Archyl vs LikeC4: C4 Model Tool Comparison

Feature by feature

How Archyl and LikeC4 compare

Grouped by the jobs teams hire these tools for, so you can jump to what matters to you.

Capability

ArchylLikeC4

C4 Modeling

Archyl 5/6 · LikeC4 4/6

C4 model support (Context, Container, Component, Code)

Visual drag-and-drop editor

LikeC4 is DSL-only with rendered previews

Architecture as Code (DSL)

Custom element kinds beyond C4

LikeC4 allows arbitrary element types

Interactive diagram navigation

Multiple views from single model

AI & Automation

Archyl 5/5 · LikeC4 0/5

AI-powered architecture discovery from code

MCP server (191 tools for AI assistants)

Architecture drift detection & conformance scoring

DORA metrics integration

Webhooks for architecture changes

Collaboration & Governance

Archyl 6/6 · LikeC4 0/6

Architecture Change Requests (review flow)

Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)

Team collaboration & permissions

LikeC4 is a local tool with no team features

Comments & discussions on elements

Release management

Technology radar

Integration & Ecosystem

Archyl 6/6 · LikeC4 1/6

Import from LikeC4

Archyl is the first tool to support LikeC4 import

API contracts (OpenAPI, gRPC, GraphQL)

Event channels (Kafka, RabbitMQ)

Marketplace integrations (Datadog, GitHub, SonarQube)

Embeddable React components

Export to PNG/SVG/PDF

Developer Experience

Archyl 3/5 · LikeC4 2/5

VS Code extension with LSP

Hot reload on file changes

MCP server for AI coding agents

Architecture webhooks

Multi-language support (9 languages)

Full supportFull support
PartialPartial
Not availableNot available

The honest take

Where LikeC4 shines

LikeC4 has genuine strengths. If these matter most to you, it may be the better fit.

Flexible type system beyond strict C4

LikeC4 lets you define custom element kinds beyond the standard C4 hierarchy (System, Container, Component). You can model microservices, queues, databases, or any domain-specific concept as first-class elements in your DSL.

Developer-friendly DSL with great IDE support

LikeC4 provides a VS Code extension with full Language Server Protocol (LSP) support, offering autocompletion, validation, and syntax highlighting. Hot reload makes iteration fast and seamless.

Open source and embeddable

LikeC4 is fully open source under the MIT license. Its React components can be embedded directly in documentation sites, wikis, or custom applications for interactive architecture visualization.

Where Archyl goes further

What you get on top of the C4 model itself.

AI-powered discovery

Discover architecture elements straight from your codebase. No manual diagramming to get started.

MCP server, 191 tools

Give Claude, Cursor and other assistants the architecture through 191 specialised MCP tools.

Drift detection

A conformance score and alerts when the code moves away from the documented architecture.

DORA metrics

Deployment frequency, lead time, change failure rate and recovery time, next to architecture health.

Webhooks

Real-time notifications to Slack, Teams or Discord when the architecture changes or drift degrades.

Nine languages

The whole platform in English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean and Italian.

Switching

Moving from LikeC4 to Archyl

A typical migration path, from export to a living model.

1

Export your LikeC4 files

Gather your .c4 files from your LikeC4 project. Archyl supports direct import of LikeC4 models, preserving your element kinds, relationships, and views.

2

Open Archyl import modal

In Archyl, open the import modal and select the LikeC4 format. Archyl is the first tool to offer native LikeC4 import support.

3

Upload or paste your .c4 content

Upload your LikeC4 files or paste the .c4 content directly. Archyl will parse your model and present a preview of the imported elements and relationships.

4

Review and import

Review the imported architecture model, then activate AI discovery, drift detection, and conformance rules to keep your documentation in sync with your evolving codebase.

Step-by-step guideMigrate from LikeC4 to Archyl

Questions teams ask before switching

Can I import my LikeC4 models into Archyl?

Yes. Archyl is the first tool to support native LikeC4 import. You can upload your .c4 files or paste the content directly, and Archyl will parse your elements, relationships, and views into a full C4 model.

Does Archyl support custom element kinds like LikeC4?

Archyl follows the standard C4 hierarchy (System, Container, Component, Code) with technology tagging and metadata. While LikeC4 allows fully custom element kinds, Archyl compensates with API contract management, event channels, and marketplace integrations that give richer context to each element.

Is Archyl free like LikeC4?

Archyl offers a free Developer plan for individual use. LikeC4 is fully open source under MIT. Archyl's paid plans (Business at 20 EUR/seat/month, Scale at 40 EUR/seat/month) add AI discovery, drift detection, team collaboration, and enterprise integrations.

What does Archyl offer that LikeC4 does not?

Archyl adds AI-powered architecture discovery, drift detection with conformance scoring, an MCP server with 191 tools for AI assistants, DORA metrics, enterprise collaboration (comments, change requests, team ownership), release management, API contract and event channel management, marketplace integrations, and architecture webhooks.

How Archyl and LikeC4 compareHow Archyl and LikeC4 compare