AI copilots for PLC programming, compared (2026)

As of 4 November 2026, OT AI Hub tracks eleven AI tools that write or edit PLC code: nine are available and two are announced. The set is every tool with a compare profile: the vendor PLC copilots, the CODESYS server, and the two browser workbenches.

Blank means not found on a primary page. A cell that already says the fact was not stated is copied from that tool's profile. OT AI Hub is not affiliated with these vendors. Nothing is for sale on the sponsors page, and no listing is marked as featured in this version.

As of 4 November 2026

Quick picker by IDE

Use the IDE you already license. Copia's host cell is Copia, for Studio 5000 and TIA Portal projects, so it appears on both rows without being a pane inside either IDE. twincat-mcp is under TwinCAT because it drives that engineering shell. It is not TwinCAT CoAgent. A status other than Available is the tool's maturity.

IDE rows name copilots whose host cell or notes place them there. Maturity is the catalog status.
IDE	Copilots
TIA Portal	Eigen Engineering Agent, Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal, Copia AI
Studio 5000	Copia AI, PLCcode.ai, FactoryTalk Conductor (Announced)
FactoryTalk Design Studio	FactoryTalk Design Studio Copilot
TwinCAT 3	TwinCAT CoAgent (Announced), twincat-mcp (Community)
CODESYS	CODESYS Development System MCP Server
Automation Studio	Automation Studio CoPilot
EcoStruxure Automation Expert	Schneider Industrial Copilot
Browser	LADX, PLCcode.ai

Full comparison

Host, scope, models, and availability are the compare profile, unchanged. Price is a figure or a free offer only when that profile states it. Otherwise the price cell reads "Not found on a primary page". Paid in the tool name's subtitle is the price class, not a quote. Last verified is the tool record.

Eleven profile rows. Price stays blank of numbers unless the profile states one.
Tool	Host	Scope	Models	Availability	Price	Last verified
Eigen Engineering AgentSiemens, paid	TIA Portal V19–V21	SCL, LAD, WinCC Unified, drives, hardware, PROFINET setup, ECAD import, project generation	Not stated on the product page	Subscription on Siemens Digital Exchange. The product page names a 1-month free trial and does not state a list price.	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-04
Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA PortalSiemens, paid	TIA Portal	SCL generation and explanation, starter WinCC Unified visualization, documentation search	Azure OpenAI, with an option Siemens described as a private instance	Xcelerator marketplace since summer 2024. Eigen is the newer agent.	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-03
FactoryTalk Design Studio CopilotRockwell Automation, paid	FactoryTalk Design Studio	Natural-language code, explanations from a rung up to a project, device add/remove/assign, help search	Docs refer to Azure OpenAI and say prompts are not used to train it	In Design Studio. Conductor is a separate, later product.	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-04
FactoryTalk ConductorRockwell Automation, paid	Studio 5000, Logix Echo, Emulate3D, FactoryTalk Optix at the announced launch	Multi-step engineering workflows across those tools, not a single chat pane	FactoryTalk Hub-hosted, or customer models including local open-weight	Announced. Commercial availability planned for Q1 2027.	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-04
TwinCAT CoAgentBeckhoff, paid	TwinCAT 3 XAE (TE1700)	PLC code, I/O configuration, HMI, documentation, via MCP agents	Cloud or local. OpenAI and Anthropic are named examples, not a lock-in.	Announced June 2026. Confirm how you actually order TE1700.	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-04
Automation Studio CoPilotB&R Industrial Automation, paid	Automation Studio 6 / Automation Studio Code	Structured Text generation, optimization, and comments	Not stated on the product page	Described as part of the current Automation Studio 6 tooling	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-04
Schneider Industrial CopilotSchneider Electric, paid	EcoStruxure Automation Expert	Generate, explain, and test PLC code; application structure from documentation	Not stated on the pages checked	Module inside EcoStruxure Automation Expert, not a separate download	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-04
Copia AICopia Automation, paid	Copia, for Studio 5000 and TIA Portal projects	Code generation and edits, documentation, change summaries on backups and revisions	Not named. Docs say uploads are not used to train the model.	Paid add-on for subscribed Copia users	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-04
CODESYS Development System MCP ServerCODESYS, paid	CODESYS Development System V3.5 SP22+	Read the open project, generate and modify Structured Text, compile, explain code	Whichever MCP client you attach. Cloud or local. CODESYS is the server, not the model.	v1.0 around April 2026, v1.1 around July 2026, via the CODESYS Installer	Not found on a primary page	2026-11-03
LADXLADX, open source	Browser. Optional self-host.	Ladder and ST authoring, conversion, virtual PLC. No live controller download.	Free shared models via LADX's OpenRouter account, or your own OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, or a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The chat page names Ollama.	Free to use. Source is Apache-2.0.	Free to use. Source is Apache-2.0.	2026-11-04
PLCcode.aiPLCcode.ai, paid	Browser. Enterprise can be self-hosted.	Studio 5000 L5X/L5K edit, explain, review workflows, generated documents	Depends on plan. Enterprise can be air-gapped.	Standard listed at $20/month on the pricing page checked 2026-11-04	Standard listed at $20/month on the pricing page checked 2026-11-04	2026-11-04

Vendor copilots

One note per tool. Each paragraph restates that tool's description, profile, and caveats. It does not add a protocol, a benchmark score, or a price the record does not contain.

Eigen Engineering Agent

Eigen Engineering Agent is the Siemens agent connected to TIA Portal. It requires TIA Portal V19, V20, or V21, TIA Portal Openness, and an Industry Organization Account. Siemens describes SCL and LAD generation, WinCC Unified scripts, drive and PROFINET setup, ECAD import, and standards-based project generation. It acts inside the project rather than pasting suggestions. The model is not stated on the product page. The product page does not state a list price. It says pricing and purchase are on Siemens Digital Exchange, where a 1-month free trial is offered.

Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal

Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal is the earlier assistant in TIA Portal. Its scope is SCL generation and explanation, a starter WinCC Unified visualization, and documentation search. Siemens said it uses Azure OpenAI, with an option described as a private instance that is not used to retrain models. It was announced at Hannover Messe 2024 and offered from the Siemens Xcelerator marketplace starting summer 2024. Eigen Engineering Agent is the newer product, and it acts inside the project. Treat the two as separate generations. This row was last checked on 3 November 2026.

FactoryTalk Design Studio Copilot

FactoryTalk Design Studio Copilot is Rockwell's generative assistant inside FactoryTalk Design Studio, the cloud Logix engineering environment. Scope is natural-language code, explanations from a rung up to a project, device add/remove/assign, and help search. The docs refer to Azure OpenAI and say prompts are not used to train Azure OpenAI. They also say Copilot can explain, but cannot modify, safety-related PLC code and device configuration. Project code generation is a Core entitlement that has to be enabled. Engineers are expected to review changes before they land. FactoryTalk Conductor is a later product, not this copilot.

FactoryTalk Conductor

FactoryTalk Conductor is Rockwell's announced orchestration layer for multi-step engineering workflows, not a single chat pane. The public debut is Automation Fair 2026. Commercial availability is planned for Q1 2027, so this is not something you can buy and install today. Launch hosts are Studio 5000, Logix Echo, Emulate3D, and FactoryTalk Optix. Design Studio, Historian, Plex, and Fiix are described as later. Models are FactoryTalk Hub-hosted, or customer models including local open-weight. No list price was on the pages checked.

TwinCAT CoAgent

TwinCAT CoAgent is Beckhoff's assistant for TwinCAT engineering, product TE1700, inside TwinCAT 3 XAE. Beckhoff says it is an MCP client with agents for PLC, I/O, HMI, and the Information System, and that customers can attach their own MCP servers. Models can be cloud or local, including air-gapped use. Beckhoff says specialists review results before execution. The product page and the 23 June 2026 press release do not state a public price or an order path, so confirm fulfillment with Beckhoff. The unofficial twincat-mcp project is different software.

Automation Studio CoPilot

Automation Studio CoPilot is the B&R coding assistant inside Automation Studio 6 and Automation Studio Code. The page says CoPilot translates prompts entered in natural language into structured code (ST code), and that it helps with writing, optimizing, and commenting. B&R describes it as part of the current Automation Studio 6 tooling. The model is not stated on the product page. Model vendor, data-retention terms, and a separate price were not on that page. It is a vendor IDE assistant, not an MCP server.

Schneider Industrial Copilot

Schneider Industrial Copilot is the PLC code assistant embedded in EcoStruxure Automation Expert. Schneider does not sell it as a standalone product. Schneider's own writing says it generates, explains, and tests PLC code against Schneider libraries, and that it is a module inside that platform. The cited Automation World interview says it is not available independently of EcoStruxure Automation Expert. The model is not stated on the pages checked. No public price or model card was on the pages checked. Marketing percentages on the blog are not copied here.

Copia AI

Copia AI is a paid copilot for Rockwell and Siemens projects stored in Copia: code edits, documentation, and change summaries. Copia is a source-control product, not a PLC brand. Docs list Copilot chat, Copilot for DeviceLink, and Copilot for Source Control. Rockwell Studio 5000 is marked supported across those features. Siemens TIA Portal chat is marked supported. DeviceLink and the source-control copilot for Siemens were still marked in progress. Copia says customer files are not used to train the models. It does not talk to a live controller by itself. Adding it to a plan is through a Copia account executive.

CODESYS Development System MCP Server

The CODESYS Development System MCP Server lets an MCP client read and write the open project, generate and modify Structured Text, compile, and explain code. CODESYS is the server, not the model: whichever MCP client you attach, cloud or local. It requires CODESYS V3.5 SP22 or later, licensed through the CODESYS Professional Developer Edition. Availability is v1.0 around April 2026 and v1.1 around July 2026, via the CODESYS Installer. Help text reported by LADX says graphical languages can be read but not created. No dollar price was on the page checked. That page was not reopened on 4 November 2026, so the check stays 3 November 2026.

LADX

LADX is a free PLC workbench in the browser. The source is Apache-2.0. Chat writes rungs onto the canvas, then runs the editor's validator and a seal-in check. Without your own key it uses free models through LADX's OpenRouter account. You can attach OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, or a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The chat page names Ollama. It exchanges Siemens SCL, Rockwell L5X, CODESYS, and PLCopen XML as files, not as a live session. LADX says it cannot download to a live controller, and a passing check is not a safety case.

PLCcode.ai

PLCcode.ai is a paid browser workspace for Studio 5000 L5X and L5K projects. The profile says an enterprise plan can be air-gapped. Scope is edit, explain, review workflows, and generated documents. Standard is listed at $20/month on the pricing page checked 4 November 2026. The pricing page says Siemens and CODESYS are coming. Cloud plans store the project and send questions to the model you pick. The homepage says to test output before it touches equipment. PLCconnect is marked coming soon, so this is not a live controller session.

Bring-your-own-model options

Air-gapped plants care who holds the weights. These records say the model is yours to choose, or that an enterprise plan can stay on your network. Silence on the other rows is not a no.

CODESYS Development System MCP Server is a server, not a model: whichever MCP client you attach, cloud or local. TwinCAT CoAgent is an MCP client and names local models for air-gapped use. The pages still do not state an order path, so the row stays announced.

LADX uses free shared models through its OpenRouter account, or your own OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, or local endpoint. The chat page names Ollama. FactoryTalk Conductor says customer models, including local open-weight, with commercial availability planned for Q1 2027. PLCcode.ai says an enterprise plan can be air-gapped. Cloud plans store the project.

Free and open-source options

LADX is free to use and the source is Apache-2.0. Ladder and Structured Text stay in a virtual PLC. It says it cannot download to a live controller, and a passing check is not a safety case.

twincat-mcp is the community TwinCAT server in this index. It is MIT, not affiliated with Beckhoff, and dangerous operations need to be armed. It can change a target runtime. You bring the AI client and the model. It is not TE1700.

This index does not list a community MCP server for TIA Portal or for Studio 5000. Platform hubs such as a TIA Portal page are not on this site yet, so these links go to the tool pages and the compare hub.

How to evaluate a copilot in a week

Five checks, on a copy of a project, before a budget request. Model scores are transcribed in Best LLM for PLC programming. A live download is covered by Is it safe to connect AI to a PLC?.

Same three tasks. Use one ladder or Structured Text block, one explanation of your own code, and one edit. Run every candidate on those three, not on a vendor demo.
Simulator. Run the result in the simulator or virtual PLC that tool's page names. LADX names a virtual PLC. If the page names none, review the diff by hand.
Diff review. A person reads the change before a download. An edit inside the open project can still be wrong.
Cost per task. Divide the price the profile states by the tasks you ran. A cell that was not found on a primary page means the cost is unknown, not free. A trial is not a list price.
Data-handling terms. Copy only a retention sentence the vendor page states. If the page is silent, write that it was not stated.

FAQ

What AI copilots exist for PLC programming?

As of 4 November 2026, OT AI Hub tracks eleven AI tools that write or edit PLC code: nine are available and two are announced. Vendor copilots: Siemens' Eigen Engineering Agent and Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal, Rockwell's FactoryTalk Design Studio Copilot and FactoryTalk Conductor (announced), Beckhoff's TwinCAT CoAgent (announced), B&R's Automation Studio CoPilot, Schneider Industrial Copilot, and Copia AI. Others are the CODESYS Development System MCP Server and the browser tools LADX and PLCcode.ai.

Which PLC copilot works with Studio 5000, TIA Portal, TwinCAT, or CODESYS?

Studio 5000: Copia AI, PLCcode.ai, and FactoryTalk Conductor (announced). TIA Portal: Eigen Engineering Agent, Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal, and Copia AI. TwinCAT 3: TwinCAT CoAgent (announced) and twincat-mcp (community). CODESYS: CODESYS Development System MCP Server. Copia's host cell is Copia, for Studio 5000 and TIA Portal projects, not a pane inside those IDEs. twincat-mcp is an unofficial server, not TwinCAT CoAgent. FactoryTalk Design Studio, Automation Studio, and EcoStruxure Automation Expert each have their own row in the picker.

Which PLC copilots can run on local models or air-gapped?

Among tools whose pages say so: the CODESYS Development System MCP Server works with whichever MCP client and model you attach, cloud or local. Beckhoff describes TwinCAT CoAgent as cloud or local, including air-gapped use. LADX accepts your own OpenRouter, Anthropic, or OpenAI key, or a local OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and the chat page names Ollama. Rockwell says FactoryTalk Conductor can use customer models, including local open-weight ones. PLCcode.ai says an enterprise plan can be air-gapped. Where a page is silent, this comparison does not fill the cell.

Is there a free AI PLC programming tool?

Yes. LADX is free to use and its source is Apache-2.0. It authors and converts ladder and Structured Text in the browser with a virtual PLC, and it says it cannot download to a live controller. twincat-mcp is also free and open source, though it requires your own AI client and model, and it can change a target runtime. This index does not list a community MCP server for TIA Portal or Studio 5000.

Siemens Industrial Copilot vs Eigen vs FactoryTalk Design Studio Copilot: which one?

They are three different products. Eigen Engineering Agent is the newer Siemens agent inside TIA Portal V19–V21. It acts in the open project. The product page does not state a list price, and the model is not stated on the product page. Siemens Industrial Copilot for TIA Portal is the earlier TIA Portal assistant for SCL generation and explanation, and Siemens said it uses Azure OpenAI. FactoryTalk Design Studio Copilot is Rockwell's assistant inside FactoryTalk Design Studio, not a Siemens tool and not Studio 5000. Pick the one whose host cell matches the IDE you already license. None of the three has a list price in the price column.

Disclosure and sources

On 4 November 2026, primary pages were opened again for every profile row whose last-verified date is that day. A row still dated earlier was not reopened, and twincat-mcp was not reopened. FactoryTalk Conductor's commercial availability planned for Q1 2027, the missing TE1700 price and order path, and PLCcode.ai Standard at $20/month were still on the pages opened that day.

Vendor marketing percentages are not copied into this page. OT AI Hub does not sell these products and is not affiliated with the vendors. Sponsors are placeholder rates. Nothing is for sale yet.