Free HDL Simulators

There are several free and open-source Hardware Description Language (HDL) simulators available today. Free HDL simulators provide a valuable resource for anyone interested in HDLs, whether they are students, hobbyists, or professionals. They allow users to experiment with HDLs, learn new skills, and develop digital designs without having to make a significant financial investment.

They are important for severals reasons

Cost: HDL simulators can be expensive, especially the commercial ones. Free simulators provide an opportunity for students, hobbyists, and small companies with limited budgets to learn and use HDLs without spending a lot of money.

Accessibility: By making HDL simulators available for free, developers and educators can remove financial barriers to access and promote the widespread adoption of HDLs.

Community: The development of free and open-source HDL simulators often involves a community of developers and users who contribute to the project. This can lead to more features, bug fixes, and improvements that benefit everyone who uses the software.

Learning: Free HDL simulators provide an opportunity for beginners to learn and experiment with HDLs without having to make a financial commitment. This can be especially valuable for students and hobbyists who want to explore digital design and FPGA programming.

Here are some of the most popular ones:

Icarus Verilog: 

Icarus Verilog is a free and open-source Verilog simulator. It supports the Verilog-2005 standard, as well as some features of the SystemVerilog standard.

Icarus Verilog: https://iverilog.fandom.com/wiki/Installation_Guide

GHDL: 

GHDL is a free and open-source VHDL simulator. It supports the VHDL-87, VHDL-93, and VHDL-2008 standards.

GHDL: https://github.com/ghdl/ghdl/releases

Verilator: 

Verilator is a free and open-source SystemVerilog simulator. It can also compile synthesizable Verilog code.

Verilator: https://www.veripool.org/wiki/verilator

ModelSim Student Edition: 

ModelSim Student Edition is a free and limited version of the commercial ModelSim simulator. It supports VHDL and Verilog simulation and includes a waveform viewer.

ModelSim Student Edition: https://www.mentor.com/company/higher_ed/modelsim-student-edition

Xilinx Vivado WebPACK: 

Xilinx Vivado WebPACK is a free version of the commercial Vivado simulator from Xilinx. It supports VHDL, Verilog, and SystemVerilog simulation and includes a waveform viewer.

Xilinx Vivado WebPACK: https://www.xilinx.com/products/design-tools/vivado/vivado-webpack.html