LabVIEW vs PowerWorld Simulator
LabVIEW
ni.comPowerWorld Simulator
powerworld.comSide by side
| Figure | LabVIEW | PowerWorld Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 7 | 2 |
| Spec score · Electrical Design Software | 8.4 (#5) | 7.9 (#16) |
| Founded | 1976 | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas, United States | Champaign, Illinois, United States |
| Purpose | LabVIEW is a graphical programming environment for developing automated test and measurement systems. | Simulator interactively simulates high-voltage power system operation over periods from several minutes to several days. |
| Support | A single-seat purchase includes an NI software service agreement with technical support, version downloads, and LabVIEW Core 1 on-demand, with perpetual-license benefits included for the first year. | The company lists technical support by email and says license maintenance includes customer support, upgrades, and software patches. |
Plans
LabVIEW
- LabVIEW Community EditionFree
- LabVIEW Base perpetualPrice not published
- LabVIEW Base subscriptionPrice not published
- LabVIEW Full perpetualPrice not published
- LabVIEW Full subscriptionPrice not published
- LabVIEW Professional perpetualPrice not published
- LabVIEW Professional subscriptionPrice not published
PowerWorld Simulator
- Simulator evaluation versionFree
- Simulator base package (first commercial license)$11,000, paid once
In their own words
LabVIEW
LabVIEW is a graphical programming environment for developing automated test and measurement applications. Its G language uses dataflow programming, supports parallel execution, and includes interactive debugging. LabVIEW connects to instruments from any vendor and offers more than 7,000 instrument drivers. Engineering analysis functions and a native interface support monitoring and controlling tests. Editions can integrate Python, C/C++,.NET, and MathWorks MATLAB code. The Professional edition includes Application Builder, NI Nigel AI, software engineering tools, and Report Generation, Database Connectivity, and Advanced Signal Processing Toolkits. The Community Edition costs nothing, but is limited to personal, non-commercial, non-industrial use and cannot be used for teaching or research at a degree-granting institution. Professional trials provide seven days of access; the downloadable trial can be extended up to 45 days after first opening it. The downloadable trial connects to physical hardware, while the web trial uses simulated hardware only. NI lists Windows and Linux support for editions; starting with LabVIEW 2025 Q3, Community Edition is the only macOS edition. Each target computer running a developed application requires a perpetual deployment license.
PowerWorld Simulator
PowerWorld Simulator is desktop software for interactively simulating high-voltage power-system operation over periods from minutes to days. Its full package solves power-flow systems of up to 250,000 buses. The base package provides contingency analysis with automatic batch processing, full power-flow or fast linearized analysis, and result views organized by contingency or impacted facility. Visualization includes animated diagrams, automatic diagram creation and modification, contoured displays, and a model explorer. Optional add-ons cover ATC, OPF, SCOPF, reserves optimization, SimAuto, transient stability, GIC, and integrated topology processing. SimAuto allows an external program to extend Simulator. The product lists industry-standard file-format compatibility and GIS support. It runs on 64-bit Microsoft Windows 7/Server 2008 R2 and newer; no other operating systems are supported. A free evaluation version is limited to 13 buses. The first commercial base-package license costs $11,000 as a one-time purchase and includes one year of upgrades and support.