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National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes vs Tektronix Oscilloscopes comparison

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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 September 2026, in the Oscilloscopes category, the mindshare of National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes is 4.4%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tektronix Oscilloscopes is 15.3%, down from 16.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Oscilloscopes Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Tektronix Oscilloscopes15.3%
National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes4.4%
Other80.3%
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

"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 very good. Their boards are reliable. We buy boards from them, they are reliable, and we don't have problems with them."
"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."
"Go with their products."
"It took us less than a week to get integrated into the solution, which is very fast."
"The integrated lateral view makes it easier to develop your test systems and test software flow."
"It speeds up the process to develop test software."
"Because their view is a graphical user interface (GUI), it's very easy to program the tool."
"It provides you the best way to view information without opening multiple applications, like a single solution."
"Technical support is great."
"It has a good user interface. It's easy to use, easy to read. It's intuitive."
"The Ipath and measurements are fantastic and simple to implement."
"The user interface is good, not very complicated, and it is very intuitive."
"Time domain measurement is very accurate compared to other devices."
"I trust Tektronix for its accuracy; the probes of the solution fit my application, for example the speed of probes, the way that it is using probes with designs, and the probes' size."
"When we connect Tektronix through our test boxes, that is the internet of things, because I have reached the Internet through the box."
 

Cons

"There is a learning curve. It might take a year if you're not well-versed with it."
"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."
"There is a learning curve. It takes one to two months to get acclimated to the tool."
"I would like more speed and a reduction in size."
"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."
"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."
"There is a learning curve."
"The software has room for improvement."
"If you are dealing with time domain measurement, I strongly recommend using a vendor other than this company."
"I would like to see a lower price."
"I want the system to have a wider bandwidth because high-speed continues to move faster, so there is more bandwidth to cover."
"In terms of room for improvement, it's a powerful scope. But, the power of the computer inside is weak."
"I use microservices, but you cannot really probe it, since the technology is not really there."
"They need to add more memory to this machine because at this time the machine can support random simulation to the power of 15 but realistically, in requests from our customers, we need it to the power of 31."
"We are looking for an Intel platform with the newest chipset."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing was good. Compared to the others, it was very good."
"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."
"It's reasonably priced for what we spend our money on in the lab. It's one of the lower-end purchases."
"These products are a very low-cost, effective alternative to traditional Big Iron ATE hardware."
"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."
"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."
"I would like more competitive pricing."
"It's cost-effective... It might cost a lot of money, but if we need it we buy it."
"Isolated probes are good to have, as most of the scopes don't have it. It drives up the cost when you have to buy isolated probes."
"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 is a great price for a great product."
"It costs a quarter of a million. This technology is not cheap."
"They're all pretty expensive. If everything costs that much, I suppose the pricing is fair."
"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 very expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Legal Firm
26%
Healthcare Company
10%
Construction Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
14%
University
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
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: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.