Compare KiCad EDA and PADS Professional 
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (83.9% of reviews)
Small-Business (57.1% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Free
Starting at $249.00 Per Month
KiCad EDA
Star Rating
(67)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (83.9% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Free
Browse all 2 pricing plansPADS Professional
Star Rating
(64)4.1 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (57.1% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $249.00 Per Month
Browse all 2 pricing plansKiCad EDA vs PADS Professional
- Reviewers felt that KiCad EDA meets the needs of their business better than PADS Professional.
- When comparing quality of ongoing product support, reviewers felt that PADS Professional is the preferred option.
- For feature updates and roadmaps, our reviewers preferred the direction of KiCad EDA over PADS Professional.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
KiCad EDA
OSS Edition
Free
KiCad is Open Source software. We offer world-class EDA design tools that are free to use, now and forever.
- 100k+ Symbol and footprint library
- 10k+ 3d Models
- Fast, responsive interface
PADS Professional
PADS Professional Term-Based
Starting at $249.00
Per Month
- Additional features and license options may affect price.
Free Trial
KiCad EDA
Free Trial is available
PADS Professional
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
8.4
48
8.3
59
Ease of Use
8.6
50
7.9
63
Ease of Setup
9.3
9
7.7
29
Ease of Admin
Not enough data
8.2
15
Quality of Support
7.9
37
8.7
59
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
Not enough data
9.1
15
Product Direction (% positive)
8.7
45
8.6
58
Features by Category
Design
8.1
38
8.3
56
8.3
38
8.2
55
Tools
6.6
30
Feature Not Available
8.4
36
8.5
55
Library
7.7
35
8.1
56
Platform
8.6
35
8.3
56
8.5
35
8.6
56
Customization
7.6
26
Feature Not Available
Feature Not Available
7.5
55
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
KiCad EDA and PADS Professional are categorized as PCB Design
Unique Categories
KiCad EDA has no unique categories
PADS Professional has no unique categories
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
KiCad EDA
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
PADS Professional
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
41.9%
Consumer Electronics
12.9%
Design
8.1%
Research
6.5%
Higher Education
4.8%
Other
25.8%
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
17.5%
Automotive
7.9%
Design
7.9%
Computer Software
7.9%
Consumer Electronics
6.3%
Other
52.4%
Alternatives
Discussions
What is the best EDA software?
1 Comment
PS
KiCadRead more
How can I turn on only the radsnet of the component I am moving?
1 Comment
IA
Yes you can. If you open Pcbnew, go to the right-hand side toolbar and you will see some tools. The first one (top) is the arrow key for "Select item". The...Read more
KiCad EDA has no more discussions with answers
What is PADS PROFESSIONAL used for?
2 Comments
Official Response from PADS Professional
PADS Professional is the ideal choice for individual engineers working on the design of complex hardware-based electronic products. It is a fully integrated...Read more
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