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LibrePCB vs CircuitMaker: catalog facts
LibrePCB	CircuitMaker
Best for: Hobbyists and students designing circuit boards with free software	Best for: Hobbyists and makers designing circuit boards for free
Free Free and open source with no paid tier.	Free Free to use, including for commercial designs.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
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	Built on Altium Designer technology Up to 16 signal and 16 plane layers with no board size limit All 4 strengths for CircuitMaker Built on Altium Designer technology Up to 16 signal and 16 plane layers with no board size limit Commercial use allowed Large community library backed by Octopart
Smaller ecosystem of ready-made parts than long-established EDA tools No circuit simulation built in	Only five private projects; others are shared with the community Proprietary, unlike KiCad
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not open source
License not stated	License not stated
No account 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 LibrePCB librepcb.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for CircuitMaker altium.com/circuitmaker Catalog checked September 24, 2026

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