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PLC programming software: which tool you need, and what's free

PLC programming software explained: which tool programs which PLC, what's free and what's paid, and when you need the real thing.

Graeme, Founder8 min read

A laptop showing a ladder logic program in PLC programming software, beside a small controller.
The software you need depends on whose controller you're programming.
In this guide
  1. Which PLC software goes with which controller
  2. Siemens PLC software
  3. Allen-Bradley PLC software
  4. Beckhoff, CODESYS and the others
  5. Free PLC programming software
  6. Do you need the real software to learn?
  7. Where a browser simulator fits
  8. How to choose
  9. Sources

The PLC programming software you need depends on one thing more than anything else: whose controller you're programming. There's no single program that does them all. Current Siemens controllers such as the S7-1200 and S7-1500 use TIA Portal, Allen-Bradley controllers use Studio 5000, RSLogix 500 or Connected Components Workbench depending on the family, and Beckhoff uses TwinCAT.

This guide sets out which software goes with which controller, what's free and what's paid, whether you need the real thing to learn, and how to choose. It sticks to what each maker says on its own pages, linked at the bottom. Every free and paid detail was checked on 3 November 2026. These things change, so look again before you download or buy anything.

Which PLC software goes with which controller

Allen-Bradley is Rockwell Automation's brand, so its software carries Rockwell's name.

SoftwareMakerWhat it programsFree or paid, checked 3 November 2026
TIA Portal with STEP 7SiemensSIMATIC controllers, such as the S7-1200 and S7-1500Paid. V21 trial listed
Studio 5000 Logix DesignerRockwellLogix 5000 family, such as ControlLogix and CompactLogixSold, no price shown
RSLogix 500RockwellSLC 500 and MicroLogixSold, no price shown
Connected Components WorkbenchRockwellMicro800Standard Edition free
FactoryTalk Design WorkbenchRockwellMicro800Free download
TwinCAT 3BeckhoffAlmost any PC based control systemEngineering free. Runtime paid, with a renewable 7 day trial
CODESYS Development SystemCODESYSDevices from different manufacturersFree. Demo soft PLC stops after 2 hours
GX Works3Mitsubishi ElectricMELSEC MX and iQ seriesNo price or trial shown
Sysmac StudioOmronNJ and NX seriesLicensed, with a trial licence
EcoStruxure Machine Expert BasicSchneider ElectricM221 controllersFree download
CLICK and Productivity SuiteAutomationDirectCLICK and Productivity SeriesFree, full versions
OpenPLC EditorAutonomy LogicOpen source IEC 61131-3 programsFree and open source

You can't just swap one for another, because this software isn't only a code editor. Siemens describes STEP 7 as a way to configure, program, test and diagnose its controllers, so it holds the hardware setup as well as the logic. That's why your first question is always what the PLC is.

Siemens PLC software

If you've got an S7-1200 or S7-1500, the answer is TIA Portal. Older S7-300 and S7-400 projects may still be in STEP 7 Classic, and LOGO! has its own software. That's the engineering environment, and STEP 7 is the part of it where you write the program, in languages such as SCL and ladder. The TIA Portal guide goes through it properly.

STEP 7 comes in two main editions. Siemens calls STEP 7 Basic a price optimised subset of STEP 7 Professional, and says Professional covers all generations of SIMATIC controllers. So check the edition covers your controller before you pay.

Siemens' pages show no permanently free edition, but there is a trial. Its education support page lists a V21 trial download of STEP 7 with Safety, S7-PLCSIM and WinCC, under a heading asking you to register with SiePortal, Siemens' online portal. The V21 installation notes say that starting TIA Portal with no valid licence key offers a one time trial licence, which expires after 21 days. S7-PLCSIM is the part that lets you run your program without hardware, and the guide to TIA Portal simulation covers it.

Allen-Bradley PLC software

This is where people get muddled, because Rockwell has several programs and the right one depends on the controller family.

  • Logix 5000 controllers, such as ControlLogix and CompactLogix: Studio 5000 Logix Designer. Logix Designer is the new name for RSLogix 5000 from version 21 onwards. So if someone says RSLogix 5000, they mean the older versions of the same thing. The Studio 5000 guide explains more.
  • SLC 500 and MicroLogix controllers: RSLogix 500. Rockwell's own page points out that a more modern platform is available, so you're more likely to meet this on existing machines than new ones.
  • Micro800 controllers: Connected Components Workbench or FactoryTalk Design Workbench.

The Micro800 tools are the free ones. The Standard Edition of Connected Components Workbench is free, needs no activation and includes a demo of the Micro800 Simulator. The Developer Edition adds the full simulator and does need activation. FactoryTalk Design Workbench is listed by Rockwell as free software for customers to download. Its first release named only the Micro810, Micro820, Micro850 and Micro870 Lx0E models, so check yours.

For Studio 5000 and RSLogix 500, Rockwell's pages show no free edition. Its public shop pages show no prices, and Rockwell's download centre offers both by serial number. Rockwell says you may need more than one catalogue number for Studio 5000, so this is a conversation with a distributor.

You'll also see people mention a free RSLogix Micro Starter Lite. Rockwell's support site has download instructions under that name, but the article sits behind a sign in, so its terms aren't public.

Beckhoff, CODESYS and the others

TwinCAT 3 is Beckhoff's software. It turns almost any PC based system into a controller, with the engineering side inside Microsoft Visual Studio. Beckhoff says the engineering is free with basic functionality, though functions beyond PLC programming cost extra. What you pay for is the runtime, the part that actually runs your program, priced on the performance of the control computer. There's also a 7 day trial licence you can renew as often as you like.

CODESYS isn't tied to one maker. Its development system can program devices from different manufacturers, and the store lists it at no cost with no licence needed and all the IEC 61131-3 editors included. The setup comes with a demo soft PLC, which is software that acts as the controller, and that shuts down after 2 hours without a licence.

GX Works3 from Mitsubishi and Sysmac Studio from Omron cover those makers' controllers. Omron offers a trial licence through its License Portal once you've created an account. Mitsubishi's public pages don't show a price or a trial, so ask a distributor.

Free PLC programming software

If you searched for free PLC software, free can mean three different deals.

  1. Free, but for one maker's controllers. Connected Components Workbench Standard, FactoryTalk Design Workbench, Schneider's Machine Expert Basic and AutomationDirect's CLICK and Productivity Suite. AutomationDirect says plainly that both of its packages are complete versions and not demos.
  2. Free to write, pay to run. TwinCAT and CODESYS. You can learn a lot on the trial or the demo, but for real use you'll be looking at a runtime licence.
  3. A trial of the paid product. TIA Portal and Sysmac Studio. Good for a look round, but check how long you get first.

Then there's the OpenPLC Editor, which is free and open source, has a simulator built in, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. It won't teach you the menus of TIA Portal or Studio 5000, but it's a genuine way to write ladder and Structured Text for nothing.

If you're on a Mac, check first: CODESYS lists Windows 10 and 11, GX Works3 lists Windows 11, and of the tools here, OpenPLC is the one that names macOS. And stick to the makers' own download pages rather than copies passed around online, because you don't know what's in them.

Do you need the real software to learn?

Not to begin with. By the time it's your job, yes.

The logic is the part that carries over. A scan, a seal in, a timer and an interlock work the same way in principle whichever maker you end up with. And the real packages are big: Mitsubishi's GX Works3 download is about 2 GB, and CODESYS recommends 12 GB of free disk space. That's a lot before you know whether you like this.

But you do need the real software when:

  • You're working on a real machine. Downloading to a controller and going online with it happen in the maker's tool.
  • You need hardware configuration, networks or the maker's library blocks. Those live in the maker's tool, and a learning simulator like PLC Gym's doesn't cover them.
  • You're testing a real project before it goes on site. Use the maker's own emulator or simulator for your exact controller. The guide to PLC emulators explains the options.
  • You want a job using it. If an employer runs one maker's kit, time in that real tool counts, because the menus and the workflow are a skill of their own.

Where a browser simulator fits

A browser simulator sits before all that, and alongside it. PLC Gym is one, and this is PLC Gym's own blog, so weigh this accordingly.

It runs in a web browser with nothing to install. You write logic in the makers' languages: Siemens SCL, LAD, FBD and GRAPH, Rockwell Structured Text, ladder, FBD and SFC, or Beckhoff TwinCAT Structured Text. Then it runs against a working 3D machine with a 20 millisecond scan, so a tank fills because your code told it to, and you're not typing in values by hand. The first mission has you making an output follow an input, and Make it stay running gets you reading a rung and keeping a pump on until Stop.

PLC Gym's online PLC simulator has 74 missions on 26 machines. The first guided lab, the glossary and the first few missions are free with a free account. The rest is on Pro, with a 7 day free trial on an account, and paid plans start on 5 December 2026. Have a look at the plans for that.

Here's what it isn't. It isn't a real controller, it doesn't connect to real I/O, and it isn't made by or affiliated with Siemens, Rockwell or Beckhoff. There's no hardware configuration, no networks and no vendor library blocks. And there's no editor for RSLogix 500, MicroLogix or SLC 500, or for makers such as Omron or Mitsubishi, so for those it teaches you the general logic and not the tool. It can export .scl files made for TIA Portal and .L5X files made for Studio 5000, but you'd still want to test them in the real software.

How to choose

  1. You've got a machine or a job in front of you. Read the model off the controller, or ask whoever looks after it, then use the table above.
  2. You're looking for work. Read the job adverts near you, in the US, the UK or wherever you are, and note which maker keeps coming up. Then get time on that maker's tool, using a trial where you can.
  3. You're a complete beginner. Start for free with the first guided lab, then the free missions. Choose a maker once the logic makes sense.
  4. You want a real controller on your desk. Pick one whose software is free, so the only bill is the hardware. The PLC training kit guide covers that side.

Sources

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