.

So, which tool is right for you? Like most things, it really depends. Let’s break it down.

Audience

Use case

📝 Key features

Draw.io offers extensive shape libraries, custom templates, and unlimited customization options. It’s a jack of all trades but isn’t specialized for software architecture.

IcePanel is designed to help teams understand their software systems and make intentional architecture decisions. It includes features to help maintain and communicate architecture stories to different audiences. With a model and diagram hierarchy, IcePanel helps drive consistency in technical discussions.

Diagram types

Model-based

Ability to add icons

Shapes

Text fields in canvas

Connection types

Custom pen (freeform) tool

Custom tags for objects

Interactive user journeys

Dependencies view

👥 Team collaboration and planning

IcePanel and Draw.io enable teams to collaborate on diagrams with comments and sharing capabilities. Draw.io encourages collaboration where you prefer to work, whether that’s Google Workspace, Confluence, or OneDrive. IcePanel centralizes collaboration in a single place, with the ability to share and export data to other tools.

Commenting

Share links

Revision history and versioning

Drafts

Embeds

Viewers

🔁 Importing and exporting

Draw.io offers extensive importing options, while IcePanel mainly supports structured model imports.

Importing

Exporting

🔒 Security

Both tools offer robust security and enterprise-focused features on paid plans.

Viewers (read-only)

SSO

SOC 2 Type II

GDPR

Data protection

Audit logs

Data Residency

💰 Pricing

Both Draw.io and IcePanel offer free plans. Draw.io’s free plan has no usage limits compared to IcePanel.

Business pricing

Enterprise pricing

🏁 To wrap up

If you’re looking for a tool to document your software architecture, IcePanel and Draw.io are two great options. Draw.io is a good choice if you need maximum flexibility, want to get started immediately without any cost, or create various diagrams beyond software architecture. It’s also an excellent choice if you mainly need ad-hoc diagrams or have strong governance processes for maintaining consistency.

However, IcePanel is a better fit if you’re looking for a specialized tool that excels in documenting software architecture consistently with a single source of truth. It’s designed for teams that treat architecture docs as a long-term asset worth investing in, where the model-based approach and C4 structure provide significant value over time.

It’s challenging to compare these tools directly because they solve different problems. However, there may be scenarios where you use both tools in your organization: Draw.io for general diagramming and brainstorming and IcePanel for official architecture documentation.

📚 Resources

Tim

Get in touch

Fill out this form and our team will respond as soon as we can, alternatively email us at mail@icepanel.io