No single factor affects the quality of your PCBA design process more than the PCB CAD software tool you use. This is especially true for 2025, as there have been significant changes in the capabilities, accessibility and long-term reliability of the most popular EDA tools for circuit board design. In this year’s PCB design software comparison, we incorporate the most important issues to help you weigh the benefits versus costs for the industry’s leading design programs to help you make an informed choice of which design program best meets your requirements today and tomorrow.
Comparing the Best PCB CAD Software
The table below lists the top PCBA design programs for 2025. Each of these software tools is quite capable of meeting the basic requirements for designing a circuit board. Yet, each has specific attributes that make the tool a viable option for different engineers. We have encapsulated these advantages and disadvantages into a quantitative overall ranking on a 0-100 percentage scale calculated from a weighted sum of benefits, cost and scalability factors.
PCB Design Software Comparison Ranking Factors
Advanced and custom features comprise the benefits*, which account for 60% of the overall rating. The cost, which directly contributes 30% to the overall score, is an inclusive quantitative measure of pricing for the most comprehensive version of the program on a 0 to 100-point scale (the higher the cost, the lower the rating). Cost includes any licensing, registration, and other fees necessary to access full functionality. The final 10% of the overall rating is for scalability, which adds to benefits and costs, reflects how robust the PCB CAD software platform is in responding to your increasingly complex design requirements, as well as the likelihood that the design software–or some version of it–will be available over the long term. Again, a 100-point scale is used with 0 indicating the tool does not include any inherent scalable capabilities; such as the ability to add PI, SI, thermal, or other analyses to ensure design compliance with industry standards.
*Note: No disadvantages or negative scoring are included in either rating.
| PCB CAD SOFTWARE COMPARISON | |||||
| Rank | CAD Software | Benefits | Cost | Scalability | Overall Rating |
| 1 | OrCAD | 97 | 78 | 100 | 91.6% |
| 2 | Altium Designer | 94 | 74 | 70 | 85.6% |
| 3 | PADS | 78 | 85 | 75 | 79.8% |
| 4 | DipTrace | 77 | 86 | 70 | 79.0% |
| 5 | KiCAD | 70 | 100 | 30 | 75.0% |
| 6 | Autodesk Eagle | 85 | 75 | 5 | 74.0% |
| 7 | EasyEDA | 60 | 100 | 20 | 68.0% |
OrCAD X
- Benefits:
- Â Real-time design (DRC, Supply chain, DFM)
- Â 3D ECAD-MCAD co-design
- Â Rules-driven rigid-flex design
- Â Advanced in-design simulation (SPICE & SI)
- Â Auto-interactive high-speed routing
- Â Scalable design platform
- Cost: ($-$$$)
- Scalability:
This program can be easily expanded to include specific analyses and testing functionality and tools. Specific tools include Sigrity–for PI, SI, and interface compliance testing, Celsius–for thermal investigations and verifications; such as needed for hazardous environment applications like space–, and custom apps that provide targeted functionality for design optimization. - Summary and Trends:
OrCAD X is an advanced, scalable PCB CAD software that integrates with a suite of SI, PI, thermal, and library management tools applicable for designing circuit boards of all levels of complexity. The emphasis on cloud computing and advanced PCB layout features clearly position OrCAD to be an industry-leading PCB design program for the foreseeable future.
Altium Designer
- Benefits:
- Â Advanced interactive routing
- Â Supply chain intelligence
- Â Real-time BOM
- Â Circuit simulation
- Â Cloud platform
- Cost: $$$$
- Scalability: Altium is designed as a standalone design platform that includes custom tools, like a real-time BOM, to give designers important and up-to-date data for designs of varying degree of complexity. There are extensions that can be added; however, these are limited. Â
- Summary and Trends:
Altium Designer is a complete PCB schematic and layout design program with a BOM that provides accurate component information, targeted high-speed design attributes, and advanced routing capabilities. The Renesas acquisition of Altium seems to have resulted in an improved focus on ECAD-MCAD capabilities, and the Altium 365 platform continues to be available.  Â
PADS
- Benefits:
- Xpedition technology-based workflow
- Circuit simulation
- Supply chain resilience
- Siemens Integration
- Cost: $$$
- Scalability: PADS is a comprehensive PCB design platform with inherent capabilities for improving manufacturability and development efficiency. This includes targeted layout and simulation capabilities.Â
- Summary and Trends:
PADS provides advanced circuit board functionality based on maximizing automation and optimizing the UX. PADS has been integrated into an enterprise platform with AI enhancements; however, the program is still available as a standalone solution for PCB designers.
KiCAD
- Benefits:
- Integrated design environment
- Open source
- Reliable import of other design formats; such as OrCAD, etc.
- Multilingual
- Cost: Free
- Scalability: KiCAD thrives with users due to community exchange of scripts and extensions to add application-specific features. For advanced capabilities, there are third-party application developers that improve design capabilities and development processing.
- Summary and Trends:
KiCAD is a highly functional program that allows for easy conversion from other PCB CAD software formats. You can also write modules for the program. And it can be used by designers and engineers at all stages of their careers. The developers continue to improve the base software, with the latest version introduced in January 2025.
DipTrace
- Benefits:
- User-friendlyÂ
- Easy component symbol and footprint building
- Real-time DRC
- Shape-based auto-routing
- 3D preview and outputs
- Cost: $$
- Scalability: Similar to many CM developed PCB CAD software programs, DipTrace is meant to help designers create designs for efficient manufacturing as opposed to complex operational/functional analysis and verification. However, SPICE integration is available for some design review.
- Summary and Trends:
DipTrace is an easy-to-learn and use PCB CAD program that continues to expand its functionality options and capabilities. In 2024, two major updates were made that indicates a commitment to providing engineers with a comprehensive design tool.Â
Autodesk EAGLE
- Benefits:
- Community-based design environment (Fusion 360)
- Circuit simulation
- Real-time schematic PCB layout design synchronization
- Advanced routing capabilities; such as object avoidance and push and shove
- Cost: $
- Scalability: EAGLE/Fusion 360 includes capabilities for designing circuit boards of different levels of complexity. The program is popular for its ease of use and comprehensive functionality. Although an integrated SPICE simulator is included, highly complex simulation tools are not readily available.
- Summary and Trends:
Although, still popular among PCB designers–especially, early career engineers and DIYers, the EAGLE PCBA design program is no longer available for annual subscription renewal and support will be discontinued in June of 2026. Autodesk does offer a migration to its Electronics design program, which users may want to investigate as an option along with the other tools in this PCB CAD software comparison.. Â
EasyEDA
- Benefits:
- Simple to use
- Extensive component symbol and footprint library
- Basic circuit simulation
- Cost: Free
- Summary and Trends:
EasyEDA includes all of the functionality needed to design circuit boards. It also includes limited simulation capability and export to other PCB CAD software program formats. The program continues to be an inexpensive option for those wanting to learn PCB design. Increasing popularity has resulted in the development of EDA support programs that facilitate easy transition/conversion to and from other, more robust PCB design programs.Â
PCB Design Software Comparison: Optimizing Efficiency and Effectiveness
As the PCB design software comparison above illustrates, there is significant variation in benefits and costs among the top circuit board design programs. Yet, there is an industry-wide trend toward cloud computing and thrust toward increasing the interusability of different PCB CAD tools. By integrating EDA product developments and techniques, you can elevate the capabilities and usability of your PCB CAD software solution. However, there are additional product development challenges that should be considered.
A significant issue that can accompany EDA tool integration is incompatibility. For example, converting to an alternative format (such as to perform simulations) can result in a loss of design detail that translates into manufacturing errors. Component unavailability and other supply chain problems can also wreak havoc with PCBA development and production. The right professional product design software can help you overcome these obstacles and maximize the quality and efficiency of your PCBA development process.
