Comparison
A BoxSim alternative for Mac, Linux and the browser
Visaton's BoxSim is a proven, free program – but for Windows only. If you want to simulate a passive crossover on a Mac, on Linux or on an iPad, Crover is an alternative that runs in the browser. Here is honestly what Crover does and what it doesn't (yet).
BoxSim and Crover compared
| Feature | BoxSim | Crover |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | partly: Windows; Mac/Linux only via a VM or Wine | yes: Browser: Mac, Windows, Linux, iPad |
| Price | yes: free | yes: free to use |
| Crossover simulation with FRD/ZMA measurements | yes: yes | yes: yes, live while you change a value |
| Enclosure simulation (sealed, vented …) | yes: yes | partly: enclosure planner as an Alpha: sealed, vented, passive radiator, bandpass from T/S; checked against textbook cases, the comparison with WinISD is still running |
| Directivity / baffle diffraction | yes: yes, from cabinet and driver geometry | partly: on-axis baffle diffraction in the enclosure planner (Alpha); off-axis radiation not yet |
| Driver database | yes: Visaton drivers included | no: no – your own or the maker's measurements |
| Work on one crossover together | no: no | yes: share a link, live changes, versions |
| An AI assistant that knows your circuit | no: no | yes: with your own API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral) |
| Open projects from other programs | no: no | partly: XSim (.dxo) and WinISD (.wpr, in the enclosure planner) yes, BoxSim import planned |
As of 2026-09-29, Crover column 2026-10-06. BoxSim is developed by Visaton; Crover is not affiliated with Visaton. Found a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.
When BoxSim is still the better choice
If you want to predict the off-axis radiation, BoxSim does something Crover cannot do today. Crover now plans enclosures from Thiele-Small parameters too – but as an Alpha: the calculation is right for textbook and literature cases, the curve comparison with other programs is still running. BoxSim has been proven here for years. Its bundled Visaton driver data is also handy if you build with Visaton drivers and don't measure yourself.
What Crover is made for
Crover focuses on the passive crossover with real measurements: draw the schematic, load FRD and ZMA files, step values through the E-series and watch the sum, phase, impedance and group delay update live. Nothing to install – it runs on any computer with a current browser, and on the iPad at the listening position.
On top of that it does what a desktop program finds hard: share a project with a link and work on it together, a history per part, and an assistant that sees your circuit and measurements and simulates variants before it suggests them.
Moving over: taking your data along
- Measurements: the FRD and ZMA files you imported into BoxSim (e.g. from REW, ARTA or ATB) load into Crover unchanged – text files with frequency, value and phase.
- Driver data from the BoxSim database (.BCH) cannot be read by Crover yet. A BoxSim import for drivers and projects is planned but not available. Until then you need the measurements as FRD/ZMA – your own or files from the manufacturer.
- You redraw the crossover itself in Crover; the crossover, Zobel and L-pad calculators can create the basic circuit as a ready project.
- Coming from XSim is quicker: Crover imports .dxo projects directly, embedded measurements included.
Try it with your next crossover
Open Crover, start as a guest, load FRD/ZMA – or look at the example project first.
Open Crover