There are mainly two types of simulators. People often compare them, but in reality, they are very different things. For PWL-based simulator, they can handle ideal device but in general not handle physical device characteristic.
SPICE-based and PWL-based
There are primarily two different circuit simulation concepts
- SPICE-based (SPICE engine) : Qspice, PSpice, LTspice, TINA, NgSPICE, Hspice etc…
- PWL-based (Piecewise Linear simulation engine) : SIMPLIS, PSIM, NL5 etc…
SPICE-based models device equations. To simulate a near-ideal device, it generally requires more attention and a higher level of understanding of how to set up the simulation as it was not designed to handle discontinuity in I-V curves
PWL simulation engines model devices with piecewise linear functions and focus on resolving ideal switching circuit elements. They are designed to handle steep I-V curves