Softwr

Manufacturing · head to head

Siemens WinCC Unified vs SolidWorks

Siemens WinCC Unified logo

Siemens WinCC Unified

Manufacturing

Siemens web-based HMI and SCADA platform, licensed by PowerTag count inside TIA Portal

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SolidWorks logo

SolidWorks

Manufacturing

Parametric desktop 3D CAD from Dassault Systemes, now sold as named-user subscription on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform

From
$2820/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Siemens WinCC Unified licensing counts PowerTags, and archived tags are licensed separately from displayed tags, so a project that adds historian logging late can breach a tier and trigger an unbudgeted step-up purchase.; SolidWorks the desktop application is Windows only, so Mac and Linux users need a virtual machine, a Windows workstation or the separate cloud xDesign product at 2,580 USD a year.
  • They diverge on capability: Siemens WinCC Unified covers TIA Portal engineering, SolidWorks covers 3D solid modeling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Siemens WinCC Unified and SolidWorks actually diverge.

Attributes where Siemens WinCC Unified and SolidWorks differ
AttributeSiemens WinCC UnifiedSolidWorks
Starting priceOn request$2820/year
Pricing modelquotePer user per year
PlatformsWindows, Web, LinuxWindows
FoundedUnknown1993

Identical on both: 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 Siemens WinCC Unified

  • TIA Portal engineering
  • HTML5 runtime
  • PowerTag licensing tiers
  • Unified Comfort Panels
  • Parameter Control
  • Performance Insight
  • JavaScript scripting
  • OPC UA server and client

Only in SolidWorks

  • 3D solid modeling
  • Assembly design
  • Technical drawings
  • Simulation
  • Rendering
  • PDM systems
  • ERP systems
  • CAM software

What people use each for

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

Siemens WinCC Unified

  • A machine builder standardising on S7-1500 who wants HMI screens engineered in the same project as the PLC codenot SolidWorks
  • Replacing a WinCC V7 plant SCADA before the 2027 support cut-off without changing controller vendornot SolidWorks
  • A line supervisory system where operators and supervisors need browser access from tablets with no client software rolloutnot SolidWorks
  • A plant already committed to the TIA Portal toolchain, where the cost of a rival SCADA is the second engineering environment and the second set of skills rather than the licencenot SolidWorks

SolidWorks

  • Product designnot Siemens WinCC Unified
  • Engineering analysisnot Siemens WinCC Unified
  • Manufacturing documentationnot Siemens WinCC Unified
  • Prototypingnot Siemens WinCC Unified
  • Quality controlnot Siemens WinCC Unified

Where each one falls short

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

Siemens WinCC Unified

  • Licensing counts PowerTags, and archived tags are licensed separately from displayed tags, so a project that adds historian logging late can breach a tier and trigger an unbudgeted step-up purchase.
  • There is no migration tool that converts a WinCC V7 project to Unified, so leaving the classic line before its 2027 support end means rebuilding screens, scripts and alarm configuration by hand.
  • Scripting moved from VBScript to JavaScript, which invalidates the script libraries in-house engineers accumulated over a decade on classic WinCC.
  • It is effectively bound to the Siemens controller stack; connecting Rockwell or Mitsubishi PLCs works through OPC UA but loses the shared tag database that is the main reason to buy it.
  • Three unrelated products share the WinCC name, and buyers who specify WinCC without saying Unified, V7 or OA regularly receive quotes for the wrong platform with different licensing and a different contractor pool.

SolidWorks

  • The desktop application is Windows only, so Mac and Linux users need a virtual machine, a Windows workstation or the separate cloud xDesign product at 2,580 USD a year.
  • Perpetual licences are no longer sold through the vendor online store and come only through resellers, and a perpetual licence still needs a paid annual service contract to get upgrades and support, so buying once and paying nothing again is not really on offer.
  • Named-user subscription is per person rather than floating, so an organisation where several engineers each use CAD occasionally pays full seats for part-time use unless it negotiates otherwise.
  • History-based parametric modelling breaks noisily: a change high in the feature tree can cascade rebuild errors through an assembly, which is a real productivity cost compared with direct modelling tools.
  • Large assemblies stress single-threaded desktop performance, and teams routinely resort to configurations, simplified representations and expensive workstations rather than the software scaling on its own.
  • The Maker licence watermarks its files so they can only be opened on other Maker licences, which means hobby work cannot be carried into a commercial seat later without exporting to neutral formats and losing the feature history.

Pricing, plan by plan

Siemens WinCC Unified

On request
  • WinCC Unified$undefined/year
    • Engineering licence per seat within TIA Portal
    • Runtime licensed in PowerTag tiers, from 100 tags to unlimited
    • Archived tags licensed separately from displayed process tags

SolidWorks

$2820/year
  • 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Standard$2820/year
    • 235 USD per month billed annually, or 846 USD per quarter
    • Per named user, excluding local tax
    • Part and assembly modelling and 2D drawings
  • 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Professional$3456/year
    • 288 USD per month billed annually, or 1,038 USD per quarter
    • Everything in Standard
    • Intelligent CAD libraries of standard fasteners
  • 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS Premium$4716/year
    • 393 USD per month billed annually, or 1,416 USD per quarter
    • Everything in Professional
    • Linear static analysis for parts and assemblies
  • SOLIDWORKS xDesign$2580/year
    • 810 USD per quarter
    • Browser-based cloud modelling, no local install
    • Runs on Mac, Chromebook and tablets as well as Windows

Which should you pick?

Choose Siemens WinCC Unified if

  • You need tia portal engineering.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Linux.
  • You also want html5 runtime.
Siemens WinCC Unified review

Choose SolidWorks if

  • You need 3d solid modeling.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want assembly design.
SolidWorks review

Questions people ask

Is Siemens WinCC Unified or SolidWorks better?
Neither clearly leads. Siemens WinCC Unified starts at On request and SolidWorks at $2820/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Siemens WinCC Unified or SolidWorks?
Siemens WinCC Unified starts at On request and SolidWorks at $2820/year.
Does Siemens WinCC Unified or SolidWorks run on more platforms?
Siemens WinCC Unified runs on Windows, Web, Linux. SolidWorks runs on Windows.
What is Siemens WinCC Unified best used for?
Siemens WinCC Unified is most often used for a machine builder standardising on s7-1500 who wants hmi screens engineered in the same project as the plc code, replacing a wincc v7 plant scada before the 2027 support cut-off without changing controller vendor, a line supervisory system where operators and supervisors need browser access from tablets with no client software rollout, a plant already committed to the tia portal toolchain, where the cost of a rival scada is the second engineering environment and the second set of skills rather than the licence. Of those, a machine builder standardising on s7-1500 who wants hmi screens engineered in the same project as the plc code and replacing a wincc v7 plant scada before the 2027 support cut-off without changing controller vendor are not what SolidWorks is typically brought in for.
What can Siemens WinCC Unified do that SolidWorks cannot?
Siemens WinCC Unified covers TIA Portal engineering, HTML5 runtime, PowerTag licensing tiers, Unified Comfort Panels. SolidWorks covers 3D solid modeling, Assembly design, Technical drawings, Simulation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Siemens WinCC Unified: Should I buy WinCC Unified or WinCC V7?

Unified, for any new project. V7 and V8 receive no new features and support ends in 2027.

SolidWorks: Can you still buy a SOLIDWORKS perpetual licence?

Not from the vendor online store, which sells only term subscriptions. Perpetual licences remain available through resellers, but they still require a paid annual subscription service contract for upgrades and support.

Siemens WinCC Unified: Is WinCC OA the same product?

No. WinCC OA came from ETM, has its own engineering environment and licensing, and is aimed at very large distributed systems. It shares only the brand.

SolidWorks: How much does SOLIDWORKS cost per year?

The 3DS store lists Standard at 2,820 USD, Professional at 3,456 USD and Premium at 4,716 USD per named user per year, excluding local tax. Quarterly terms are 846, 1,038 and 1,416 USD.

Siemens WinCC Unified: What is a PowerTag?

An externally connected process variable in the runtime. Internal tags do not count, but archived tags are licensed separately from displayed ones.

SolidWorks: What is the difference between desktop SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE cloud tiers?

The desktop application still does the modelling and installs locally on Windows. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform adds cloud storage, versioning, mark-up and shared review around it. SOLIDWORKS xDesign is the separate browser-native modeller at 2,580 USD a year, and it runs on Mac and Chromebook.

Siemens WinCC Unified: Can operators use it from a browser without installing anything?

Yes, the runtime is HTML5, but concurrent browser clients need WebUX or Unified client licences.

SolidWorks: Is there a cheap version for hobbyists?

Yes. 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers is 48 USD a year or 15 USD a month, limited to personal use with project sales under 2,000 USD a year, and its files are watermarked for Maker licences only.

SolidWorks: Does SOLIDWORKS run on a Mac?

Not natively. Use the browser-based xDesign, or run the desktop application in a Windows virtual machine.

Share

Related pages

More on Siemens WinCC Unified

More on SolidWorks

Keep looking

Other head to heads