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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 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 Tektronix Oscilloscopes is 17.8%, up from 14.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Oscilloscopes Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Tektronix Oscilloscopes17.8%
National Instruments (NI) Oscilloscopes2.8%
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

"We haven't need technical support yet because all documentation is well done and there."
"I chose this solution because it integrates a lot of functionality in one piece of equipment."
"Because their view is a graphical user interface (GUI), it's very easy to program the tool."
"Using this product is helpful, so I would recommend it to people at any other company."
"Because their view is a graphical user interface (GUI), it's very easy to program the tool."
"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."
"Go with their products."
"The most valuable features are its ease of use, user interface, and PAM-4. The user interface is good and easy to use."
"The technical support is great; they come in, they show us how to use it, and if we have questions, they'll give presentations."
"B-scan is its most valuable feature."
"It takes 35 to 45 minutes to get acclimated to the solution."
"The sensitivity of the trigger and the reliability are the most valuable features, and the scopes were extremely reliable."
"It has a good user interface. It's easy to use, easy to read. It's intuitive."
"Tektronix is robust and reliable; it's a hammer-resistant machine, a fact which is most important on our manufacturing floor."
"It provides you the best way to view information without opening multiple applications, like a single solution."
 

Cons

"It took a good year until I felt proficient using the product, as it is a complex program."
"The software has room for improvement."
"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 to see them increase the productivity and auxiliary functions."
"National Instruments needs to be focusing on its 5G RF applications."
"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 might take a year if you're not well-versed with it."
"I would like more speed and a reduction in size."
"I would like to see an app from this company for test fixtures."
"The pricing is very expensive."
"If they could make the user interface even more intuitive that would help. If they could make it easier to read, to know where the buttons are, that's all I need."
"If you are dealing with time domain measurement, I strongly recommend using a vendor other than this company."
"It needs one button and every time you push it, you get whatever you need."
"I am not utilizing the full bandwidth of this product."
"I want the system to have a wider bandwidth because high-speed continues to move faster, so there is more bandwidth to cover."
"I would like if they could have more customer support engagement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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 reasonably priced for what we spend our money on in the lab. It's one of the lower-end purchases."
"I would like more competitive pricing."
"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."
"These products are a very low-cost, effective alternative to traditional Big Iron ATE hardware."
"The pricing was good. Compared to the others, it was very good."
"We demoed the product before purchasing it."
"It's available on the low-end scopes for free, but on the higher-end scopes, it is expensive. Therefore, it's a bit more difficult to make stuff work."
"They're all pretty expensive. If everything costs that much, I suppose the pricing is fair."
"It could always be cheaper."
"I would like to see a lower price."
"Pricing could be lower. I would want to buy it for an extremely, low price, but Tektronix is a high-end product."
"The pricing is okay. It was within our budget."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Manufacturing Company
14%
University
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Educational Organization
8%
 

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: March 2026.
885,264 professionals have used our research since 2012.