CircuitLab vs KiCad

CircuitLab provides in-browser tools for schematic capture and circuit simulation for students, hobbyists, and professional engineers. It supports analog, digital, and mixed-mode simulation, plus frequency-domain analysis and parameter sweeps. Users can import SPICE device models and use CSV files as signal sources. Schematics can be exported as PDF, PNG, EPS, or SVG, and unique circuit URLs make it possible to share designs or ask for help.

CircuitLab runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux and works in a browser on iPad. Its membership information also describes offline access through the Chrome Web Store and SSL-encrypted access. It offers a free plan and paid subscriptions, including Micro at $24 a year, Hacker Lite at $16 a month, Hacker at $26 a month, and Pro at $39 a month. The pricing note lists a starting rate of $2/mo (annual). Commercial use is permitted with Pro and Enterprise subscriptions; otherwise, the terms describe use as personal and non-commercial unless otherwise specified. Support includes online documentation and community forums.

KiCad is a free, open-source electronic design automation suite for schematic capture and PCB layout. Its electrical rules checker flags schematic connection issues such as output-pin conflicts, missing drivers, and unconnected pins. For board routing, the PCB editor offers collision-highlight, shove, and walkaround modes that respect design rules. An integrated 3D viewer displays board designs with a library of 3D models and supports ray tracing. Schematic netlists can be exported as Pspice, Cadstar, PcbNew, or generic XML. KiCad can import schematic work from Altium tools, CADSTAR, EAGLE, EasyEDA, and LTSpice, as well as PCB designs from a wider range that includes Allegro, Fabmaster, P-CAD 200x ASCII, and SolidWorks. The project aims to serve professional designers while staying approachable to new users. Downloads are listed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus Docker; the stable Linux release is an x86-64 AppImage. Most source code uses GNU GPL version 3 or greater, and libraries use CC-BY-SA 4.0. KiCad was first released in 1992 and is managed by the KiCad Development Team.