This is just my two cents and observations, so if you have something to add or correct, please do. I keep finding I need boards a little bigger than 3.9" x 6.3" and spending over $200 for a PCB program is a bit much, so Eagle is out for me. This includes schematic capture and PCB design. Once you buy an Eagle package, you get free lifetime updates.ĭipTrace offers $75 for 2-layer, 300 pins or $145 for 2-layer, 500 pins. Prices start at $315 for just one of those three packages for larger board sizes and more layers. Both include schematic capture, PCB design, and auto-router. You can get 500 pins by contacting them and telling them you're a hobbyist and won't be using the program commercially (to make money).Įagle offers a 30-day trial (I think), but you're least expensive options after that are $170 for 6-layer and up to a 3.9" x 6.3" board size for hobby use only or $70 for 2-layer and up to 3.1" x 3.9" board for commercial use.
You cannot use the program to profit from, e.g., if you're making many a board and plan to sell them then you can't use the program they do mention that making a few bucks for a hobby application isn't out of the question though.ī. DipTrace offers a free version under the following conditions:Ī. ExpressPCB is free but has limitations in who you can buy your boards from. KiCAD appears to be full-featured and is free. I plan to try this myself in the coming weeks, so we'll see how that goes.Ĭost - Let's talk free first. Alternately, I've found that has a board house and will accept ExpressPCB files and they appear to be cheaper than ExpressPCB. Now, I've read you can make your PCB in ExpressPCB and have them make your first batch of boards through them and then they'll give you the Gerber files for your board to take elsewhere (haven't done this myself). ExpressPCB puts it in its own format limiting your options.
KiCAD "looks" a little intimidating (I just opened it).Ībility to send to multiple PCB Vendors - Eagle, DipTrace, and KiCAD all allow you to do this by making Gerber files used by all PCB vendors.
Eagle - in the past - took longer than ExpressPCB or DipTrace to get going, but they're always improving on it, so by now it may be a piece of cake. I'm just starting in PCBs and have no desire to etch one, so I'm concerned with the following when selecting a program:Ģ) Ability to send files to multiple PCB vendors to get some price optionsģ) Something I don't have to spend a ton of money onĮase of Use - All programs will have a learning curve and I don't think one significantly outweighs another here. Before I go on, please note I've made one PCB with Eagle, just downloaded KiCAD and Diptrace to look at, and am currently using ExpressPCB to make a PCB. Okay, so there are pros and cons to each of the programs mentioned here.
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