Hobby vs Pro
de:volt has one paid plan, Pro, on top of a free Hobby tier. You can build and simulate circuits without an account at all; signing in on Hobby unlocks cloud saving, and Pro unlocks AI, collaboration, analysis, exports, and the full Learn library.
Plans at a glance
| Signed out | Hobby | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | — | A$0 | A$6.99/mo or A$69/yr |
| Live simulation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Full parts catalog | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Oscilloscope | Yes (4 channels) | Yes (4 channels) | Yes (16 channels) |
| Cloud projects | — | 5 | Unlimited |
| Components per project | — | 100 | Unlimited |
| Project organisation (folders, tags, templates) | — | Yes | Yes |
| AI assistant | — | — | 100 requests/mo |
| Analysis workbench (logic analyzer, operating point, sweeps, Monte Carlo) | — | — | Yes |
| Version history | — | — | Yes |
| Private share links | — | — | Yes |
| Collaboration (members, comments, live co-editing) | — | — | Yes |
| PNG board image export | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| JSON / BOM (CSV) / PDF report export | — | — | Yes |
| de:volt Learn, free intro course | Sign in to start | Yes | Yes |
| de:volt Learn, full library and AI tutor | — | — | Yes |
Annual billing (A$69/yr) works out to roughly two months free versus paying monthly. Prices are in Australian dollars and billed through Stripe; tax is worked out from your billing address where applicable.
What Hobby includes
A Hobby account is enough to learn, build, and keep a handful of projects:
- Live simulation of any part in the catalog.
- The oscilloscope with up to 4 channels, measurements and cursors, and live net readings.
- 5 cloud projects, each up to 100 components, synced across devices.
- Folders, tags, starring, archiving, and project templates to organise your dashboard.
- The free Introduction to Electronics course in de:volt Learn.
- PNG board-image export.
Hobby does not include AI. The AI assistant and the Learn AI tutor are part of Pro. If you used the assistant on Hobby before 5 October 2026, your past chats are still there to read.
What Pro adds
Pro is for people who outgrow Hobby or want the deeper tools:
- Unlimited cloud projects and unlimited components per project.
- 100 AI requests a month to review, explain, fix, and generate circuits (see AI Assistant).
- The full analysis workbench: 16 scope channels, saved captures, logic analyzer, operating-point snapshots, DC / temperature / frequency sweeps, and Monte Carlo runs.
- Version history: restore any earlier save and name milestones.
- Private sharing: read-only links with an expiry you control.
- Collaboration: invite members, comment, and co-edit a project live.
- Exports: JSON, a Bill of Materials (CSV), and a print-ready PDF project report.
- The full de:volt Learn library, including the Pro Logic Gates course and the Learn AI tutor.
Trial subscriptions count as Pro for the length of the trial.
How limits behave
You are never blocked from building. Limits apply at the cloud boundary.
You can open and edit any circuit locally regardless of plan. The Hobby limits take effect when you try to cross a cloud boundary: saving a 6th project, saving a circuit over 100 components, exporting, sharing, or using AI. At that point de:volt shows a prompt that names the exact feature and links to the upgrade page; nothing you have already built is lost.
Upgrading and managing billing
Open Settings -> Billing
in the simulator (/settings/billing) to subscribe (with a 7-day free trial
the first time), switch between monthly and annual, update your card and
billing details, download invoices, or cancel. It all happens on that page.
If you cancel, Pro features stay active until the end of the period you have
already paid for.
Schools and classrooms
Schools and universities license de:volt per student seat through the education programme. A student in a licensed class gets their school’s plan instead of an individual Pro subscription, and never sees a price or a card form. Teachers and other educators are free within a licensed school.
There are two plans. This table is generated from the same plan definition the product enforces, so it is always what a school actually buys.
What a licence costs
- List price is A$25 per student seat per year for Education Standard and A$45 for Education Plus, with a 15-seat minimum.
- Volume breaks per seat per year: A$22 / A$40 from 50 seats, then A$20 / A$36 from 150 seats.
- Whole-school site licences start at A$8,000 a year for Education Standard and A$14,000 for Education Plus.
- A single term costs 40% of the annual price, with the same 15-seat minimum.
- Verified public schools take 10% off: government or low-fee schools in lower-middle and low-income countries, granted on verification.
- Renewal is locked to the list price at signing for 2 years.
- Prices are in AUD and exclude GST.
Educator accounts are free and unlimited within a licensed school, with the full Pro feature set in the simulator and every Learn teaching tool.
To talk numbers for your cohort, send an enquiry through the education programme page.