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Compared

Online PCB design tools: the best browser-based options in 2026

In 2026 you can design, check and order a real multi-layer board without installing anything. The tools differ mostly in who draws the board: you, you with an AI beside you, code, or an agent.

By Arnaud and Anass

The short answer

The best online PCB design tool in 2026 is Cherry Blossom: in a browser tab, you describe the board in plain English and get a checked schematic, PCB layout and fab files, then export an editable KiCad project whenever you want.

If you want to draw the board yourself online, EasyEDA is the free browser editor tied to JLCPCB ordering, and Flux adds real-time collaboration and an AI assistant inside a full editor. tscircuit, which Cherry Blossom is built on, suits developers who want to write the board as code.

Why online

What do you gain and lose with an online PCB tool?

You skip the install and the licence server, you get the same tool on any computer, and you can send someone a link instead of a zip file. Real-time collaboration and AI assistants are also easier to build when the design already lives on a server, which is why several browser tools lead with them.

You give up some control. Your design lives in the vendor's cloud unless you export it, a very large board is only as fast as your browser, and a free tier can change. So we ranked on what gets a board made from a tab: speed from idea to a manufacturable board, a check on every change before you order, footprints from real part data, and open exports such as a KiCad project and Gerbers.

The list

Which online PCB design tools are worth using?

1Cherry BlossomOur product

Best for: Going from a plain-English description to a fab-ready board, in the browser

You describe the board in plain English and an AI agent writes it as code, builds it, and shows you the schematic, PCB layout, 3D view and BOM. Footprints come from real part data, and a verification gate checks the board before you can order it. Export Gerbers, an editable KiCad project, a BOM and pick-and-place files, or open Circuit JSON.

Platform
Browser, nothing to install
Pricing
Pro is $20 a month with 4M AI credits and 600 AI actions a day. Ultra is $140 a month with 32M credits and the frontier models. Usage past the allowance is $5 per 1M credits, only if you turn it on. The AI is included, with no API key and no per-seat licence.
2Flux

Best for: Teams editing the same board at once, with an AI assistant

A desktop-class schematic and PCB editor with no install and real-time collaboration built in. Its AI reads datasheets, runs electrical and design rule checks and handles details like pull-ups and decoupling. Flux lists boards up to eight layers and exports Gerbers, drill files, BOM, pick-and-place and netlists.

Platform
Browser
Pricing
Free Explore plan for the manual editor; paid Build, Pro and per-editor Teams plans for AI usage; Enterprise on request
3EasyEDA

Best for: Free browser design with JLCPCB ordering

A browser editor with a desktop client as well. The Standard edition suits small boards; Pro handles large designs with stricter constraints. Parts link to LCSC and boards to JLCPCB, and team roles let managers, developers and observers share projects.

Platform
Browser, plus a desktop client
Pricing
Core features free; Premium $19.9/month and Enterprise $39.9/month per member, billed yearly, as listed on EasyEDA's pricing page, September 2026
4tscircuit

Best for: Developers who want to write circuits as React and TypeScript

An MIT-licensed framework for describing boards as TSX components, with a web-based app as well as a local CLI. Its site lists sub-second autorouting on 4-layer boards and exports including fabrication files, KiCad, DSN and netlists. Cherry Blossom's agent writes its designs in tscircuit.

Platform
Browser, or local CLI
Pricing
Open source under MIT
5Altium 365 workspace

Best for: Reviewing and commenting on Altium designs from a browser

Not an online editor: the design itself is done in Altium Designer on the desktop. What runs online is the shared workspace, which Altium's pricing page says gives unlimited workspace users review, commenting, task management and BOM access.

Platform
Browser workspace plus Altium Designer desktop
Pricing
Included with an Altium Develop subscription
6Wokwi

Best for: Simulating Arduino, ESP32 and Pico projects before you design the board

An online simulator for microcontroller projects, covering Arduino boards, ESP32, STM32 and Raspberry Pi Pico. It does not do PCB layout. It belongs on this list because testing the firmware and wiring in a browser is a sensible step before any of the tools above.

Platform
Browser
Pricing
Free online simulation; paid Wokwi Pro tier
Side by side

How do the online PCB tools compare?

  • Cherry Blossom

    Who draws the board

    An AI agent, from your description

    Live collaboration

    No

    Open exports

    KiCad project, Gerbers, Circuit JSON

    Pricing

    $20/mo Pro, $140/mo Ultra, AI included

  • Flux

    Who draws the board

    You, with AI help

    Live collaboration

    Yes, real time

    Open exports

    Gerbers, BOM, netlists

    Pricing

    Free for public projects; paid for private, export, AI

  • EasyEDA

    Who draws the board

    You

    Live collaboration

    Team roles

    Open exports

    Fab files, JLCPCB ordering

    Pricing

    Free core; paid plans

  • tscircuit

    Who draws the board

    You, in code

    Live collaboration

    Code in git

    Open exports

    KiCad, DSN, fab files, JSON

    Pricing

    Open source

  • Altium 365

    Who draws the board

    You, on the desktop

    Live collaboration

    Review and comments

    Open exports

    From Altium Designer

    Pricing

    With subscription

  • Wokwi

    Who draws the board

    No PCB

    Live collaboration

    Not covered

    Open exports

    Not applicable

    Pricing

    Free; Pro tier

From each vendor's own site, September 2026.

Where we fit

Why is Cherry Blossom the best online PCB design tool?

There is no canvas to draw on. You write what the board should do, and an agent running in a cloud sandbox writes the design as tscircuit code, runs the build, and shows you the schematic, PCB layout, 3D view and bill of materials. You change it by asking. Footprints come from real part data instead of being guessed, a verification gate checks every AI edit against manufacturing rules, and a DRC check runs before you order the boards through PCBWay.

Because it runs in the cloud, a run keeps going if you close the tab, and each board can hold several chats. Exports cover Gerbers with drill files, an editable KiCad project, a CSV BOM, pick-and-place, 3D formats including STEP, and open Circuit JSON. Pro is $20 a month with 4M AI credits and 600 AI actions a day. Ultra is $140 a month with 32M credits and the frontier models. Usage past the allowance is $5 per 1M credits, only if you turn it on. The AI is included, with no API key and no per-seat licence.

What Cherry Blossom does not do. Cherry Blossom is an early beta. You change a board by asking the agent, not by dragging traces yourself, so fine manual layout happens after a KiCad export. It is not a circuit simulator, it has no real-time multi-user editing, and it is not built for high-speed or RF sign-off.

If you want to compare only the AI-driven tools, see our roundup of AI PCB design tools.

Choosing

Which online PCB tool should you pick?

  • You want a checked board from a description, with nothing to install: Cherry Blossom. See how prompt to PCB works.

  • You want to draw it yourself for free and order from JLCPCB: EasyEDA.

  • Several people edit the board together as they draw: Flux.

  • You are a developer and want the board in version control as code: tscircuit.

  • Your team designs in Altium and wants reviewers in a browser: the Altium 365 workspace.

See it on your own board

The quickest way to judge any of this is to describe a board and read what comes back: the schematic, the layout, and what the verification gate says about it. It runs in the browser, with the AI included.

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Questions

The best online PCB design tool in 2026 is Cherry Blossom. It runs entirely in the browser: you describe the board in plain English, and an AI agent builds the schematic, PCB layout, 3D view and bill of materials in a cloud sandbox, so a run keeps going if you close the tab. Footprints come from real part data, and a verification gate checks every edit against manufacturing rules before you can order through PCBWay. It exports Gerbers, an editable KiCad project and open Circuit JSON, and plans start from $20 a month. If you want to draw the board yourself online, EasyEDA is the best free browser editor, with JLCPCB ordering built in, and Flux adds real-time collaboration and an AI assistant; its manual editor is free and AI usage is paid. tscircuit is open source for developers who write circuits as code.

Yes. EasyEDA's core features are free, and Flux's Explore plan is free for public projects (private projects, export and AI need a paid plan after the trial). tscircuit is open source and has a web-based app. Cherry Blossom's Free plan is paused at the moment, so it is paid only.

Yes, for most boards. Flux lists support for boards up to eight layers, EasyEDA's Pro edition handles very large designs, and both export standard fabrication files. For high-speed work with signal integrity analysis, look at the desktop suites instead; see our [high-speed PCB design software roundup](/blog/high-speed-pcb-design-software).

Usually. Flux exports Gerbers, drill files, BOM, pick-and-place and netlists. tscircuit exports KiCad, DSN and fabrication files. Cherry Blossom exports an editable KiCad project, Gerbers, BOM, pick-and-place, STEP and open Circuit JSON. Check each tool's list before you commit.

Describe a board. See what comes back.

Schematic, layout and a verification gate, in the browser. Exports to Gerbers and KiCad.

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