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KiCadProteus Design Suite

Best for: Designing a circuit board end to end without a commercial licence

Best for: Embedded engineers and students who want to simulate firmware and circuits before building a board

Free

Free and open source under the GPL 3.0. Donations are handled through the Linux Foundation.

 Paid

Commercial software sold by Labcenter Electronics.

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
  • 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
  • Simulates microcontroller firmware together with the circuit
  • Schematic capture and PCB layout in one suite
All 4 strengths
  • Simulates microcontroller firmware together with the circuit
  • Schematic capture and PCB layout in one suite
  • IoT Builder for Arduino and Raspberry Pi projects
  • Actively developed, with version 9.2 recently released
  • A real learning curve; the workflow is unlike a drawing program
  • Simulation is basic next to dedicated SPICE packages
All 3 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
  • Commercial licence required
  • Pricing is not listed on the homepage
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
Sources

Catalog checked September 21, 2026
Sources

Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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