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Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) are an integral part of the electronic products, large and small. The size of the electronic gadgets is heavily dependent on the design of the PCB. They are not only used by professionals but also by small designers and hobbyists who want implement the prototypes in a more practical way.

[Read: Circuit Design and Simulation Softwares]

There are many PCB Design Softwares available. Some softwares are proprietary and paid while some are available for free with some restrictions. The article gives a list of few commonly used PCB layout design softwares. The softwares mentioned here are not listed or categorized in any specific order. Depending on the requirement of the user and the project, one must select the software.To download these softwares click on their names.

Free or Open Source Software

KiCad

KiCad is very easy to use and has a huge support in the open source hardware community.

Features

KiCad is available for different platforms like Windows, Mac and Linux.

KiCad has an integrated environment for schematic entry (Eeschema) and PCB design (Pcbnew) along with some tools like 3D visualization of PCB, bill of materials and Gerber file generation (GerbView).

It has tools to import components from other EDA tools such as eagle.

ExpressPCB

ExpressPCB is another popular free PCB design software.

Features

Here are some features of this software

• Add on device drivers
• Rats-nest generation from simple net lists
• Drawing directly on the silk layer
• Netlist window
• Trace optimizer
• Connectivity verification
• Auto router

ExpressPCB design software has two applications included: ExpressSCH, for drawing schematics and ExpressPCB, for PCB layout.

The schematic files can be easily linked with the PCB application.

It is available only for Windows.

DesignSpark PCB

DesignSpark PCB is a free software package for schematic capture and PCB layout.

• The software consists of schematic entry and PCB layout and the link between them is very easy.
• The libraries for components are aligned with RSComponents.
• It can be easily interfaced with other tools like LTSpice, Tina and Eagle. Even though it is free of cost, users must register with the website to unlock all features.

PCB/gEDA/XCircuit

PCB is a free, open source and interactive PCB editor available for Windows, Linux, Mac and UNIX systems.
PCB includes many professional features like 16 copper layers, auto-router, trace optimizer, DRC etc.

While PCB is the printed circuit board layout tool, gEDA is the free schematic capture software.
XCircuit can also be used for schematic diagrams. PCB can be interoperated with gEDA and XCircuit.

Fritzing

Fritzing is an open source EDA tool for Arduino prototyping and PCB design.

• It is created to allow artists, hobbyists and designers to create their own PCB’s so that non-engineers can also learn, teach and share electronics.
• Fritzing is one of the easiest tool to produce PCB’s and the designed PCB can be manufactured with the help of FritzingFab.

ZenitPCB

ZenitPCB is another excellent PCB design software tool to create professional printed circuit boards.

• ZenitPCB has a friendly user interface and a huge part libraries.
• It It can be used for personal and hobby projects and the only restriction is it is limited to 800 pins.
• The software consists of two applications: ZenitCapture, for schematic designs and ZenithPCB, for PCB layout.

TinyCAD

TinyCAD is a free and open source program for schematic capture and PCB layout. It is available only for Windows systems.

TinyCAD supports several standard libraries as well as custom symbol libraries. TinyCAD can also be used for one line diagrams, block diagrams and also presentation diagrams.

TinyCAD allows the users to publish the PCB layouts as image files in PNG or BMP formats for documentation.

Osmond PCB

• Osmond PCB is a free PCB design software for Macintosh systems.
• There are no restrictions and limitations imposed and boards of any size and shape can be designed.
• Osmond PCB supports multiple copper layers and has libraries for both through-hole and SMD parts.
• Small designs up to 700 pins can be designed freely and is suitable for beginners and hobbyists.
• For larger designs (boards with more than 700 pins), we need to purchase the license to generate and view Gerber files.

PCBWeb

• PCBWeb is another good platform for PCB layout. It is a free software with no restrictions on the copper layers, size of the board and number of components on the board.
• It is currently available for Windows systems and support for other platform is being planned.
• We cannot import files from other CAD tools at present. The software is developed by Digi-Key.
• The schematic capture tool is called SchemeIt and the parts are from Digi-Key.

PCB123

PCB123 is developed by Sunstone circuits.

• It is a free and award winning PCB design software.
• A schematic editor can be used to create multi-page schematics or the PCB layout can be directly designed by placing the components and the software will automatically create the schematic.
• PCB123 has 750,000+ predefined parts which can be used while designing.
• Other features include flexible importing of NETLIST, inbuilt DRC (Design Rule Check) and DFM (Design for Manufacturing), user friendly graphical user interface and real time search option to check the availability of components in the market.
• PCB123 is fast and easy to use and got proven from Intel, Texas Instruments, HP, Honeywell etc.

FreePCB

• Free PCB is an open source PCB design software for Windows systems.
• Even though it doesn’t have an auto-router tool, a free web based routing tool called Freerouting can be used for partial or full auto-routing.
• The FreePCB software can support up to 16 copper layers.

Proprietary or Paid Software

Altium Designer

Altium Designer is a premium EDA software for PCB, FPGA and embedded system design.

It is one of the popular PCB design package. Altium Designer tool suite includes all aspects of product development like schematic capture, PCB design or layout, embedded software development, FPGA design etc. in a single design environment.

It is available for Windows platform.

OrCAD PCB Designer

OrCAD PCB Designer is another popular PCB design software from Cadence. It is a part of OrCAD Circuit Design Suite, which also includes OrCAD Capture, OrCAD PSpice Designer etc.

OrCAD PCB Designer includes various automation features for PCB design, board-level analysis and design rule checks (DRC).

The routing in the PCB design can be done either manually or using the Auto-Router provided.

It is available for Windows and Linux platforms.

DipTrace

• DipTrace offers everything to create simple or complex multi-layer printed circuit boards.
• The DipTrace software has four modules: Schematic capture, PCB Layout editor, component & pattern editor and 3D modelling of PCB. It supports Windows, Mac and Linux.
• There are different versions like starter, standard and full with DipTrace full version being the ultimate edition will no restrictions.
• There is also a 30-day trial version available for free.

Eagle

• EAGLE stands for Easy Applicable Graphical Layout Editor.
• It is a powerful schematic capture and PCB design software package developed by CadSoft.
• Eagle is a fully integrated tool providing necessary features to create the simplest to complex designs.
• It offers user friendly yet powerful solutions for PCB design with the help of three modules: Schematic Capture, Board Layout, and Auto-router.
• It is available for all the major platforms like Windows, Mac and Linux.
• There are both paid and free versions of Eagle available. The free version has many limitations and is suitable for hobbyists to design small circuits.

Mentor Graphics Xpedition

• Xpedition is a PCB design software from Mentor Graphics.
• It is generally used in FPGA designs. The software comprises of six PCB design tasks: Design creation, Simulation, PCB Layout, Design Collaboration, Library Management and Design for manufacturing.

Auto TRAX DEX

Auto TRAX Design Express (DEX) is a powerful PCB design software for electronic engineers developed by DEX2020.

It is an integrated EDA tool that has tools like schematic capture, PCB design physical layout, built in SPICE simulator, 3D board visualization etc.

TINA

• TINA Design Suite is an integrated circuit simulator for analog, digital and mixed signals and PCB design.
• TINA is available for Windows, Linux and Mac and there is a cloud based online version which can be accessed using any web browser.
• The integrated PCB design software has all the features needed for advanced PCB design like multilayer PCB’s, auto-placement, auto-routing, 3D view of the PCB design, Gerber file output and many more.

Proteus

Proteus is another paid tool.This available for different platforms like windows,MAC,linux.

Features

• Schematic Capture module
• PCB Layout module
• Hardware Accelerated Display Technology
• Global Shape Based Autorouting
• External Autorouter Interface
• 3D Board Visualisation

Web-based Software

Upverter

• Upverter is another web-based EDA tool for PCB layout. The tool is an integration of schematic capture, PCB layout and design review.
• The free version of the software allows up to two projects per registered user with certain restrictions and the professional paid version allows unlimited projects with all the feature unlocked.

CircuitMaker

• Circuit Maker is a web-based schematic entry and PCB design software. It is developed Altium and is free for the open source hardware community.
• There are no limitations on the copper layers and board size. It can be used by students, hobbyists, designers and even professionals for commercial or non-commercial purposes.
• The designs can be shared in the open source community.

Don’t settle for PCB design software that doesn’t have the power or capabilities that you need, look instead to Altium Designer for the best PCB software download.

TOPICS IN THIS SOLUTION

ALTIUM DESIGNER

The most powerful, modern and easy-to-use PCB design tool for professional use.

With the rapid growth of technology today, the need to create more advanced designs is greater than it has ever been before. You can’t afford to bet your future on PCB design tools that may or may not do the job that you need them to do, nor do you have the time to coax underperforming tools into giving you the results you need. You need the best PCB layout editor and library on the market today to keep up and exceed your expectations and requirements. You need Altium Designer and now you can sign up for Altium Designer 19.

PCB Design Software Built on a Solid Foundation to Get You from Start to Finish

You no longer have the time, budget, or error tolerance to use different tools for the different phases of your design process. You need a single system platform based on the solid foundation of a unified design environment where every tool both looks and behaves the same and seamlessly interacts with each other.

You also need a PCB design software vendor that has a proven track record of working with their customer base to consistently update and enhance the tools to make them more productive. Continuing on from that, you need your printed circuit board design software vendor to grow with you in technology enhancements so that the design tool capabilities that you once could only dream about become a reality in the next release.

Altium Designer Empowers You to Succeed With All Tools in One System

There’s no reason anymore to lose time to the confusion of multiple design systems. Altium Designer’s single-system architecture is the answer that you need. How often have you had poor design tool data translation that could have been resolved with tools working out of the same system?

• The strength of Altium’s design tools begins with their foundation, a solid platform built on a unified design environment.
• Another core strength of Altium’s design tools is their commitment to working with users to provide the most useful library and up-to-date user interface for your design workflow.
• With your increased design complexity and demand, Altium Designer grows and enhances as well,such as the ability to bring in multiple printed circuit board designs into the same design session.

Altium Designer’s updated interface with tools based on a unified environment

Powerful PCB Design Layout Tools

You no longer can afford the schedule slips due to PCB layout tools that don’t perform as well as they were advertised. What you need instead is an advanced schematic capture systems that leverages the full power of your 64-bit multi-threading system giving you the maximum design performance. You need routing tools, both interactive and automatic, that will help you to finish your routing in less time and with better results. You also need more than the standard 2D layout, you need to be able to see your design in 3D along with the mechanical data so that you can make part placement adjustments before sending your board out for prototyping.

Altium Designer Gives You the Layout Power That You Need

Waiting for your layout tools to catch up with you as you design is a thing of the past now that you have the speed and power that Altium Designer gives you to work with. Let your design software harness all the available processing and computing power at your disposal.

• Altium Designer leverages the power of a 64-bit multi-threaded system to bring you one of the most powerful layout tools that you can find.
• What PCB schematic designers want to know the most is how well does this tool route, and the answer is that Altium Designer has the most useful routing tools available.
• To design the best PCBs you need to work with external physical constraints as well. See how Altium can help you by integrating mechanical CAD data with the native 3D engine in Altium Designer.

Altium Designer takes your design all the way through to manufacturing drawings

Finish Strong with Verification and Output from the Best PCB Design Software

You no longer have the time to accept returned designs from the vendor, and your management no longer has the patience to deal with bad board builds. You need the best PCB design software download that will give you complete error checking and design verification. The best rules driven design system that you can get as well as the ability to verify all aspects of your design including your circuit board’s power delivery network will also add speed to your workflow. And when you are all done, your design software should help you to finish strong with powerful and automated drawing creation tools.

Altium Designer Starts Strong and Finishes Strong

You no longer have to worry about errors that your design tools missed, with Altium Designer you can have the confidence that the design you sent to your manufacturer is the best that it can be.

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• Having your PCB board design returned from the manufacturer or even worse getting bad boards built is a nightmare. See how Altium Designer protects you with its rules-driven design.
• Power distribution design problems can cause expensive redesigns, see how Altium Designer can help you with your power delivery network with its PDN Analyzer.
• All of your hard work isn’t going anywhere unless you can communicate your intentions to your manufacturer. See how Altium Designer’s Draftsman can help you auto-create the best printed circuit drawings possible.

For too long designers like you have had to balance precariously on a slippery slope of design tools that were confusing and untrustworthy. With the free version of the Altium Designer you can now have confidence in a complete set of design tools built on a solid foundation that will get you successfully all the way through to the end of your design.