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Manufacturing · head to head

LabVIEW vs Paperless Parts

LabVIEW logo

LabVIEW

Manufacturing

Graphical dataflow programming for automated test, measurement and instrument control

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paperless Parts logo

Paperless Parts

Manufacturing

Quoting and estimating software for job shops, with geometry analysis and ITAR-aware handling

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: LabVIEW nI is now part of Emerson, completing in 2023, so LabVIEW sits inside an industrial automation conglomerate rather than being the flagship of a dedicated test company; roadmap priorities and support pricing follow the parent, not the user base.; Paperless Parts no pricing is published at any tier, and the mandatory implementation and data migration are quoted on top of the subscription, so the first-year cost is materially higher than the recurring one.
  • They diverge on capability: LabVIEW covers Graphical dataflow programming, Paperless Parts covers Geometry analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LabVIEW and Paperless Parts actually diverge.

Attributes where LabVIEW and Paperless Parts differ
AttributeLabVIEWPaperless Parts
PlatformsWindows, Linux, macOSWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Manufacturing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in LabVIEW

  • Graphical dataflow programming
  • Front panels
  • Instrument driver library
  • Hardware integration
  • Real-time and FPGA targets
  • Analysis and signal processing
  • Application builder
  • Nigel AI assistant

Only in Paperless Parts

  • Geometry analysis
  • Costing rules
  • Customer portal
  • Quote revisions
  • ITAR-aware handling
  • ERP hand-off

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

LabVIEW

  • An automotive supplier building an end-of-line test rig that must drive a power supply, read a scope and log pass/fail against a serial numbernot Paperless Parts
  • A semiconductor lab characterising devices across a PXI chassis where deterministic timing between instruments mattersnot Paperless Parts
  • A medical device manufacturer needing a validated, documented test system with an operator front panel a technician can run unsupervisednot Paperless Parts
  • A research group prototyping a control loop on CompactRIO where part of the logic must compile down to an FPGAnot Paperless Parts

Paperless Parts

  • A CNC machine shop losing RFQs because quotes take three days to return by emailnot LabVIEW
  • A defence supplier that must process controlled RFQ files without exposing them to a generic cloud toolnot LabVIEW
  • A fabricator standardising estimating so quotes do not vary by which estimator picked them upnot LabVIEW
  • A contract manufacturer giving customers a portal to submit parts and receive prices themselvesnot LabVIEW

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

LabVIEW

  • NI is now part of Emerson, completing in 2023, so LabVIEW sits inside an industrial automation conglomerate rather than being the flagship of a dedicated test company; roadmap priorities and support pricing follow the parent, not the user base.
  • No prices appear anywhere on the NI site for commercial editions; Base, Full, Professional and the LabVIEW+ suite are all quoted through NI or a reseller, so a buyer cannot compare cost against a Python-plus-PyVISA alternative without opening a sales conversation.
  • Graphical source code diffs badly. Merging two engineers’ changes to the same virtual instrument in git is impractical without NI’s own comparison tools, so team development on LabVIEW is slower and more serialised than on text-based languages.
  • The pool of engineers who write LabVIEW is small and ageing relative to the pool who write Python, so hiring a replacement for the person who built your test rig is materially harder and more expensive than replacing a general software engineer.
  • The environment pulls you toward NI hardware and NI add-on toolkits, and licences for real-time, FPGA and vision modules are sold separately on top of the base edition, so the quoted LabVIEW price is rarely the delivered cost of a working test system.

Paperless Parts

  • No pricing is published at any tier, and the mandatory implementation and data migration are quoted on top of the subscription, so the first-year cost is materially higher than the recurring one.
  • The quality of automated quotes depends on costing rules the shop must write, which takes an experienced estimator out of production for weeks before the system is useful.
  • ERP and shop system integration is gated to higher tiers, so a small shop on the entry plan is still retyping won quotes into its job system.
  • Geometry analysis handles prismatic machined and sheet metal parts well but struggles with complex organic surfaces, weldments and assemblies, which still need manual estimating.
  • Once costing logic and quote history live in the platform, moving to another system means rebuilding the rules from scratch, which is a strong practical lock-in beyond the contract term.

Pricing, plan by plan

LabVIEW

On request
  • LabVIEW Community EditionFree
    • Free for personal, non-commercial use only
    • Full LabVIEW feature set for hobbyists
    • No commercial deployment rights
  • LabVIEW Base$undefined/year
    • Core acquisition, control and user interface capability
    • Suited to simple test and measurement applications
    • Available as subscription or perpetual licence
  • LabVIEW Full$undefined/year
    • Adds advanced analysis and signal processing
    • Recommended where mathematics and filtering are required
    • Available as subscription or perpetual licence
  • LabVIEW Professional$undefined/year
    • Adds application builder, source control and deployment tooling
    • Includes the Nigel AI assistant
    • Available as subscription or perpetual licence

Paperless Parts

On request
  • Basic$undefined/year
    • Quoting and geometry analysis
    • Customer portal
    • For small job shops and contract manufacturers
  • Pro$undefined/year
    • Integrations with ERP and shop systems
    • Deeper costing configuration
    • For mid-sized manufacturers
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Controlled data handling for defence and aerospace
    • Multi-site and multi-process support
    • Priority support and dedicated onboarding

Which should you pick?

Choose LabVIEW if

  • You need graphical dataflow programming.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, macOS.
  • You also want front panels.
LabVIEW review

Choose Paperless Parts if

  • You need geometry analysis.
  • You also want costing rules.
Paperless Parts review

Questions people ask

Is LabVIEW or Paperless Parts better?
Neither clearly leads. LabVIEW starts at On request and Paperless Parts at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LabVIEW or Paperless Parts?
LabVIEW starts at On request and Paperless Parts at On request.
Does LabVIEW or Paperless Parts run on more platforms?
LabVIEW runs on Windows, Linux, macOS. Paperless Parts runs on Web.
What is LabVIEW best used for?
LabVIEW is most often used for an automotive supplier building an end-of-line test rig that must drive a power supply, read a scope and log pass/fail against a serial number, a semiconductor lab characterising devices across a pxi chassis where deterministic timing between instruments matters, a medical device manufacturer needing a validated, documented test system with an operator front panel a technician can run unsupervised, a research group prototyping a control loop on compactrio where part of the logic must compile down to an fpga. Of those, an automotive supplier building an end-of-line test rig that must drive a power supply, read a scope and log pass/fail against a serial number and a semiconductor lab characterising devices across a pxi chassis where deterministic timing between instruments matters are not what Paperless Parts is typically brought in for.
What can LabVIEW do that Paperless Parts cannot?
LabVIEW covers Graphical dataflow programming, Front panels, Instrument driver library, Hardware integration. Paperless Parts covers Geometry analysis, Costing rules, Customer portal, Quote revisions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LabVIEW: Who owns LabVIEW now?

NI, formerly National Instruments, was acquired by Emerson in an acquisition that completed in 2023. LabVIEW is now an Emerson product.

Paperless Parts: How much does Paperless Parts cost?

It does not publish pricing. Expect a tiered annual subscription plus a separately quoted implementation and data migration.

LabVIEW: Can I still buy a perpetual licence?

Yes. NI offers both subscription and perpetual licences and states there are no functional or feature-level differences between them.

Paperless Parts: Does it quote automatically without setup?

No. It applies your costing rules to analysed geometry, and those rules have to be built with your estimator during implementation.

LabVIEW: Is there a free version?

LabVIEW Community Edition is free for personal, non-commercial use. It carries no commercial deployment rights.

Paperless Parts: Can it handle ITAR-controlled RFQs?

It markets controlled data handling for defence and aerospace work, which is a main reason regulated shops choose it over generic quoting tools.

LabVIEW: How much does it cost?

NI does not publish commercial edition prices. Base, Full, Professional and LabVIEW+ are all quoted through NI or a reseller.

Paperless Parts: Will it integrate with my shop ERP?

Integrations exist but are gated to the higher tiers, so confirm your ERP is covered at the tier you are quoted.

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