People look for a Multisim alternative for three reasons: the license price, the fact that it only runs on Windows, or the course that provided the license has ended. The right replacement depends on which of those it is, and on whether you relied on Multisim's instruments or only its SPICE engine.
By Rishik Boddeti · Last reviewed
Founder of ProtoFlow, ECE at UT Austin
Quick answer
NI Multisim is a Windows-only commercial simulator, with US subscriptions from $923 to $2,388 a year depending on edition. For free SPICE, LTspice (Analog Devices, Windows and macOS) and ngspice (open source, on Linux, macOS and Windows) are the usual answers, and KiCad builds ngspice into a full PCB tool. For browser-based learning, use Falstad CircuitJS or Tinkercad Circuits. ProtoFlow runs ngspice operating point, transient, AC and DC sweep inside a free schematic and PCB tool on Mac, Linux and Windows. None of these replace Multisim's virtual instruments or its NI ELVIS and myDAQ workflows, so lab courses built on those should stay on Multisim.
| Tool | Runs on | Simulation | Fits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NI Multisim | Windows | SPICE/XSPICE, mixed-mode A/D; up to 20 analyses and 30 virtual instruments | Lab courses, NI hardware | From $923/yr (Base); perpetual from $3,231 |
| NI Multisim Live | Browser, any device | Online SPICE with 30,000+ community circuits | Classes already on Multisim | NI offers a free try |
| LTspice | Windows, macOS | SPICE simulator, schematic capture, waveform viewer | Analog and power circuits | Free |
| ngspice | Linux, macOS, Windows | Open-source SPICE engine, analog plus event-driven digital | Scripted runs, Linux | Free, open source |
| KiCad 10 | Windows, macOS, Linux | ngspice: operating point, DC, AC, transient, noise, pole-zero, S-parameter, FFT | Simulating the board you will build | Free, open source |
| Falstad CircuitJS | Browser, offline builds | Animated circuit simulation | Building intuition | Free, GPL-2.0 |
| Tinkercad Circuits | Browser | Breadboard circuits with Arduino and micro:bit code | Intro electronics | Free web app |
| ProtoFlow | Windows, macOS, Linux | ngspice: operating point, transient, AC, DC sweep, waveform viewer | Simulation that becomes a PCB | Free plan |
Skip the comparison shopping. Try the free one first and see if it does the job.
Download for DesktopEach row links to the vendor page it came from and shows the date we last read that page. Vendors change pricing often, so check the link before you buy.
| Product | Price or limit | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| NI Multisim | US subscription: Base $923/yr, Full $1,613/yr, Professional $2,388/yr; perpetual $3,231, $5,645, $8,357; free trial listed for Professional only | ni.com | |
| NI Multisim Live | Browser version; NI says "Try it now for free" | ni.com | |
| LTspice | Free; Windows and macOS downloads | analog.com | |
| ngspice | Free, open source | ngspice.sourceforge.io | |
| KiCad | Free and open source, "all forever free" | kicad.org | |
| Falstad CircuitJS | Free in the browser, with offline builds; open source under GPL-2.0 | falstad.com | |
| Tinkercad Circuits | Free web app | tinkercad.com |
NI lists three Multisim for Designers editions. In the US, subscriptions are $923 a year for Base, $1,613 for Full and $2,388 for Professional; perpetual licenses are $3,231, $5,645 and $8,357, with the first year of software service included. NI's edition table lists a free trial for Professional only. Schools buy Multisim for Education through an NI Academic Volume License, and NI also sells a Student edition.
Read the edition table before buying Base. It gives Base interactive simulation and 4 virtual instruments, and marks the formal analyses (transient, AC sweep, DC sweep, DC operating point, Monte Carlo and the rest) as Full and Professional features. Full lists 17 analyses and 23 instruments; Professional lists 20 analyses and 30 instruments. If the reason you are buying is a transient or AC plot, Base is probably not the seat you want.
NI's product page lists Windows as the supported operating system. On a Mac or a Linux workstation, desktop Multisim means a separate Windows machine or a virtual machine.
Multisim's strength is the teaching bench. Its simulated instruments are set, used and read like their real counterparts, the engine does mixed-mode analog and digital simulation, Full and Professional add microcontroller simulation and LabVIEW co-simulation, and the Education edition can deploy digital logic to Digilent FPGA boards.
It also ties into NI hardware. NI documents a lab flow where students simulate a circuit in Multisim Live, build it on NI ELVIS III, and overlay the real and simulated signals on one oscilloscope graph, and it provides connectors for custom designs built around myDAQ. No free tool on this page reproduces that.
So for instructors, a course built around Multisim's instruments, ELVIS or myDAQ is built around that teaching bench. For students who want a free SPICE tool that carries the same circuit on to a real PCB, the options below fit better.
LTspice is free from Analog Devices, which lists downloads for Windows and macOS. It combines a SPICE simulator, schematic capture and a waveform viewer in one program, and it is a common landing spot for people whose Multisim use was analog or power circuits. Linux is not among the listed downloads.
ngspice is the open-source engine underneath several tools, KiCad included. It simulates analog circuits and event-driven digital circuits in one mixed-signal netlist, ships Windows binaries, is packaged by Linux distributions, and installs on macOS through Homebrew. It is a command-line, file-based program that, in its own words, "does not provide schematic entry," so most people drive it through a front end.
That makes ngspice the natural answer for anyone searching for an open-source or Linux Multisim alternative, with KiCad as the usual schematic front end.
NI's own browser version, Multisim Live, runs on any device and has a library of over 30,000 community circuits, and NI invites you to try it free. Circuits built there export to desktop Multisim for Education, which makes it the least disruptive online option for a class already on Multisim.
Falstad CircuitJS animates current and voltage in the browser, has offline builds, and is open source under GPL-2.0. Tinkercad Circuits, Autodesk's free web app, adds Arduino and micro:bit code to a virtual breadboard. Both are teaching tools, and neither is meant to produce a manufactured board.
If the simulated circuit is headed for a PCB, simulating inside the PCB tool saves drawing it twice. KiCad 10 runs ngspice from the schematic editor with operating point, DC sweep, AC, transient, noise, pole-zero, S-parameter and FFT analyses, plus a tuning tool for adjusting values against the plots, and it is free on all three platforms.
ProtoFlow runs ngspice from its schematic too: operating point, transient, AC and DC sweep, with a waveform viewer. The schematic can start as an AI draft from a plain-English description with real LCSC, DigiKey or Mouser parts, and the same design goes on to layout, DRC and Gerbers. It is free on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Our circuit simulation software comparison covers dedicated simulators such as QSPICE and PSpice that sit outside this page.
| Criteria | ProtoFlow | NI Multisim |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, macOS and Linux. | Windows only (Multisim Live in the browser). |
| Cost | Free plan, no card, no expiry. | $923 to $2,388 a year by edition; perpetual from $3,231. |
| Analyses | Operating point, transient, AC and DC sweep. | Up to 20 in Professional; Base lists interactive simulation only. |
| From simulation to a PCB | Same schematic goes to layout, DRC, Gerbers, BOM and CPL. | Forward annotation to Ultiboard, which NI sells separately. |
Reviewed on: 2026-10-14
Yes. LTspice is free from Analog Devices, ngspice is open source, KiCad includes ngspice in a free PCB tool, and Falstad CircuitJS and Tinkercad Circuits run free in the browser. ProtoFlow has a free plan with SPICE simulation inside a schematic and PCB editor.
NI lists Windows as the supported operating system for desktop Multisim, so Mac and Linux users need a Windows machine or virtual machine. Multisim Live runs in a browser on any device. LTspice has a macOS download, and ngspice, KiCad and ProtoFlow run natively on macOS and Linux.
ngspice is the open-source SPICE engine, and KiCad gives it a schematic editor and plot window. Neither copies Multisim's virtual instrument bench or NI hardware integration, so they replace the simulation, not the lab experience.
Yes. NI's Multisim Live runs in the browser on any device, includes over 30,000 community circuits, and NI offers it to try free. Circuits from Multisim Live can be exported to desktop Multisim for Education.
NI's US edition table lists subscriptions at $923 a year for Base, $1,613 for Full and $2,388 for Professional, and perpetual licenses at $3,231, $5,645 and $8,357. Schools license it through an NI Academic Volume License, and NI sells a Student edition separately.
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