DIgSILENT PowerFactory vs PLECS
DIgSILENT PowerFactory
digsilent.dePLECS
plexim.comSide by side
| Figure | DIgSILENT PowerFactory | PLECS |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 5 |
| Spec score · Electrical Design Software | 8.0 (#11) | 7.9 (#15) |
| Intended users | The maker describes the editions for individual end users, organisations managing multiple licences, and multi-user teams sharing central project data. | Plexim identifies industrial companies, research labs and technical universities as customers, including teams developing electric cars, rail vehicles, wind turbines, solar inverters and power supplies. |
| Purpose | PowerFactory analyses electrical generation, transmission, distribution and industrial power systems. | PLECS models and simulates power electronic systems, including converters, motor drives and control algorithms. |
| Support | Commercial perpetual licences include maintenance and support for the first 12 months, and subscriptions include them for the subscription term; software support requests go through the Customer Portal. | PLECS support includes tutorials, application examples, technical solutions, installation help, a user forum and a contact-support channel. |
Plans
DIgSILENT PowerFactory
- Demo licenceFree
- Commercial licence — perpetualPrice not published
- Commercial licence — subscriptionPriced on request
- Commercial licence — time-limitedPriced on request
PLECS
- PLECS trial licenseFree
- PLECS Blockset Individual License (commercial)$8,000, paid once
- PLECS Standalone Individual License (commercial)$8,000, paid once
- PLECS Blockset Dongle License (commercial)$11,200, paid once
- PLECS Blockset Concurrent License (commercial)$16,000, paid once
In their own words
DIgSILENT PowerFactory
DIgSILENT PowerFactory is software for analyzing electrical generation, transmission, distribution and industrial power systems. Its study areas include renewable integration, distributed generation, and medium- and low-voltage networks. Available analyses cover load flow, short circuits, contingencies, protection, stability and electromagnetic transients. Users can automate work with Python, DIgSILENT Programming Language, a C++ API or a parallel task automation tool. The base package imports and converts network data; its DGS interface exchanges data in ASCII, XML, CSV and ODBC formats for GIS and SCADA connections. Additional interfaces include OPC DA/UA, IEEE C37.118 simulation and FMI 2.0 co-simulation, though some require separate licences. Editions range from a local SQLite setup to licence-server management and shared project data using Oracle, SQL Server or PostgreSQL. The 28-day demo is free for one user, with predefined functions, and excludes DGS, exports and API. Commercial pricing is available on request; platforms listed are Windows, API and self-hosted.