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KiCad vs OrCAD X: catalog facts
KiCad	OrCAD X
Best for: Designing a circuit board end to end without a commercial licence	Best for: Electrical engineers and small teams designing professional printed circuit boards
Free Free and open source under the GPL 3.0. Donations are handled through the Linux Foundation.	Paid Paid licences in three editions, with a free trial.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Schematic capture, PCB layout, 3D viewer and Gerber export in one suite No limits on board size, layer count or exports All 4 strengths for KiCad 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	Schematic, simulation and PCB layout in one suite SPICE and mixed-signal analysis in higher editions All 3 strengths for OrCAD X Schematic, simulation and PCB layout in one suite SPICE and mixed-signal analysis in higher editions Free trial and a viewer available
A real learning curve; the workflow is unlike a drawing program Simulation is basic next to dedicated SPICE packages All 3 limitations for KiCad 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	Commercial licences, with advanced features in higher editions More than hobby projects usually need
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not open source
License: GPL-3.0	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Offline features available	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for KiCad kicad.org kicad.org/download Catalog checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for OrCAD X orcad.com Catalog checked September 24, 2026

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