There are a few pieces of RF test equipment that are absolutely essential. In no particular order, the top 3 most important pieces of test equipment are an adjustable DC power supply, high quality digital multimeter, and a good oscilloscope. In this post we share 22 of the best oscilloscopes (or oscopes) available today (2022 Edition).
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Without further ado, here is our list of the Top 22 oscilloscopes for any budget:
Top 5 Siglent Technologies Oscilloscopes
Siglent has grown to become a formidable name in the test equipment market. The following oscope options cover a wide range of budgets and relative capability. Given their strong reputation and solid customer support, you can’t really go wrong buying one of these Siglent oscilloscopes.
Siglent Technologies SDS1204X-E 200MHz Oscilloscope
The SDS1204X-E digital oscilloscope is the highest performance Siglent oscope on our list. This model has a measurement bandwidth of 200 MHz, 4 input channels and a sampling rate of up to 1 gigs-samples per second (GSa/S).
In terms of the interface, the SDS1204X-E oscilloscope has an integrated 7 inch LCD display. Additionally, the SDS1204X-E also has a serial triggering interface capable of decoding I2C, SPI, UART, CAN and LIN. This top of the line 4 channel oscilloscope also includes a USB WiFi adaptor and an embedded web server which gives you access to a full virtual control panel.
Other great features of the SDS1204X-E oscope includes FFT, Bode plots and special acquisition modes that allow for waveform history playbook. The onboard co-processor speeds up acquisition and makes the front panel much faster during measurements. For the prices, the SDS1204X-E offers a ton of capability for an aggressive price point that would be hard to beat.
Siglent Technologies SDS1104X-E 100Mhz Digital Oscilloscope
The Siglent SDS1104X-E oscilloscope is almost exactly like it big brother the SDS1204X-E with one important difference. The SDS1104X-E oscope only has a measurement bandwidth of 100MHz versus the 200MHz bandwidth of the SDS1204X-E. Depending on the signals of interest that you are trying capture and analyze, that may not matter to you.
The SDS1104X-E oscilloscope still offers excellent signal fidelity with the same industry-leading low system noise enabling very precise measurements. If you don’t need the higher measurement bandwidth, the SDS1104X-E would make a great addition to any lab bench or electronics lab.
Siglent Technologies SDS1202X-E 200MHz Digital Oscope
The Siglent SDS1202X-E is the last oscilloscope on the list from Siglent’s X-E series. If you’ve been paying attention to the naming convention Siglent uses for their oscopes, you’ve probably realized the SDS1202X-E is a 200MHz, 2 channel oscope. The biggest difference between this model is the number of input channels. However, that’s not the only important difference; the SDS1202X-E is also missing the Bode plot capability and web control remote interface. If those features don’t matter to you, you can save some money going with the 2-channel oscilloscope. Everything is basically the same with the other X-E series digital oscilloscopes we discussed above.
Siglent SDS1102CML+ Digital Oscilloscope
Walking even further down the price/capability curve of the Siglent oscilloscope portfolio of products brings us to the SDS1102CML+ digital oscope. This oscope packs a lot of punch for a very reasonable price. It doesn’t have some of the high-end functions and math operations as the X-E series scopes, but the SDS1102CML+ would still be at home in just about any electronics lab.
The SDS1102CML+ oscilloscope features a 7″ multi-color display, measurement bandwidth of 100MHz, 6 digit hardware frequency counter (eliminating the need for a separate frequency counter), waveform record and playback functionality, and measurement pass/fail filters (which are extremely handy for speeding up repetitive product acceptance testing).
Siglent SDS1052DL+ 50 MHz Digital Oscilloscope
The last oscope from Siglent on our list is the SDS1052DL+. This digital oscilloscope has a measurement bandwidth of 50MHz, 500 MSa/S and a memory depth of 32,000 points. This oscilloscope also features USB and LAN connections to support programming command control.
Even though the SDS1052DL+ isn’t as feature rich as the other Siglent scopes on the list, this unit will still work well for a wide range of applications: circuit design and prototyping, circuit debugging, functional testing, inspecting signal strength and quality, educational and hobbyist labs.
8 Great Oscopes from Rigol
Rigol is also one of the highest rated suppliers on our list of oscilloscope vendors. They don’t have quite as strong of a reputation as Siglent, but they are gaining popularity quickly. They also have a wide range of oscilloscopes for any budget with a few very high end models (included in the list below).
RIGOL MSO5000 Series Mixed Signal Oscilloscopes
The MSO5000 series digital oscilloscope integrates 7 independent instruments into 1, including one digital oscilloscope, one spectrum analyzer, one 16-channel logic analyzer, one arbitrary waveform generator, one digital voltmeter, one high-precision frequency counter and accumulator, and one protocol analyzer. Each of the oscilloscopes in the MSO5000 series feature a 9″ color multi-touch display. The sampling rate goes up to 8GSa/S for single channel measurements and 2GSa/S for multi-channel measurements. These oscilloscopes also feature a web control interface, USB, LAN, and HDMI ports.
The highest-end model on our whole list is the RIGOL MSO5354 digital oscope. This model has the widest measurement bandwidth of 350 MHz as well 4 analog input channels.
The MSO5000 series has multiple other options with different measurement bandwidths and analog input channels, here are a few listed below:
The MSO5204 is a 200 MHz, 4-channel oscilloscope.
The MSO5104 is a 100 MHz, 4-channel version.
The MSO5074 is a 70 MHz, 4-channel oscilloscope.
The MSO5072 is a 70 MHz, 2-channel oscope.
RIGOL DS1104Z-S Plus 100 MHz Mixed Signal Oscilloscope
The RIGOL DS1104Z-S Plus is a solid mid-tier scope from RIGOL. The DS1104Z-S Plus has a measurement bandwidth of 100 MHz and 4 analog input channels. The oscilloscope offers a 7″ LCD display. The real-time sample rate of up to 1GSa/S. The memory depth is 24 MPts. The “-S Plus” model also includes a built in signal generator with an output bandwidth of 25MHz. Of course, if you’re looking for a dedicated waveform generator you could check out one of these options.
The DS1104Z-S also includes hardware waveform recording and playback as well as Serial Bus Triggering and Decoding. Serial bus support includes decoding for RS232, UART, I2C, and SPI. Additional features of the Rigol DS1104Z-S include sweep function, multiple waveform math operation functions, and pass/fail testing.
RIGOL DS1104Z+ 100 MHz Oscilloscope
The RIGOL DS1104Z+ mixed signal oscilloscope is good mid-range model with an input frequency up to 100MHz and 4 input channels. The real-time sample rate of 1GSa/S is on par with most other oscilloscopes on this list. The design of the DS1104Z+ is familiar compared to the other RIGOL oscopes. There is a memory depth of 40Mpts and waveforms can be saved and recalled at a later time. In addition to the normal measurement functions, the DS1104Z+ also includes Serial bus triggering and decoding. When paired with the RPL1116 probe, the DS1104Z+ can also receive 16 channels of digital logic. This can be combined with the 4 analog input channels to view and analyze both digital and analog signals simultaneously. Like other RIGOL oscilloscopes on the list, the DS1104Z+ has a 7 inch TFT LCD color display.
Rigol DS1054Z 50 MHz, 4 Channel Digital Oscilloscope
The DS1054Z is almost identical to the DS1104Z+, except it has a measurement bandwidth of 50 MHz. Another key difference is the DS1054Z model does not work with the RPL1116 probe, so if you need the ability to measure digital logic channels, this is not the best oscilloscope for you. Besides those two main differences, the DS1054Z is a great entry level oscope.
RIGOL DS1202Z-E 200 MHz Digital Oscilloscope
The last Rigol oscilloscope on our list is the DS1202Z-E. This digital oscope is lowest cost option and still has a decent set of features. The measurement bandwidth is 200MHz with real-time sample rate of 1GSa/S. There are two analog input channels and up to 24 million points of memory depth.
The DS1202Z-E also includes hardware waveform recording and playback as well as Serial Bus Triggering and Decoding. Serial bus support includes decoding for RS232, UART, I2C, and SPI.
Additional features of the Rigol DS1202Z-E include sweep function, multiple waveform math operation functions, and pass/fail testing.
In terms of user interfaces, the primary user interface is the front panel 7 inch TFT LCD. There is also USB and Ethernet for remote access and control.
When you compare the DS1202Z-E to some of the low-cost options from Siglent, the Rigol oscope is very compelling. The wide measurement bandwidth, high sample rate, and large memory storage stacks up very well against the competition. At the time of writing this post, the DS1202Z-E was on sale for 12% off, so be sure to click through one of the links to check the current pricing.
Top 5 oscilloscopes from Hantek
Hantek doesn’t have anywhere close to the reputation for quality and reliability compared to Siglent or Rigol, but for some applications (prototyping or hobbyists) their low prices more than make up for their lack of street cred. The Hantek oscopes are only 2 channel, so if you need 4 channels you’ll have to go to a higher end brand. That being said, you could buy 2 Hantech oscilloscopes for the price of one 4 channel oscope in some cases, so it just depends on your needs 🙂
DSO4254C 4 Channel 250 MHz Digital Oscilloscope
DSO5102P USB Storage 100 MHz Oscilloscope 2 Channels
DSO2C15 2 Channel Benchtop Oscilloscope, 150MHz
DSO2D10 Digital Storage Oscilloscope 100MHz 2 Channel
2D72 Handheld Oscilloscope 70MHz Waveform Generator, and Multimeter
Generic or off-brand oscilloscope options
If you don’t care about brand names and are looking for something cheap that can get the job done, there are a few additional options that may be worth considering. As with just about everything else in life, you get what you pay for… so proceed with caution on these and if you’d had success with one of these oscilloscopes we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
