Seven criteria, each scored 0, 1 or 2 against the rules below, for a maximum of 14. Every score in the ranking links to the vendor page it came from, so you can check it yourself.
Last reviewed:
The rules
Facts, not opinions. Each level below is written so that you can check which one a tool meets from the vendor's own pages or by opening the software.
Equal weight. The seven criteria count the same. If one matters more to you, read the comparison table by that column; the picks by use case do this for common situations.
Unconfirmed means 1. Where we couldn't confirm a fact on the vendor's own pages, the tool gets 1 on that criterion, and the reason says what we couldn't confirm and where to check.
Ties. Equal totals are ordered by cost and licensing, then board size and layer limits, because budget and not hitting a wall mid-design matter most to the people choosing.
No invented numbers. No star ratings, no averaged user reviews, no prices we can't point to. Where a vendor doesn't publish a price, we say so and link to where it is.
The seven criteria
Cost and licensing
What do you pay, what does the licence let you do, and could the tool be withdrawn or repriced under you?
A board can live for years. A free tool with an open-source licence can't be retired or moved behind a paywall the way a closed product can, which is exactly what happened to EAGLE users when Autodesk announced its retirement.
2Free for any use, including commercial, under an open-source licence.
1Free to use (possibly with conditions such as personal use only or public projects), or a free tier beside paid plans, but closed source.
0No free version for ongoing work: a paid subscription or licence is required. Trials and student programmes don't count.
How to check it yourself: The vendor's pricing or licence page, and the licence file in the source repository for open-source tools.
How each tool scored
KiCad: 2. Free for commercial and personal use, licensed under the GPL.
Flux: 0. After the trial, editing private projects and exporting need a paid plan; closed source.
CircuitMaker: 1. Free, commercial use allowed, but up to 5 private projects and closed source.
Autodesk Fusion (Electronics): 1. Free for non-commercial personal use, with limits, beside a paid subscription; closed source.
Altium Designer: 0. A paid subscription is required after the 30-day trial (students excepted).
Learning curve
How quickly can a first-time user get from a blank schematic to files a fab will accept?
Most people searching for PCB software want to finish a board, not learn a tool. Time to first board matters more to a hobbyist or student than a feature they won't reach for a year.
2Runs in the browser or installs in minutes, with an official tutorial that takes a first board through to fabrication files.
1Good official documentation, but more to learn first: a desktop install, separate editors for schematic, layout and libraries, project setup.
0Built for professional depth; the official training is long and aimed at full-time designers.
How to check it yourself: The vendor's own getting-started guide: follow it and see how far it takes you.
How each tool scored
KiCad: 1. Excellent official docs, but a desktop install and separate editors for schematic, layout and libraries.
EasyEDA: 2. Runs in the browser with official tutorials; schematic, layout and ordering in one place.
Flux: 2. Nothing to install; official docs and tutorials, plus an assistant in the editor.
CircuitMaker: 1. Official docs, but a desktop install and an Altium-style interface with a lot to learn.
Altium Designer: 0. Built for professional depth; Altium's own training is extensive and aimed at full-time designers.
Library and component support
How many parts come ready to place, and can you see whether you can actually buy them?
Drawing symbols and footprints by hand is slow and a common source of board-killing mistakes. Seeing stock and price while you design avoids laying out a part nobody can supply.
2A large bundled library and live supplier data (stock, price) inside the editor.
1A large bundled library; supplier data comes through plugins, outside sites or by hand.
0A small library: you draw most parts yourself.
How to check it yourself: Search the tool's library for three parts from your last board, and look for stock or price next to them.
How each tool scored
KiCad: 1. Large official symbol, footprint and 3D libraries; stock and price come from plugins or outside sites.
EasyEDA: 2. LCSC parts with stock and price are searchable from inside the editor.
Flux: 2. A large shared parts library with supplier availability shown with parts.
CircuitMaker: 2. A community library with supplier data shown with parts.
Autodesk Fusion (Electronics): 1. Bundled component libraries; live stock and price not confirmed inside the editor.
Altium Designer: 2. Managed libraries with supplier stock and price through Manufacturer Part Search.
Board size and layer limits
Does the licence cap board area, layer count or pins?
A cap you hit halfway through a design forces a paid upgrade or a redesign. Four-layer boards are now cheap at hobby fabs, so a two-layer cap matters.
2No size or layer caps in the version most readers will use (the free version, or the standard licence where there is no free one).
1Caps in the free version that paying lifts, or limits we could not confirm on the vendor's own pages.
0Hard caps that rule out common boards, with no way to lift them.
How to check it yourself: The vendor's licence or plan comparison page, and the layer stack-up settings in the editor.
How each tool scored
KiCad: 2. No licence caps; the board setup allows up to 32 copper layers.
EasyEDA: 1. We could not confirm the current layer and size limits on EasyEDA's own pages.
Flux: 1. Board size and layer limits aren't stated on the pricing page, so we could not confirm them.
CircuitMaker: 2. Up to 16 signal and 16 plane layers with no restriction on board dimensions.
Autodesk Fusion (Electronics): 1. The personal-use licence caps schematic sheets, signal layers and board area; a paid subscription lifts them.
Altium Designer: 2. No board size or layer caps in the standard licence.
Output files
Can it produce everything a fab and an assembler ask for, without another tool?
A design is only finished when a fab can build it. Intelligent formats such as IPC-2581 and ODB++ carry the whole board in one file and are asked for more often by professional assemblers.
2The fab set (Gerber, Excellon drill, bill of materials, pick-and-place) plus a 3D STEP model and IPC-2581 or ODB++.
1The fab set, with or without STEP, but no IPC-2581 or ODB++ confirmed on the vendor's pages.
0Can't produce the full fab set without another tool.
How to check it yourself: The export or fabrication-output section of the tool's documentation.
How each tool scored
KiCad: 2. Gerber, drill, BOM, pick-and-place and STEP, plus IPC-2581 and ODB++ (ODB++ added in KiCad 9).
EasyEDA: 2. Gerber, BOM and pick-and-place, plus ODB++ export in EasyEDA Pro.
Flux: 2. Gerber, BOM, pick-and-place, IPC-2581C, ODB++ and STEP from the Export menu.
CircuitMaker: 2. Gerber and NC drill, ODB++, and the other outputs for manufacturing.
Autodesk Fusion (Electronics): 1. Gerber, drill, BOM, pick-and-place and 3D export; IPC-2581 or ODB++ not confirmed for every licence.
Altium Designer: 2. Gerber, drill, BOM, pick-and-place, STEP, plus IPC-2581 and ODB++.
Platform support
Which computers does the editor run on?
Students and small teams rarely all use the same operating system. A Windows-only tool shuts out Mac and Linux users or pushes them into a virtual machine.
2Runs in the browser, or natively on Windows, macOS and Linux.
1Runs natively on two desktop operating systems.
0Runs natively on one.
How to check it yourself: The vendor's download page or system requirements.
How each tool scored
KiCad: 2. Native builds for Windows, macOS and Linux.
EasyEDA: 2. Runs in the browser, with desktop clients for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Flux: 2. Runs in a modern web browser on any operating system.
Altium Designer: 2. Altium 365: cloud projects, version history with visual comparison, browser review and comments.
What is and isn't ranked
The ranking covers PCB design editors: software you draw schematics and lay out boards in. It currently covers KiCad, EasyEDA, Flux, CircuitMaker, Autodesk Fusion (Electronics), Altium Designer. Autodesk EAGLE isn't ranked because Autodesk stopped selling and supporting it on June 7, 2026.
Tools that work alongside an editor (for sharing, version history and review, such as BoardRepo or Git) aren't editors, so they aren't ranked against them. They are judged on the same criteria, where those apply, in After you pick.
Other editors, such as DipTrace, OrCAD X, LibrePCB and Horizon EDA, haven't been reviewed yet. They'll be added to the ranking when they have been checked against the same rules.