Best Electrical Design Software in 2026
Updated
In short: MATLAB Grader is ranked #1 of 42 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of KiCad and ProfiCAD. The best-ranked option with a free plan is KiCad. The lowest first paid tier on this page is SOLIDWORKS at $4/mo.
Electrical design work may involve drawing schematics, planning panels, or modeling electrical behavior. Compare schematic capture with electrical simulation, panel design, and standards libraries to see which listed capabilities fit your tasks; MCAD integration can also matter when mechanical design tools are part of the workflow. MATLAB Grader, KiCad, and ProfiCAD are among the entries. Deployment options, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing provide further details to consider when assessing fit and cost. Weigh these criteria according to the kind of electrical design work you need to support.
42 electrical design software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
4 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MATLAB GraderWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 2 | KiCadWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 3 | ProfiCADWindows · Mac · Android | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 4 | QElectroTechWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 5 | Trimble Viewpoint VistaWeb · Windows · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 6 | SOLIDWORKSWeb · Windows · Mac | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $4/mo | 5.6 |
| 7 | Brightlayer DCIMWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 8 | DipTraceWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 9 | EPLAN Electric P8Windows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 10 | Zuken E3.seriesWeb · Windows | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 11 | AutoCADWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 12 | LibrePCBWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 13 | LTspiceWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 14 | ngspiceWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 15 | Siemens Building XWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 16 | ETAPWeb · Windows · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 17 | KDE KeysmithLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 18 | LabVIEWWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | PSCADWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | QSPICEWindows | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | SKM Power*ToolsWindows · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $24.92/mo | 5.2 |
| 22 | CircuitLabWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 23 | gEDA ProjectLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 24 | KTechLabLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 25 | OreganoLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which electrical design software is ranked first on Freedom251?
MATLAB Grader is ranked #1 of 42 with a score of 6.6. KiCad is second and ProfiCAD third.
How many of these have a free plan?
4 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, SOLIDWORKS has the lowest first paid tier we found: $4/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.