Software Alternatives & Reviews

KiCad VS LibrePCB

Compare KiCad VS LibrePCB and see what are their differences

KiCad logo KiCad

A Cross Platform and Open Source Electronics Design Automation Suite

LibrePCB logo LibrePCB

LibrePCB is a free EDA software to develop printed circuit boards.
  • KiCad Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12
  • LibrePCB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-12

KiCad

Categories
  • Design Tools
  • CAD
  • Electronics
  • Simulation
  • Computer Simulations
  • Automation
Website kicad.org
Details $-

LibrePCB

Categories
  • Electronics
  • Simulation
  • Design Tools
  • CAD
Website librepcb.org
Details $

KiCad videos

eevBLAB #62 - PCB Wars - The Rise Of KiCAD

More videos:

  • Review - Quickstart Intro to Kicad - Design a board in 5 minutes
  • Review - #132 Using EasyEDA and KiCAD for Improved PCB (dog deterrent)

LibrePCB videos

Introduction to LibrePCB A new, powerful and intuitive EDA tool for everyone

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to KiCad and LibrePCB)
Simulation
68 68%
32% 32
Electronics
68 68%
32% 32
Computer Simulations
76 76%
24% 24
Design Tools
62 62%
38% 38

User comments

Share your experience with using KiCad and LibrePCB. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare KiCad and LibrePCB

KiCad Reviews

11 KiCad Alternatives
KiCad is cross-platform, open-source CAD software that is specifically built for the Electronic Design Automation Suite. It is a complete solution that comes with a simple interface that is packed with extensive features. You may quickly access all of the tools and create any type of electrical automation design.
Comparing the Top 5 CAD Software for Electronics Design Development
The KiCAD software interfaceKiCAD is a free software that runs on a number of platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS. Due to its open-source nature, KiCAD is widely used by hobbyists and beginners.
Source: hackernoon.com
Our Top 10 printed circuit design software programmes
KiCad is an open source, free printed circuit design software suite. It was developed by Jean-Pierre Charras from the Grenoble IUT in France in 1992. This design software includes diagram management, PCB routing and 3D modelling possibilities for electronics engineers.
9 Free CAD Software to Download
Want to design your next Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and don’t know where to start? Check out KiCAD. KiCAD is a free and open source PCB design tool that includes a project manager and 4 main software such as schematic editor, printed circuit board editor, GERBER file viewer and footprint selector for component association.

LibrePCB Reviews

We have no reviews of LibrePCB yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, LibrePCB seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

KiCad mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of KiCad yet. Tracking of KiCad recommendations started around Mar 2021.

LibrePCB mentions (6)

  • Effective June 7, 2026, Autodesk will no longer sell nor support EAGLE
    There's also https://librepcb.org/ Has anyone had time to try Horizon and/or LibrePCB and compare them to KiCad? - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • What is "this type" of PCB "called"
    On the open source front, LibrePCB seems to be the only contender, never used it myself, but have heard good things and met some devs at a conference and they were nice. The level of support you get there may be a bit more personal. Otoh, if you've never designed PCBs before, it may be hard to even tell if something is a bug... Source: 11 months ago
  • Hardware design on linux
    I would throw LibrePCB into the mix. Coming from Eagle, it was easier for me to grasp than KiCad. Source: 11 months ago
  • How can I make professional looking schematics for free?
    Also LibrePCB at https://librepcb.org A bit "lighter" in size than KiCad. Source: about 2 years ago
  • from where should I start for designing my own PCB?
    I've been turning out some nice results from LibrePCB. It has a learning curve like anything else but its not an impossibly convoluted workflow like some of the more established FOSS programs out there. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing KiCad and LibrePCB, you can also consider the following products

Fritzing - Fritzing is an open-source initiative to support designers, artists, researchers and hobbyists to...

Proteus PCB design - Proteus PCB design combines the schematic capture and ARES PCB layout programs to provide a...

LTspice - LTspice® is a high performance SPICE simulation software, schematic capture and waveform viewer with enhancements and models for easing the simulation of analog circuits.

EasyEDA - EasyEDA - Web-based EDA suite; runs in browser.

Autodesk EAGLE - Autodesk EAGLE is an electronic design automation (EDA) software.

Altium Designer - PCB Design Software