Reference
OPC UA tools
The clients, simulators, model editors and diagnostic tools worth knowing, what each is genuinely good at, and when to reach for something else. Most are free.
Clients 5
UaExpertUaExpert is Unified Automation's free-to-download Windows OPC UA client and the de-facto reference test client in industry. It browses the address spaopcua-commanderopcua-commander is a terminal OPC UA client built on node-opcua. It gives you an address-space tree, an attribute inspector that can write, a referencProsys OPC UA BrowserProsys OPC UA Browser is a cross-platform Java client for browsing and reading an OPC UA server. It is the practical choice when the engineering worksopcua-client-gui (FreeOpcUa)opcua-client-gui is the FreeOpcUa project's Qt desktop client, built on the asyncua Python stack and installed from PyPI as opcua-client. It gives youMatrikon OPC UA ExplorerMatrikon OPC UA Explorer is a Windows OPC UA test client from the Matrikon line, now part of Honeywell. It browses and reads servers in the same role
Simulators 5
umati Sample ServerThe umati Sample Server is a free OPC UA server that simulates machinery companion specifications, including MachineTool, Woodworking and AdditiveManuProsys Simulation ServerThe Prosys OPC UA Simulation Server is a free, widely used desktop simulator. It serves a configurable address space with simulated values, supports sMicrosoft OPC PLC simulatorThe Microsoft OPC PLC simulator, published as iot-edge-opc-plc, is a containerised OPC UA server with PLC-like simulated tags. Its --aa switch auto-acasyncua uaserver --populateasyncua ships a uaserver command that starts a demo OPC UA server, and its populate option fills the address space with sample nodes. It is the fastesConsoleReferenceServerConsoleReferenceServer is the sample server from the OPC Foundation's UA-.NETStandard reference implementation. Because it is the reference stack, its
Modellings 6
UaModelerUaModeler is Unified Automation's graphical information-model editor. You build ObjectTypes, VariableTypes, DataTypes and instances against imported nSiOMESiOME is Siemens' OPC UA information-model editor. Its distinguishing job is mapping a companion specification or a custom model onto PLC variables anopcua-modeleropcua-modeler is the FreeOpcUa project's Python nodeset editor. It edits an address space through the asyncua stack and exports NodeSet2 XML, which maUA-ModelCompilerUA-ModelCompiler is the OPC Foundation's command-line nodeset compiler, installed as a .NET global tool. It compiles model design XML into NodeSet2 fiUA Cloud LibraryThe UA Cloud Library is the OPC Foundation's repository for OPC UA information models, reachable at uacloudlibrary.opcfoundation.org. It offers browseUANodesetWebViewerUANodesetWebViewer is a browser-based viewer for NodeSet2 files. You load a nodeset and walk its type hierarchy and instances in a tree without standi
Diagnostics 4
Wireshark OPC UA dissectorWireshark dissects OPC UA natively. The binary dissector ships in the Wireshark source tree at plugins/epan/opcua and needs no installation, so you fiCompliance Test Tool (UACTT)The OPC UA Compliance Test Tool, UACTT, is the OPC Foundation's official conformance test harness. It runs scripted tests per conformance unit againstUA-.NETStandard MCP serverThe UA-.NETStandard reference stack ships an MCP server that exposes OPC UA client operations as tools an AI agent or a script can call. It covers theMQTT ExplorerMQTT Explorer is a desktop MQTT client that shows a broker's topic tree and message payloads live. It is the tool for the northbound half of an OPC UA
Last verified 7 September 2026 against OPC UA 1.05.07. OPC UA Connect is an educational resource and is not affiliated with the OPC Foundation.