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LibrePCB Review

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Should I use LibrePCB?

LibrePCB - librepcb.org

· 2 days ago

Makers, students, and open-hardware hobbyists get a polished free PCB designer with zero cost. Professional teams needing the largest library ecosystem and mature tooling pick KiCad instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources. Many snippets are truncated, which limits depth on support quality and CVE details.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo evidence on support quality.
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

LibrePCB

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Hobbyists and makers
  • Open-hardware startups on zero budget
  • First-time PCB designers
  • Linux-first workflows

Not for

  • Professional teams needing KiCad's library depth
  • High-speed or RF board work
  • Companies wanting paid support contracts and SLAs

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Smaller library ecosystem. Check part availability before committing a design.

medium

CVE-2024-55950 appears in public CVE feeds dated Dec 2024. Reviewed snippets are truncated.

low

Funding relies on grants and Patreon, not product revenue.

low

The 2.0 UI redesign means older tutorials do not match screens.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and open source with no license fees.
  • Version 2.0 adds a new UI and bus support.
  • KiCad import in 1.2.0 eases switching from KiCad.
  • Order boards directly through partner manufacturers like PCBWay.
  • Publishes a security policy and a product security page.

Cons

  • Smaller part libraries and community than KiCad.
  • Comparisons call it less mature than rival tools.
  • Roadmap discussion includes a Rust rewrite, a long-term risk.

Sources & method

- 11 sources - Publishes a security policy and product security page; one 2024 CVE appears in feeds.

official x1review x6security x2news x2
  • CVE-2024-55950, Listed in public CVE feeds in December 2024. Reviewed snippets are truncated, so check the official LibrePCB security page for details.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 11

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, open source, no paid tiers.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Reviewers praise the clean interface and new 2.0 UI.
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Core features present; maturity trails KiCad.
  • Support quality. No evidence on support quality.
  • Security posture: 3/5. Security policy published; one 2024 CVE listed.
  • $0 Price Free and open source, all features
  • 2.0.1 Latest version Released Feb 2026
  • 1.0 First stable release October 2023, per Hackaday review
  • Grants plus donations Funding NLnet, NGI0, Patreon sponsors

Pricing

LibrePCB

$0

  • Full schematic and board editor
  • All features included
  • Optional donations via Patreon

Security

Publishes a security policy and product security page; one 2024 CVE appears in feeds.

  • CVE-2024-55950Listed in public CVE feeds in December 2024. Reviewed snippets are truncated, so check the official LibrePCB security page for details.⁸

What users say

Hackaday calls the 1.0 release a milestone, while Reddit threads keep measuring LibrePCB against KiCad.

“I recommend horizon EDA”
Reddit, r/PrintedCircuitBoard
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources. Many snippets are truncated, which limits depth on support quality and CVE details.

Free open-source PCB tool polished enough for makers. KiCad still wins on libraries and maturity for serious board work.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources. Many snippets are truncated, which limits depth on support quality and CVE details.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Review: LibrePCB Hits Version 1.0hackaday.com
    review
  2. LibrePCB vs KiCad: a friendly guide for open-source PCB designgoforfab.com
    review
  3. LibrePCB 2.0.0 Released with new UI, Buses and morereddit.com
    review
  4. LibrePCB 1.2.0 Released with KiCAD Import and morereddit.com
    review
  5. LibrePCB Project plans to move towards Rustreddit.com
    review
  6. LibrePCB - Install on Linux (Flathub)flathub.org
    official
  7. Product security pagelibrepcb.org
    security
  8. CVE-2024-55950 - Exploits & Severityfeedly.com
    security
  9. NGI0 Grant for LibrePCB 2.0librepcb.org
    news
  10. Software-update: LibrePCB 2.0.1tweakers.net
    news
  11. LibreCAD VS LibrePCB - compare differencessaashub.com
    review

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