Quilter is a specialised service for the routing stage. ProtoFlow is the whole design tool: it drafts and cleans up the schematic with AI, then lays out and routes the board with its own auto-router, or hands a clean board to whatever router you prefer.
By Rishik Boddeti · Last reviewed
Founder of ProtoFlow, ECE at UT Austin
Quick answer
Quilter and ProtoFlow are different kinds of AI PCB tool. Quilter is a specialised cloud, physics-driven autorouter that places and routes a design you have already captured; ProtoFlow is a free desktop PCB design app that uses AI to draft the schematic, imports real LCSC/DigiKey/Mouser parts, runs ERC/DRC, and takes the board through layout with its own auto-router to Gerbers, or exports to KiCad. If you want AI to help create the circuit and one tool for the whole board, ProtoFlow is the better starting point; if you want a dedicated routing service on a board you already have, Quilter is built for that, and the two can be used together.
Each 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quilter | Free tier for personal, academic and eligible small-team use (under 10 people and $50K revenue); free-tier designs are used to train its models | quilter.ai | |
| Quilter | Commercial use priced per project, quoted through sales | quilter.ai |
| Criteria | ProtoFlow EDA | Quilter |
|---|---|---|
| Stage of the workflow | The whole flow: AI draft, schematic, layout with its own auto-router, simulation, manufacturing files. | Autonomous placement + routing of an already-captured design (downstream layout). |
| How you use the AI | Describe a circuit in plain English; copilot drafts and edits in the editor. | Upload a finished schematic + board file; AI generates routed layout candidates. |
| Deployment + privacy | Desktop app with local files; editing works offline, AI features need a connection. | Cloud-native service. |
| Cost to start | Free to use. | Free AI-layout tier; paid plans for larger scale. |
| Best fit | Engineers who want AI help drafting the circuit and one tool through layout and Gerbers. | Teams who already have a schematic and want hands-off routing. |
Reviewed on: 2026-06-04
Only partly. Both are "AI for PCB design," but they are different kinds of product: ProtoFlow is a full design tool that drafts the schematic with AI and includes its own auto-router, while Quilter is a specialised cloud service that autonomously places and routes a board you have already captured. The two can be used together.
ProtoFlow has its own auto-router inside its PCB editor, with presets, layer filters and a completion summary, but it is a different thing from Quilter's physics-driven autonomous placement and routing service. We make no claim that ProtoFlow routes better or faster; if you want that specialised service, Quilter is built for it.
Because every board starts with the schematic. ProtoFlow gets you from idea to a real, part-accurate, review-ready schematic for free, then carries it through layout, simulation and manufacturing files in the same app, or hands off cleanly to whatever layout or routing tool you prefer.
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