Programs for drawing electronic circuits on a computer and designing PCBs are called EDA (Electronic Design Automation) tools. There are many free ones, so beginners wonder which to start with. The right tool depends on the purpose, and for a project to be soldered on perfboard you do not need every feature either. This article compares the characteristics of the main free tools (KiCad, EasyEDA, Fritzing, Tinkercad Circuits, and LTspice) and sorts out how their role differs from a perfboard tool like Patterndo. The features and distribution of each tool change often, so check the official guidance before installing.
What kind of tool do you need
First, sort out what you want to do.
| What you want to do | Suitable tools |
|---|---|
| Draw a schematic to keep and share | KiCad, EasyEDA |
| Design and order a PCB | KiCad, EasyEDA |
| Draw wiring easily as a breadboard picture | Fritzing, Tinkercad Circuits |
| Simulate whether the circuit is right | LTspice, Tinkercad Circuits, Patterndo |
| Plan a perfboard layout and check before soldering | Patterndo |
KiCad
A desktop EDA tool developed as open source. It provides a schematic editor, a PCB editor, a 3D view, and Gerber output as one package.
- Pros: free and very powerful, with rich part libraries and learning material. No account is needed and the files are on your computer.
- Cons: there is a learning curve with many terms and operations when learning at first. Installation and library setup are needed.
- Suited for: people who want to learn PCB design seriously, or who want a tool to use for a long time.
EasyEDA
An EDA tool you can use right in a web browser, with a desktop client also available. It is linked to a part library and to PCB fabrication and parts purchasing services, so it continues all the way through ordering.
- Pros: you can start without installing, the interface is intuitive, and searching for parts and ordering are convenient.
- Cons: it depends on an online service and an account. Service policies and features may change.
- Suited for: beginners who want to make a PCB quickly.
Fritzing
A beginner-oriented tool that you design in by moving between three views: breadboard, schematic, and PCB. You can draw wiring in pictures that look like real part photos.
- Pros: convenient for explaining or documenting breadboard wiring with pictures. Easy to understand for someone new to it.
- Cons: its professional PCB design features are simpler than other tools. The distribution method (open source and a paid build) and pricing policy differ over time, so check.
- Suited for: people who need pictures for teaching or explanation, or who make Arduino practice material.
Tinkercad Circuits
A web-based tool offered by Autodesk where you connect parts on a breadboard screen and simulate. You can also write and run Arduino code.
- Pros: used with a free account with no installation, and simulation is easy. Widely used for education.
- Cons: the parts it provides are limited, and it does not suit PCB design or precise analysis.
- Suited for: students learning Arduino and basic circuits for the first time.
LTspice
A SPICE-based circuit simulator offered free by Analog Devices. It analyzes the time response and frequency response of analog circuits precisely.
- Pros: precise simulation is possible and it is free. Widely used in classic analog design.
- Cons: the interface is dated and you need to know SPICE concepts. It does not do PCB design.
- Suited for: people who want to check the behavior of filters, amplifiers, and power circuits precisely.
Compared at a glance
| Tool | Install | Learning difficulty | PCB design | Simulation | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KiCad | Required | Medium–high | Very strong | Linkable (some SPICE built in) | Free |
| EasyEDA | Web or client | Low–medium | Possible | Partial support | Free (service-linked) |
| Fritzing | Required | Low | Simple | Limited | Check |
| Tinkercad Circuits | Web | Low | None | Easy (including Arduino) | Free |
| LTspice | Required | Medium | None | Very precise | Free |
Where Patterndo fits
Patterndo has a different purpose from EDA tools. It is not a PCB design tool but a tool for drawing and checking part placement and wiring on a perfboard.
- It supports placement and jumpers fitted to the perfboard hole grid, and flipping between the component side and copper side.
- It calculates the connections (nets) automatically and finds errors before soldering with DC simulation and diagnostics.
- You can import a schematic image to draw connection hints, and look for wiring with fewer jumpers using auto-rewire (Using Auto-Rewire, Importing a Schematic Image).
To move to a PCB, you design the circuit you verified on perfboard anew in KiCad or EasyEDA (PCB Ordering Guide).
Suggested order for beginners
- Learn the concepts: understand basic circuits by simulating them in Patterndo or Tinkercad Circuits.
- Build on perfboard: draw the layout in Patterndo and solder it (Getting Started with Patterndo).
- Draw schematics: as your projects grow, draw and keep schematics in KiCad or EasyEDA (Reading Schematic Symbols).
- Design a PCB: when you need to make several of the same circuit, design and order a PCB.
Summary
KiCad suits powerful general-purpose EDA, EasyEDA easy web-based PCB design, Fritzing and Tinkercad educational pictures and simulation, and LTspice precise analog analysis. For a project to be soldered on perfboard, do placement and checks in Patterndo, and learn an EDA tool in addition when you need a PCB.