CircuitLab vs Proteus PCB Design
CircuitLab
circuitlab.comProteus PCB Design
labcenter.comSide by side
| Figure | CircuitLab | Proteus PCB Design |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 1 |
| Spec score · Electrical Design Software | 8.2 (#7) | 7.3 (#27) |
| Integrations | The feature list says users can import SPICE device models and use CSV files as signal sources. | Proteus 9.2 adds STM32CubeIDE integration via GDB and expanded simulation for BLE and RFID. |
| Purpose | CircuitLab provides in-browser tools for schematic capture and circuit simulation for students, hobbyists, and professional engineers. | Proteus combines schematic capture and PCB layout for designing, testing and laying out printed circuit boards. |
| Security | The membership feature list describes access as SSL-encrypted. | Labcenter says its website uses SSL/TLS and that card details are handled by an external PCI DSS compliant payment provider and are not stored or seen by Labcenter. |
| Support | CircuitLab directs users to online documentation and community support forums; Enterprise support is listed with a response within 24 hours. | Direct technical support is free for professional users, with email support preferred for project issues and a typical email response time of one to two working days. |
Plans
CircuitLab
- CircuitLab Hacker Lite$16 a month
- CircuitLab Micro$24 a year
- CircuitLab Hacker$26 a month
- CircuitLab Pro$39 a month
- CircuitLab Hacker Lite$79 a year
- CircuitLab Hacker$129 a year
- CircuitLab Pro$399 a year
- CircuitLab Student Edition$2,400 a year
- CircuitLab EnterprisePriced on request
Proteus PCB Design
- Proteus Design Suite (commercial packages)Priced on request
In their own words
CircuitLab
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.
Proteus PCB Design
Proteus PCB Design has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.