The Best 7 Virtual Serial Port Emulators for Windows

Nowadays engineers who are developing these serial devices or applications that interact with them require the ability to test and debug their products before releasing them to the public. This can be problematic with current computers as there may not be serial ports available on the machine. Serial port emulation might be just the answer you are looking for if you in this kind of situation.

Best 7 Virtual Serial Port applications

Virtual Serial Port Driver [Eltima Software]

Virtual COM Port Emulator

Virtual Serial Port Driver

Features list:

An OEM License brings you a Dynamic Link Library with VSPD that enables you to use your own applications to directly control virtual serial ports.

Faster serial communication is a by-product of emulating serial interfaces. The virtual null-modem cable affords higher data transfer rates than a traditional, physical null-modem cable. The average speed of the emulated null-modem cable is 5.5 Mbytes/sec and is based on your system’s processor speed.

Virtual COM Port Driver enables the user to create an unlimited number of virtual COM ports that are instantly identified by any serial hardware or software that you install.

The application does not occupy any physical serial ports, and the virtual ports function in the same way as a hardware interface.

Functionality such as strict baud rate emulation, emulating serial line breaks, and full HandFlow control support are characteristics of the virtual ports that you create.

Flexibility is a feature of Virtual Serial Port Driver. Using the tool you can create ports only intended for the current user session. RDP users have the ability to create ports using the same name, such as COM1, in each user’s session.

VSPD supports both VMware and hyper-threading.

OS supported:

This Virtual Null-modem Software runs on Windows (32-bit and 64-bit): XP(only Standard)/2003(only Standard)/2008/ Vista/7/8/10, Windows Server 2012/2016/2019

From: Mr. Seely
«Eltima drivers are just something else! They are easy to install and operate, and perform consistently well on different Windows versions we work with.»

You can download Virtual Serial Port Emulator for a fully-functional 14-day free trial. The standard version of the software costs $139.95.

Virtual Serial Port Driver PRO — advanced functionality

Virtual COM Port Driver PRO

Virtual Serial Port Driver PRO

Features list:

The ability to split one physical or virtual serial port into multiple virtual RS232 ports.

You can merge an unlimited number of virtual or hardware serial ports into one virtual port.

You can create complex port bundles.

Serial traffic can be forwarded from one real port to another physical or virtual port.

The capacity to set individual read handwrite permissions for each virtual port.

Using the Activity Log to save data regarding the application’s port usage.

Automatic port switching with the Switcher feature that allows your program to communicate through any free port as if it was always the same interface.

OS supported:

Like the standard version of Virtual Serial Port Driver, the Pro edition runs on Windows (32-bit and 64-bit): XP(only Standard)/2003(only Standard)/2008/ Vista/7/8/10, Windows Server 2012/2016/2019

From: gregcormickuk
«Extremely useful when I need to hook up several apps to the same serial port, which my GPS receiver is connected to»

The Virtual Serial Port Driver PRO license would cost $199.95.

Virtual Serial Port Kit [FabulaTech]

FabulaTech’s Virtual Serial Port Kit is a software tool that enables you to emulate serial ports. These RS232 virtual ports that are created can be connected with a virtual null-modem cable.

Features list:

The functionality of the virtual COM interfaces is identical to that of a physical serial port.

Data that transferred to one of the virtual ports are simultaneously available to the interface at the other end of the virtual pair.

All of the virtual RS232 ports that you create on your system are available before user login as the application runs as a Windows system service. This ensures that they will be recreated after a system reboot.

Virtual Serial Port Kit is supported by Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1, Windows 10.

From: Alex Muller
«Virtual Serial Port Kit is now fully integrated in our software stack and we are very happy to have found FabulaTech and their excellent software»

You can get a one year license for $129.95.

Virtual Serial Ports [HHD Software]

The solution offered by HHD — Free Virtual Serial Ports is focused on the emulation of custom plug-and-play serial and I/O ports interfaced by 16550 UART.

This free virtual null-modem emulator software allows the creation of a virtual copy of hardware null-modem cables with either DB-25 or DE-9 connectors.

Two RS-232 DTE devices can communicate with each other without the need of a modem or any other DCE.

This RS-232 null-modem emulator application’s stability is facilitated by the fact that is works exclusively in user-mode.

OS supported:

This utility supported by Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows 10.

From: AK6DN
«. Looks like the ‘free’ version is just a crippled version of their regular software. Any attempt at configuration drops you into the ‘you must purchase the licensed version to do that’ dialog.»

Virtual Serial Port Emulator [Eterlogic]

The next entry in our list of virtual COM port software is Virtual Serial Ports Emulator which is developed by Eterlogic.

It is designed for software engineers that need to develop serial applications and allows them to create, test and debug applications and devices that employ serial interfaces.

Some of the benefits of this program and the virtualization of ports are that the same device can be opened by multiple applications and you can create pairs of virtual serial ports.

Serial interfaces can also be shared by multiple applications at the same time and a COM interface can use TCP to enact sharing of the port on a local network.

OS supported:

This program offers support for Windows OS. A free license is available for 32-bit platforms. If you require the 64-bit version you will need to obtain a paid version of the software.

From: Armindo
«Very nice software, that really works. Easy to setup and work with. Has all the possible requirements for cross-port-simulation. Thanks.»

The price of the paid version for Virtual Serial Ports Emulator starts from $24.95.

COM Port Data Emulator

COM Port Data Emulator is a software application that enables users to emulate an entity, such as an Ethernet device or COM port, that transmits data as a serial stream. The program takes the data stream and converts it to data packets using serial protocols like RS232, TCP/IP or UDP. Then it forwards the packets over the network.

This serial port emulator can randomly generate test data or read it from text or binary files. The data can then be sent to test a port as many times as necessary to achieve the desired results. The app can fill the role of a server or client over an IP-based network. It supports full-duplex mode as well as flow control for serial and RS232 ports.

Logging capabilities featured in the COM port emulator make it possible to fully analyze serial data traffic and the ports’ responses to specific data streams. Network administrators can use the tool to identify errors and monitor line status dynamically. COM port simulator provides the ability to control the parameters of serial communication tests by using the baud rates, data bits, parity types, and other options as needed by the programmer.

You can perform serial port emulation with any serial devices that use the RS232/RS485/RS422 protocols. This includes a wide range of industrial controllers and monitoring devices. You can even use z-modem cables and emulate serial data transmission to another computer.

Universal compatibility. Emulate COM ports as well as TCP/IP, UDP, RS232 and RS485 ports. You will need a converter if working with RS485 interfaces.

The emulator enables precise configuration of communication parameters to fully emulate the speed and characteristics of serial data transmission for testing purposes.

Data can be sent and received simultaneously in full-duplex mode with the exception of RS485 communication.

Flow control for COM and RS232 ports is fully supported.

The application can function as a client or a server over a TCP/IP network.

Easily create log files for analysis of serial data flow.

Create data streams on the fly or use files to easily conduct repetitive tests with the same information.

The application visually displays COM and RS232 line status, data streams, and communication errors.

This Virtual COM Port freeware tool supports the Windows operating system from Windows 2000 to the current version of Windows 10.

Null-modem emulator [com0com]

This solution is an open-source kernel-mode virtual serial port driver that enables the emulation of serial communication interfaces.

• A COM interface can be created with this program that works with device emulation applications. Essentially, this means that you can connect a device emulation app to one end of a serial port pair while the other end of the pair is occupied by a Windows application that requires communication with the device. An example of this in practice is sharing faxes over an IP network. You simply connect a Windows Fax application to a modem using a pair of virtual serial ports.

More details of these software solutions are available by visiting the developers’ website. There are definitely differences among the options including the fact that some of them are free while others require a financial investment. In certain cases, you may need to expose your source code in order to use them for application development.

This Virtual COM Port freeware is developed for Windows users. But not all of the solutions support the newest Windows OS version which may pose problems for you.

How to create virtual COM port with VSPD?

How to choose the best solution for your needs?

Choosing the handiest and suitable software solution depends on areas and conditions of usage. Here are a few situations where virtual serial ports can be useful.

The absence of a serial port.

Many of the computers that manufactured today are not equipped with any serial ports at all. Some machines take it a step further and do not have ports of any type, relying on wireless connectivity to peripheral devices.

The reduction in reliance on COM ports in machines and devices used for general purposes has not eliminated the requirement for serial connectivity. Many special-purpose devices still make use of serial interfaces to communicate with computers. Some examples are industrial automation monitoring devices, medical monitoring equipment, and specialized laboratory equipment.

Sharing a serial monitoring device.

If you have a serial monitoring device in an industrial production facility, it may be transmitting data used as input for several different applications. Creating virtual serial ports from a single port lets all of your applications receive their data at the same time.

Accessing multiple serial devices.

Network-attached serial devices can be assigned virtual RS232 ports that can then be merged into a single virtual port that can be used by your application.

So on these occasions, the best choice is virtual serial port emulator software. A benefit of a paid solution is that you receive regular program updates and customer support for your money. This can be a determining factor if you are doing serious development and want the most up-to-date null-modem emulator application available.

The preceding comparison of virtual null-modem software tools indicates that Eltima Software’s Virtual Serial Port Driver offers more features than the other solutions. Ease of use, quality customer support, and a focus on data protection are some of the advantages of this product. It also features a user-friendly interface that makes it an easy task to create and delete virtual COM ports.

The extended capabilities of the PRO version make this flexible software application an effective and powerful tool for developers or users who need to work with serial devices.

These are just a few ways that virtual ports can be used. If you work with serial devices or applications, a serial port emulator like Virtual Serial Port Driver can be an essential component of your software toolbox.