--- title: DesignSpark PCB Reviews meta_title: 'DesignSpark PCB Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how DesignSpark PCB works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.3 review_count: 6 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-09-28' parent_category: name: CAD url: https://www.g2.com/categories/cad --- # DesignSpark PCB Reviews **Vendor:** DesignSpark **Category:** [PCB Design Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/pcb-design) **Average Rating:** 4.3/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 6 ## About DesignSpark PCB DesignSpark PCB is a comprehensive printed circuit board (PCB) design software developed to cater to engineers and designers across various experience levels. It offers a robust platform for creating, testing, and finalizing PCB designs without imposing limitations on layers, connections, or schematic sizes. This flexibility ensures that users can undertake projects ranging from simple single-layer boards to complex multi-layered designs. One of the standout features of DesignSpark PCB is its unlimited schematic sheets and PCB layer count, allowing for intricate and expansive designs without constraints. The software supports seamless integration with mechanical design tools and SPICE simulators, facilitating a holistic design process that encompasses both electronic and mechanical aspects. Users can generate manufacturing plots, including Gerber and Excellon files, and produce essential reports such as Bills of Materials (BoM) and generic netlists, streamlining the transition from design to production. The Design Rule Check (DRC) functionality is integral to ensuring design accuracy and manufacturability. By verifying that designs adhere to predefined rules, DRC helps mitigate potential errors that could lead to costly manufacturing issues. Additionally, the software offers pre-plot checks to confirm correct layer selections before generating output files, further enhancing design reliability. For those seeking advanced capabilities, DesignSpark PCB paid subscriptions introduce features like serpentine routing, which is particularly beneficial for high-speed PCB designs requiring precise signal timing. The Archimedean spiral generator facilitates the creation of compact, frequency-independent antenna designs suitable for wide bandwidth wireless communication. An interactive BoM exporter outputs an HTML file with a clickable PCB layout and parts list, simplifying component identification during prototyping. Integration with SnapEDA.com provides users access to millions of CAD models for electronic components. This feature allows for easy searching, previewing, and insertion of schematic symbols and PCB footprints directly into projects, enhancing design efficiency. The software also supports blind and buried vias, essential for high-density PCB designs where space is limited, and differential pairs, which are crucial for maintaining signal integrity in high-quality audio and video applications. DesignSpark PCB is designed with user-friendliness in mind, featuring an intuitive interface that accommodates both novice designers and seasoned professionals. Its professional-grade tools, including unlimited layers and manufacturing-ready outputs, ensure that users have the resources needed to bring their designs to fruition. The software offers a free Explorer plan with no hidden fees, allowing users to start their design journey without financial commitment and upgrade to more advanced plans as needed. Community support is a cornerstone of the DesignSpark ecosystem. Users have access to a vibrant community where they can ask questions, access tutorials, and receive assistance from fellow engineers. This collaborative environment fosters continuous learning and problem-solving, enhancing the overall user experience. In summary, DesignSpark PCB provides a versatile and powerful platform for PCB design, offering a range of features that support the entire design process from conception to production. Its combination of flexibility, advanced tools, and community support makes it a valuable resource for engineers and designers aiming to create high-quality PCB designs efficiently. ## DesignSpark PCB Reviews ### 1. Searching for footprints **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mehmet S. | Senior Sales Associate, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** July 31, 2024 **What do you like best about DesignSpark PCB?** I have to spend hours looking for those footprints and concentrate on the creativity of the projects I design for my personalized use. DesignSpark PCB stands out with its rich library compared to the similar programs and services. **What do you dislike about DesignSpark PCB?** DesignSpark PCB is lacking various features which are essential for professional circuit boards. The auto-router, functional, generates more often poor or even worst Layouts with too many tracks in parallel and too many vias. **What problems is DesignSpark PCB solving and how is that benefiting you?** I found that DesignSpark PCB is very useful for my experiments at home. It enables me to easily sketched out solutions and run test on various circuit designs since it has a wide range of components. ### 2. Assembling new designs with different parts **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rosliza S. | HR Intern, Banking, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** June 03, 2024 **What do you like best about DesignSpark PCB?** I am always looking for parts to use in my projects and having the parts already have the footprints preloaded is a lot easier than some of the other free PCB design tools. It is easy to use and control no matter the user is professional and even just a beginner in PCB designing like me. **What do you dislike about DesignSpark PCB?** My only issue with this tool is that it supports only a small subset of layers. The limitation to eight layers does, however, appear quite confining, especially when conducting designs involving many layers filled with various components. **What problems is DesignSpark PCB solving and how is that benefiting you?** This has been made possible by the use of DesignSpark PCB as a means of gauging my ability in the creation of PCBs. It has assisted me to realize several of my personal designs from simple one-side boards to complex multi-part designs. ### 3. Very nice for free software. **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Design | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** November 12, 2021 At G2, we prefer fresh reviews and we like to follow up with reviewers. They may not have updated their review text, but have updated their review. **What do you like best about DesignSpark PCB?** There is no limits on the maximum number of nodes or pads and no restriction on the number of connections. **What do you dislike about DesignSpark PCB?** You don't get all the bell and whistles of paid software. **Recommendations to others considering DesignSpark PCB:** Works very well for free software and for small projects **What problems is DesignSpark PCB solving and how is that benefiting you?** I now own Altium, so I don't use this as often as I used to. ### 4. Free easy to use pcb layout design tool **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Bara'a S. | RF Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** December 01, 2020 **What do you like best about DesignSpark PCB?** Very easy to use and to add components and all the components used are on the rs components website which makes it easy to purchase without the need to search more. **What do you dislike about DesignSpark PCB?** Not as smooth as other softwares like eagle. **Recommendations to others considering DesignSpark PCB:** Try it before purchasing another software because this one is free and sufficient in most cases, its very easy to use. **What problems is DesignSpark PCB solving and how is that benefiting you?** Designing pcb layout ### 5. Overall great product **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Marek J. | Owner, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** November 02, 2019 **What do you like best about DesignSpark PCB?** It allows our team to visualize and then immediately create projects. **What do you dislike about DesignSpark PCB?** It can be buggy and system intensive at times. We have had to purchase a new, more powerful computer to handle its many features. However, it is well worth it. **Recommendations to others considering DesignSpark PCB:** Get really comfortable with having multiple users working at the same time **What problems is DesignSpark PCB solving and how is that benefiting you?** Mainly design constraints. It has allowed us to go from thought to product very quickly. We were moving faster when we were using it. ### 6. Intuitive and Industry Recognised PCB Design Software **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Matthew B. | Electronics Technician, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** November 06, 2019 **What do you like best about DesignSpark PCB?** Component library incorporates every necessary component for comprehensive PCB design. **What do you dislike about DesignSpark PCB?** Updates are not often backward compatible, forcing you to always update. Sometimes old designs do not open in new versions of software. **Recommendations to others considering DesignSpark PCB:** Much better and more intuitive than other equivalent PCB software, such as MultiSim or Eagle, with the added bonus of being free! **What problems is DesignSpark PCB solving and how is that benefiting you?** Allowed me to create PCB designs quickly and easily, in an industry standard Gerber Output. ## DesignSpark PCB Discussions - [What is DesignSpark PCB used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-designspark-pcb-used-for) - [View DesignSpark PCB pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/designspark-pcb/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-10-04+00%3A59%3A52+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=1afe6cd6-2236-4d23-823b-d74a64be94da&secure%5Btoken%5D=5002ee6e12a381308f6b881d2e1b7ed637525785647d55bd79b09bbc675066e8&format=llm_user) ## DesignSpark PCB Features **Design** - PCB layout editing - Schematic editor **Tools** - 3D modeling tools - Component placement **Library** - Component libraries **Platform** - Board size - Layers **Customization** - Custom commands - Custom interface ## Top DesignSpark PCB Alternatives - [Altium Develop](https://www.g2.com/products/altium-develop/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (1,051 reviews) - [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (509 reviews) - [Onshape](https://www.g2.com/products/onshape/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (711 reviews)