
The toolkits can be un-docked and placed where you need them for easier access. The design of the UI is clean and simplistic, and the tools can actually be arranged as you require. In KiCad, you get a module called Eeschema for handling all your schematic capture and editing tasks. You also get features like multi-sheet schematic editing and hierarchical design blocks with conversion that simplifies complex schematics.Ī wide range of export formats is also supported, in addition to the SmartPDF functionality. It’s intuitive, easy to use, and has a modern and elegant look.

The schematic tools in the program should be suitably located, functional and the software should ideally support multi-sheet schematics, otherwise your projects will be limited to basic designs.ĬircuitMaker provides you with a well designed and tested schematic editor in fact, it’s the characteristic Altium design. Schematics are the essence of designing a PCB, and will one of the very first steps in your project. However, CircuitMaker only works on Windows 32-bit and 64-bit OS devices. The free version doesn’t have a non-commercial clause, so you can even monetize your designs. CircuitMaker is also open-source.ĬircuitMaker lets you work on projects with up to 16 signal and 16 plane layers, with no limitations on the dimensions of the PCB. Altium develops CircuitMaker and has made it free to use for everyone. You can need an active internet connection to use the platform for all your PCB design tasks. The CircuitMaker program is a web-based service. KiCad is also open-source, and the developers have made the source code available to everyone through platforms such as Github. The installer is available on the KiCad website, and can be downloaded and used for free. It is a cross-platform application that you can run on Windows, Mac OS and Linux systems. KiCad is available for you to download, install and use on your computer.

Some are available as local clients that you can download and use on a computer, or they can be SaaS, which refers to software as a service. Before selecting any software program, you should first check what type of package you are getting.
