Modbus Organization

What Modbus Organization does

The Modbus Organization, Inc. is an independent, member-based 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association incorporated in Massachusetts that maintains and evolves the Modbus industrial communication protocol suite. Originally introduced by Modicon (now Schneider Electric) in 1979 and transferred to the Organization in April 2004, Modbus is described as the de facto standard in multi-vendor industrial integration with over 7 million nodes deployed across North America and Europe and hundreds of vendors implementing the protocol on thousands of devices. The Organization's technology portfolio spans the Modbus RTU serial specification, the Modbus TCP/IP implementation guide (introduced 1999), the Modbus Security protocol (TLS-encapsulated, port 802, published 2018 with X.509v3 certificate authentication and role-based access control), and the Modbus Serial Line Protocol and Implementation Guide V1.02. Core products are protocol conformance testing services — Modbus TCP/IP Conformance Test ($1,350 member / $1,500 non-member) and MB Serial Conformance Test ($1,440 member / $1,600 non-member) — conducted at authorized test laboratories in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Revenue is generated primarily through tiered annual membership dues (General Members at $1,500/$2,500/$3,500 depending on employee count; Supporting Members at $500; Individual at $60; Student at $35; Education Institution membership available), conformance testing fees, and sale of the Modbus TCP Developers Toolkit ($500 to Supporting Members, free for General Members). The Organization serves automation device suppliers and manufacturers (primary segment), system integrators, industrial end users across manufacturing, energy, oil and gas, and infrastructure, and students and educators. Distribution is self-serve through the modbus.org website, with specifications and implementation guides available as free downloads under license agreement. Schneider Electric maintains a foundational relationship, hosting multiple board seats including the current President (Todd Snide, to be succeeded by Patrick Lamboley in 2026), and co-owns software/protocol licensing rights through Schneider Automation Inc.

Name

Modbus Organization

Legal name

Modbus Organization, Inc.

Website

https://modbus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Modbus Organization is an independent 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association that maintains the Modbus industrial communication protocol suite, sells conformance testing services, and runs a tiered membership program serving automation device suppliers, system integrators, and industrial end users worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Communication Protocol Standards

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Configuration & Change Management (Backup/Restore/Compliance) (HDAFAMAB)

Keywords

• Industrial communication protocols
• Protocol conformance testing
• Industrial automation standards
• Modbus protocol specifications
• Trade association membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from General Members (organizations with <99 employees: $1,500; 100-999 employees: $2,500; 1000+ employees: $3,500), Supporting Members ($500), Individual Members ($60), and Student Members ($35). Education Institution membership available.
2. Conformance Testing Services: Revenue from Modbus TCP/IP Conformance Testing ($1,350 member / $1,500 non-member) and MB Serial Conformance Testing ($1,440 member / $1,600 non-member). Testing available at authorized test laboratories or through self-testing supplier program.
3. Modbus TCP Developers Toolkit Purchase: Non-members can purchase the Modbus TCP Developers Toolkit; Supporting Members receive preferential pricing at $500. General Members receive the toolkit for free as a membership benefit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Modbus Organization maintains and evolves the open Modbus communication protocol suite (Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP/IP, and Modbus Security) and operates a membership-based trade association. It provides paid conformance testing services (Modbus TCP/IP and MB Serial) at authorized laboratories to certify device compliance, and offers tiered membership programs (General, Supporting, Individual, Student, Education Institution) with associated technical resources such as the Modbus TCP Developers Toolkit.

Product overview

The Modbus Organization is a standards body and trade association, not a traditional product company. Its offerings consist of protocol conformance testing services (MB Serial Conformance Test and Modbus TCP/IP Conformance Test), freely available specification documents (Modbus Protocol Specification, Modbus Security Protocol, Serial Line and TCP/IP Implementation Guides), and membership programs (General, Supporting, Individual, Student, and Education Institution). General Members receive the free Modbus TCP Developers Toolkit. The organization also maintains a Discussion Forum and Newsletter for community engagement. The portfolio centers on maintaining the Modbus protocol standard, certifying device conformance, and providing educational resources to member companies who implement Modbus in their automation hardware and software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MB Serial Conformance Test Independent verification service ensuring Modbus serial devices comply with Modbus specifications, with testing available to both member and non-member companies at $1,440 and $1,600 respectively.
• Modbus TCP/IP Conformance Test Certification service for Modbus TCP devices demonstrating correct protocol implementation, priced at $1,350 for members and $1,500 for non-members.
• Modbus TCP Developers Toolkit Technical resource containing sample code, implementation examples, and diagnostics for Modbus TCP development, available free to General Members and for $500 to Supporting Members and other purchasers.
• General Membership Annual membership for companies supplying Modbus-based devices, tiered at $1,500 (<99 employees), $2,500 (100-999 employees), and $3,500 (1000+ employees). Includes voting privileges, conformance testing discounts, self-test program eligibility, logo program participation, technical committee participation, and free Developers Toolkit.
• Supporting Membership Annual membership at $500 for system integrators, including publication eligibility, committee participation, trade show exhibition opportunities, and Developers Toolkit purchase option at $500.
• Individual Membership Annual personal membership at $60 providing access to Modbus resources and community benefits.
• Student Membership Annual student membership at $35 connecting students with Modbus protocol users worldwide.
• Education Institution Membership School membership providing all students access to Modbus member benefits and the global protocol user network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7 million Modbus nodes deployed in North America and Europe alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Schneider ElectriccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchneider Electric (formerly Modicon) introduced the Modbus protocol in 1979 and transferred the protocol to the Modbus Organization in April 2004. Schneider Electric assists the organization and hosts multiple board members including President Todd Snide. The relationship is foundational to the organization's existence and ongoing protocol development.
• Schneider Automation Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchneider Automation Inc. co-owns the software/protocol licensing rights with Modbus Organization. They are listed as manufacturer for U.S. Government restricted rights documentation. Their engineering department must be contacted for reverse engineering permissions.
• SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn response to customer demand, the semiconductor industry implemented a Network Communication Standard and Object Messaging Protocol using Modbus TCP/IP, allowing SEMI Sensor Bus compatible sensors to communicate using Modbus TCP/IP. The Object Messaging Specification for Modbus TCP Protocol is used as a component in the SEMI sensor bus Network Communication Standard.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Avnu Alliance: Industry consortium certifying Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Milan audio/video networking devices; an emerging competitor to legacy industrial protocols like Modbus for next-generation deterministic Ethernet deployments in industrial and pro-AV markets.
• HMS Networks: Industrial connectivity products company (Anybus, IXXAT, Ewon) that ships gateways translating between Modbus and virtually every other industrial protocol; it is both a Modbus General Member and an adjacent competitor because its gateways reduce direct Modbus-only device demand.

Direct peers

• OPC Foundation: Independent standards body that maintains the OPC UA industrial communication and information modeling standard; directly competes with Modbus in industrial automation interoperability and offers a contrasting, modern, security-by-design architecture for the same device OEMs and system integrators Modbus serves.
• EtherCAT Technology Group: Vendor-neutral organization maintaining the EtherCAT real-time Ethernet protocol; competes with Modbus in industrial machine control and operates a similar conformance/CETEC-style certification regime funded by member dues.
• CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA): Open trade association promoting CC-Link and CC-Link IE industrial networks; directly comparable as a membership-based standards body with conformance programs targeting factory automation device makers, many of whom also implement Modbus.
• ODVA: Standards organization that owns the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) and EtherNet/IP, Industrial Protocol (CIP Safety, CIP Motion); directly comparable as a membership-driven industrial networking standards body running CIP conformance testing against Modbus's TCP/Serial conformance testing.
• PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI): Trade association governing the PROFINET and PROFIBUS industrial communication protocols; competes head-to-head with Modbus in factory automation, runs its own conformance/certification programs, and operates as a member-funded standards body structured similarly to the Modbus Organization.
• FieldComm Group: Standards body that manages the HART Communication Protocol and FOUNDATION Fieldbus; comparable as a process-automation protocol steward running registered device certification programs and offering membership tiers analogous to Modbus Organization's structure.

Others

• International Society of Automation (ISA): Non-profit professional association setting automation standards (ISA/IEC 62443) and providing conformance/certification programs; thematically adjacent to Modbus Organization as another nonprofit automation steward, though broader in scope and not a direct protocol competitor.
• Object Management Group (OMG): International standards consortium (now part of ISO/IEC JTC 1 work) that develops and curates vendor-neutral specifications including DDS and UML; a peer in operating-model terms (member-funded standards body with conformance programs) rather than direct industrial-protocol competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/modbus-organization

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Modbus Organization