Side by side
KiCad vs Altium vs EasyEDA
These are the three names that come up first when people search for PCB design software, and they suit very different people. KiCad is a free, open-source desktop editor; Altium Designer is the professional subscription standard; EasyEDA is a free, browser-first editor tied to JLCPCB and LCSC. Here they are on the same seven criteria.
Last reviewed
The scores, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | KiCad | Altium Designer | EasyEDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost and licensing | 5/5Free and open source (GPL) with no limits on use, layers or board size. | 1/5Paid subscription; check altium.com for current plans and prices. | 5/5Editor features free for everyone, including commercial use; paid plans add services such as storage and private libraries. |
| Learning curve | 3/5Good official documentation and a large community, but the library model and the number of tools take time to learn. | 2/5Very capable but large; formal training is common for new users. | 4/5Browser-based and approachable, with official tutorials for both editions. |
| Library and part support | 4/5Large official symbol, footprint and 3D libraries maintained in public; supplier data is not built in. | 5/5Extensive managed component libraries with supplier data. | 4/5Very large part library tied to LCSC stock; community parts vary in quality. |
| Board complexity | 4/5Multilayer boards, push-and-shove routing, differential pairs and length tuning; fewer high-speed analysis tools than Altium or Allegro. | 5/5Built for dense multilayer, high-speed and rigid-flex boards. | 3/5Fine for most two- and four-layer boards; fewer advanced constraint tools. |
| Output for fabrication | 5/5Gerber, drill, pick-and-place, BOM, IPC-2581 and ODB++ export, with configurable design rules. | 5/5Full fabrication and assembly outputs, including IPC-2581 and ODB++. | 4/5Gerber, BOM and pick-and-place export, plus direct ordering from JLCPCB. |
| File portability | 5/5Open, text-based files on your own disk; imports Altium, EAGLE, CADSTAR and EasyEDA projects. | 3/5Widely imported by other tools, including KiCad, but the native format is Altium's own. | 2/5Cloud-first and EasyEDA's own format; KiCad imports EasyEDA projects. |
| Collaboration | 3/5Works well with Git because files are text, but has no built-in review, comments or access control. | 5/5Altium 365 gives cloud sharing, version history, comments and review for Altium projects. | 3/5Team workspaces and sharing; advanced permissions are listed as an enterprise feature. |
| Total | 29/35 | 26/35 | 25/35 |
The facts beside the scores
| KiCad | Altium Designer | EasyEDA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows | Browser; desktop clients |
| Cost | Free, any use (GPL) | Subscription; check altium.com | Free editor, commercial use allowed; Premium $19.9/mo billed yearly |
| Where your files live | Your disk, as text files | Your disk, or Altium 365 | EasyEDA's cloud by default |
| Sharing and review | Add Git or a workspace such as BoardRepo | Altium 365 | Team workspaces in EasyEDA |
| Made for | Almost everyone | Professional teams | Beginners and fast prototypes |
Where each is a poor fit
KiCad
Teams that need a single vendor's support contract, or advanced signal-integrity and constraint tools bundled in the editor.
- Symbols and footprints are separate libraries, which confuses newcomers at first.
- No built-in cloud sharing, browser viewing or review: history and sharing need Git or a workspace such as BoardRepo.
- No vendor support contract from the project itself.
Altium Designer
Hobbyists, students on their own, macOS and Linux users, and anyone who wants to own an open copy of their design files.
- Windows only.
- Subscription cost is high for hobbyists and students.
- Native files are tied to Altium; other tools import them with varying fidelity.
EasyEDA
Complex high-speed boards, teams that must keep designs off a vendor's cloud, and projects built with other fabs and distributors.
- Libraries are public on the free plan; private libraries need a paid plan.
- Works best inside the JLCPCB and LCSC ecosystem.
- Projects live in EasyEDA's cloud by default; KiCad can import them, but check the result.
- Fewer constraint and high-speed tools than Altium or OrCAD X.
Which one to choose
Pick KiCad if…
you want one free tool for everything from a first board to a product, with files you own and can open anywhere.
Pick Altium Designer if…
you design dense or high-speed boards for a living, work on Windows, and your team or clients already use Altium.
Pick EasyEDA if…
you want to start in a browser today and order the board, with parts, from JLCPCB.
KiCad wins overall on these criteria: it costs nothing, makes complete fabrication output and keeps your files portable. Altium wins on board complexity, libraries and collaboration if you can pay for it. EasyEDA wins on getting started. Many people begin in EasyEDA and move to KiCad when a project gets serious; KiCad imports EasyEDA projects, so that path is open.
Other options, from Autodesk Fusion to OrCAD X, are in the full ranking.