PowerWorld Simulator vs ProfiCAD
PowerWorld Simulator
powerworld.comProfiCAD
proficad.comSide by side
| Figure | PowerWorld Simulator | ProfiCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 5 |
| Spec score · Electrical Design Software | 7.9 (#16) | 8.1 (#10) |
| Founded | 1996 | 1997 |
| Purpose | Simulator interactively simulates high-voltage power system operation over periods from several minutes to several days. | ProfiCAD creates electrical and electronic diagrams, schematics, control circuit diagrams, and other technical diagrams such as pneumatic and hydraulic diagrams. |
| Support | The company lists technical support by email and says license maintenance includes customer support, upgrades, and software patches. | Users can get technical support through the site chatbot, email, FAQ, and user manual; the maker says questions are answered by the developer. |
Plans
PowerWorld Simulator
- Simulator evaluation versionFree
- Simulator base package (first commercial license)$11,000, paid once
ProfiCAD
- 30-day trialFree
- Home licenseFree
- School License$277, paid once
- Single User License$277, paid once
- Site License$827, paid once
In their own words
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.
ProfiCAD
ProfiCAD is desktop software for creating electrical and electronic diagrams, schematics, control circuits, and technical diagrams such as pneumatic and hydraulic drawings. It can produce bills of materials, wire lists, terminal lists, and cable lists. The program includes more than 2,000 symbols and an editor for custom symbols. Drawing features include automatic symbol numbering and insertion, symbol search, and cross-references between wires and component symbols. Users can adapt or create ISO 7200 title blocks. The desktop program is for Windows; the maker says it can run on Mac using Parallels. ProfiCAD Viewer lets Android users view drawings, but it does not display cross-references. Drawings can be transferred to the viewer through cloud storage or email. ProfiCAD works offline, and drawings stay on the user's computer. It is not intended for PCB layout, 3D modeling, complex CAD, or full DWG/DXF editing. The free Home edition permits up to three pages, with commercial use limited to opening, viewing, and printing third-party documents. A full-feature trial lasts 30 days without a credit card; paid licenses start at $277, excluding tax.