Go from circuit idea to production-ready Gerber file in minutes. No netlist. No learning curve. Just open the app and start building.
Protoboard Designer is a WYSIWYG PCB layout editor for makers, hobbyists, students, and anyone who finds KiCad or Altium overwhelming. Place components, route copper traces, and export your board — on your phone, tablet, or directly in your browser at protoboarddesigner.com.
Available on iOS and Web — your projects sync seamlessly across all your devices.
KEY FEATURES
• WYSIWYG PCB Layout — what you place on screen is exactly what gets manufactured. No surprises at the fab house.
• Gerber & PDF Export — send production-ready Gerber files directly to any PCB fab, or export a PDF to etch your own board at home.
• KiCad Footprint Import — use the built-in component library, import KiCad footprints, or add any public GitHub repository as a footprint source.
• Cloud Project Sync — your boards are automatically backed up and synced across iOS and Web. Start on your phone, finish in the browser — or vice versa.
• No Netlist Required — skip the schematic step entirely and jump straight to layout.
PERFECT FOR
• Makers and hobbyists designing perfboard, stripboard, or custom PCB layouts
• Students learning electronics and circuit board design
• Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and ESP32 tinkerers moving beyond breadboards
• Anyone wanting to go from idea to fabrication without weeks of learning software
WHY NOT KICAD OR ALTIUM?
Traditional EDA tools are powerful — but they're designed for professional engineers managing complex multi-layer boards. They take weeks to learn and are desktop-only. Protoboard Designer strips away everything you don't need for hobby and prototype work, so you can focus on building, not learning software.
Try the web app for free at protoboarddesigner.com — no install required. Or download now and sign in with Google to get started in seconds. No credit card required.
Terms of Use (EULA): https://protoboarddesigner.com/terms-of-service.html
Privacy Policy: https://protoboarddesigner.com/privacy-policy.html
Ratings & Reviews
This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
• Photoview: see your board as the fab will make it, one side at a time, in the solder mask color you will order (green, purple, red, yellow, blue, white or black), with HASL, ENIG or OSP on the exposed copper and white or black silkscreen. Open it from Tools, or with Preview in the Gerber export.
• Solder mask: Board Settings has a Solder mask section (how far each opening reaches past its copper, the narrowest mask strip, whether vias are covered), a pad can have its own expansion, the solder mask layers show where the mask is open, and the design rule check warns where the mask between two pads is too narrow.
• Type an exact rotation: tap the rotation handle and type the angle, or pick a preset. A ↺ | ↻ switch shows which way it turns, and a part whose pins sit on the grid lands on the grid again.
• Edit a footprint's pads without ungrouping it: the Pads row in its panel lists them by pin number, to rename or renumber them or put them on a net.
• 43 new footprints, among them 18 mechanical keyboard switches (Cherry MX, Kailh Choc, Gateron low profile). The TO-92, TO-3 and DO-201 footprints now fit their parts.
• Smoother and lighter on iPhone and iPad: a two-finger zoom draws the board from one picture, the design rule check takes about a second on an iPhone 8 instead of 17 and no longer freezes the editor, KiCad boards with copper pours open and edit quickly, and the app uses less memory.
• Gerber export: rounded pads keep their shape, pads come out at their real size, cut-outs and slots reach the fab, and exposed copper and holes are no longer under the mask. Export your Gerbers again for any board you have not had made yet.
Version 1.13.17
The developer, Protoboard Designer Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Contact Info
User Content
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More