National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes comparison

NI (National Instruments) and Rohde & Schwarz are both solutions in the Oscilloscopes category. NI (National Instruments) is ranked #7, while Rohde & Schwarz is ranked #5. NI (National Instruments) holds a 2.8% mindshare in O, compared to Rohde & Schwarz’s 11.1% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of NI (National Instruments) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Rohde & Schwarz users who would recommend it.

National Instruments (NI) O...

Read 10 National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes reviews

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466 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Read 12 Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes reviews

1,502 Views
1,502 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

National Instruments (NI) O...

Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes and Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Oscilloscopes solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs. Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs. Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

March 2026

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Helped 884,122 peers since 2012

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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Ranking in Oscilloscopes

5th

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Oscilloscopes category, the mindshare of National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes is 2.8%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes is 11.1%, up from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Oscilloscopes Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes	11.1%
National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes	2.8%
Other	86.1%

Oscilloscopes

Featured Reviews

Armando Arenai

Senior Technical Officer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

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.

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Brandon Jiao

Staff Transceiver Engineer at Xilinx, Inc.

With this machine, it's easier for us to debug or clarify where the noise source could be because of its accuracy

For the RF application, we care much about the crosstalk on our device and PCBs. Generally, what we can do with the other vendor's product is four-port measurement. It's a bit complicated for us and time consuming to combine all the crosstalk measurement together in a unified model. However, with this VNA, it is much easier because of its eight ports configuration. It's very stable because everything is done at the same time. This means within the test condition environment, everything is the same. This has increased accuracy and dramatically saved a lot of our time. We can do more experiments with this product than using other VNAs which have less ports.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The user interface is very good, easy to understand, and easy to operate."

"Because their view is a graphical user interface (GUI), it's very easy to program the tool."

"The learning curve was really fast, which was also the reason for saving a lot on the budget."

"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 integrated lateral view makes it easier to develop your test systems and test software flow."

"Most of the features are on the screen itself. The naming convention makes it very easy to understand what is needed."

"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 can automate a lot of testing very quickly. With just a push of a button, I can test hundreds of different scenarios without having to do all that manual testing myself."

More National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes pros

"The noise sensitivity: It has a low noise floor."

"The user interface is pretty good. Right now, it is more than what we expected. It's easy and fast to use."

"The characterization of RF channels was helpful... The user interface was very simple to operate and there were a lot of tutorials."

"The most valuable features are its wide bandwidth and 8 ports."

"It is a more efficient, easier way to do measurements."

"It is easy to connect with, accurate, reliable, and hardly fails."

"It has a very low noise floor."

"The product is quite reliable and straightforward to use. Typically, there are no households that we have to set up."

More Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes pros

Cons

"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 see more of a tasking user base and documentation inside the instrument itself, rather than having to go online for it."

"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 have more RF. They're going that way, but still there is some work that they have to do."

"I would like more speed and a reduction in size."

"There is a learning curve. It might take a year if you're not well-versed with it."

"I would like to see them increase the productivity and auxiliary functions."

"The software has room for improvement."

More National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes cons

"The depth the the user GUI could be improved. It is a bit deep for new users. During the first two weeks we spent a lot of time finding the tabs."

"We would like to have autotracking and auto error tracking for regression testing. We would like to know what error happened, when it happened, and during what scenario (such as setup), because right now we have to manually look at when it happened."

"The size of the unit is too big, too heavy. It has to be made more portable and smaller."

"There was a learning curve. Their use interface and the way that their products work are not intuitive to somebody who switches from other vendors."

"They could use an RDA interface."

"Sometimes, it's difficult to find menus on the user interface."

"The Rohde & Schwarz user interface is very oriented towards drop and drag functions on the screen. Some of those are just not obvious how to use. You have to have somebody get you over the hump."

"The user interface could be improved, e.g., the documentation on the menus. I have to open a separate document to figure out the functionality sometimes."

More Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's reasonably priced for what we spend our money on in the lab. It's one of the lower-end purchases."

"The cost of the equipment has room for improvement. The pricing could improve."

"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."

"These products are a very low-cost, effective alternative to traditional Big Iron ATE hardware."

"I would like more competitive pricing."

"It's a bit expensive. However, you get the entire package, not just the box. It's a box which supports older releases."

"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."

More National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes pricing and cost advice

"Buying Rohde & Schwarz gear is like buying a Mercedes. It raises eyebrows when you're asking for that level of performance."

"The pricing is expensive, but very fair when you look at the technology that you are getting. These are higher-end pieces which have a ton of engineering in them that is not evident on the package. However, you could imagine the amount of time that the vendor has spent on the firmware, optimizing the internal layout, developing custom ICs, etc. They're releasing a mass produced product, but these things are built to last."

"One of the things I liked less, not only me but also my company, was that Rohde & Schwarz are very expensive... There are solutions that are almost the same that sell at better prices."

"The pricing is too high."

"When we chose this, the price was really reasonable, and it is a high-end product. It had a high price, but we understood that because it has 8 port, the same noise floor (as the competition) with double the measurement capabilities and a cheaper price."

"The pricing is very expensive."

"If we are looking to purchase a product, we ask for a loaner for a month or so to test it out. Then, we will make a decision."

"The pricing is very competitive."

More Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Manufacturing Company

17%

Government

10%

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	6

Comparisons

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Compared 16% of the time

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Tektronix Oscilloscopes vs Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Compared 25% of the time

Keysight Oscilloscopes vs Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Compared 22% of the time

Siglent vs Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Compared 13% of the time

RIGOL Oscilloscopes vs Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Compared 11% of the time

Yokogawa Oscilloscopes vs Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Oscilloscopes

March 2026

National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes report

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Buyer's Guide

Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

February 2026

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Also Known As

NI Oscilloscopes

RT Series

Overview

Turning powerful possibilities into real solutions with our open, software-defined platform for automated test and automated measurement systems.

NI (National Instruments)

Oscilloscope innovation that delivers measurement confidence. Excellent signal fidelity, high acquisition rate, an innovative trigger system and a clever user interface - that’s what you get with Rohde & Schwarz, a leading manufacturer of oscilloscopes. Match your needs with the right oscilloscope platform, probing options and software applications. From general purpose test to solutions for specific industry standards, we have you covered.

Rohde & Schwarz

Buyer's Guide

National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs. Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

March 2026

Free Report: National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs. Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Find out what your peers are saying about National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs. Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

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