PLC programming software is the engineering development environment in which automation engineers write control logic, configure hardware, set communication parameters, simulate programme behaviour and download completed applications to PLC and PAC hardware for commissioning. Without the correct, licensed version of the OEM programming software, a PLC or PAC controller cannot be programmed, commissioned, faulted or maintained — the software is as essential a purchase as the hardware it configures. Each major PLC manufacturer produces its own proprietary programming environment: Siemens TIA Portal for the SIMATIC S7 family, Rockwell Studio 5000 Logix Designer for CompactLogix and ControlLogix, Mitsubishi GX Works3 for MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F, Omron Sysmac Studio for NX/NJ series, and LS Electric XG5000 for XBC and XGK controllers. All comply with the IEC 61131-3 standard that defines the five programming languages — ladder diagram, function block diagram, structured text, instruction list and sequential function chart — used across the industry.
DAS Company supplies authorised PLC programming software licences as part of hardware procurement — providing matched controller, I/O, software and commissioning tools from a single order. Purchasing programming software through an authorised distributor ensures genuine licences with full OEM technical support entitlement, access to software update services (SUS) and the version compatibility assurance that eliminates the firmware-software mismatch errors that commonly occur when hardware and software are sourced separately.
Siemens TIA Portal (Totally Integrated Automation Portal, current release V19, with V20 expected before end of 2025) is the unified engineering platform for all Siemens automation products — SIMATIC STEP 7 PLC programming (S7-1200, S7-1500, S7-300/400, ET 200SP, Software Controller), WinCC HMI and SCADA development (Basic, Comfort, Advanced, Unified and Runtime), SINAMICS Startdrive drive commissioning (G120, G130, S120, S210), and SIMOTION Scout motion control — all within a single integrated project file that shares the same tag database, hardware configuration and communication settings across PLC, HMI and drives simultaneously.
TIA Portal is available in three licence editions: STEP 7 Basic (for S7-1200 only, smallest footprint, lowest cost), STEP 7 Professional (all S7 controllers including S7-1500 and ET 200SP, most widely purchased), and STEP 7 Professional Combo (includes WinCC Advanced for HMI and SCADA development). The SUS (Software Update Service) annual contract — priced at approximately 15% of the full licence cost per year — provides access to every new TIA Portal major version released during the contract period, with TIA Portal releasing a new major version every 12–16 months. Engineers commissioning systems that will be maintained for 5+ years should evaluate SUS cost against the incremental upgrade licence (approximately 30% of full licence per major version) to determine the most cost-effective long-term licensing approach. PLCSIM Advanced (simulation, separate licence) enables the complete TIA Portal programme to be simulated on a standard PC — including HMI connection, PROFINET device simulation and OPC UA data export — without physical hardware, accelerating programme development and factory acceptance testing. DAS Company provides TIA Portal licence procurement alongside Siemens SIMATIC S7-1200, S7-1500 and ET 200SP hardware orders — with pre-dispatch firmware compatibility confirmation between shipped CPU firmware version and the TIA Portal version being used by the customer's engineering team.
Studio 5000 Logix Designer is Rockwell Automation's programming and commissioning environment for the Complete Logix family — CompactLogix 5380/5480, ControlLogix 5580, GuardLogix 5580 safety controllers and SoftLogix PC-based controller. Studio 5000 provides all five IEC 61131-3 languages plus Rockwell-specific structured text extensions, with the Add-On Instruction (AOI) framework that allows engineers to create reusable, encapsulated function blocks that appear as native instructions in the programming environment — the equivalent of IEC 61131-3 function blocks but with Studio 5000-specific testing and documentation features. The Add-On Profile (AOP) system automatically imports device parameter definitions from connected drives and devices directly into the Studio 5000 project — when a PowerFlex 525 drive is added to the project, its complete parameter list becomes available as PLC tags without manual data entry. Studio 5000 includes Logix Emulate 5000 (emulation, separate licence) for offline programme testing without physical hardware. Studio 5000 licences are perpetual, version-specific — engineers requiring compatibility with a specific CompactLogix firmware version must use the matching Studio 5000 version, making firmware-to-software version matching critical when servicing installed machines. DAS Company supplies Studio 5000 licences alongside Allen-Bradley CompactLogix, ControlLogix and PowerFlex hardware orders from our authorised Rockwell Automation distribution.
Mitsubishi GX Works3 is the programming software for the MELSEC iQ-R (modular, high-performance PAC), iQ-F FX5U/FX5UC (compact all-in-one PLC) and legacy FX3 series (backward compatible through GX Works3 with FX3U expansion module support preserved). GX Works3 provides all IEC 61131-3 languages with intelligent programming assistance and comprehensive debugging tools, built- in simulation for offline programme validation, and direct integration with GT Designer3 (GOT2000 HMI programming) and FR Configurator2 (FR-A800/FR-E800 drive commissioning) — all three tools sharing the same Mitsubishi engineering ecosystem. GX Works3's Simple Motion function block library provides pre-built positioning, homing, speed control and synchronisation instructions for FX5U integrated motion axes and iQ-R Simple Motion module applications — reducing motion programming development time versus custom code. The iQ-R safety CPU programming (for SIL 2 safety applications) is developed within GX Works3 in a separate safety programme task — using the same engineering environment as the standard programme without requiring a separate safety programming tool. GX Works3 licences are available in standard and professional editions; DAS Company provides GX Works3 supply alongside Mitsubishi MELSEC iQ-F and iQ-R hardware and FR series drive orders.
Omron Sysmac Studio is the first industry IDE integrating Logic, Motion, Robotics, HMI, Vision, Sensing, Safety and 3D Simulation in one single platform — the m ost functionally integrated PLC programming environment in the market, covering the complete NX/NJ controller application from PLC logic through servo motion axis configuration, collaborative robot (cobot) motion planning, machine vision recipe management, F3SG safety light curtain configuration and NA-series HMI screen development in a single project file. Sysmac Studio's Git-based version control integration (Team Edition) allows multiple engineers to work concurrently on the same project — with project comparison, branch management and merge conflict resolution using the Git distributed version control system, the standard approach for software development team collaboration applied for the first time to PLC programming. The Sysmac Library (free online supplement to licensed Sysmac Studio) provides rigorously tested function blocks for industry-specific applications — reducing application development time for standard machine functions. Sysmac Studio licences are registered to hardware — for all controller models, the licence is registered through the Omron Software Registration & Downloads portal, after which upgrade and support files are accessible to the registered licence holder. DAS Company provides Sysmac Studio licence supply alongside Omron NX/NJ controller, G5 servo and F3SG safety hardware orders.
LS Electric XG5000 is the free-of-charge programming software for LS Electric XBC compact PLCs (14–60 I/O, built-in Ethernet, RS-485) and XGK modular PLCs (up to 1,024 I/O, EtherNet/IP, PROFIBUS, DeviceNet expansion options). XG5000 supports IEC 61131-3 ladder diagram, structured text, function block diagram and SFC, with built-in simulation, parameter configuration and communication setup for the complete XBC/XGK range. XG5000 is downloadable without charge from LS Electric's website — there is no programming software licence cost for LS Electric controller applications, which contributes significantly to the total cost advantage of LS Electric over licensed-software PLC platforms for projects where software licence cost is a material project variable. XG5000 connects to XBC PLCs via USB or Ethernet for programme download, online monitoring and forced I/O during commissioning.
CODESYS (Control Development System) is the open-source IEC 61131-3 programming platform used by over 500 automation hardware manufacturers as the embedded programming environment for their controllers — including WAGO PFC200, Phoenix Contact PLCnext AXC, Beckhoff TwinCAT (CODESYS derivative), ABB AC500, Festo CPX-E and many others. The CODESYS Development System (the IDE) is available free of charge from the CODESYS Group — making the programming tool itself zero-cost; hardware manufacturers licence CODESYS for their embedded runtime and provide the hardware-specific CODESYS package (device description files, communication drivers) for download from their own support portals. For automation engineers working across multiple non-proprietary CODESYS-based platforms, CODESYS provides a single programming environment with transferable skills — ladder logic, structured text and function block programmes written for a WAGO PFC controller are largely transferable to a PLCnext or other CODESYS platform, reducing the retraining investment when changing hardware platforms. DAS Company provides CODESYS-based controller hardware (WAGO PFC200, Phoenix Contact PLCnext) from our authorised distribution portfolio alongside guidance on the CODESYS hardware package installation and library configuration for each platform.
PLC programming software licences are predominantly perpetual, version-specific — the licence is for a specific major version (e.g. TIA Portal V19, Studio 5000 V34) and entitles the holder to use that version indefinitely without annual payment. Compatibility between the software version and the connected controller firmware is mandatory: a Studio 5000 V34 project cannot be downloaded to a CompactLogix running firmware V30 without upgrading the controller firmware first; a TIA Portal V19 project using V19-specific instruction library features cannot be opened in TIA Portal V16 without removing those features. This version-specificity means that engineering organisations must manage their software versions carefully — maintaining a consistent version across all engineering workstations, and planning firmware upgrade schedules when moving to a new software version across an installed machine base.
The TIA Portal SUS (Software Update Service) annual contract — at approximately 15% of the full TIA Portal Professional licence cost per year — provides access to all new TIA Portal releases during the contract period. At a new major version every 12–16 months, the SUS is economically preferred over the incremental upgrade licence (approximately 30% of full licence) for engineering organisations that upgrade with every or every-other new version. For organisations that remain on a version for 3–4+ years without upgrading, incremental upgrade licences are the more cost-effective approach. DAS Company provides SUS contract procurement and renewal alongside TIA Portal licence orders — managing the annual renewal process on behalf of customers who prefer consolidated software subscription management.
System integrators building machine automation, process control and infrastructure systems require licensed programming software for each PLC platform they work with — typically holding licences for 2–3 platforms matching the hardware brands they most frequently specify. OEM machine builders require the programming software for their specific controller platform — developing the machine programme that is included with the delivered machine and maintained throughout the machine's service life. End-user maintenance teams at manufacturing facilities, utilities and infrastructure operators require programming software for the PLC platforms installed in their facilities — enabling in-house programme modification, fault diagnosis and parameter adjustment without dependence on the original system integrator for every change. Engineering consultancies and training organisations purchase programming software licences for application development and skills development — including PLCSIM Advanced for TIA Portal, Logix Emulate 5000 for Studio 5000, and the built-in simulators of GX Works3 and Sysmac Studio for hardware-free programme development and testing.
Contact DAS Company for TIA Portal V19, Studio 5000, GX Works3 and Sysmac Studio licence pricing, SUS contract quotations, version compatibility checking for your current hardware firmware and software installation, and engineering support for controller application development across Eastern Europe.
