Before / after · a visible transformation

The system changes.
Your architecture should follow.

MapleSpire replaces drawings that age with a living model where views, dependencies and decisions stay connected.

See the transformation Try the demo

Free
Source code announced
Self-hosting planned

Architect facing many relationships that are difficult to maintain in a static drawing tool.

Static drawingMapleSpire

Copies to reconcileDrag to compareOne living model

MapleSpire presents a clear architecture model on the workspace screen.

01Enter the model

One change. Every view follows.

Objects, relationships and diagrams share the same source. You no longer redraw the system after every update.

Model once. Explain from many angles.

Architecture components reconnect around a central service.

02See the system

From context to detail, without losing the thread.

Services, data, teams and dependencies remain readable as a whole — then explorable at the depth you need.

The right view for every conversation.

Crisp close-up of a realtime service connected to systems, data and teams.

03Keep it alive

Every change travels.

Collaborate in real time, keep working offline, and let synchronization resume when the network returns.

Architecture stays useful after the meeting.

Your architecture, your choice

Your model stays alive — and stays yours.

MapleSpire is free. The hosted instance is an evaluation demo, not a production service. The source code and self-hosted production package will be published later.

Free

MapleSpire is free, including access to its demo.

Source code announced

The public repository and its license have not been published yet.

Self-hosting planned

The self-hosted production package is not available yet.

Try the demo View on GitHubComing soon

Direct answers

What is available today.

Is MapleSpire free?: Yes. MapleSpire is free, including access to its demo.
Is the demo intended for production?: No. The hosted instance is only for product discovery and evaluation.
Can MapleSpire be self-hosted?: Self-hosting is planned, but the production package has not been published yet.
Is the source code available now?: No. Publication is announced; the GitHub link currently points to the MapleSpire organization.
Does MapleSpire use a connected C4 model?: Yes. C4 objects, relationships and views share one model.

A candid market view

Choose the approach, not the loudest checklist.

Architecture models, drawing tools and diagram-as-code solve different problems. This grid separates native capabilities from manual work and deployment promises from what is available today.

Checked against official product pages on August 2, 2026.

Choose the approach, not the loudest checklist.. Checked against official product pages on August 2, 2026.
Product	Approach	C4 support	Connected model	Teamwork	Offline editing	Self-hosting	Source	Public entry point	Best fit · honest limit
MapleSpireOur productOfficial sourcesGitHub	Visual model	Native	Yes	Real time	Yes	Release pending	Announced · pending	Free demo · production release pending	Visual C4 with one connected model, live collaboration and offline sync. Public source and production packaging are not released yet.
IcePanelOfficial sourcesDocs Pricing	Visual model	Native	Yes	Real time	No	No	Closed	Free: 5 editors / 100 objects · Growth: US$40/editor/mo, annual	A mature hosted visual C4 model. The documented product is SaaS; there is no general offline editor or self-hosted edition.
ArchylOfficial sourcesFeatures Pricing	Visual model	Native	Yes	Cloud / platform	No	Enterprise / inquiry	Closed	Free individual plan · paid per editor	C4, architecture-as-code and AI-assisted discovery in one product. On-premise is a higher-tier feature; offline editing is not documented.
StructurizrOfficial sourcesLite Server	Model as code	Native	Yes	Cloud / platform	Yes	Yes	Mixed	Free Lite/open core · paid cloud and server options	Deep, precise C4 modelling for teams comfortable with DSL and Git. Lite is local and free but explicitly single-user.
C4 ModelOfficial sourcesMethod Tooling	Method / notation	The definition	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Free method and documentation	The shared vocabulary behind the comparison. It defines abstractions and diagrams, but provides no editor, storage or collaboration itself.
Microsoft VisioOfficial sourcesPlans	Drawing canvas	Manual	No	Real time	Yes	No	Closed	In some Microsoft 365 plans · Plan 1 US$5 / Plan 2 US$15 user/mo, annual	Broad business and technical diagramming with Microsoft collaboration. C4 and cross-view consistency remain manual.
LucidchartOfficial sourcesProduct Pricing	Drawing canvas	Manual	No	Real time	Limited	No	Closed	Free: 3 docs / 60 shapes · Individual US$9/mo + tax	Polished cloud diagramming and co-editing. Offline is limited to previously opened documents and it is not a C4 model.
CreatelyOfficial sourcesPlans Plan details	Drawing canvas	Manual	Partial	Real time	Limited	Enterprise / inquiry	Closed	Free: 45 items/workspace · paid plans	A flexible visual workspace with data-backed objects and collaboration. C4 semantics and cross-view architecture rules are manual.
SmartDrawOfficial sourcesFAQ Pricing	Drawing canvas	Manual	No	Real time	No	No	Closed	Free trial · Individual US$9.95/mo, annual	Template-rich technical drawing with real-time multi-user editing. It requires an internet connection and has no free plan.
draw.io / diagrams.netOfficial sourcesAbout Offline	Drawing canvas	Manual	No	Cloud / platform	Yes	Yes	Open source	Free core editor · paid Atlassian integrations	Excellent free, open and offline drawing control. C4 diagrams are drawings, so repeated elements and views must be reconciled manually.
Excalidraw / Excalidraw+Official sourcesPricing Source	Whiteboard	Manual	No	Real time	Limited	Editor only	Mixed	Free editor · Plus US$6/user/mo	Fast, human sketches and collaborative workshops. The editor is open source, while Plus is hosted; neither is an architecture model.
Archi + coArchiOfficial sourcesArchi Plugins	EA model	Mapping / add-on	Yes	Git workflow	Yes	Local + Git	Open source	Free	Strong free ArchiMate modelling with Git-based coArchi collaboration. C4 requires a mapping or add-on and collaboration is not live co-editing.
MermaidOfficial sourcesC4 syntax Docs	Diagram as code	Experimental	No	Git workflow	Yes	Yes	Open source	Free open source · optional Mermaid Chart plans	Convenient diagrams inside Markdown and code review. Its C4 syntax is officially experimental and each diagram remains separate.
PlantUML + C4-PlantUMLOfficial sourcesC4 library PlantUML	Diagram as code	Strong library	No	Git workflow	Yes	Yes	Open source	Free open source	Mature C4 diagrams in repositories and documentation. It is a drawing library, not a connected visual architecture model.
D2Official sourcesDocs	Diagram as code	No native C4	No	Git workflow	Yes	Yes	Open source	Free open source · optional commercial tooling	Readable, fully offline architecture-as-code with strong automatic layout. It has no native C4 semantics or built-in live collaboration.

Prices are public list prices in USD where available, before tax. “C4 Model” is a method, not software. Plans change: follow the descriptively labelled official sources in each row.

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The system changes.Your architecture should follow.