COMPARISON · OSCILLOSCOPES
PicoScope 2204A vs Hantek 6022BE for PC-Based Testing
PicoScope 2204A vs Hantek 6022BE is an unusual pairing: the Hantek has the higher rated bandwidth (20 MHz against 10 MHz), yet the PicoScope samples twice as fast and brings far more software. Both are two-channel, 8-bit, USB-powered boxes with no screen, so the real question is what each turns your computer into.
By the OhmSavvy Research Team ·
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PicoScope 2204A
4.3★★★★☆A pocket USB scope with Pico's polished software: serial decoding, spectrum analysis and a built-in generator.
Hantek 6022BE
4.0★★★★☆A very low-cost two-channel 20 MHz USB oscilloscope for learning on a Windows PC.
Specs side by side
| PicoScope 2204A | Hantek 6022BE | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3★★★★☆ | 4.0★★★★☆ |
| Bandwidth | 10MHz | 20MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Sample rate | 100 MS/s (1 ch); 50 MS/s (2 ch) | 48 MS/s (max) |
| Best for | Laptop users, audio and slow digital buses | Learning scope basics on a Windows laptop for very little money |
| Display | None: PicoScope 7 on your computer | None: Hantek's Windows software |
| Vertical resolution | 8-bit (up to 12-bit enhanced) | 8-bit |
| Rise time | 35 ns (Pico, calculated) | ≈17.5 ns (0.35 ÷ 20 MHz rule) |
| Memory | 8 kS block; 100 MS when streaming | Not clearly stated by Hantek |
| Vertical sensitivity | 10 mV/div to 4 V/div | 20 mV/div to 5 V/div |
| Input coupling | AC or DC | DC only |
| Triggers | Edge, window, pulse width, dropout, interval, logic | Rising or falling edge |
| Signal generator | 0.1 Hz–100 kHz, ±2 V, sweep + 12-bit AWG | None |
| Software OS | Windows, macOS, Linux (64-bit) | Windows (10, 8, 7, Vista, XP listed) |
| Size | 142 × 92 × 18.8 mm | 205 × 120 × 35 mm |
Specs checked against manufacturer documentation and official Amazon listings. Desk research, not bench testing. How we research.
Key differences
- →Rated bandwidth favors the Hantek: 20 MHz against the PicoScope's 10 MHz.
- →Sample rate favors the PicoScope: 100 MS/s on one channel and 50 MS/s on two, against a 48 MS/s maximum that Hantek doesn't split by channel count.
- →PicoScope 7 runs on Windows, macOS and Linux; Hantek lists only Windows versions for the 6022BE.
- →The 2204A has a function generator and AWG to 100 kHz with frequency sweeps; the 6022BE has no signal output.
- →Pico lists serial decoding, mask testing and pulse, window, dropout and logic triggers; Hantek lists an edge trigger, FFT, four-function math and X-Y.
- →The 2204A has 8 kS of block memory plus 100 MS USB streaming; Hantek's spec table doesn't clearly tie a buffer size to the 6022BE.
- →The Hantek is DC-coupled only; the PicoScope offers AC or DC coupling and a more sensitive 10 mV/div range.
Spec by spec
This pair splits the two headline numbers. Hantek rates the 6022BE's front end at twice the PicoScope's bandwidth, while Pico's converter takes samples roughly twice as often. The charts use figures from Pico's 2000 Series datasheet and Hantek's 6022BE specification table only.
Put the first and third charts together and the Hantek's bandwidth lead shrinks. By the 0.35 ÷ bandwidth rule a 20 MHz front end can pass an edge of about 17.5 ns, but at its 48 MS/s maximum the 6022BE records a point only every 20.8 ns, so such an edge lands between two samples and the trace is just a straight line joining them. The PicoScope's front end is slower (Pico calculates 35 ns), but with one channel on it places three or four samples along that edge. Neither scope can resolve a fast logic transition in detail; the PicoScope simply draws what it can pass more faithfully. Our bandwidth explainer and the guide to what GSa/s means cover both ideas in more depth.
PicoScope 2204A vs Hantek 6022BE for PC-based testing
A USB scope is only as good as the program it runs in, because that program is the screen, the knobs and the measurement engine. Four things decide how each one works as a PC test station.
Software and operating systems
Pico supplies PicoScope 7 for 64-bit Windows, macOS and Linux, plus PicoLog 6 for data logging and the PicoSDK for writing your own control code. Hantek lists Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP for the 6022BE. If your bench machine is a MacBook or a Linux box, that alone settles it. On Windows both will run; the difference is in what the software offers. Hantek lists an edge trigger with Auto, Normal and Single modes, cursors, FFT, add/subtract/multiply/divide math and X-Y mode. Pico's datasheet adds pulse width, window, dropout, interval and logic triggers, automatic measurements with statistics, math channels including filters, mask limit testing with a failure count, and a long list of serial decoders.
Memory and long captures
The 2204A's weak spot is its 8 kS block memory, shared between active channels. At the full 100 MS/s that is only 80 µs of signal, enough for a handful of UART characters at 115,200 baud. Pico's answer is USB streaming: PicoScope 7 can stream at up to 1 MS/s into 100 MS of memory, which is 100 seconds of continuous data for slow signals such as a sensor output, a battery discharging under load or a thermostat cycling. Hantek's table shows a buffer figure but doesn't clearly assign it to the 6022BE, so we can't work out an equivalent capture window for it.
A signal source on the same cable
The 2204A's generator outputs sine, square, triangle, ramp and other shapes from 0.1 Hz to 100 kHz at up to ±2 V, can sweep up, down or both ways, and has a 12-bit arbitrary waveform mode. Feed a sweep into an audio filter on channel A and watch the output on channel B, and you have a rough frequency-response test with nothing else on the bench. The 6022BE has no output, so the same test needs a separate generator and a second set of leads.
Front-end details
The PicoScope offers AC coupling, so you can block a 5 V or 12 V DC level and zoom in on the ripple riding on it at 10 mV/div. The 6022BE is DC-coupled only and starts at 20 mV/div, so small ripple on a supply rail sits at the edge of what it can show unless you add your own blocking capacitor. The Hantek is also the bigger box: 205 × 120 × 35 mm against 142 × 92 × 18.8 mm.
Higher bandwidth doesn't help if the samples are too far apart
What each can and can't measure
Using the 3–5× rule, the PicoScope's 10 MHz suits signals up to roughly 2–3 MHz, and the Hantek's 20 MHz suggests 4–7 MHz, although its sample rate caps fine detail sooner. In practice both live in the same territory: audio, sensors, PWM, timers and slow serial buses.
| Signal | PicoScope 2204A | Hantek 6022BE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kHz audio tone through an amplifier | Yes, plus its own generator as the source | Yes, with an external source |
| 20 kHz PWM driving a motor or LED | Yes; pulse-width trigger can catch a bad pulse | Yes; edge trigger only |
| 9600 baud UART | Yes, decoded to bytes | Yes, bits counted with cursors |
| 400 kHz I2C | Yes, decoded; short captures at full rate | Waveform only, no decoding listed |
| 100 mV ripple on a 12 V rail | Yes, with AC coupling | Needs an external blocking capacitor |
| Temperature sensor drifting over a minute | Yes, by USB streaming | Capture length not clearly stated |
| 16 MHz microcontroller clock | No: above its 10 MHz bandwidth | Shows the frequency, not a clean shape |
USB scopes share your computer's ground
Which should you buy?
| Buyer or job | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mac or Linux laptop user | PicoScope 2204A | PicoScope 7 runs on Windows, macOS and Linux |
| Lowest-cost first look at waveforms on Windows | Hantek 6022BE | Its pick lists a very low price |
| Testing filters and amplifiers | PicoScope 2204A | Built-in sweep generator to 100 kHz |
| Arduino serial debugging (UART, I2C) | PicoScope 2204A | Protocol decoding in PicoScope 7 |
| Logging a slow signal for a minute or more | PicoScope 2204A | 1 MS/s streaming into 100 MS |
| Viewing edges where rise time matters most | Hantek 6022BE | 20 MHz front end, if you accept sparse samples |
| Writing your own test scripts | PicoScope 2204A | Pico publishes the PicoSDK |
For Pico's faster model against the same Hantek, with a 32 MS buffer and 50 MHz, read PicoScope 2206B vs Hantek 6022BE. The 2204A against a USB lab-in-a-box is covered in PicoScope 2204A vs Digilent Analog Discovery 3, and another budget USB pairing in OWON VDS1022I vs Hantek 6022BE. If you'd rather not depend on a computer, see Hantek 6022BE vs Hantek DSO2D10 or Rigol DS1054Z vs Hantek 6022BE, and for general advice the oscilloscope buying guide and our beginner oscilloscope roundup.
Choose the PicoScope 2204A if…
- ✓You use a Mac or a Linux machine, or switch between operating systems
- ✓You want a sweepable test signal from the same box (0.1 Hz to 100 kHz)
- ✓You need to decode UART, I2C, SPI, CAN or LIN at modest speeds
- ✓You want to log slow signals for minutes through USB streaming
- ✓You need AC coupling for ripple or audio work
Choose the Hantek 6022BE if…
- ✓You only have a Windows PC and want the lowest-cost way to see waveforms
- ✓You look at signals where edge speed matters more than sample density
- ✓An edge trigger, FFT, basic math and cursors cover everything you plan to do
- ✓You already own a function generator and don't need one built in
Neither if…
You need to probe a mains-referenced point: neither maker's spec page describes its USB connection as isolated, so each probe's ground clip ties back to your computer and, through it, to mains earth — clipping that onto a live circuit risks the scope, the computer and you.
The bottom line
For PC-based testing the PicoScope 2204A is the more complete tool: it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, samples at up to 100 MS/s, has a sweepable generator to 100 kHz, decodes serial buses and can stream slow signals for long periods. Its limits are a 10 MHz bandwidth and an 8 kS block memory. The Hantek 6022BE has the higher 20 MHz rating and a very low price, but Windows-only software, DC coupling, a 48 MS/s ceiling and no generator make it a basic viewer rather than a test station.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the Hantek 6022BE have more bandwidth but a lower sample rate than the PicoScope 2204A?+
Bandwidth and sample rate are set by different parts. The 6022BE's input amplifier is rated at 20 MHz, but its converter tops out at 48 MS/s, so it records a point only every 20.8 ns. The 2204A's amplifier is rated at 10 MHz with a 100 MS/s converter. In practice the Hantek's extra bandwidth is hard to use because there are too few samples per cycle.
Can the PicoScope 2204A or Hantek 6022BE run on a Mac?+
Only the PicoScope. Pico's datasheet lists PicoScope 7, PicoLog 6 and the PicoSDK for 64-bit macOS, Windows and Linux. Hantek lists only Windows versions for the 6022BE: 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP. A Mac user would need a Windows installation to run the Hantek, so the 2204A is the simpler choice for Apple laptops.
Is 8 kS of memory on the PicoScope 2204A enough?+
For single short events at full speed it is tight: 8 kS at 100 MS/s covers 80 microseconds. For repetitive signals that doesn't matter, because each trigger refreshes the trace. For long, slow recordings Pico's USB streaming mode runs at up to 1 MS/s into 100 MS of memory, which is about 100 seconds of continuous data.
Can I test an audio filter with the PicoScope 2204A alone?+
Yes, for audio-range work. Its built-in generator covers 0.1 Hz to 100 kHz at up to ±2 V and can sweep frequency, so you can drive the filter from the generator output, watch input and output on the two channels and compare amplitudes across the sweep. The Hantek 6022BE has no generator, so it needs a separate signal source.
Do both USB scopes come with probes?+
Pico sells the 2204A both with probes and as the 2204A-D2 without them, so check which version a listing offers before ordering. The 6022BE is offered by several Amazon sellers rather than a Hantek brand store, so confirm the box contents with the seller you buy from, particularly the probes, before ordering.
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