# KiCad EDA vs SolidWorks Electrical Professional Comparison

| | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.5 out of 5 | 4.3 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 68 | 16 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (84.1% of reviews) | Mid-Market (66.7% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | Free | No pricing available | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### KiCad EDA

Pros:
- Ease of Use (2 reviews)
- Library Management (2 reviews)

Cons:
- Cloud Issues (1 reviews)
- Inefficient Autorouting (1 reviews)

### SolidWorks Electrical Professional

**Not enough data**

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 8.4 (49 reviews) | 8.1 (9 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 8.6 (51 reviews) | 8.3 (9 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 9.3 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 7.9 (38 reviews) | 8.9 (9 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 8.7 (46 reviews) | 8.7 (9 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### KiCad EDA

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: OSS Edition

Price: Free

Description: KiCad is Open Source software.  We offer world-class EDA design tools that are free to use, now and forever.

Key Features:
- 100k+ Symbol and footprint library
- 10k+ 3d Models
- Fast, responsive interface

[Browse all 2 editions](https://www.g2.com/products/kicad-eda/pricing)

#### Free Trial

Yes

### SolidWorks Electrical Professional

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### MEP

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **KiCad EDA** | N/A | N/A |
| **SolidWorks Electrical Professional** | N/A | N/A |

#### Design

| Feature | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **Systems** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **3D** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Documentation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Fabrication** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Clash Detection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Work

| Feature | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **Integrate** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Drafting** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Analysis** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Simulations** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### PCB Design

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **KiCad EDA** | 8.0/10 | 41 |
| **SolidWorks Electrical Professional** | N/A | N/A |

#### Design

| Feature | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **PCB layout editing** | 8.1 (39 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Schematic editor** | 8.3 (39 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Tools

| Feature | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **3D modeling tools** | 6.6 (31 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Component placement** | 8.4 (37 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Library

| Feature | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **Component libraries** | 7.7 (36 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Platform

| Feature | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **Board size** | 8.6 (36 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Layers** | 8.6 (36 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Customization

| Feature | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **Custom commands** | 7.6 (27 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Custom interface** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories

**Unique to KiCad EDA (1):** [PCB Design Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/pcb-design)

**Unique to SolidWorks Electrical Professional (1):** [MEP Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/mep)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | KiCad EDA | SolidWorks Electrical Professional | 
|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 84.1% | 20.0% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 11.1% | 66.7% | 
| **Enterprise** | 4.8% | 13.3% | 

### By Industry

#### KiCad EDA

- **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 41.3%
- **Consumer Electronics:** 12.7%
- **Design:** 7.9%
- **Research:** 6.3%
- **Automotive:** 4.8%
- **Higher Education:** 4.8%
- **Industrial Automation:** 4.8%
- **Education Management:** 3.2%
- **Information Services:** 1.6%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 1.6%
- **Other:** 11.1%

#### SolidWorks Electrical Professional

- **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 46.7%
- **Research:** 6.7%
- **Mechanical or Industrial Engineering:** 6.7%
- **Food & Beverages:** 6.7%
- **Entertainment:** 6.7%
- **Civil Engineering:** 6.7%
- **Aviation & Aerospace:** 6.7%
- **Automotive:** 6.7%
- **Animation:** 6.7%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to KiCad EDA

- [Altium Develop](https://www.g2.com/products/altium-develop/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (1004 reviews)
- [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (518 reviews)
- [Altium CircuitMaker](https://www.g2.com/products/altium-circuitmaker/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (109 reviews)
- [Autodesk EAGLE](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-eagle/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (77 reviews)
- [DipTrace](https://www.g2.com/products/diptrace/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (45 reviews)
- [NI Multisim](https://www.g2.com/products/ni-multisim/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (42 reviews)
- [OrCAD Capture](https://www.g2.com/products/orcad-capture/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (34 reviews)
- [EasyEDA](https://www.g2.com/products/easyeda/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (20 reviews)
- [SolidWorks PCB](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks-pcb/reviews) — 3.8/5 stars (14 reviews)
- [ExpressPCB Plus](https://www.g2.com/products/expresspcb-plus/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (29 reviews)

### Alternatives to SolidWorks Electrical Professional

- [AutoCAD MEP](https://www.g2.com/products/autocad-mep/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (203 reviews)
- [Revit MEP](https://www.g2.com/products/revit-mep/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (202 reviews)
- [MagiCAD](https://www.g2.com/products/magicad/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (37 reviews)
- [Trimble SysQue](https://www.g2.com/products/trimble-sysque/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (38 reviews)
- [HEC-RAS](https://www.g2.com/products/hec-ras/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (36 reviews)
- [AutoDesk Fabrication ESTmep](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fabrication-estmep/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (25 reviews)
- [Advance Steel](https://www.g2.com/products/advance-steel/reviews) — 3.9/5 stars (23 reviews)
- [AutoPIPE](https://www.g2.com/products/bentley-systems-autopipe/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (17 reviews)
- [Design Master Electrical](https://www.g2.com/products/design-master-electrical/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (10 reviews)
- [Trimble Field Points](https://www.g2.com/products/trimble-field-points/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (16 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### KiCad EDA

- Title: [What is the best EDA software?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-best-eda-software) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "KiCad"
- Title: [How can I turn on only the radsnet of the component I am moving?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/36347-how-can-i-turn-on-only-the-radsnet-of-the-component-i-am-moving) — 1 comment, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "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..."

### SolidWorks Electrical Professional

No discussions available for this product.

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/kicad-eda-vs-solidworks-electrical-professional)