Best Budget Oscilloscopes Under $200

Honestly? It depends on your definition of 'good.' Under $200, you'll find scopes that can show you signals and help you learn the basics. You won't find scopes with the accuracy, memory depth, and protocol decoding of a $350+ instrument. Every scope in this price range makes significant compromises. The key is understanding which compromises matter for your work and which ones you can live with. If you're learning electronics as a hobby and debugging Arduino projects occasionally, a budget scope is adequate. If you're doing this professionally or plan to get serious, save up — the jump from $180 to $349 for a DS1054Z is dramatic in terms of capability. Here's the comparison table at a glance: | Scope | Price | Bandwidth | Channels | Memory | Protocol Decode | |-------|-------|-----------|----------|--------|----------------| | Hantek DSO5072P | $180 | 70MHz | 2 | 40Kpts | No | | FNIRSI DPOX180H | $110 | 180MHz | 2 | 28Kpts | Yes | | FNIRSI 1014D | $115 | 100MHz | 2 | 240Kpts | No | | Hantek 6022BE | $65 | 20MHz | 2 | 1Mpts | No |

At ~$180, the Hantek DSO5072P is the best traditional benchtop oscilloscope under $200. You get a 7-inch display, 70MHz bandwidth, and a form factor that looks and behaves like a real oscilloscope on a workbench. The hard limitations are the 40Kpt memory depth (shallower than almost any modern alternative) and the absence of protocol decoding. This is a scope for looking at analog waveforms — checking PWM duty cycles, measuring amplifier output, verifying power supply ripple. It handles those tasks well. For digital protocol debugging of any kind, look elsewhere.

The FNIRSI DPOX180H packs 180MHz bandwidth, protocol decoding, a function generator, and a multimeter into a handheld device for ~$110. Impressive on paper. The 28Kpt memory depth is the dealbreaker for serious work — you can look at a signal, but you can't capture and analyze long serial transactions. The 500MSa/s sample rate is also modest for 180MHz bandwidth. At $110, it's a useful supplementary tool — something to throw in a laptop bag for quick checks — but not a primary instrument you'll enjoy working with daily.

At the lower end of the budget, the FNIRSI 1014D tablet scope (~$115) and the Hantek 6022BE USB scope (~$65) are the options. Both will show you signals. Neither will impress you with accuracy or capability. The FNIRSI 1014D is better as a standalone device with its touchscreen and built-in function generator. The Hantek 6022BE is better if you want to use your computer's large screen, but its 20MHz bandwidth is very limiting — you'll hit that ceiling almost immediately. Honest recommendation: if $115 is genuinely your maximum budget, buy the FNIRSI 1014D and accept its limitations. But if you can save up another $65-235, the jump to a Hantek DSO5072P ($180) or Rigol DS1054Z ($349) is significant.

Here's the truth most budget oscilloscope reviews won't tell you: the gap between a $180 scope and a $349 scope is much larger than the price difference suggests. The Rigol DS1054Z at $349 gives you 4 channels (vs 2), 12Mpt memory (vs 40Kpt), protocol decoding, and a mature software ecosystem with years of community support. That's not a marginal improvement — it's a different class of instrument. If you plan to use your scope more than once a month, if you're working with digital protocols, or if you want to actually enjoy your debugging sessions rather than fight your tools, seriously consider stretching your budget. The cost per hour of use drops quickly when you buy a scope you'll use for years instead of upgrading in six months.