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National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs Tektronix Oscilloscopes comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

National Instruments (NI) O...
Ranking in Oscilloscopes
7th
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Tektronix Oscilloscopes
Ranking in Oscilloscopes
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Oscilloscopes category, the mindshare of National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes is 1.3%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tektronix Oscilloscopes is 17.0%, up from 16.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Oscilloscopes Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Tektronix Oscilloscopes17.0%
National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes1.3%
Other81.7%
Oscilloscopes
 

Featured Reviews

AA
I have saved almost 50 percent of my total budget for a project by using their products
The use of this solution does require a specific mindset. Some people are not tailored for it. Try it. The learning curve is really fast, so it's easy to use. We are measuring RF signals, one-sided analog signals, and control loops for system controls. We are not using this product to support connected devices nor are we planning to going forward.
HC
B-scan is its most valuable feature. However, we are looking for an Intel platform with the newest chipset.
Try it if it is within your budget. It is a good product. The learning curve is very quick. It takes about one or two days. While we have plans to use this product to support connect devices, we are not currently doing so. We are currently measuring signals from 3.0 and 4.0, and looking for 5.0.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It helps us to save on our investment with a lot of the stuff that we buy, as we can find defects quickly."
"The user interface is very good. Their boards are reliable. We buy boards from them, they are reliable, and we don't have problems with them."
"The user interface is very good, easy to understand, and easy to operate."
"It took us less than a week to get integrated into the solution, which is very fast."
"We haven't need technical support yet because all documentation is well done and there."
"It saves me a lot of time. You can click a button and walk away, basically doing a week's worth of work in 20 minutes, it's a pretty good time saver."
"It makes programming simpler."
"The user interface is absolutely great. It creates an easy working environment because it has well-integrated hardware and software. So, it is easy to use."
"I haven't seen anything similar where it has a spectrum analyzer and regular scope together."
"The sensitivity of the trigger and the reliability are the most valuable features."
"It is easy to handle, so everyone likes to use it."
"The most valuable features are its ease of use, user interface, and PAM-4. The user interface is good and easy to use."
"The user interface is excellent. The GUI is so self-explanatory and there are the same knobs everywhere; the design is a standard design line."
"When I was looking for a scope for that lab, that five subdivisions per division was important."
"Tektronix is robust and reliable. It's a hammer-resistant machine, a fact which is most important on our manufacturing floor."
"The Ipath and measurements are fantastic and simple to implement."
 

Cons

"I would like more speed and a reduction in size."
"There is a learning curve. It takes one to two months to get acclimated to the tool."
"I would like to see them increase the productivity and auxiliary functions."
"National Instruments needs to be focusing on its 5G RF applications. They are aware of this, and that's where most of their R&D is going."
"I would like to have more RF. They're going that way, but still there is some work that they have to do."
"The software has room for improvement."
"It took a good year until I felt proficient using the product, as It is a complex program. Their newest version has a less steep learning curve, but back closer to 15 years ago, it was a lot less user-friendly."
"I would like to see more of a tasking user base and documentation inside the instrument itself, rather than having to go online for it."
"I use microservices, but you cannot really probe it, since the technology is not really there."
"I would like if they could have more customer support engagement."
"I would like to see more integration into machine learning because that's what we try to apply it to."
"They need to add more memory to this machine."
"I would like to see an app from this company for test fixtures."
"The ruggedness could be improved."
"The power of the computer inside is weak. Sometimes I send a lot of data and I'll feel the lag... I would like to see them improve the processing power."
"I would like to see some WiFi capabilities. I would like to upgrade equipment, and if I was in the U.S., I could do that with WiFi capabilities."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"These products are a very low-cost, effective alternative to traditional Big Iron ATE hardware."
"It's a bit expensive. However, you get the entire package, not just the box. It's a box which supports older releases."
"I have saved almost 50 percent of my total budget for a project by using their products."
"The price is a little steep. A lot of people, like our customers, use a different machine because of the price. The price has to come down a bit so we can do other tests without paying the equipment's high costs."
"The pricing was good. Compared to the others, it was very good."
"The cost of the equipment has room for improvement. The pricing could improve."
"It's reasonably priced for what we spend our money on in the lab. It's one of the lower-end purchases."
"They have an initial investment cost, which is quite high. But, along the way, there is so much behind it that the product is really invaluable."
"We demoed the product before purchasing it."
"The cost has room for improvement. Though compared to other companies, it's okay."
"They have academic pricing which is helpful."
"It's cost-effective... It might cost a lot of money, but if we need it we buy it."
"Pricing could be lower. I would want to buy it for an extremely, low price, but Tektronix is a high-end product."
"It is a great price for a great product."
"The prices are compatible with what they offer. Going forward, I would like them to become more competitive and dominant with their pricing in the market."
"It could always be cheaper."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
15%
University
12%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise19
 

Also Known As

NI Oscilloscopes
TBS Series, TDS Series, MDO Series, MSO Series
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs. Tektronix Oscilloscopes and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,787 professionals have used our research since 2012.