Softwr

CAD · head to head

KiCad vs Zoo

KiCad logo

KiCad

CAD

Free open source schematic capture and PCB layout with no seat, board size or layer limits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zoo logo

Zoo

CAD

Cloud CAD with a scripting language and a geometry engine exposed as an API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: KiCad there is no vendor obligation behind the free software, so a blocking bug is escalated to a volunteer community unless you separately buy a contract from KiCad Services Corporation.; Zoo the geometry engine runs entirely in Zoo's cloud and there is no offline mode, so an aircraft, a customer site with no guest wifi or an outage stops modelling work completely.
  • They diverge on capability: KiCad covers Schematic capture, Zoo covers KCL scripting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KiCad and Zoo actually diverge.

Attributes where KiCad and Zoo differ
AttributeKiCadZoo
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feePer user per month
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, API

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (CAD).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in KiCad

  • Schematic capture
  • PCB layout
  • No design limits
  • 3D viewer
  • Manufacturing output
  • Scripting

Only in Zoo

  • KCL scripting
  • Design Studio
  • Design API
  • Zookeeper agent
  • Format conversion
  • Open source client

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

KiCad

  • A hardware startup designing a multi-layer board without paying for an Altium seatnot Zoo
  • A university teaching PCB design where per-student licences are unaffordablenot Zoo
  • An open hardware project that needs design files anyone can open and modifynot Zoo
  • An engineer prototyping a board at home who needs commercial rights on the outputnot Zoo

Zoo

  • A hardware startup that wants part models reviewed in pull requests alongside firmwarenot KiCad
  • A software team generating thousands of parametric part variants programmatically rather than by handnot KiCad
  • A SaaS product that needs to render and convert customer CAD files without licensing a geometry kernelnot KiCad
  • An engineer who models occasional brackets and enclosures and does not want a four figure annual seatnot KiCad

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

KiCad

  • There is no vendor obligation behind the free software, so a blocking bug is escalated to a volunteer community unless you separately buy a contract from KiCad Services Corporation.
  • High speed design support, including advanced constraint management, differential pair and impedance tooling, remains behind Altium and Cadence, which matters as soon as boards carry fast interfaces.
  • Rigid-flex and complex stack-up design is weak, so products with flex circuits usually need a commercial package.
  • Component library and part sourcing integrations are thinner than the commercial tools, so parts data and availability checking is manual work someone has to own.
  • Multi-engineer design data management is not provided; teams end up assembling Git workflows themselves, and merge handling on binary-adjacent design files is awkward.

Zoo

  • The geometry engine runs entirely in Zoo's cloud and there is no offline mode, so an aircraft, a customer site with no guest wifi or an outage stops modelling work completely.
  • STEP and SLDPRT import are still labelled experimental, which means the most common way of receiving a supplier or customer model is the least reliable path into the tool.
  • Drawing production, GD&T and tolerance annotation are far behind SolidWorks, Creo and NX, so most users still need a second package to release a manufacturing drawing.
  • Zookeeper is billed in reasoning minutes rather than per seat, so a team cannot forecast next month's bill from headcount the way it can with conventional CAD subscriptions.
  • The open source label applies only to the Design Studio client; the kernel that does the modelling is closed and hosted, so forking the repository does not give you a product you can run yourself.

Pricing, plan by plan

KiCad

Free
  • KiCadFree
    • Full suite under GPL
    • No board size, layer or component limits
    • Commercial use permitted
  • Commercial support$undefined/year
    • Support contracts sold separately by KiCad Services Corporation
    • Priority issue handling and consulting
    • Not included with the free software

Zoo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Design Studio access
    • About 20 minutes of Zookeeper reasoning per month
    • Around $10 of API calls included
  • Plus$20/month
    • Roughly 400 Zookeeper minutes per month
    • Pay as you go beyond the allowance
    • Design Studio and API access
  • Pro$99/month
    • Unlimited Zookeeper reasoning
    • Higher API allowance
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose KiCad if

  • You need schematic capture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want pcb layout.
KiCad review

Choose Zoo if

  • You need kcl scripting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API.
  • You also want design studio.
Zoo review

Questions people ask

Is KiCad or Zoo better?
Neither clearly leads. KiCad starts at Free and Zoo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KiCad or Zoo?
KiCad starts at Free and Zoo at Free.
Does KiCad or Zoo run on more platforms?
KiCad runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Zoo runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API.
Can I use KiCad for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is KiCad best used for?
KiCad is most often used for a hardware startup designing a multi-layer board without paying for an altium seat, a university teaching pcb design where per-student licences are unaffordable, an open hardware project that needs design files anyone can open and modify, an engineer prototyping a board at home who needs commercial rights on the output. Of those, a hardware startup designing a multi-layer board without paying for an altium seat and a university teaching pcb design where per-student licences are unaffordable are not what Zoo is typically brought in for.
What can KiCad do that Zoo cannot?
KiCad covers Schematic capture, PCB layout, No design limits, 3D viewer. Zoo covers KCL scripting, Design Studio, Design API, Zookeeper agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

KiCad: Is KiCad really free for commercial work?

Yes. It is GPL licensed with no restriction on commercial use, board size, layer count or component count.

Zoo: Is Zoo the same company as KittyCAD?

Yes. KittyCAD renamed itself Zoo; the GitHub organisation is still KittyCAD and the scripting language KCL keeps the old initials.

KiCad: Can I buy support?

Yes, but not from the project. KiCad Services Corporation sells commercial support contracts separately; CERN moved to exactly that arrangement after ending its donation programme.

Zoo: Can I use Zoo without an internet connection?

No. The geometry engine is a cloud service, so Design Studio needs a live connection to model anything.

KiCad: How is development funded?

Through donations and sponsors administered via The Linux Foundation, plus contributed engineering time.

Zoo: Is Design Studio free?

There is a genuine free tier with a small monthly allowance of AI reasoning and API calls. Paid plans start at $20 per month.

KiCad: Is it good enough to replace Altium?

For most low and medium speed boards yes. For high speed, rigid-flex and heavily constrained designs, the commercial tools still hold a clear lead.

Zoo: Can I replace SolidWorks with Zoo?

Not for drawing release, large assemblies or GD&T. Teams typically use Zoo for programmatic part generation and keep an established package for production documentation.

Share

Related pages

More on KiCad

More on Zoo

Keep looking

Other head to heads