KiCad is a free, open-source electronic design automation suite for capturing schematics, routing printed circuit boards, checking design rules, and exporting manufacturing files.
KiCad is a free, open-source electronic design automation suite used to draw circuit schematics and turn them into printed circuit boards. It bundles a schematic editor with SPICE simulation, a PCB editor with a 3D viewer, symbol and footprint library editors, a plugin and content manager, and utilities such as a Gerber viewer and calculator tools. Engineers, students, makers, and startups use it to move a design from concept through layout, design rule checking, and manufacturing output. The suite is cross-platform, runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and carries no feature tiers or usage limits.
KiCad stores each schematic sheet as its own file and supports hierarchical designs, so large projects break into reusable pages rather than one flat drawing. The PCB editor handles copper zones, length tuning, padstacks, and design rule checks for clearance, creepage, and differential pair skew, then exports Gerber, drill, ODB++, and IPC-2581 files for fabrication. Python scripting and the IPC API extend the tool, and jobsets automate repeatable output generation. Teams working with statistics or study material sometimes pair it with Anki, though KiCad itself is a focused engineering application rather than a study tool.
KiCad removes the licensing cost that keeps many engineers, students, and small businesses away from professional PCB design software, since the full toolset is available free under the GPL with no tiers or feature limits. The suite covers the complete workflow, from schematic capture and SPICE simulation through board layout, design rule checking, 3D visualization, and Gerber or ODB++ export, so designers rarely need a second paid tool. Design rule checks enforce manufacturer constraints as work progresses, which catches clearance and creepage problems before fabrication instead of after an expensive board order. Because the suite runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and stores projects in open file formats, designs remain portable and readable regardless of operating system or vendor. Shared symbol, footprint, and 3D model libraries ship with the installer, and Python scripting plus the IPC API let teams automate repetitive tasks and integrate the tool with existing build systems. The result is professional-grade design capability at no license cost.
Key capabilities and highlights.
The schematic editor handles flat and hierarchical designs, with reusable sheets, buses, net classes, and electrical rule checking. Designers place symbols from the bundled libraries, wire them, and annotate references before pushing the netlist to the board. ERC flags unconnected pins and conflicting outputs early, which prevents layout work from being built on a broken circuit.
The board editor provides interactive routing, copper zones, length tuning, padstacks, and multi-track dragging. A properties panel and selection filters keep large boards manageable, and the 3D viewer shows the assembled result before fabrication. Layer controls and a free grid system let designers move between dense signal layers and mechanical outlines without friction.
DRC enforces clearance, creepage, track width, hole size, and differential pair constraints against rules matched to a fabricator's capabilities. Net classes apply different limits to different signals, and visual DRC shows the shortest clearance path. Catching violations during layout avoids respins caused by manufacturing limits discovered only after ordering.
A built-in simulator runs analog and mixed-signal SPICE analyses directly against the schematic, so a circuit can be tested before any board exists. Models can be assigned through the spice model editor, and IBIS models are supported for signal integrity work. This shortens the debug loop for analog stages such as filters, references, and power supplies.
The 3D viewer renders the populated board with component models, silkscreen, and copper detail, which helps verify mechanical fit and connector clearance. STEP export passes the board to mechanical CAD for enclosure design. Seeing the assembled result before manufacturing reduces the risk of collisions and orientation errors that are hard to spot in a 2D layout.
The installer ships with thousands of symbols, footprints, and 3D models, and the symbol and footprint editors let users create or modify parts. Database libraries and pinned libraries keep project-specific parts stable across updates. A solid library workflow prevents the missing-footprint errors that stall a project during layout.
Jobs and jobsets automate Gerber, drill, pick-and-place, and BOM generation, while the board editor exports ODB++ and IPC-2581 for assembly houses that prefer a single archive. Manufacturers including JLCPCB, PCBWay, and OSH Park accept native project files or standard Gerbers directly. Repeatable output automation cuts the manual steps between finishing a layout and ordering boards.
Python scripting and the newer IPC API allow plugins and automated actions inside the PCB editor, and the Plugin and Content Manager installs community tools without manual setup. Designers can script repetitive layout tasks, generate custom reports, or connect the suite to external build and version control systems. This extensibility keeps the tool useful for advanced workflows without paid add-ons.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about KiCad.
Yes. KiCad is released under the GPL-3.0 and is free for personal, educational, and commercial use. There are no feature tiers, seat limits, or license fees, and designs created with it remain the property of the designer.
The suite runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The Windows builds support Windows 10 and 11 on x86-64 and arm64, while Linux support covers current Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian releases. It also runs through Docker in some configurations.
KiCad covers schematic capture, PCB layout, design rule checking, SPICE simulation, 3D visualization, and manufacturing export without license cost. Commercial tools often add advanced simulation, enterprise library management, and vendor support, but this suite is used for production boards including CERN projects.
Many fabricators accept native project board files directly, and the suite also exports Gerber, drill, pick-and-place, and BOM files that every manufacturer accepts. ODB++ and IPC-2581 exports are available when an assembly house prefers a single archive.
The project officially supports X11 on Linux and does not support Wayland, where users may see crashes and slow performance. Supported window managers include Mutter, Xfwm, and Metacity. Issues seen under Wayland must be reproduced on X11 before the project will investigate them.
The suite runs on a 64-bit processor with a DirectX-compatible graphics adapter, and the Windows installer is around 923 MB. The full installation with libraries needs roughly 10 GB of disk space, and 1 GB of RAM is listed as sufficient for the application itself.
Yes. The suite supports Python scripting and the newer IPC API for plugin development, and the Plugin and Content Manager installs community plugins. Jobsets also automate output generation, so repetitive Gerber, drill, and BOM tasks can run from a single command.
KiCad is a free, open-source electronic design automation suite for capturing schematics, routing printed circuit boards, checking design rules, and exporting manufacturing files.
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