KUKA.Sim vs Gazebo

KUKA.Sim—Visit Gazebo—Visit

KUKA.Sim #4 in Robotic Simulation Software —/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 5 features Visit KUKA

vs

Gazebo #8 in Robotic Simulation Software —/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Gazebo

• KUKA.Sim fits best

  Offline programming for KUKA production cells

• Gazebo fits best

  General-purpose robot simulation with ROS 2

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Side by side

Feature	KUKA.Sim —/10 Visit ↗	Gazebo —/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	—	—
Ranking	#4 in Robotic Simulation Software	#8 in Robotic Simulation Software
Best for	Offline programming for KUKA production cells	General-purpose robot simulation with ROS 2
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Platforms	Windows	Linux, macOS, Windows
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features KUKA.Sim 3/5 · Gazebo 2/5
ROS support	—	✓ (best)
Sensor simulation	✓	✓
CAD import	✓ (best)	Not published
Hardware-in-the-loop	✓ (best)	Not published
USD support	Not published	Not published
Specs
Deployment	Desktop	Desktop
Our review
Pros	Simulates robot cells and production layouts before implementation Checks reachability, cycle time and collisions Imports CAD and supports KRL program exchange	Simulates robot physics, 3D worlds and configurable environments. Models cameras, lidar and other sensors in simulation. Combines ROS 2 integration with SDF descriptions and an extensible plugin architecture.
Cons	Paid software with no public price listed Runs on Windows desktop only Hardware-in-the-loop connectivity is a separately ordered add-on	Runs locally as desktop software rather than as a hosted service. ROS 2 is the listed integration, so other integrations are not part of its stated fit. Support is through community channels and documentation.
Our verdict	KUKA.Sim is KUKA’s desktop software for planning and simulating industrial robot systems. It is aimed at teams working with KUKA robots that want to program offline and assess a cell layout before implementation. Robot-cell simulation,… Read the review →	Gazebo is an open-source robotics simulator for developing, testing and validating robot systems in virtual worlds. It is aimed at robotics developers, researchers and educators who want to prototype behaviors or evaluate systems before… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• KUKA.Sim — where it wins

  • Simulates robot cells and production layouts before implementation
  • Checks reachability, cycle time and collisions
  • Imports CAD and supports KRL program exchange

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid software with no public price listed
  • Runs on Windows desktop only
  • Hardware-in-the-loop connectivity is a separately ordered add-on

• Gazebo — where it wins

  • Simulates robot physics, 3D worlds and configurable environments.
  • Models cameras, lidar and other sensors in simulation.
  • Combines ROS 2 integration with SDF descriptions and an extensible plugin architecture.

  Where it doesn't

  • Runs locally as desktop software rather than as a hosted service.
  • ROS 2 is the listed integration, so other integrations are not part of its stated fit.
  • Support is through community channels and documentation.

• KUKA.Sim—/10 · Paid

  A desktop tool for programming KUKA robots offline and simulating production cells.

  Visit KUKAFull verdict →
• Gazebo—/10 · Free plan

  A free, desktop simulator for physics-based robotics workflows with ROS 2.

  Visit GazeboFull verdict →