Modbus Poll for Linux: A Native AppImage Modbus Simulator
Ask for a Modbus simulator on Linux and you get the same answer three ways: run the Windows tool under Wine, spin up a Windows VM, or script something with pymodbus. All three work, and all three cost you time the first time you use them. Modbus Poll is a native x86_64 AppImage: download, make executable, run. Modbus TCP master and slave, RTU over real serial adapters, one-time $5.
What you get on Linux
- Modbus TCP master - poll holding and input registers, write coils and registers, watch values live with signed/unsigned, int16/32, float32 and swap variants.
- Modbus TCP slave simulator - serve a register map so PLC and SCADA engineers can test against known values before hardware arrives.
- RTU over serial - RS-485 via /dev/ttyUSB adapters, configurable slave ID, baud, parity. No COM-port remapping.
- Traffic you can read - a raw transaction view so you can see the actual PDU, not just the decoded values.
Installing the AppImage
The download is a single x86_64 AppImage. After purchase, the thanks page is your download and documentation hub. Three commands:
chmod +x Modbus_Poll_*_amd64.AppImage./Modbus_Poll_*_amd64.AppImage
Dependencies: FUSE2 only. On Debian and Ubuntu install libfuse2; on Arch and Fedora, fuse2 is in the standard repositories. If you prefer not to use FUSE at all, --appimage-extract unpacks a portable directory you can run from anywhere, which is handy on locked-down industrial PCs.
Where it beats Wine
Wine gets Windows Modbus software "mostly working" until it matters: serial adapters enumerate differently, broadcast behavior diverges, and every oddity costs you a troubleshooting session that looks like a network problem but is not. A native Linux build binds to your real interfaces and real serial devices. When you are commissioning, that difference is the whole product.
Where a Python script beats everything
If you need CI automation, a one-off register dump over SSH, or a headless test inside a container, pymodbus is twenty lines and free. Modbus Poll is the desktop tool for the interactive part of the job: watching values move while you adjust a drive, flipping registers to see what a PLC does, sharing a live view with a colleague who thinks in register maps, not code. Tools, not substitutes.
Run Modbus Poll on Linux
Native AppImage for x86_64 Linux. Modbus TCP + RTU master and slave simulator with a readable traffic view. $19 one-time - our entry product, so you can start small.
Get Modbus Poll: $19Frequently Asked Questions
Does Modbus Poll run on Linux?
Yes. Modbus Poll ships as an x86_64 AppImage that runs on Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12, Fedora, and Arch-based distributions. It needs only FUSE2 (libfuse2 on Debian/Ubuntu, fuse2 on Arch), which most desktop distributions already have installed.
Is the Linux build the same app as the macOS build?
Functionally yes: the same Modbus TCP and RTU master and slave simulator, the same register views, and the same license activation with a VLT license key. The packaging differs: macOS gets a native app bundle, Linux gets an AppImage you run from your home directory without a package manager.
Do I need Windows or Wine to simulate Modbus on Linux?
No. Popular Windows Modbus simulators expect Wine or a Windows VM, which adds display and serial-port quirks. Modbus Poll runs directly on the Linux network stack and serial devices, so TCP connections bind to real interfaces and RTU maps to real /dev/ttyUSB adapters.
How do I install it on Arch Linux?
Download the AppImage from the thanks page after purchase, make it executable with chmod +x, and run it. Arch ships fuse2 in the official repositories. If your window manager launches it without a display context, run it from a terminal inside your desktop session.
What can I use it for on a Linux server or industrial PC?
Everything a Modbus simulator is for: polling field devices to verify register maps, running a slave simulator so PLC and SCADA integrators can test against known values, protocol troubleshooting during commissioning, and teaching Modbus fundamentals without hardware.
Moving from simulation to monitoring?
When the project outgrows register polling, Voltrus SCADA polls Modbus, OPC-UA, S7, EtherNet/IP and BACnet continuously with dashboards, alarms, and history. Single binary, lifetime license from $49.