PLC Simulator
Factory IO alternative

A Factory IO Alternative That Runs in Your Browser

Factory IO is a great 3D factory visualisation tool — if you have Windows and already own a PLC IDE licence. If you do not, here is an honest look at what to use instead.

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Opening honesty

We make one of the tools being compared.

We have tried to be fair to Factory IO. Read the Factory IO side below before you form an opinion. In one sentence: Factory IO is the better tool if you want beautiful 3D factory commissioning and already own TIA Portal or Studio 5000. Ours is the better tool if you want to practise writing PLC code right now, on any device, without buying a vendor licence first.

A free no-install browser PLC simulator running in a tab on Mac, Linux, and Chromebook — the cross-platform alternative to the Windows-only Factory IOA web browser window running a PLC ladder logic simulator with an input/output strip, requiring no installation or download.plcsimulator.app/playno installINPUTSOUTPUTS
No Windows VM, no vendor IDE — the whole simulator runs in a browser tab.

Background

What Factory IO actually is

Factory IO is a 3D factory simulator from Real Games, a Portuguese studio that has been building industrial training software since the early 2010s. You drag factory components — conveyors, pushers, pneumatic cylinders, sensors, stackers, arms — into a 3D scene, then connect that scene to a real PLC program running elsewhere (TIA Portal, Studio 5000, Codesys SoftPLC, Do-more Designer) via OPC UA or Modbus TCP.

Pricing is a one-off purchase: roughly $29 for a Student licence, $190 for an Individual licence, and contact-for-quote for company site licences. It runs on Windows only. Factory IO does not include a PLC IDE — you bring your own, which means the sticker price is only a small part of the true cost.

Digital input and output mapping between sensors and actuators and a PLC program — the same scene I/O model Factory IO exposes over OPC UA and Modbus, built directly into this browser alternativeA digital input pushbutton wired to a PLC input card, and a PLC output card driving a lamp, with a sinking versus sourcing hint.I/O CARDINPUTOUTPUTPushbuttonI:0/0LampO:0/0sinking (NPN) vs sourcing (PNP)
Factory IO bridges scene I/O to your PLC over OPC UA or Modbus. We wire the same digital inputs and outputs straight into the editor.

Strengths

What Factory IO does well

3D visualisation

The 3D rendering is genuinely impressive — boxes fall, pushers nudge, arms stack. Watching your code drive a photoreal line is a different kind of feedback than any 2D simulator gives.

Component library

Hundreds of pre-built industrial parts: belts, gates, weighing scales, pick-and-place arms, label printers. You can build a realistic line in an hour.

Vendor-IDE integration

The OPC UA / Modbus TCP bridge lets you run your real TIA Portal or Studio 5000 program against the 3D scene. If your day job uses one of those IDEs, Factory IO feels continuous with it.

A start/stop motor control circuit driving a conveyor — the kind of control logic you write against Factory IO's 3D line and grade automatically in this browser-based Factory IO alternativeA 3-wire motor control circuit: Stop and Start pushbuttons, a contactor coil with a seal-in auxiliary contact and an overload contact, driving a motor.StopStartM (seal-in)OLMMmotor
The logic that drives a Factory IO conveyor is the same logic you write and auto-grade here.

Learner pain points

Where Factory IO falls short if you are still learning

Windows-only install

If you are on a Mac, Linux box, Chromebook, or any locked-down work device, Factory IO is a non-starter without a Windows VM and another Windows licence.

Requires a separate PLC IDE

Factory IO is the scene, not the program editor. You pair it with TIA Portal, Studio 5000, Codesys, or similar — each of which is its own install, its own cost, and its own learning curve.

Licence cost stacks fast

$190 for Factory IO plus roughly €1,200/yr for a TIA Portal Basic licence or $2,500/yr for Studio 5000 Standard is a lot of money to get to your first rung of ladder.

No built-in curriculum

You get a box of 3D parts, not a scored syllabus. There is no auto-grader telling you whether your program actually solves the scenario — you decide by watching the line run.

Feature comparison

Factory IO vs plcsimulationsoftware.com

FeatureFactory IOOurs
PlatformWindows onlyAny modern browser (Mac, Linux, Chromebook, Windows)
Price$29 Student / $190 Individual + vendor IDE licenceFree tier + Pro monthly subscription
Includes PLC IDENo — bring your ownYes — ladder, ST, FBD editor built in
Scored scenariosNo — you judge visuallyYes — 40 auto-graded scenarios
DialectsDepends on the IDE you connectIEC 61131-3, Allen-Bradley, Siemens
Install footprint~2 GB + vendor IDE 10–20 GBZero — runs in the browser
Visualisation3D photoreal2D machine diagram with animation
Interview-timer modeNoYes (Pro)
Portfolio PDF exportNoYes (Pro)
Works on school-issued ChromebookNoYes
The five IEC 61131-3 programming languages with Allen-Bradley and Siemens dialects built in — coverage Factory IO leaves to whichever vendor IDE you connect, included free in this alternativeThe five IEC 61131-3 PLC programming languages as chips: Ladder Diagram, Function Block Diagram, Structured Text, Instruction List and Sequential Function Chart.IEC 61131-3 — five languagesLDLadder DiagramFBDFunction BlockSTStructured TextILInstruction ListSFCSequential Func. Chart
Factory IO depends on whatever IDE you connect. We ship IEC 61131-3 with Allen-Bradley and Siemens dialects in the box.
A Structured Text routine running in the editor — write ST as well as ladder in this free browser Factory IO alternative without installing a vendor PLC IDEA small Structured Text code block in an editor: an IF/THEN condition, a TON timer call and assignments, showing text-based PLC programming.main.st — Structured Text1IF Start AND NOT Stop THEN2 Run := TRUE;3END_IF;4DelayTmr(IN := Run, PT := T#5s);5Lamp := DelayTmr.Q;
Practise Structured Text and ladder side by side — no vendor IDE install required.

Pick Factory IO if…

  • You are on Windows already.
  • You already own TIA Portal, Studio 5000, or Codesys.
  • You want 3D visualisation as a priority.
  • You are doing pre-commissioning or digital-twin work.
  • You are an instructor with a Windows lab and licence budget.

Pick us if…

  • You are on a Mac, Linux machine, or Chromebook.
  • You do not have a TIA Portal or Studio 5000 licence.
  • You want scored feedback, not visual-only feedback.
  • You want to practise IEC, Allen-Bradley, and Siemens dialects side-by-side.
  • You are doing interview prep in the next four weeks.
  • You want a free tier with no credit card.

Try it

Scenarios that cover the same ground as Factory IO demos

The PLC scan cycle — read inputs, execute logic, write outputs — running on a real execution model in this browser Factory IO alternative, not a static puzzleThe repeating PLC scan cycle: read inputs, execute the ladder logic, update outputs, then housekeeping, looping continuously.1Read Inputs2Execute Logic3Update Outputs4HousekeepingSCANCYCLE
Every scenario runs a real read-execute-write scan cycle — the same control model behind a Factory IO scene, scored automatically.

Conveyor Sort

Pushers, sensors, and a diverter — the classic Factory IO "Sorting by Height" feel.

View scenario →

Palletizer

Stack cartons onto a pallet with counting and layer-change logic.

View scenario →

Bottling Line

Fill, cap, and label with station-to-station interlocks and fault handling.

View scenario →

Pick & Place

Two-axis arm with position sensors and grip feedback.

View scenario →

Carton Erector

Timed pneumatic sequence with confirmation sensors.

View scenario →

Case Packer

Sequenced fill-count-release with fault recovery.

View scenario →
A TON on-delay timer sequencing a pneumatic station — the timed actuator logic behind a Factory IO carton-erector scenario, modelled in this browser alternativeA TON on-delay timer: the accumulated time bar ramps up toward the preset value, and the done (DN) bit turns on when the accumulator reaches preset.TONPRE 5000ACCACC ramps to PREPREDNdone bit
Timed pneumatic sequences — like the carton erector — use real TON/TOF timers, not animation tweens.
A seal-in latch holding a motor running after a momentary start — the start/stop interlock pattern you build for every Factory IO conveyor, graded in this Factory IO alternativeA seal-in latch rung: a Start contact in parallel with a Hold contact, in series with a normally-closed Stop contact, driving an output coil.StartHold (seal)StopMotor
Seal-in latching is the first interlock most learners hit — drill it with scored feedback.

Third options

Neither fits? Here is what else to consider.

  • LogixPro 500 — classic Allen-Bradley SLC 500 classroom simulator. Dated but well-known in US colleges. See our LogixPro alternative comparison.
  • Codesys — the industry-reference IEC 61131-3 IDE, free to download, runs its own SoftPLC simulation. Windows-only and demo mode shuts down after 2 hours. See our Codesys alternative comparison.
  • PLC-Fiddle — the lightest possible "try ladder in 30 seconds" browser tool. Ladder-only, no scored scenarios. See our PLC-Fiddle alternative comparison.
  • VirtualPlant — a free, open-source 3D factory simulator that runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS. The closest thing to a free Factory IO clone for the 3D look, though it is a smaller community project with fewer components and you still bring your own PLC program.
  • FluidSIM — Festo's 3D pneumatic and hydraulic circuit simulator with PLC control. Strong if your focus is the fluid-power side of a machine rather than ladder fundamentals.
  • OpenPLC on a Raspberry Pi — if you want real hardware for under $100 and do not mind a serious setup weekend.

Use cases

Can I use this instead of Factory IO for…?

The honest answer depends on what you are trying to get out of the exercise. The split is almost always 3D visualisation versus scored execution:

  • Learning ladder, ST, or interlock logic from scratch? Yes — and you get an auto-grader telling you whether it is correct, which Factory IO does not. Start on the scenarios page.
  • School or college coursework on a Chromebook? Yes — Factory IO will not install, and our free tier needs no licence or admin rights.
  • Interview prep in the next few weeks? Yes — use the timed mode and PDF portfolio export; that is exactly what we built it for.
  • Photoreal pre-commissioning of a specific real line? No — that is Factory IO's home turf. Build the cell in 3D there and connect your real vendor program.
  • Digital-twin or HMI-against-a-3D-scene demos for stakeholders? No — you want the 3D render. Use Factory IO, or pair our lessons for the logic and Factory IO for the visual.
A fault-finding flow for diagnosing why a scored scenario does not pass — the structured debugging Factory IO leaves you to eyeball, made explicit in this browser PLC simulator alternativeA PLC fault-diagnosis flow from top to bottom: observe the symptom, check the inputs, check the logic, check the outputs, then apply the fix.SymptomCheck inputsCheck logicCheck outputsFix
When a scenario fails, the grader points you at the failing test case — no guessing from a 3D scene whether the line "looked right".

Complementary use

Many learners actually use both

Drill fundamentals with us — scored feedback, any OS, no install — and graduate to Factory IO on a Windows machine when you want the 3D commissioning feel and are already working in TIA Portal or Studio 5000. The two tools answer different questions and do not compete head-on for a serious learner's time.

Cost

The free Factory IO alternative

Searching for a free Factory IO alternative usually means one of two things: you do not want to spend money on software yet, or you need something that works on the device in front of you right now. This simulator covers both. The free tier requires no credit card and gives you two complete, auto-graded scenarios — Traffic Light and Motor Start/Stop — that run in any browser tab on any OS.

Factory IO itself has a low-cost Student tier ($29), but that price does not include a PLC IDE. Add TIA Portal or Studio 5000 and the total cost is hundreds to thousands of dollars per year. If you are early in your learning path and just want to write ladder logic against a simulated machine without spending anything, the free tier here is the simpler starting point. You can always add Factory IO later when you have vendor software and a Windows machine to match.

Questions

Factory IO alternative FAQ

Not identical. Factory IO renders a 3D factory scene and expects you to bring your own PLC program (from TIA Portal, Studio 5000, Codesys, etc.). Our simulator does not draw a 3D factory — instead it models the control problem as a scored scenario (sensors, actuators, test cases) and grades your ladder or structured text automatically. If you want photoreal 3D and already own a vendor IDE, Factory IO is the better tool. If you want to practise writing PLC code on Mac, Linux, or Chromebook without buying a vendor licence, we are.

Give it five minutes.

No install. No credit card. Start a conveyor or palletizer scenario right now.

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