Festo Didactic Alternatives for Schools: Trainers, Software and Blended Labs

Short answer: Festo Didactic is the education arm of the Festo Group. It sells physical training equipment such as MPS stations, CP Lab and CP Factory learning factories, and EduTrainer PLC trainers, plus the Festo LX e-learning platform, to colleges, schools and training centres.

Prices aren't published. Festo's materials direct buyers to a local Festo representative for a quotation. It's a strong choice for institutions building a physical mechatronics or Industry 4.0 lab with a capital budget.

The common alternatives are:

• other trainer makers;
• vendor education programmes;
• a blended lab: keep a smaller number of physical stations, and give every student their own PLC programming and troubleshooting practice in software.

Researched October 25, 2026 from Festo Didactic catalogues and Festo press pages (sources at the end). We did not request a Festo quote.

Ownership disclosure: PLC Programming and PLC Simulation Software are run by the same team. Our product is one of the alternatives below, with its prices and limits stated.

What Festo Didactic sells

The legal entity is Festo Didactic SE, based in Denkendorf, Germany. Its brochures revised in November 2025 still carry that name, and we found no evidence of a sale or rename.

Certification.

• Festo runs a Festo Industry 4.0 Certification Program, with STEM Lab certifications plus Levels 1–3.
• Festo is also a delivery partner for the Siemens Mechatronic Systems Certification Program (SMSCP). The SMSCP credential itself is Siemens'.

What Festo Didactic does well

• Real, industrial-grade hardware. Pneumatics, sensors, conveyors and PLCs on stations built for years of student use.
• Breadth. From single PLC trainers to whole learning factories.
• Curriculum and certification. Courseware, Festo LX and certification programs aligned to the equipment.
• Vendor-matched PLCs. Siemens and Allen-Bradley EduTrainer variants let students use industry software.

Why schools look for alternatives

• Capital cost and quotes. Without public prices, budgeting means running a procurement process.
• Station count. A lab may have a handful of stations for a class of 20 or more, so each student gets limited hands-on programming time.
• Practice outside lab hours. Students can't take an MPS station home.
• Software licensing. Vendor IDEs and simulation tools carry their own licences and install requirements.

Alternatives and how they compare

A blended lab model

For many programmes the practical answer isn't either/or:

1. Software for repetition. Every student writes, tests and fault-finds ladder logic in the browser. This covers contacts, coils, timers, counters, sequences and interlocks, with automatic checking.
2. Hardware for what software can't teach. Wiring, measurement, sensors, pneumatics, commissioning and safety practice on Festo (or other) stations.
3. Fewer, better-used stations. Students arrive at the station already able to program, so lab time goes on the physical work.

The PLC training equipment and PLC lab manual pages on our main site describe how schools set this up.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Festo Didactic equipment cost?

Festo Didactic doesn't publish prices for MPS, CP Lab or EduTrainer equipment. Its materials direct buyers to a local Festo representative for a customised quotation, and the LabVolt site uses "Request information." Festo LX is sold as a 1-year subscription with no public price.

Does Festo Didactic offer PLC trainers?

Yes. The EduTrainer Universal range includes Siemens S7-1500 variants, such as the S7-1512C, an SCE-based bundle with TIA Portal, and Allen-Bradley and other PLC options.

What is Festo LX?

Festo LX, the Festo Learning Experience, is Festo Didactic's web-based learning platform. It has 600+ courses, short micro-learning units and an LX Creator tool for teachers, sold as a yearly subscription.

Can software replace a Festo lab?

Not entirely. Software can't teach wiring, measurement, pneumatics or physical commissioning. It can give every student far more programming and troubleshooting repetitions than a few shared stations, which is why many programmes combine the two.

Sources

• Festo Didactic: Factory Automation product guide and EduTrainer pages
• LabVolt by Festo: EduTrainer Universal
• Festo Didactic brochure (publisher line, revised November 2025)
• Festo LX course catalogue and Festo LX page
• Festo press: Industry 4.0 Certification Program
• Festo technical education partnerships (SMSCP)

Related reading

• PLC training programs compared
• Amatrol alternatives
• NIMS certification guide