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DesignSpark PCB vs LibrePCB: catalog facts
DesignSpark PCB	LibrePCB
Best for: Hobbyists and engineers designing circuit boards on a budget	Best for: Hobbyists and students designing circuit boards with free software
Free + paid options Free plan available, with paid Creator and Engineer plans that add advanced features.	Free Free and open source with no paid tier.
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	No cost, restrictions or online account Human-readable file format suited to Git All 4 strengths for LibrePCB No cost, restrictions or online account Human-readable file format suited to Git Structured library concept for symbols and footprints Runs on Windows, Linux and macOS
Several newer features are limited to paid plans Not open source	Smaller ecosystem of ready-made parts than long-established EDA tools No circuit simulation built in
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account 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 LibrePCB librepcb.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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