Pico Technology
Pico Technology designs and manufactures PC-based oscilloscopes, data loggers, and RF test instruments, unified by its PicoScope 7 software platform, serving electronics engineers, automotive technicians, scientific researchers, and educational institutions across 150+ countries through direct e-commerce and a 60+ country distributor network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersTyler, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Pico Technology does
Pico Technology Ltd., founded in 1991 and headquartered in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, designs and manufactures PC-based test and measurement instruments, primarily oscilloscopes, data loggers, and RF products. Its product portfolio spans the PicoScope 2000 entry-level series through to the 9000/9400A sampling oscilloscopes (bandwidths up to 33 GHz), the 5000E Series with 16-bit resolution, RF vector network analyzers (PicoVNA), agile synthesizers, pulse generators, and the PicoLog family of data acquisition loggers. All instruments are unified under the PicoScope 7 software platform, which runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with free lifetime updates, advanced serial protocol decoding (40 decoders included as standard), and optional PicoSDK/pyPicoSDK integration for automated and OEM use cases. Manufacturing is conducted under an ISO 9001:2015 quality system.
The company's revenue model is dominated by one-time hardware sales of instruments and accessories, supplemented by OEM and custom integration solutions for scientific, semiconductor, and high-energy physics customers. Distribution combines direct e-commerce on picotech.com (with same-day despatch in GBP, EUR, and USD), a global distributor network in 60+ countries, and a tier-1 catalog partnership with Mouser Electronics. Pico Technology operates regional offices in the UK (global headquarters), North America, China, and India, and serves automotive diagnostics through its PicoAuto brand alongside electronics/R&D, industrial, and education verticals. The company is privately held, has never raised external venture funding, and has been continuously operating for over 33 years with a leadership team headed by CEO Alan Tong, CFO Gary Doyle, and COO Jane Percy.
Pico Technology firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pico Technology
- Legal name
- Pico Technology Ltd.
- Website
- https://picotech.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Pico Technology designs and manufactures PC-based oscilloscopes, data loggers, and RF test instruments, unified by its PicoScope 7 software platform, serving electronics engineers, automotive technicians, scientific researchers, and educational institutions across 150+ countries through direct e-commerce and a 60+ country distributor network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pico Technology industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Test and Measurement Instruments
- NAICS
- Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)
- SIC
- Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)
Keywords
Where Pico Technology is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tyler
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Pico Technology business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of PC-based oscilloscopes, data loggers, RF products, and accessories. Products range from entry-level 2000 Series to high-performance 9000 Series with bandwidths up to 33 GHz. Revenue is one-time per unit sale with optional accessories and probes.
- OEM and Custom Integration Solutions: Custom system integration and OEM solutions for embedding Pico technology into customer systems. Targets scientific research, semiconductor, and high-energy physics applications.
- Software Development Kit (SDK): PicoSDK provided free with products but enables custom development. pyPicoSDK Python package released for simplified scope control.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard oscilloscopes with 2-year warranty |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | High-performance oscilloscopes with 5-year warranty |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Accessories including demo board at £225 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Pico Technology product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pico Technology designs, develops, and manufactures PC-based test and measurement instruments, primarily oscilloscopes, data loggers, and RF products. Its portfolio spans the PicoScope series (2000 through 9000 Series with bandwidths up to 33 GHz), PicoLog data loggers, PicoVNA vector network analyzers, and PicoSource signal generators, all unified by the PicoScope 7 software platform running on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Product overview
Pico Technology is a UK-based manufacturer specializing in PC-based test and measurement instruments, primarily oscilloscopes and data loggers. The product portfolio centers on the unified PicoScope 7 software platform, which operates across all PicoScope oscilloscopes spanning multiple series: the entry-level 2000 Series, mixed-signal 3000/3000E Series, high-resolution 4000 Series, flexible-resolution 5000/5000E Series, high-performance 6000 Series, and high-bandwidth 9000 Series sampling oscilloscopes. The RF product line includes PicoVNA vector network analyzers, PicoSource Agile Synthesizers, and Pulse Generators. Data acquisition is served through the PicoLog family including the 1000 Series, ADC-20/ADC-24, TC-08 thermocouple logger, PT-104 temperature logger, CM3 current logger, and MT-03A motor tester. All products share the PicoScope 7 unified interface and are supported by comprehensive SDKs for automation and custom integration. The company also serves the automotive diagnostics market through its PicoAuto brand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PicoScope: PC-based oscilloscope product line with bandwidths up to 33 GHz, resolutions up to 16 bits, and mixed-signal models.
- PicoLog
- PicoVNA
- PicoAuto
- PicoSDK
- PicoScope 7
Products and services
- PicoScope 7 Software
- PicoScope 2000 Series
- PicoScope 3000 Series
- PicoScope 3000E Series
- PicoScope 4000 Series
- PicoScope 5000 Series
- PicoScope 5000E Series
- PicoScope 6000 Series
- PicoScope 9400A Series
- Pico Vector Network Analyzers (PicoVNA)
- PicoSource Agile Synthesizer
- PicoSource Pulse Generators
- PicoLog 1000 Series
- ADC-20 / ADC-24 Data Loggers
- TC-08 Thermocouple Data Logger
- PT-104 High Accuracy Temperature Data Logger
- PicoLog CM3 Current Data Logger
- MT-03A Milliohm & Motor Tester
- Mixed Signal Oscilloscope Training and Demo Board
- OEM & Custom Integration Solutions
- pyPicoSDK Python Package
Quantifiable outcome
- Free lifetime software updates and technical support reduce total cost of ownership
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Pico Technology
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pico Technology technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Pico Technology partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mouser ElectronicscoreGlobal distribution partnership extended in September 2024. Mouser Electronics strengthens worldwide availability of Pico Technology's test and measurement solutions through their global distribution network.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pico Technology competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Keysight Technologies: Largest pure-play electronic test & measurement company globally. Directly competes with Pico across oscilloscopes, data acquisition, vector network analysis, and RF instrumentation, but at much higher ASPs and broader enterprise coverage.
- Tektronix: Long-established oscilloscope and T&M manufacturer (now part of Fortive). Directly competes with Pico in oscilloscopes, protocol analysis, and entry-to-high-end benchtop instruments, with deep enterprise and academic relationships.
- Rohde & Schwarz: German-based T&M leader in oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and vector network analyzers. Directly comparable in RF/VNA product lines (PicoVNA vs R&S ZNA) and in high-end oscilloscopes.
- Teledyne LeCroy: Specialist in high-performance oscilloscopes and protocol analyzers (now part of Teledyne). Directly competes in mid- to high-end oscilloscope tiers with similar serial protocol decoding focus.
- Rigol Technologies: China-based oscilloscope and T&M manufacturer competing aggressively on price-performance in entry- and mid-tier bandwidths — a key value-segment competitor to Pico's 2000/3000/4000 Series.
- Siglent Technologies: China-based T&M manufacturer offering oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators at lower price points. Directly competes with Pico in entry- and mid-tier segments and is expanding into automotive diagnostics.
- National Instruments (NI, now Emerson): DAQ, modular instrumentation, and test platform company (acquired by Emerson). Directly comparable in PC-based data acquisition and automated test, with overlap in LabVIEW-oriented customer workflows.
Broad incumbents
- Yokogawa Electric: Japanese industrial automation and T&M incumbent. Overlaps with Pico in data acquisition, oscilloscopes, and power measurement for industrial customers, but with a much broader process-control portfolio.
- Fluke (Fortive): Industrial T&M brand for handheld multimeters, scopemeters, and installation testers (Fortive sister company to Tektronix). Comparable in portable and field troubleshooting instruments targeting industrial technicians.
Emerging players
- GW Instek: Taiwan-based T&M manufacturer with growing oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, and DAQ lines. Competes with Pico at the lower end and is increasingly relevant in educational and entry-level engineering markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pico Technology social profiles
Digital presencePico Technology compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Pico Technology financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pico Technology leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Pico Technology subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Pico Technology funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pico Technology M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pico Technology
What does Pico Technology do?
Pico Technology designs, develops, and manufactures PC-based test and measurement instruments, primarily oscilloscopes, data loggers, and RF products. Its portfolio spans the PicoScope series (2000 through 9000 Series with bandwidths up to 33 GHz), PicoLog data loggers, PicoVNA vector network analyzers, and PicoSource signal generators, all unified by the PicoScope 7 software platform running on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Is Pico Technology a public or private company?
Pico Technology is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pico Technology founded?
Pico Technology was founded in 1991. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Pico Technology based?
Pico Technology is headquartered in Tyler, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pico Technology make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are OEM and Custom Integration Solutions and software Development Kit (SDK).
Who are Pico Technology's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Keysight Technologies, Tektronix, Rohde & Schwarz, Teledyne LeCroy, Rigol Technologies, Siglent Technologies and National Instruments (NI, now Emerson). Broad incumbents are Yokogawa Electric and Fluke (Fortive). GW Instek is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pico Technology have an API?
Yes. Pico Technology offers the PicoSDK and pyPicoSDK (Python package) for controlling PicoScope oscilloscopes programmatically. PicoSDK provides drivers for Windows, macOS and Linux, with support for external packages including LabVIEW and MATLAB. It enables streaming mode for continuous data capture to PC RAM or hard disk, custom programming in C, C#, Python, and Visual Basic (.NET), and synchronization of multiple units through 10 MHz input or aux trigger input. The SDK is hosted on GitHub with code examples available. Developer documentation is at www.picotech.com/library/our-oscilloscope-software-development-kit-sdk.
What industry is Pico Technology in?
Pico Technology's product category is Test and Measurement Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAC, Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches). Its NAICS code is 334515 and its SIC code is 3825.