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DesignSpark PCB vs Fritzing: catalog facts
DesignSpark PCB	Fritzing
Best for: Hobbyists and engineers designing circuit boards on a budget	Best for: Document electronics projects with breadboard, schematic and PCB views
Free + paid options Free plan available, with paid Creator and Engineer plans that add advanced features.	Paid Official compiled downloads require payment. The source is available under GPL-3.0.
Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux
Free plan without limits on layers, connections or schematic size Schematic capture and PCB layout in one program All 3 strengths for DesignSpark PCB Free plan without limits on layers, connections or schematic size Schematic capture and PCB layout in one program Interactive HTML BOM export and length-matching routing in higher plans	Helps turn wiring layouts into project documentation Includes a PCB design workflow
Several newer features are limited to paid plans Not open source	Official compiled downloads are paid even though the application source is open.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for DesignSpark PCB rs-online.com/designspark/pcb-software Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Fritzing fritzing.org github.com/fritzing/fritzing-app Catalog checked September 22, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.