ModelSim-Altera Edition
-
Recommended for simulating all FPGA designs (Cyclone®, Arria®, and Stratix® series FPGA designs)
-
33 percent faster simulation performance than ModelSim®-Altera® Starter edition
-
No line limitations
-
Buy today for $945
ModelSim-Altera Starter Edition
-
Support for simulating small FPGA designs
-
10,000 executable line limitation
Table 1 provides a brief overview of the ModelSim-Altera software products.
| Table 1. ModelSim-Altera Products | |||
| Product Details | ModelSim- Altera Web Edition (1) |
ModelSim- Altera Starter Edition |
ModelSim- Altera Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Discontinued | FREE No license required |
$945, includes software |
| Simulation Performance |
1x | 1.5x | 2x |
| Quartus® II Software Support |
Quartus II Web Edition software |
Quartus II Web Edition and Subscription Edition software |
|
| Device Support | CPLDs and small FPGAs | All Altera devices (Including MAX® CPLDs, Arria, Cyclone, and Stratix series FPGAs) |
|
| OS Support | Windows XP | Windows XP, Vista (32 bit) RedHat Linux Enterprise 4 and 5 (32 bit) SUSE Linux Enterprise 9.0 (32 bit) |
|
| Design Size Support | Small designs 10,000 executable line limit |
Small designs 10,000 executable line limit |
All design sizes No line limitations |
| Download | Discontinued Download previous versions |
Download | Download |
- Starting with Quartus II software version 9.0, ModelSim-Altera Web Edition is discontinued. Instead, you should use ModelSim-Altera Starter Edition or purchase ModelSim-Altera Edition for faster simulation performance.
Shorten your FPGA verification time by using the ModelSim®-Altera® software in your FPGA Design Flow. ModelSim-Altera software (View full size screenshot) supports behavioral and gate-level simulation, including VHDL or Verilog testbenches, for all Altera devices.
![]() |
ModelSim Video Demo: How to perform a functional and/or a timing simulation with the Mentor Graphics® ModelSim-Altera software |
ModelSim-Altera Software Q&A
- Is the ModelSim-Altera Edition software the same as the ModelSim PE or the ModelSim SE software?
- How do I upgrade my version of the ModelSim-Altera Edition software?
Is the ModelSim-Altera Edition software the same as the ModelSim PE or the ModelSim SE software?
No, the ModelSim-Altera Edition software is licensed to support designs written in 100 percent VHDL and 100 percent Verilog language and does not support designs that are written in a combination of VHDL and Verilog language, also known as mixed HDL. Mixed HDL support is available in the PE and SE versions of ModelSim from Mentor Graphics. ModelSim-Altera Edition only supports Altera gate-level libraries. The ModelSim-Altera Edition software includes all ModelSim PE features, including behavioral simulation, HDL testbenches, and tool command language (Tcl) scripting. However, the simulation performance of the ModelSim-Altera Edition software is slower than that of the ModelSim PE and SE software.
ModelSim-Altera Starter Edition software is the same as ModelSim-Altera Edition software except for two areas. ModelSim-Altera Starter Edition’s simulation performance is lower than ModelSim-Altera Edition and has a line limit of 10,000 executable lines compared to the unlimited number of lines allowed in the ModelSim-Altera Edition.
How do I upgrade my version of ModelSim-Altera software to ModelSim PE or SE software?
Contact your local Mentor Graphics sales office to upgrade your ModelSim-Altera software to ModelSim PE or ModelSim SE software. Contact information is available on the Mentor Graphics website.

