Mokxi and Logisim-evolution, compared fairly
Mokxi is a free, browser-based alternative to Logisim-evolution for logic lessons: gates, flip-flops and 74HC chips, custom chips checked against truth tables, and a path from one NAND gate to a working computer, with nothing to install. Logisim-evolution is a free, open-source desktop program for designing and simulating digital logic, built for teaching, with native packages for Windows, macOS and Linux. Mokxi is a free circuit and firmware simulator in a browser tab, with a logic path of its own. Here is where each one is the right answer.
Last checked September 2026
- 228parts on the bench
- 31boards running now
- 1.00xreal time, on every board
The Mokxi editor running an 8-bit adder made of 120 NAND gates, packaged six chips deep, with its number switches and display.
Where Logisim-evolution leads
These are the strongest reasons to choose Logisim-evolution today.
- Free and open source under the GPL-3.0, and a desktop app that works offline once installed.
- Subcircuits, a chronogram that shows signals changing over time, a large library that includes TTL chips, and components whose behavior can be written in VHDL.
- It can take a design onto an FPGA board, which Mokxi cannot do at all.
- Actively maintained, with a 5.0.0 release in September 2026.
Where Mokxi leads
These are working parts of Mokxi you can open and test for yourself.
- Runs in a browser tab with nothing to install, so it works on a school Chromebook.
- A path from one NAND gate to a computer: package any circuit as a chip, check it against its truth table row by row, and build up through an adder and memory to the Kestrel CPU running a program from ROM.
- Real 74HC logic chips and a 555 on a 0.1 inch breadboard beside the ideal gates, so a lesson can move from logic to wiring.
- Microcontrollers on the same canvas: 31 boards run real compiled C++, and classes add starters, checks, submissions and a gradebook.
Side by side
Last checked September 2026. If anything here has gone stale, that is our mistake and we want to know.
| Mokxi | Logisim-evolution | |
|---|---|---|
| Aimed at | Logic, breadboard circuits and firmware | Digital logic design |
| Runs in | A browser tab, including on Chromebooks | A Windows, macOS or Linux install |
| Price | Free; paid plans for classes and more room | Free and open source |
| Custom chips | Yes, checked against truth tables | Yes, as subcircuits |
| HDL and FPGA | No | VHDL components and FPGA board support |
| Offline | Keeps running once the tab is open | Yes, as a desktop app |
Sources for Logisim-evolution
Which one should you use
Straight answers. Where the other one is the right call, we say so.
Your course targets an FPGA or uses VHDL
Logisim-evolution.
You need to open existing Logisim circuit files
Logisim-evolution. Mokxi cannot open them.
Your students are on Chromebooks
Mokxi runs in the browser with nothing to install.
You want students to build a computer up from one NAND gate, with every step checked
Mokxi has that path built in, lesson by lesson.
You want logic and an Arduino in the same lesson
Mokxi.
Looking for a Logisim alternative that runs in a browser?
The usual reason is the machine. Logisim-evolution installs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and a school Chromebook or a locked-down lab PC may not take it. Mokxi runs in a browser tab, so gates, flip-flops, counters and a whole CPU can be built and run anywhere Chrome runs.
Be clear about what you give up. Mokxi has no VHDL, no FPGA export and no chronogram, and it cannot open .circ files, so a circuit moves over by being rebuilt. What it adds is the path from one NAND gate to a computer with a truth-table check at every step, breadboard logic chips, microcontrollers and a class workflow.
Compare the other options
The same straight comparison for the tools teachers, students and makers also consider.
In short
Is there a version of Logisim that runs in a browser?
Logisim-evolution is a desktop program for Windows, macOS and Linux. Mokxi runs logic circuits in a browser tab, and CircuitVerse is another browser-based logic simulator.
Can Mokxi open Logisim files?
No. Rebuild the circuit from gates and chips on the canvas; any part of it can then be packaged as a chip of your own and reused.
Should I use Mokxi if your course targets an fpga or uses vhdl?
Logisim-evolution.
Should I use Mokxi if you need to open existing logisim circuit files?
Logisim-evolution. Mokxi cannot open them.
Should I use Mokxi if your students are on chromebooks?
Mokxi runs in the browser with nothing to install.
Should I use Mokxi if you want students to build a computer up from one nand gate, with every step checked?
Mokxi has that path built in, lesson by lesson.
Should I use Mokxi if you want logic and an arduino in the same lesson?
Mokxi.
Try it yourself
A comparison page is somebody else’s opinion. Open the editor, press Run and make up your own mind.
Free forever. Every board and part. Saves your projects. Works on Chromebooks.