Lucidchart is a mature general-purpose diagramming tool. It draws everything from org charts to wiring diagrams. Archway is purpose-built for software and cloud architecture: describe your system in plain English, get the diagram, export to every engineering format.
| Feature | Archway | Lucidchart |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | Software & cloud architecture | General diagramming (all domains) |
| AI generation from text | Native — core product | Add-on ("Intelligent Diagramming" on higher tiers) |
| Starting price | $0 free forever; Pro $12/mo | $0 (3 docs); Individual $9/mo; Team $9/user/mo |
| AI generations / month (paid) | 50 (Pro), 200/user (Team) | Limited; varies by plan |
| Cloud architecture icons | 1,900+ AWS / Azure / GCP / Kubernetes | Generic shape library; third-party for cloud |
| Export formats | PNG, SVG, Mermaid, PlantUML, D2, draw.io, JSON, Terraform | PNG, JPG, PDF, VDX, Visio |
| Generate from GitHub repo (C4) | Native — paste URL, get a multi-system C4 diagram | No |
| Generate ERD from a schema file | Yes — Prisma, Drizzle, or SQL DDL parsed deterministically (no AI cost) | No |
| Generate from Terraform / Compose / K8s manifests | Yes | No |
| Model-aware entity swap | Right-click any cloud service to switch providers (RDS → Aurora → Cloud SQL) | No |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| Diagram-as-code / DSL | Yes — proprietary DSL, editable | No — drag-and-drop only |
| Best for | Engineering teams documenting systems | Business teams, process mapping, BPMN |
Lucidchart is a Swiss Army knife. Archway is the tool you pick when the job is software architecture and the source of truth is your repo, not a blank canvas.