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 #6. NI (National Instruments) holds a 1.2% mindshare in O, compared to Rohde & Schwarz’s 7.6% 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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313 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Read 12 Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes reviews

1,318 Views
1,318 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: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

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

July 2025

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Helped 865,164 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

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Oscilloscopes category, the mindshare of National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes is 1.2%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes is 7.6%, up from 7.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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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Alan Martin

Power Integrity Lead at Elton Designs

The ability to have both the time domain and frequency domain, where the frequency domain is a very broad spectral plot, is extremely valuable

There is certainly a learning curve. Finally, watching YouTube videos on using the instrument got me over the hump, as well as a sit down session with one of the oscilloscope experts. 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. My understanding is they have a newer user interface, but I haven't gotten around to upgrading the firmware on my scope in some time, so I'm not familiar with it yet. In comparison, I love the LeCroy interface. Recently, I've learned that there are ways to adapt these instruments to become a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA), which is of interest to me. If I can use probes that are not in the 50 ohm domain, which is what you would have with a normal Vector Network Analyzer, then doing power applications for me, this would be a lot safer. Using a traditional communications type Vector Network Analyzer in the 50 ohm domain and having these high DC potentials (adding the DC blocks is adding air to the test method), then having an oscilloscope type front-end which is lot more tolerant of overload, it is a lot safer. The vector network analysis that I need to do is well under a gigahertz, and the other instruments that I have sort of stop at 40 megahertz. Trying to get past 40 megahertz into the mid-hundreds of megahertz and have high impedance probes that will tolerate DC, that is really of interest to me.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We haven't need technical support yet because all documentation is well done and there."

"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."

"It took us less than a week to get integrated into the solution, which is very fast."

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

"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 makes programming simpler."

More National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes pros

"The instrument has a wide bandwidth. You can sweep across a wide range of frequencies."

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

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

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

"The ability to have both the time domain and frequency domain, where the frequency domain is a very broad spectral plot, is extremely valuable."

"The most valuable features are the accuracy and repeatability."

"The noise floor for reference clocks is pretty low, so this instrument is able to measure it where others cannot."

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

More Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes pros

Cons

"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 more speed and a reduction in size."

"The software has room for improvement."

"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."

"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."

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

More National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes cons

"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."

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

"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."

"I'm against the Windows-based tools. Now everybody is running scopes, VNAs, and all their tools based on Windows. I don't want to see that in the future."

"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."

"They could use an RDA interface."

"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."

"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

"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."

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

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

"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."

"The pricing was good. Compared to the others, it was very good."

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

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

More National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes pricing and cost advice

"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 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."

"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 too high."

"The pricing is very expensive."

"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."

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

"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

21%

Government

10%

University

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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Compared 20% of the time

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Compared 17% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

Anritsu Oscilloscopes vs Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Oscilloscopes

August 2025

National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes report

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Buyer's Guide

Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes

August 2025

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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

July 2025

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