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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 June 2026, in the Oscilloscopes category, the mindshare of National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes is 3.7%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tektronix Oscilloscopes is 16.9%, up from 15.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Oscilloscopes Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Tektronix Oscilloscopes16.9%
National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes3.7%
Other79.4%
Oscilloscopes
 

Featured Reviews

AA
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.
HC
Sr Engineer at a tech company with 5,001-10,000 employees
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 makes programming simpler."
"I chose this solution because it integrates a lot of functionality in one piece of equipment."
"We haven't need technical support yet because all documentation is well done and there."
"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."
"Because their view is a graphical user interface (GUI), it's very easy to program the tool."
"I have saved almost 50 percent of my total budget for a project by using their products."
"Because their view is a graphical user interface (GUI), it's very easy to program the tool."
"It speeds up the process to develop test software."
"Tektronix is robust and reliable. It's a hammer-resistant machine, a fact which is most important on our manufacturing floor."
"The most valuable features are everything they do. We primarily use the O-scopes and they help us figure out what's going wrong with our scope out signals."
"It's a good product."
"The sensitivity of the trigger and the reliability are the most valuable features, and the scopes were extremely reliable."
"The technical support is great; they come in, they show us how to use it, and if we have questions, they'll give presentations."
"The user interface is good, not very complicated, and it is very intuitive."
"It takes 35 to 45 minutes to get acclimated to the solution."
"We have multiple systems for manufacturing tests, and it's critical for our support; the support increases our productivity."
 

Cons

"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 would like to see them increase the productivity and auxiliary functions."
"There is a learning curve. It takes one to two months to get acclimated to the tool."
"The software has room for improvement."
"There is a learning curve. It might take a year if you're not well-versed with it."
"I would like more competitive pricing."
"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."
"I would like if they could have more customer support engagement."
"There are other devices out there which are more capable, offering more features, with as good quality tech support."
"I know you can get the Bit Masks but it's generally really expensive to get the eye diagrams and Bit Masks with it. I wish they were included or cheaper."
"I would like to see an app from this company for test fixtures."
"I want the system to have a wider bandwidth because high-speed continues to move faster, so there is more bandwidth to cover."
"There was a learning curve, which was a little tricky at times."
"Tektronix Oscilloscopes are really expensive for small businesses."
"I would like to see more integration into machine learning because that's what we try to apply it to."
 

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 pricing was good. Compared to the others, it was very good."
"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."
"I have saved almost 50 percent of my total budget for a project by using their products."
"It's a bit expensive. However, you get the entire package, not just the box. It's a box which supports older releases."
"These products are a very low-cost, effective alternative to traditional Big Iron ATE hardware."
"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 cost of the equipment has room for improvement. The pricing could improve."
"It is a great price for a great product."
"Tecktronix pricing tends to be pretty fair and reasonable with current market trends. They don't usually bump up the price too much."
"In the 100 gigabit Ethernet and 400 gigabit Ethernet category, everything is in the multi-hundred thousand dollar range, so it was fair pricing because everything is expensive."
"Tektronix Oscilloscopes are really expensive for small businesses. The low-end scopes don't really compare performance-wise to what the other companies provide, like RIGOL . Mostly that just has to do with the software options."
"The pricing is not too high and not too low."
"The pricing is okay. It was within our budget."
"They're all pretty expensive. If everything costs that much, I suppose the pricing is fair."
"It's cost-effective... It might cost a lot of money, but if we need it we buy it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
14%
University
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Educational Organization
7%
 

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: April 2026.
896,692 professionals have used our research since 2012.