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Horizon EDA vs DesignSpark PCB: catalog facts
Horizon EDA	DesignSpark PCB
Best for: Design circuit boards from schematics through manufacturing files	Best for: Hobbyists and engineers designing circuit boards on a budget
Free The open-source software is available without a license fee. Hosting, hardware and external services are separate.	Free + paid options Free plan available, with paid Creator and Engineer plans that add advanced features.
Windows, Linux	Windows
Includes parts management, interactive routing and design-rule checks.	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
Desktop builds target Windows and Linux.	Several newer features are limited to paid plans Not open source
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not open source
License: GPL-3.0	License not stated
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 Horizon EDA github.com/horizon-eda/horizon github.com/horizon-eda/horizon/blob/master/LICENSE Catalog checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for DesignSpark PCB rs-online.com/designspark/pcb-software Catalog checked September 24, 2026

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