Most "KiCad vs EAGLE" comparisons were written while both tools were on sale. That stopped being true in June 2026. If you have EAGLE projects, the useful question is which tool should own them for the next ten years, and the answer depends on how much of your workflow lives in EAGLE-specific scripts and files.
By Rishik Boddeti · Last reviewed
Founder of ProtoFlow, ECE at UT Austin
Quick answer
You can no longer choose EAGLE. Autodesk stopped selling and supporting it on June 7, 2026 and points users to the electronics workspace in Autodesk Fusion, so the real choice is KiCad or Fusion as the next home for your EAGLE projects. KiCad is free, open source, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and imports EAGLE 6.x and later schematics, boards and libraries into local files. Fusion opens native EAGLE files and runs most ULPs, but it is a cloud-based subscription at $680 a year. Choose KiCad for free, local files; choose Fusion if you depend on ULPs, CAM jobs or mechanical design in one tool.
| KiCad 10 | EAGLE | Autodesk Fusion | ProtoFlow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Active; 10.0.7 released October 7, 2026 | Not sold or supported since June 7, 2026 | Active; Autodesk's named EAGLE successor | Active desktop app |
| Cost | Free, open source (GPL) | Pre-Autodesk perpetual licenses still run on their machine | $680/year or $85/month | Free plan; paid plans raise AI limits |
| Free option | The whole program | EAGLE Free ended June 6, 2026 | Personal use: non-commercial, 2 sheets per schematic, 4 signal layers | Full editor and AI, no card, no expiry |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Existing installs only | Windows, macOS, browser; no Linux | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Where projects live | Local files | Local .sch and .brd files | Cloud-based platform | Local files |
| Reads EAGLE designs | Imports 6.x+ XML .sch, .brd and .lbr | Native | Opens native EAGLE files directly | Imports EAGLE projects |
| EAGLE ULPs and CAM jobs | Not imported | Native | Most ULPs run; local CAM jobs load | Design import only |
Skip the comparison shopping. Try the free one first and see if it does the job.
Download for DesktopEach row links to the vendor page it came from and shows the date we last read that page. Vendors change pricing often, so check the link before you buy.
| Product | Price or limit | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| KiCad | Free and open source; no paid edition | kicad.org | |
| Autodesk EAGLE | Not sold or supported after June 7, 2026; EAGLE Free ended June 6, 2026 | autodesk.com | |
| Autodesk Fusion | $680/year or $85/month; free 30-day trial | autodesk.com | |
| Fusion for personal use | Free; non-commercial, individuals under $1,000/year revenue | autodesk.com | |
| Fusion for personal use (PCB limits) | 2 sheets per schematic, 4 signal layers | autodesk.com | |
| DipTrace (EAGLE-user offer) | Full edition, $795 perpetual license | diptrace.com |
Autodesk's EAGLE FAQ says it no longer sells or supports EAGLE effective June 7, 2026. The wind-down ran in stages. Monthly EAGLE Premium terms stopped renewing on March 26, 2024, EAGLE Standard annual terms could last be renewed on March 31, 2025, and on June 7, 2026 the EAGLE entitlement left Fusion subscriptions, the download disappeared from Autodesk accounts, and EAGLE licensing stopped being active. EAGLE Free was not accessible after June 6, 2026.
One group is treated differently. If you bought a perpetual EAGLE license before Autodesk acquired EAGLE, Autodesk says that version keeps working on your current machine. It gets no fixes, and the wording is tied to the machine it is installed on, so plan to have moved before that computer is replaced.
That is why comparisons of KiCad and EAGLE as two live products are out of date. EAGLE still matters as a file format, and every realistic alternative now competes on how well it reads EAGLE projects.
KiCad 10 imports EAGLE projects through File, Import Non-KiCad Project. It reads the XML .sch and .brd files that EAGLE 6.x and later write, and keeps the board outline, copper layers, tracks, vias, polygons, placement, nets and net classes, converting design rules where KiCad has an equivalent. Symbols come out of the libraries embedded in the EAGLE schematic into a generated KiCad symbol library, and standalone .lbr footprint libraries go in through the footprint library manager.
The documented gaps are specific. ULP scripts and CAM jobs are not imported, some per-signal clearances are simplified, and binary files from before EAGLE 6.x are not supported; KiCad's manual says to open them in EAGLE and re-save as XML first. KiCad also adds an EAGLE-only ERC check, "Bus Entry needed", which marks places where the importer could not place bus entries for you.
The practical consequence: if you have pre-6.x boards, convert them while you still have a working EAGLE install. Once that install is gone, KiCad has no route for the old binary files.
Fusion is the successor Autodesk names, and its migration path is the shortest. Autodesk says Fusion opens native EAGLE design and library files directly with no export step, managed libraries on Library.io appear in the library manager without any action, EAGLE-format DRC files load, local CAM jobs can be pointed to, and almost all ULPs run from the automation tab.
The trade is the platform. Autodesk describes Fusion as cloud-based CAD, CAM, CAE and PCB software, its system requirements list Windows, macOS and a web browser with no Linux version, and the subscription is $680 a year or $85 a month. Fusion for personal use is free, but only for non-commercial projects by individuals earning under $1,000 a year, and Autodesk's plan comparison limits its PCB work to 2 sheets per schematic and 4 signal layers.
KiCad suits EAGLE users who mostly drew schematics and routed boards rather than building up ULP automation. It costs nothing, has no editions or personal-use terms, supports up to 32 copper layers, and runs natively on Linux, which matters for anyone on Linux, since Fusion has no Linux version.
Your projects end up as local files you can keep in Git (the KiCad project manager shows version-control status right in its file tree), share with anyone, and open in ten years. KiCad also includes ngspice simulation, STEP export for enclosure checks, and Python plugins through its Plugin and Content Manager, which is where any ULP-style automation would have to be rebuilt.
Fusion is the lower-effort move if your team relies on things that do not survive an import into KiCad: ULPs written over years, CAM job files tuned for a particular fab, or managed libraries already on Library.io. It is also the natural move if mechanical design already happens in Fusion, because the board can be pushed to a 3D PCB inside the same platform instead of being traded as a STEP file.
If you paid for EAGLE Premium, you were already on a Fusion subscription, so the cost question may be settled for you. If you are a solo maker heading for the free personal-use tier, check your largest design against the 4-signal-layer and 2-sheet limits before you commit.
ProtoFlow is a free desktop PCB design app for Windows, macOS and Linux that imports EAGLE projects and exports to EAGLE as well as KiCad, Altium, PADS and EDIF, so moving to it does not strand your files a second time. Alongside the full schematic and PCB editor it adds AI drafting from a plain-language prompt, an AI Copilot inside the editor, parts search across LCSC, DigiKey and Mouser, and a free AI Part Generator for parts with no library model.
| Criteria | ProtoFlow | KiCad or Fusion |
|---|---|---|
| Opening old EAGLE projects | Imports EAGLE projects. | KiCad imports 6.x+ XML; Fusion opens EAGLE files natively. |
| EAGLE ULPs and CAM jobs | Not built for script-driven EAGLE flows. | Fusion runs most ULPs; KiCad does not import them. |
| Cost to keep designing | Free plan with the full editor and AI. | KiCad free; Fusion $680/year or limited personal use. |
| Linux | Yes. | KiCad yes; Fusion no. |
| Where files live | Local files. | KiCad local; Fusion cloud-based. |
| Writing EAGLE files back out | Exports EAGLE, KiCad, Altium, PADS and EDIF. | Fusion exports EAGLE-compatible files; KiCad saves its own format. |
Reviewed on: 2026-10-14
No. Autodesk stopped selling and supporting EAGLE on June 7, 2026, removed the download from Autodesk accounts, and ended EAGLE Free after June 6, 2026. Autodesk directs EAGLE users to the electronics workspace in Autodesk Fusion.
Autodesk says perpetual licenses bought before it acquired EAGLE are not affected, and that version keeps working on your current machine. You get no updates or support, so use the time to convert files and choose a replacement.
Yes. KiCad imports EAGLE 6.x and later XML schematics (.sch), boards (.brd) and footprint libraries (.lbr). Binary files from before 6.x must be re-saved as XML in EAGLE first, and ULP scripts and CAM jobs do not come across.
A Fusion subscription is $680 a year or $85 a month, with a free 30-day trial. Fusion for personal use is free for non-commercial projects by individuals under $1,000 a year in revenue, limited to 2 sheets per schematic and 4 signal layers.
Move to KiCad if you want free, local files and Linux support, and you can live without ULPs. Move to Fusion if your process depends on ULPs, CAM job files or managed libraries, or your mechanical design already lives in Fusion.
DipTrace runs an offer for EAGLE users: its Full edition as a $795 perpetual license, with direct import of EAGLE projects and libraries. That suits people who would rather pay once than subscribe.
Yes. ProtoFlow imports EAGLE projects and exports to EAGLE, KiCad, Altium, PADS and EDIF, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and has a free plan with the full editor and AI.
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