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ngspice vs LTspice: catalog facts
ngspice	LTspice
Best for: Engineers and students simulating circuits from netlists or through a schematic front end	Best for: Electronics engineers, students and hobbyists simulating analog circuits
Free Free and open source.	Free Free to download from Analog Devices.
Command line	Windows
Analog, digital and mixed-signal simulation Accepts PSPICE and LTSPICE device models All 3 strengths for ngspice Analog, digital and mixed-signal simulation Accepts PSPICE and LTSPICE device models Can be driven by third-party schematic tools	SPICE simulation with schematic capture in one program Built-in waveform viewer for inspecting results All 3 strengths for LTspice SPICE simulation with schematic capture in one program Built-in waveform viewer for inspecting results Free of charge
No built-in schematic entry Netlist and command-line workflow has a learning curve	Simulation only, with no PCB layout Details could not be confirmed from the official page at research time
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for ngspice ngspice.sourceforge.io Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for LTspice analog.com/en/resources/design-tools-and-calculators/ltspic… Catalog checked September 24, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.