Uncovering the Best Electronics Workbench Alternatives for Circuit Design
Electronics Workbench, once a leading name in PC-based Computer Aided Design & Engineering, provided powerful schematic capture and simulation with MultiSIM, and PCB design with Ultiboard. Acquired by National Instruments in 2005, its original websites now redirect. While a robust solution in its time, many designers and engineers are now seeking modern, versatile, and often more accessible Electronics Workbench alternative solutions. This article explores top contenders that can meet your circuit design and simulation needs.
Top Electronics Workbench Alternatives
Whether you're a student, hobbyist, or professional, there's a powerful Electronics Workbench alternative out there for you. Here are some of the best options available, offering a range of features, platforms, and pricing models to suit diverse requirements.
Circuit Simulator
Circuit Simulator is an excellent free and open-source Electronics Workbench alternative for visualizing voltage and current in animated electronic circuits. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Web, it offers browser-based functionality and portability, making it highly accessible for quick simulations.
QUCS
The Quite Universal Circuit Simulator (QUCS) is a free and open-source integrated circuit simulator, serving as a robust Electronics Workbench alternative. It allows for the simulation and graphical presentation of results for large-signal circuits, and is available across Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms.
LTspice
LTspice IV is a high-performance Spice III simulator, schematic capture, and waveform viewer, offering a powerful free Electronics Workbench alternative. It includes enhancements and models designed to ease the simulation of switching power supplies, and is available for Mac and Windows users.
Ktechlab
KTechLab is a free and open-source IDE for microcontrollers and electronics, providing an excellent Electronics Workbench alternative with integrated simulation capabilities. It supports circuit simulation, microcontroller program development, and simulating programmed microcontrollers, primarily for Linux users.
iCircuit
iCircuit is a user-friendly electronic circuit simulator and designer, making it a valuable commercial Electronics Workbench alternative for students, hobbyists, and engineers. Available on Mac, Windows, iPhone, Windows Phone, and iPad, it features robust simulation capabilities and even offers price alerts.
Proteus PCB design
Proteus PCB design combines schematic capture and ARES PCB layout programs into a powerful, integrated, and easy-to-use commercial suite, serving as a comprehensive Electronics Workbench alternative for professional PCB design. It is available for Windows users.
NI Circuit Design Suite Power Pro
NI Circuit Design Suite software is a commercial solution that improves the PCB design process by integrating capture, simulation, and layout within a single toolchain, featuring NI Multisim and Ultiboard. This makes it a direct, powerful Electronics Workbench alternative, available on Windows.
Upverter
Upverter provides commercial web-based tools for hardware engineering, including ideation, schematic capture, PCB layout, design hosting, parts library management, and affordable prototyping. It stands out as an excellent cloud-based Electronics Workbench alternative, accessible from any web browser.
DesignSpark PCB
DesignSpark PCB is celebrated as one of the world’s most powerful free schematic and PCB layout tools, making it a compelling Electronics Workbench alternative for designers on a budget. It is available for Windows users, offering robust design capabilities without the cost.
OrCAD (All Products)
The Cadence OrCAD product line offers affordable, high-performance commercial PCB design tools, boosting productivity for smaller design teams and individual PCB designers. Available on Windows, OrCAD provides a professional-grade Electronics Workbench alternative for comprehensive circuit design.
With a diverse range of options, from free and open-source simulators to powerful commercial suites, there’s an ideal Electronics Workbench alternative for every engineer, student, and hobbyist. We encourage you to explore these options and find the best fit for your specific circuit design and simulation needs.