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OrCAD X vs Proteus Design Suite: catalog facts
OrCAD X	Proteus Design Suite
Best for: Electrical engineers and small teams designing professional printed circuit boards	Best for: Embedded engineers and students who want to simulate firmware and circuits before building a board
Paid Paid licences in three editions, with a free trial.	Paid Commercial software sold by Labcenter Electronics.
Windows	Windows
Schematic, simulation and PCB layout in one suite SPICE and mixed-signal analysis in higher editions All 3 strengths for OrCAD X Schematic, simulation and PCB layout in one suite SPICE and mixed-signal analysis in higher editions Free trial and a viewer available	Simulates microcontroller firmware together with the circuit Schematic capture and PCB layout in one suite All 4 strengths for Proteus Design Suite Simulates microcontroller firmware together with the circuit Schematic capture and PCB layout in one suite IoT Builder for Arduino and Raspberry Pi projects Actively developed, with version 9.2 recently released
Commercial licences, with advanced features in higher editions More than hobby projects usually need	Commercial licence required Pricing is not listed on the homepage
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not 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 OrCAD X orcad.com Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Proteus Design Suite labcenter.com Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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