CRAYON-C4 vs IcePanel

Last updated: 28 September 2026

IcePanel is a polished, browser-based C4 modeling tool with no DSL required — you draw directly on the canvas, much like CRAYON-C4. The two are closer in shape than either is to Structurizr: both start from a visual editor rather than a text format. Where they diverge is what sits on top of the C4 model, and who the free tier is built for.

Capability comparison

Capability	CRAYON-C4	IcePanel
C4 model support	✓	✓
Behavioral flows (F4)	✓	—
Generate the model from code	✓	—
No DSL required	✓	✓
Multi-audience views	✓	✓
Zero setup (web)	✓	✓
Free solo tier	✓	—
Team collaboration	✓	✓
No DSL required	✓	✓
Deployment diagrams	✓	✓

When to choose IcePanel instead

Choose IcePanel if your team is already invested in its landscape/flow features and you need multi-seat collaboration on day one without a free solo tier being a factor — IcePanel is priced and built for teams from the start, and its canvas polish is genuinely strong. It is also a reasonable pick if you have no interest in generating a model from an existing codebase.

When to choose CRAYON-C4

Choose CRAYON-C4 if you want a free solo tier that is not a crippled trial, if you want the model to include behavior — F4 flows overlaid on the same C4 elements, rather than a separate diagram type — or if you want to generate a first draft of the model straight from a real repository instead of drawing every box by hand. CRAYON also reads and writes Structurizr DSL, so a team migrating off Structurizr Cloud keeps that option open.

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