Availability: Offline (restricted functionality)ĬircuitMaker is a free offering from Altium and it gives you the freedom of design with up to 16 signal + 16 plane layers and no restrictions to the PCB dimensions, occupying the space between the online Upverter and their professional tools.

As a bonus, many PCB fabricators and assembly shops also accept EAGLE board files directly to export optimized production files and pick-and-place data themselves.ĮAGLE is a subscription-based product, bundled with the Fusion360 offering from Autodesk, but a free version can be obtained, with limited offline functionality: two schematic layers, two signal layers, and a limited 80cm2 board area.

BRD.ĮAGLE saves Gerber and PostScript layout files as well as Excellon and Sieb & Meyer drill files. LBR extension and the PCB layout editor stores board files with the extension.

SCH extension, libraries in files with the. As such, EAGLE contains a schematic editor, for designing circuit diagrams, and a PCB layout editor. The screenshots illustrate the visual differences and similarities between the programs, both from the interface point of view and from the design perspective.ĮAGLE stands for Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor and is an EDA program that offers PCB designers the ability to seamlessly connect schematic diagrams, component placement, PCB routing, all with a comprehensive library content. No changes have been made to any of these programs and all settings are at their default values. As such, all of them are cross compatible, so you can change your PCB design software without worrying about compatibility issues or the extra work needed for a new design in the new program of choice. All tools have been installed and fully tested using the same design to help you make a better, more informed decision in a shorter time.Īll of these PCB software free tools have been chosen due to a multitude of factors, such as: supported platforms, availability, and compatibility.

Our team evaluated several free PCB design software tools and have selected the top 6 which are presented in this article. Finding a good free PCB design software tool can be sometimes hard and frustrating, given all the possible software available online - both free and paid.

Diptrace free