SOLIDWORKS Simulation VS Zemax OpticStudio
As of 30 October 2026, Zemax OpticStudio is named by 217 companies and SOLIDWORKS Simulation by 116; SOLIDWORKS Simulation skews to companies under 200 people (41% vs 42%), Zemax OpticStudio to companies over 1,000 (36% vs 34%).
As of 30 October 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: SOLIDWORKS Simulation's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, Zemax OpticStudio rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- SOLIDWORKS Simulation: 2–200 employees
- 41%
- Zemax OpticStudio: 2–200 employees
- 42%
- SOLIDWORKS Simulation: 1,000+ employees
- 34%
- Zemax OpticStudio: 1,000+ employees
- 36%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.0 · 2.6
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | SOLIDWORKS Simulation | share | Zemax OpticStudio | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 2 | 2% | 3 | 1% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 6 | 5% | 25 | 12% | Zemax OpticStudio |
| 11-50 employees | 13 | 11% | 34 | 16% | Zemax OpticStudio |
| 51-200 employees | 29 | 25% | 33 | 15% | SOLIDWORKS Simulation |
| 201-500 employees | 16 | 14% | 32 | 15% | even |
| 501-1000 employees | 11 | 9% | 12 | 6% | SOLIDWORKS Simulation |
| 1001-5000 employees | 22 | 19% | 36 | 17% | SOLIDWORKS Simulation |
| 5001-10000 employees | 6 | 5% | 12 | 6% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 11 | 9% | 30 | 14% | Zemax OpticStudio |
| Segment | SOLIDWORKS Simulation | share | Zemax OpticStudio | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing & industry | 69 | 59% | 146 | 67% | Zemax OpticStudio |
| Business & finance services | 13 | 11% | 19 | 9% | SOLIDWORKS Simulation |
| Automotive | 8 | 7% | 2 | 1% | SOLIDWORKS Simulation |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 7 | 6% | 5 | 2% | SOLIDWORKS Simulation |
| Commerce & trade | 5 | 4% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Technology & software | 4 | 3% | 15 | 7% | Zemax OpticStudio |
| Public, community & associations | 3 | 3% | 17 | 8% | Zemax OpticStudio |
| Property & construction | 2 | 2% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 2 | 2% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Agriculture & forestry | 1 | 1% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 1 | 1% | 4 | 2% | even |
| Media & content | 1 | 1% | 4 | 2% | even |
| Health care | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | SOLIDWORKS Simulation | share | Zemax OpticStudio | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 93 | 80% | 134 | 62% | SOLIDWORKS Simulation |
| United Kingdom | 7 | 6% | 12 | 6% | even |
| Germany | 3 | 3% | 25 | 12% | Zemax OpticStudio |
| Netherlands | 3 | 3% | 8 | 4% | even |
| Italy | 2 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Australia | 1 | 1% | 3 | 1% | even |
| Canada | 1 | 1% | 5 | 2% | even |
| Switzerland | 1 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Finland | 1 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Japan | 1 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| France | – | – | 8 | 4% | outside top 12 |
| Singapore | – | – | 3 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Austria | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Czechia | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Israel | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | SOLIDWORKS Simulation | share | Zemax OpticStudio | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering (non-software) | 281 | 94% | 569 | 81% | SOLIDWORKS Simulation |
| Data & AI | 3 | 1% | 7 | 1% | even |
| General management & consulting | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Software engineering | 1 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Research and science | – | – | 44 | 6% | outside top 12 |
| IT operations & business systems | – | – | 3 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Product, program & project management | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Quality, safety & environment | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Unclassified | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Healthcare clinical | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Sales | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using SOLIDWORKS Simulation →
Companies using Zemax OpticStudio →
cae simulation ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
Zemax OpticStudio is named by 217 companies in job postings and SOLIDWORKS Simulation by 116; 2 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/solidworks-simulation-vs-zemax)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
SOLIDWORKS Simulation vs Zemax OpticStudio: questions
Which is more used, SOLIDWORKS Simulation or Zemax OpticStudio?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Zemax OpticStudio (217) over SOLIDWORKS Simulation (116). By website-and-DNS footprint, Zemax OpticStudio (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses SOLIDWORKS Simulation?
41% of SOLIDWORKS Simulation companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 42% for Zemax OpticStudio. 34% of SOLIDWORKS Simulation companies have over 1,000 employees, against 36% for Zemax OpticStudio.
Do companies run both?
2 companies name both in their postings, usually SOLIDWORKS Simulation in marketing and Zemax OpticStudio in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
Get either list your way
The same data as a search, over MCP and the API, as bulk files, or pushed to you as it changes.
Every company on either tool,
with the person who owns it
Filter on SOLIDWORKS Simulation or Zemax OpticStudio. Start free, no card.