KiCad Alternatives 2026: 5 Options, 4 Free
KiCad alternatives: EasyEDA, LibrePCB, Fritzing, DipTrace and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 25, 2026.
•2 min read•3D & CAD
Verdict:KiCad is itself free and GPL v3 on Windows, Linux and macOS, so leaving is about workflow rather than price. If KiCad's learning curve or library management slows you down, EasyEDA is the lowest-friction option: it runs in a browser, the core is free including commercial use per its pricing page, and parts link to JLCPCB assembly. The downsides are ads on the free tier and dependence on one vendor's ecosystem. LibrePCB is a smaller open-source tool with a cleaner workflow for simple boards, and its files are human-readable text. Fritzing is the beginner pick for turning a breadboard into a board, but we found the prebuilt download reportedly carries a fee, only from forum posts. DipTrace has a freeware edition capped at 300 pins and two signal layers for non-commercial use, with paid tiers from $75. Pairing a mechanical CAD tool such as Onshape handles enclosures, but it does not replace schematic capture. The trade-off is community and libraries: KiCad has the biggest open-source EDA user base, plugin ecosystem and tutorials, and none of these matches that. Stay with KiCad for anything beyond a simple two-layer board. Move only when you want an online workflow or a gentler start.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EasyEDA | Free (Core features free for everyone, commercial use allowed; free editor shows Google ads; 0.5 GB storage); paid from $19.9 per month, individual Premium plan, billed annually | Web | Fast boards with an online parts library | Docs only |
| LibrePCB | Free (Free and open source) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Simple open-source PCB projects | Docs only |
| Fritzing | See pricing page | Windows, macOS, Linux | Hobbyists documenting breadboard builds | Docs only |
| DipTrace | Free (Free version limited to 300 pins and two signal layers, non-commercial use only (per search coverage of DipTrace's pricing)); paid from $75 per one-time, Starter (300 pins, 2 signal layers); Lite $145, Standard $395, Extended $695, Full $995 | Windows | Small non-commercial boards on Windows | Docs only |
| Onshape | Free (Free plan for non-commercial use; all documents are public); paid from $1500 per user/year, Standard, billed annually | Web | Enclosures that match your PCB | Docs only |
| Altium Designer | See pricing page | Windows | CAD | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want a browser editor tied to PCB assembly (EasyEDA is the pick)
- You want another open-source desktop EDA (LibrePCB is the pick)
- You build from breadboards as a beginner (Fritzing is the pick)
- You make small non-commercial boards on Windows (DipTrace is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on KiCad features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
KiCad today: Free (Free and open source; the about page describes no usage restrictions) (KiCad pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
EasyEDA
Compared with KiCad: Free browser-based PCB editor that allows commercial use per its pricing page, with ads on the free tier. It ties you to its ecosystem and JLCPCB's parts library, and you lose KiCad's offline desktop control.
Price: Free (Core features free for everyone, commercial use allowed; free editor shows Google ads; 0.5 GB storage); paid from $19.9 per month, individual Premium plan, billed annually (EasyEDA pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Fast boards with an online parts library.
LibrePCB
Compared with KiCad: Free, GPLv3 and cross-platform, with human-readable files and a command-line tool. It has a smaller community and library than KiCad, but a simpler workflow for small boards.
Price: Free (Free and open source) (LibrePCB pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 3k GitHub stars · latest release 2.1.1 (Jun 12, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Simple open-source PCB projects.
Fritzing
Compared with KiCad: Beginner-friendly breadboard-to-PCB tool. Prebuilt downloads reportedly cost money, though the source is open; it is weaker than KiCad for complex multilayer boards.
Price: See pricing page (Fritzing pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-3.0 (source); prebuilt downloads are sold (open source).
Project activity: 4.8k GitHub stars · last commit Aug 12, 2026
Best for: Hobbyists documenting breadboard builds.
DipTrace
Compared with KiCad: Freeware tier limited to 300 pins and two signal layers for non-commercial use; paid editions start at $75. It is Windows-focused and lacks KiCad's open-source licensing.
Price: Free (Free version limited to 300 pins and two signal layers, non-commercial use only (per search coverage of DipTrace's pricing)); paid from $75 per one-time, Starter (300 pins, 2 signal layers); Lite $145, Standard $395, Extended $695, Full $995 (DipTrace pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows. Proprietary.
Best for: Small non-commercial boards on Windows.
Onshape
Compared with KiCad: Included for mechanical enclosure design beside a PCB, not as an electronics tool. It replaces no schematic capture, so pair it with an EDA program for your boards.
Price: Free (Free plan for non-commercial use; all documents are public); paid from $1500 per user/year, Standard, billed annually (Onshape pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Enclosures that match your PCB.
Worth knowing: Cloud 3D parametric CAD, not a DWG drafting tool.
Other popular options (paid)
Altium Designer
Compared with KiCad: Commercial PCB suite whose product page lists no prices, only platform tiers. You get a vendor-backed paid product, but cost is unknown up front, unlike KiCad, which is free and open source.
Price: See pricing page (Altium Designer pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Which one to pick
- You want a browser editor tied to PCB assembly: EasyEDA
- You want another open-source desktop EDA: LibrePCB
- You build from breadboards as a beginner: Fritzing
- You make small non-commercial boards on Windows: DipTrace
Limits of this review
Docs-only for EasyEDA, LibrePCB, Fritzing, DipTrace, Onshape: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from KiCad. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25: KiCad, EasyEDA, LibrePCB, Fritzing, DipTrace, Onshape, Altium Designer. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.