Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pspice VS Scilab

Compare Pspice VS Scilab and see what are their differences

Pspice logo Pspice

OrCAD PSpice technology provides the best, high-performance circuit simulation to analyze and refine your circuits, components, and parameters before committing to layout and fabrication

Scilab logo Scilab

Scilab Official Website. Enter your search in the box aboveAbout ScilabScilab is free and open source software for numerical . Thanks for downloading Scilab!
  • Pspice Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-01
  • Scilab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-10

Pspice features and specs

  • Comprehensive Simulation
    Pspice offers a broad range of simulation capabilities including analog, digital, and mixed-signal circuits, allowing for detailed analysis and testing of circuits before physical prototyping.
  • Integration with OrCAD
    It is tightly integrated with OrCAD Capture and PCB design tools, allowing for seamless design and analysis workflows.
  • Extensive Component Libraries
    Pspice boasts a vast library of components and models, which simplifies the process of circuit design and simulation.
  • Advanced Analysis Features
    It includes advanced features such as Monte Carlo analysis, Worst-case analysis, and Parametric sweeps, providing enhanced capabilities for design optimization.
  • User Community and Support
    There is an active user community and robust support, including detailed documentation and a variety of learning resources.

Possible disadvantages of Pspice

  • Cost
    Pspice can be expensive, especially for small businesses or individual users, as it requires licensing fees.
  • Resource Intensive
    The software can be demanding on system resources, requiring powerful hardware for efficient operation, which may not be available to all users.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    While powerful, Pspice has a steep learning curve, especially for beginners, which can be a barrier to entry for new users.
  • Complexity for Basic Tasks
    For simpler circuit design and analysis tasks, Pspice may be overkill and more complex to use compared to simpler alternatives.
  • Proprietary Nature
    Being proprietary software, users are dependent on Cadence for updates and support, and may face limitations with interoperability with other tools.

Scilab features and specs

  • Open Source
    Scilab is free and open-source software, allowing users to access the source code and modify it to suit their needs without any cost.
  • Extensive Mathematical Functionality
    Scilab provides a wide range of mathematical functions and capabilities for numerical computation, making it suitable for a variety of scientific and engineering applications.
  • Toolboxes and Modules
    It offers various built-in toolboxes and modules for specialized tasks, such as signal processing, control systems, and optimization, expanding its functionality.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Scilab runs on different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing flexibility for users working in diverse environments.
  • Strong Community Support
    A large and active user community means that users can find plenty of support, tutorials, and third-party contributions, easing the learning curve.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Scilab can be easily integrated with other software and tools, such as Modelica for modeling and simulation, enhancing its versatility in different workflows.

Possible disadvantages of Scilab

  • Performance
    Scilab may not be as performance-optimized as some other numerical computation software, like MATLAB, especially for very large datasets or highly complex calculations.
  • Learning Curve
    While Scilab is powerful, it can be challenging for beginners to master due to its extensive functionality and the need to learn its scripting language.
  • Less Commercial Support
    As open-source software, Scilab does not offer the same level of commercial support or extensive professional resources that are available for some paid alternatives like MATLAB.
  • Documentation Quality
    Although Scilab has a lot of documentation, some users find that it lacks depth or clarity compared to other software, making it harder to find thorough explanations or examples.
  • Graphical User Interface
    The graphical user interface (GUI) of Scilab is not as polished or user-friendly as that of some competitor tools, which can impact user experience.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Interoperability with MATLAB can be limited, potentially causing issues when porting code or collaborating with MATLAB users.

Analysis of Pspice

Overall verdict

  • PSpice is generally considered a strong tool in electronics design and simulation, thanks to its detailed simulation outputs, reliability, and extensive capabilities. It is especially favored by educators and professionals who require precision and a high level of analysis in circuit design.

Why this product is good

  • PSpice is a widely used simulation program primarily for electronic circuits. It offers comprehensive analysis capabilities, including DC, AC, transient, and parametric sweeps. Its integration with OrCAD provides a robust environment for schematics and simulations, useful for both education and professional industry applications. Additionally, it features a large component library and compatibility with various industry standards, making circuit design and testing efficient and effective.

Recommended for

    PSpice is best suited for electrical engineers, educators, and students in electronics engineering, as well as professionals involved in circuit design, testing, and analysis who need reliable simulation tools to validate their designs.

Analysis of Scilab

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Scilab is a robust and cost-effective alternative to other commercial numerical computation software. Its strengths lie in its flexibility and the support of a large community of users and contributors.

Why this product is good

  • Scilab is considered good by many due to its open-source nature, comprehensive capabilities for numerical computations, and its extensive community support. It offers a wide range of mathematical functions for engineering and scientific applications and is particularly favored for its ability to handle complex data analysis and simulations. Additionally, its compatibility with MATLAB code and its powerful graphical capabilities make it a versatile tool for developers and researchers.

Recommended for

    Scilab is recommended for engineers, scientists, and educators who require a powerful computational tool without the associated costs of commercial software. It is also suitable for students and researchers who are looking to perform complex mathematical modeling and simulations.

Pspice videos

How to build and simulate a simple circuit in PSpice?

More videos:

  • Tutorial - LTspice - Introduction, basic analysis, how to, comparision to PSPICE

Scilab videos

Scilab IPCV 1.2

More videos:

  • Review - Raspberry Pi for Computer Vision with Scilab
  • Review - Tone Recognition with Scilab and LabVIEW to Scilab Gateway

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pspice and Scilab)
Simulation
100 100%
0% 0
Technical Computing
0 0%
100% 100
Computer Simulations
100 100%
0% 0
Numerical Computation
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pspice and Scilab

Pspice Reviews

Electronic circuit design and simulation software list
TopSpice – this is a demo version circuit simulator from Penzar. This electronic simulation tool is tailored to work with Windows only and its is compatible for Windows XP/Vista/7. TopSpice is a mixed mode mixed signal digital,analog, behavioral simulation software. It offers both Pspice and Hspice compatible simulation of circuits.

Scilab Reviews

25 Best Statistical Analysis Software
Scilab is a powerful, free, and open-source software widely used by researchers, students, and professionals in various fields such as engineering, mathematics, physics, and more.
7 Best MATLAB alternatives for Linux
The syntax of Scilab is similar to MATLAB it also provides a source code translator to convert MATLAB code to Scilab.
Matlab Alternatives
Scilab is an open-source similar to the implementation of Matlab. The approximation techniques known as Scientific Computing is used to solve numerical problems. To achieve this, the team of Scilab developers made use of Solvers and algorithms to build the algebraic libraries. Scilab is one of the major alternatives to Matlab along with GNU Octave.
Source: www.educba.com
10 Best MATLAB Alternatives [For Beginners and Professionals]
Scilab has 1700 mathematical functions for engineering applications and data analysis. You can also use Scilab to solve various constrained and unconstrained problems such as shape and topology optimizations etc.
4 open source alternatives to MATLAB
Scilab is another open source option for numerical computing that runs across all the major platforms: Windows, Mac, and Linux included. Scilab is perhaps the best known alternative outside of Octave, and (like Octave) it is very similar to MATLAB in its implementation, although exact compatibility is not a goal of the project's developers.
Source: opensource.com

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pspice and Scilab, you can also consider the following products

Solve Elec - Solve Elec is a free educational program to draw and analyze electrical circuits.

MATLAB - A high-level language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization, and programming

LTspice - LTspice® is a high performance SPICE simulation software, schematic capture and waveform viewer with enhancements and models for easing the simulation of analog circuits.

Wolfram Mathematica - Mathematica has characterized the cutting edge in specialized processing—and gave the chief calculation environment to a large number of pioneers, instructors, understudies, and others around the globe.

Oregano - oregano - An electrical engineering tool for GNOME

GNU Octave - GNU Octave is a programming language for scientific computing.