Schematic capture, PCB layout with live DRC, interactive 3D and fab-ready export — in one window, on your disk, with no account. Imports your KiCad libraries. An assistant is built in, and it runs on your terms.
Search the library by name, tag or description with a live symbol preview. Manhattan wires with auto-junctions, net labels, power ports, hierarchical sheets. Every edit is a command — undo is unlimited and revisions are tracked.
45° and 90° postures, walkaround and push modes, a via on V that flips the active layer. Clearance and connectivity are checked live — the violation count in the status bar is always current. Ratsnest shows exactly what's left.
Substrate with true thickness, copper and vias extruded from the layout, STEP component models converted client-side and cached. Orbit, section, measure — catch mechanical fit problems before the first spin.
223 symbols, 146 footprints and 136 3D models on first launch. Import .kicad_sym / .kicad_mod in bulk, generate footprints from IPC-7351B package codes, or draw symbols and footprints in the built-in editors.
Every fabrication layer plus PTH/NPTH drill and a .gbrjob. BOM in JLCPCB, KiCad or plain CSV with DNP and cost estimate; a JLCPCB-ready centroid file. Preflight checks drills, trace widths and outline against JLCPCB / PCBWay rules before you download.
It sees the schematic, layout, nets, DRC results and library, answers questions about them and proposes edits you approve. Run open models locally through Ollama, LM Studio or MLX; bring your own OpenAI / Anthropic key; or use OpenPCB Cloud AI with zero setup.
Research parts and topology with the assistant.
Place symbols, wire nets, annotate, ERC.
Place, route, pour — DRC runs live.
Inspect fit and clearance in 3D.
Preflight, then export the ZIP.
Projects live in a local SQLite database. No login, no cloud round-trips, no telemetry unless you switch it on. It works on a plane, in a lab, or air-gapped. Cloud features, when they ship, are opt-in and additive.
Reflects v0.1.1-beta. KiCad is a mature peer we interoperate with; this is meant to be fair, not definitive.
| OpenPCB | KiCad | EasyEDA | Altium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free | Free tier | Subscription |
| Source | Open · AGPL-3.0 | Open · GPL | Closed | Closed |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Account required | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| KiCad library import | Yes | Native | Partial | Import |
| Interactive 3D | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fabrication export | Gerber X2 · drill · BOM · CPL | Mature | Yes | Yes |
| Assistant | Local · own key · cloud | No | No | Cloud only |
Sync, auto-layout and auto-routing, manufacturing integrations, live collaboration and teams. The desktop app stays free and open source; Cloud will be a paid product shipping after the public beta.