KiCad
A full electronics design suite: draw the schematic, lay out the board, view it in 3D, send it to a fab.
These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.
7 more ways to get KiCad
Other download sites
Run by third parties, not by KiCad EDA. Prefer the official page above when it works.
Package managers
- winget
winget install --id KiCad.KiCad - Chocolatey
choco install kicad - Homebrew
brew install --cask kicad - Flathub
flatpak install flathub org.kicad.KiCad - Snap Store
snap install kicad
About KiCad
KiCad covers the whole path from an idea to a manufactured circuit board. You capture a schematic, assign footprints, route the PCB with a push-and-shove router, check it against design rules, look at the result in a 3D viewer and export Gerbers for a manufacturer.
It has no seat limits, no board size limits and no export restrictions, which is what separates it from the free tiers of commercial packages. Development is funded through the Linux Foundation and it is used well beyond hobby projects.
Strengths
- Schematic capture, PCB layout, 3D viewer and Gerber export in one suite
- No limits on board size, layer count or exports
- Large bundled symbol and footprint libraries, plus a plugin manager
- Windows, macOS, Linux AppImage and Flathub builds
Limitations
- A real learning curve; the workflow is unlike a drawing program
- Simulation is basic next to dedicated SPICE packages
- Library management trips up most newcomers at least once
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source under the GPL 3.0. Donations are handled through the Linux Foundation.
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Developer
- KiCad EDA
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Designing a circuit board end to end without a commercial licence
- Categories
- 3D and CAD
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (3D & CAD); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 2 sources on file.
Alternatives to KiCad
Compare allSoftware that can replace KiCad for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
Altium Designer
Professional PCB design suite covering schematics, layout, and simulation.
Altium Designer is expensive professional Windows-only PCB software with stronger simulation and plentiful industry training resources.
EasyEDA
Design electronic schematics and printed circuit boards in a browser.
EasyEDA moves schematic and PCB design into the browser on a freemium model, with separate costs for manufacturing orders.
Horizon EDA
Design circuit boards from schematics through manufacturing files.
Horizon EDA is free GPL-3.0 software for Windows and Linux only, with parts management, interactive routing and design-rule checks.
Fritzing
Document electronics projects with breadboard, schematic and PCB views.
Fritzing adds breadboard views for documenting projects, is GPL-3.0 open source, and charges for official compiled downloads.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
LibreCAD
A 2D CAD program for DXF and DWG drawings, built from the free edition of QCAD.
FreeCAD
A parametric 3D modeller for real objects: design by sketching constrained 2D shapes, then change the parameters later.
Blender
The free 3D creation suite: modelling, sculpting, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and video editing.
Tinkercad
Create simple 3D designs and explore electronic circuits in a browser.
