There are many different open source licenses but they all must comply with the Open Source Definition - in brief: the software can be freely used, modified and shared. Programs released under this license can be used at no cost for both personal and commercial purposes. Open Source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify or enhance. Freeware products can be used free of charge for both personal and professional (commercial use). NI Ultiboard, the PCB layout software that is integrated with Multisim.Freeware programs can be downloaded used free of charge and without any time limitations.List of free electronics circuit simulators.

In 2005, Interactive Image Technologies was acquired by National Instruments Electronics Workbench Group and Multisim was renamed to NI Multisim. In 1999, Multisim was integrated with Ultiboard after the original company merged with Ultimate Technology, a PCB layout software company.

National Instruments has maintained this educational legacy, with a specific version of Multisim with features developed for teaching electronics. At the time it was mainly used as an educational tool to teach electronics technician and electronics engineering programs in colleges and universities. Multisim was originally called Electronics Workbench and created by a company called Interactive Image Technologies. Multisim is widely used in academia and industry for circuits education, electronic schematic design and SPICE simulation.

Multisim includes microcontroller simulation (formerly known as MultiMCU), as well as integrated import and export features to the printed circuit board layout software in the suite, NI Ultiboard. Multisim was originally created by a company named Electronics Workbench Group, which is now a division of National Instruments. Multisim is one of the few circuit design programs to employ the original Berkeley SPICE based software simulation. NI Multisim (formerly MultiSIM) is an electronic schematic capture and simulation program which is part of a suite of circuit design programs, along with NI Ultiboard.

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