Ok I have been told to use Multisim for circuit design and testing. I know that there are many members that use it on the forum.

Is this software ok for student use or should I look into another software? I know I was told to use Multisim and I will use this software, but I am interested to here of other software that others may use and find better.

I was thinking of trying out a couple and finding out which ones I like best. I would like to have any input that others may have. I don't care about price or any of that kind of stuff. I would just like to look into as many as I can find and that people have used and liked.

Here is the price for the student v12 edition of Multisim.

 

I like Proteus as it allows you to simulate source code for uC's too.

LTSpice is free.

 

Multisim is an excellent tool, and I certainly recommend it. Its component libraries are decent (thought not the best I've seen) and it's easy to use. Some others I have used are PSpice, LTSpice, and (my personal favorite), Proteus ISIS. LTSpice is freeware, but is very useful. It's about as easy to use as Multisim. PSpice is excellent, and is not much different from LTSpice. The only difference is, I believe, that it is a full (professional) version and has more features. ISIS is very expensive, but is probably the best one I've ever used. It simulates actual devices operating, such as LEDs. The library is enormous and I like the setup. The only downfall is that it takes a little getting-used-to. It's not as simple as Multisim or PSpice, but if you can afford it and spend time to learn it, it's definitely the best, in my opinion.

[EDIT] I see as I was typing this, praondevou beat me to some of the suggestions....

 

Proteus ISIS looks really cool! It is also cheaper than OrCAD. Does anyone have any experience with OrCAD as far as PCB design goes?

 

Proteus ISIS is very good for simulation. But I am not a big fan of the GUI. However I can live with it. I have not used the ECAD part. I would strongly recommend using the same tool that you will be using in school. For simulation the free LTSPICE version will do the job the first years in school. So my advice is wait some time.