PCB Design Tools
Tool↕ | Vendor↕ | License↕ | Price Tier↕ | First Released↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KiCad | KiCad Project / CERN | GPL (open source) | Free | 1992 | Free open-source PCB suite, massive hobbyist adoption, CERN-backed development, no node limits |
Altium Designer | Altium Limited | Commercial | Premium (~$10k+/yr) | 1985 | Industry standard for professional hardware teams, unified schematic/PCB/3D, Altium 365 cloud collaboration |
Eagle | Autodesk | Commercial (discontinued standalone) | Bundled with Fusion 360 | 1988 | Legacy hobbyist favorite, now folded into Fusion 360 Electronics, huge Adafruit/SparkFun library legacy |
OrCAD | Cadence Design Systems | Commercial | Premium | 1985 | Veteran EDA suite, tight Allegro integration, used by enterprise hardware teams, strong simulation |
Fusion 360 Electronics | Autodesk | Commercial / free for hobbyists | Subscription | 2016 | MCAD+ECAD in one tool, parametric 3D alignment with mechanical, successor to Eagle |
EasyEDA | JLCPCB / LCSC | Freemium / browser-based | Free | 2013 | Browser-based PCB design, tight JLCPCB manufacturing integration, LCSC parts library, fast prototyping |
DipTrace | Novarm | Commercial | Mid (~$145-$895) | 2004 | Affordable pro-grade tool, gentle learning curve, popular with small shops and consultants |
Proteus PCB Design | Labcenter Electronics | Commercial | Mid-high | 1988 | Integrated MCU simulation (AVR, PIC, ARM), co-simulation of schematic and firmware, UK-based |
Allegro PCB Designer | Cadence Design Systems | Commercial | Enterprise | 1988 | High-speed digital design leader, advanced routing, used for complex server/networking boards |
Mentor PADS | Siemens EDA | Commercial | Mid-high | 1986 | Mid-range professional suite, strong in embedded and industrial boards, now under Siemens umbrella |
Mentor Xpedition | Siemens EDA | Commercial | Enterprise | 2005 | High-end enterprise PCB tool, automotive and aerospace grade, constraint-driven design |
LibrePCB | LibrePCB community | GPL (open source) | Free | 2018 | Modern open-source alternative to KiCad, clean Qt-based UI, library-first workflow |
Horizon EDA | Horizon EDA community | GPL (open source) | Free | 2017 | Open-source EDA focused on professional workflows, integrated pool of parts, git-friendly |
Protel | Altium (legacy) | Commercial (legacy) | Discontinued | 1985 | Original Altium product, Protel 99 SE still used in legacy shops, predecessor to Altium Designer |
TinyCAD + FreePCB | Community | Open source | Free | 2003 | Lightweight Windows-only schematic+PCB combo, simple boards, legacy hobby use |
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Frequently asked questions
How is the Pcb Design Tools list ranked?
The PCB Design Tools list is currently sorted by the source data's default ordering. Community voting is not enabled on this dataset.
How many entries are in this Pcb Design Tools dataset?
This dataset contains 15 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.
Can I download the Pcb Design Tools data?
Yes. The download buttons at the top of the page give you the full 15-row dataset as CSV, JSON, or Excel. Use of the data is permitted under a Creative Commons Attribution license — credit dtbse.com when you republish.
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