Altair Feko
Simulation & CAE software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
Take the quiz to check if Altair Feko and its alternatives fit your requirements.
Contact the product provider
Free TrialFree version
Small
Medium
Large
- Media and communications
- Transportation and logistics
- Information technology and software
What is Altair Feko
Altair Feko is an electromagnetic (EM) simulation and analysis software suite used to model antennas, antenna placement, scattering/RCS, EMC/EMI, and related RF components. It is used by RF and antenna engineers in industries such as aerospace/defense, automotive, telecommunications, and electronics to predict EM performance before prototyping. The product combines multiple EM solvers and supports workflows that connect CAD geometry preparation with simulation and post-processing.
Antenna and placement workflows
The software supports common antenna engineering tasks such as antenna design, coupling analysis, and installed performance/placement studies on platforms (vehicles, aircraft, ships, devices). It provides capabilities to evaluate radiation patterns, near-field/far-field behavior, and interactions with surrounding structures. These workflows align with engineering teams that need simulation results tied to real-world mounting conditions.
Multiple EM solver methods
Feko includes several electromagnetic solution techniques (e.g., method-of-moments and high-frequency/asymptotic approaches) to address different problem types such as antennas, scattering, and large structures. This allows users to select a solver strategy based on frequency range, electrical size, and accuracy requirements. The breadth of solver options can reduce the need to switch tools across RF/antenna use cases.
CAD-to-simulation integration
Feko supports importing and working with CAD-based geometry and includes tools for model preparation and meshing for EM analysis. This helps bridge mechanical design data and RF simulation without fully recreating geometry in a separate environment. It is useful in organizations where RF engineers must collaborate with CAD/CAE teams and reuse existing design models.
Specialized domain focus
Feko is primarily focused on computational electromagnetics rather than general-purpose mechanical CAD or broad multiphysics simulation. Teams looking for an all-in-one environment for mechanical design, parametric CAD modeling, and general CAE may need additional tools. This can increase integration and data-management effort across the engineering toolchain.
Steep learning curve
Electromagnetic simulation requires careful setup choices (solver selection, meshing strategy, boundary conditions, and result interpretation). New users often need training to produce reliable results and to understand tradeoffs between accuracy and runtime. This can slow initial adoption compared with more general numerical computing environments.
Compute and licensing costs
Large EM models (electrically large structures, wide frequency sweeps, or high-resolution meshes) can be computationally intensive and may require significant CPU/RAM resources. Organizations may also need additional infrastructure for batch runs or distributed computing depending on project scale. Commercial licensing can be a constraint for smaller teams compared with open-source numerical tools.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Altair Units (value-based / pay-as-you-go units pool) Free tier/trial: Student Edition (free for enrolled students, renewable 12-month student license) and trial access via Altair One / Altair Unlimited (request trial). How to buy: Purchase Altair Units (license pool) via Altair Marketplace or contact Altair Sales for quotes; pricing per Altair Unit is not published on the public site. FEKO unit draw (official unit-draw examples, no monetary values published):
- 1–4 CPU cores: cumulative draw = 30.00 AUs.
- 5–36 cores: draw per core = 1.60 AUs (cumulative range ~31.60–81.20 AUs).
- 37–70 cores: draw per core = 0.80 AUs (cumulative range ~82.00–108.40 AUs).
- 71–200 cores: draw per core = 0.60 AUs (cumulative range ~109.00–186.40 AUs).
- 201–400 cores: draw per core = 0.40 AUs (cumulative range ~186.80–266.40 AUs).
- 401–800 cores: draw per core = 0.30 AUs (cumulative range ~266.70–386.40 AUs).
- 801–1600 cores: draw per core = 0.20 AUs (cumulative range ~386.60–546.40 AUs).
- 1601–3200 cores: draw per core = 0.15 AUs (cumulative range ~546.55–786.40 AUs).
- 3201–6400 cores: draw per core = 0.10 AUs (cumulative range ~786.50–1106.40 AUs).
- 6401–10000 cores: draw per core = 0.05 AUs (cumulative range ~1106.45–1286.40 AUs).
-
10000 cores: draw per core = 0.04 AUs (cumulative >1286.40 AUs). Notes: For Feko (and AcuSolve, OptiStruct) one GPU card is counted as four additional CPU cores when calculating unit draw.
Key notes / limitations:
- The official Altair site does not publish monetary prices (price per AU, package costs) for Altair Units / FEKO publicly; purchases/quotes require marketplace access or contacting Altair Sales.
- Student Edition provides free access to FEKO for qualified students (12-month renewable student license; not for commercial use).
- Trial access to FEKO is available through Altair One marketplace / Altair Unlimited trial programs (trial requires registration/request).
Seller details
Altair Engineering Inc.
Troy, Michigan, USA
1985
Public
https://www.altair.com/
https://x.com/altair
https://www.linkedin.com/company/altair-engineering/
