Mokxi and SimulIDE, compared fairly
SimulIDE is a free, open-source desktop simulator for microcontroller circuits, PIC, AVR and Arduino among them, on Windows, Linux and macOS, with its own code editor and debugger. Mokxi does a similar job in a browser tab with no install. Here is where each one is the right answer.
Last checked October 2026
- 269parts on the bench
- 32boards running now
- 1.00xreal time, on every board
The Mokxi editor running a digital logic circuit: two buttons driving an AND, an XOR and a NOT gate.
Where SimulIDE leads
These are the strongest reasons to choose SimulIDE today.
- Free and open source under the AGPLv3, and a native desktop app, so it needs no internet connection to run once installed.
- PIC as well as AVR and Arduino, with a built-in editor and debugger for Arduino code, GcBasic and PIC and AVR assembly.
- Built for simplicity and speed, with mixed analog and digital parts beside the microcontroller.
- No account, no cloud dependency and no browser required at all.
Where Mokxi leads
These are working parts of Mokxi you can open and test for yourself.
- Runs in a browser tab with nothing to install, and works the same on a Chromebook that cannot install a desktop app at all.
- Your C++ is built by a real clang inside the tab; there is no separate compiler or toolchain to install and keep in sync.
- Thirty-two boards, including ESP32 and ESP8266 boards, the Raspberry Pi Pico and two STM32 boards, each on its real memory map.
- Projects save to an account and share by link, and classes add starters, checks, submissions and a gradebook.
Side by side
Last checked October 2026. If anything here has gone stale, that is our mistake and we want to know.
| Mokxi | SimulIDE | |
|---|---|---|
| Aimed at | Firmware and breadboard work, in-tab | Firmware and circuit work, on the desktop |
| Install needed | No | Yes |
| Works on a Chromebook | Yes, in the browser | Only with Linux apps turned on, which on a school-managed Chromebook is the administrator’s call |
| Microcontrollers | 32 Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266, Pico, STM32, micro:bit and ATtiny85 boards | PIC, AVR, Arduino and others |
| Price | Free; paid plans for classes and more room | Free and open source |
Which one should you use
Straight answers. Where the other one is the right call, we say so.
You are on a Chromebook or a locked-down school machine
Mokxi needs no install at all.
You want a native desktop app with no browser or account
SimulIDE.
You work with PIC microcontrollers
SimulIDE. Mokxi has no PIC.
You want an ESP32 or a Raspberry Pi Pico
Mokxi runs both, on its free plan.
You want to share a project by a link rather than a file
Mokxi.
Import your SimulIDE circuit
Drop the .sim1 file (or a .simu from an older version) on Mokxi’s import page, with the sketch beside it in a folder or a zip. Resistors, capacitors, LEDs, diodes, transistors, MOSFETs, op-amps, the 555, buttons, switches, servos, the DHT22, the HC-SR04, the HD44780 LCD and the Arduino Uno, Nano and Mega come across where they stood, with every wire, junction and tunnel.
SimulIDE loads a compiled .hex into a board and keeps the sketch in its own editor, and Mokxi builds from source, so bring the .ino. PIC chips and the parts Mokxi does not have become labeled notes, and the report lists each one.
Compare the other options
The same straight comparison for the tools teachers, students and makers also consider.
In short
Can I import my SimulIDE circuits?
Yes. Drop the .sim1 or .simu file with its .ino on the import page. The circuit and the sketch come across; a compiled .hex does not, since Mokxi builds the sketch itself.
Should I use Mokxi if you are on a chromebook or a locked-down school machine?
Mokxi needs no install at all.
Should I use Mokxi if you want a native desktop app with no browser or account?
SimulIDE.
Should I use Mokxi if you work with pic microcontrollers?
SimulIDE. Mokxi has no PIC.
Should I use Mokxi if you want an esp32 or a raspberry pi pico?
Mokxi runs both, on its free plan.
Should I use Mokxi if you want to share a project by a link rather than a file?
Mokxi.
Try it yourself
A comparison page is somebody else’s opinion. Open the editor, press Run and make up your own mind.