Serial Studio

What is Serial Studio?

Serial Studio is a native cross-platform desktop application that turns data from your hardware into a live dashboard. It speaks UART, Bluetooth LE, TCP/UDP, MQTT, Modbus, CAN Bus, audio, raw USB, HID and process I/O, and visualises the data through plots, gauges, GPS maps, FFTs, 3D views and a scriptable Canvas2D widget.

Is Serial Studio free?

Yes. The GPL-3.0 source build is free and covers Serial/UART, TCP/UDP and Bluetooth LE with 15+ widgets, CSV export, JavaScript and Lua frame parsers, the TCP API and MCP server. Pro adds MQTT, Modbus, CAN Bus, audio, USB, HID, the 3D and waterfall widgets, MDF4, session database, the AI Assistant and more. Pro starts at $9.99/month, with a $349 lifetime option.

Which platforms does Serial Studio run on?

Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13 and later (Intel and Apple Silicon), Linux x86_64 and ARM64, and Raspberry Pi. A signed AppImage and a Flathub package are also available.

Can Serial Studio decode CAN Bus DBC files?

Yes. The Pro CAN Bus driver imports DBC files and decodes signals automatically for classic CAN and CAN FD. Logs can be exported and replayed as MDF4.

Does Serial Studio support MQTT?

Yes, in the Pro edition. Serial Studio can publish telemetry from local hardware to an MQTT broker and subscribe to topics from anywhere, bridging your bench equipment into an IoT pipeline.

Can I use Serial Studio commercially?

Commercial use requires the Pro edition. The free build is GPL-3.0 and is restricted by the GPL terms; for proprietary integration inside a company, choose Pro, Small Business or Enterprise.

How does Serial Studio compare to Arduino IDE Serial Plotter or PuTTY?

Serial Studio is built for production telemetry, not just a single plot. It decodes structured frames with code-free Built-In templates or JavaScript and Lua parsers, supports 10 bus drivers (not only USB serial), draws 20+ widgets, records and replays sessions to CSV or MDF4, and exposes a TCP API, gRPC server and MCP server for automation. The Arduino Serial Plotter and PuTTY are useful for quick checks; Serial Studio replaces the custom dashboard you would otherwise have to build.

Can Serial Studio automate a connected device?

Yes. The Control Loop gives every project an Arduino-style setup() and loop(). setup() runs once when the device connects and loop() runs while it stays connected, so the script can send wake-up handshakes, poll Modbus registers or AT commands on a timer, issue keep-alives or step a state machine, all without changing the device firmware. It runs on its own watchdog-protected worker thread and never blocks the dashboard.