Comparison

KiCAD PCB Viewer vs ælbum

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

KiCAD PCB Viewer

This tool allows users to view and review KiCAD-generated PCB design files on mobile devices. It offers multi-layer browsing, interactive verification, and design rule checks to ensure manufacturing standards. Features include real-time zoom, pan, rotation, and annotation for collaborative design.

Highlights
  • View KiCAD PCB files on mobile
  • Multi-layer browsing and analysis
  • Interactive design verification
  • Design Rule Check (DRC)
  • Annotation and marking for collaboration
  • Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • AI model integration via MCP
Features
Read full description

This is a lightweight APP for viewing KiCAD 3 - 10 generated pcb files in a mobile environment. No matter what questions, opinions or ideas you have, you can send an email to xjerry248@gmail.com . KiCAD PCB Viewer is a highly professional tool developed specifically for viewing and reviewing PCB design files generated by KiCAD. The tool integrates an advanced graphical interface that allows users to deeply browse PCB designs in a multi-layer view mode, supporting comprehensive analysis and verification of complex boards. Users can view the component layout, electrical connections, and signal paths of each layer in detail, and perform interactive design verification and troubleshooting. KiCAD PCB Viewer provides real-time zoom, pan, and rotation capabilities, enabling users to precisely locate and inspect every detail of the board. At the same time, the tool supports various display modes, including transparent view, high brightness display and inter-layer contrast, helping users to quickly identify and solve potential problems. KiCAD PCB Viewer also has a powerful Design Rule Check (DRC) feature that automatically detects and flags design violations to ensure that your board design meets industrial manufacturing standards. In addition, the tool supports annotation and marking capabilities, which facilitate team collaboration and design review. To improve the user experience, KiCAD PCB Viewer integrates cross-platform support and is able to run smoothly on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. Its efficient file handling capability and optimized user interface make it an ideal choice for PCB design engineers in the design, verification and optimization process. You can access the Web interface of the APP directly in the browser, easily manage, upload and download the PCB design file generated by KiCAD, and achieve cross-platform convenient and efficient file operation. KiCAD PCB Viewer supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Through this protocol, it can provide AI models with the necessary context from PCB files to enhance circuit analysis. Engineers can connect KiCAD PCB Viewer with AI - driven functions like automated design analysis and intelligent verification. This allows them to more effectively identify potential PCB design issues and improve the overall quality of their PCB designs. KiCAD PCB Viewer provides engineers with comprehensive support to ensure high quality, reliability, and manufacturability of PCB designs, whether at the beginning of design, mid-development, or final review before production. By using KiCAD PCB Viewer, engineers can more efficiently perform design verification, optimization, and fault diagnosis, improving overall design efficiency and product quality.

About

ælbum

This app offers an experimental audio-visual interactive experience, transforming your device into a dynamic visual album. Enjoy real-time rendering of visuals and synthesized sound, with features like background playback and dynamic island integration.

Highlights
  • Real-time audio-visual rendering
  • Background playback
  • Dynamic island integration
  • Customizable widgets
  • Dynamic desktop wallpaper (desktop version)
  • Global keyboard input monitoring (desktop version)
Features
Read full description

ælbum is an experimental project born from Demo Inn Shanghai, dedicated to creating a "visual album" of audio-visual interaction. Traditional audio-visual interactive works rely on complex desktop software and can usually only be viewed as offline installation art. In order to bring the ælbum experience to more users, we designed a complete interactive architecture. In this architecture, the picture can be rendered in real time, and the sound can be synthesized in real time, down to the operation of a raw byte in the GPU Buffer or the subtle oscillation in the sound waveform. On this basis, we encapsulated this audio-visual interactive experience into the concept of "ælbum", where æ comes from Æsir in Cytus II. It is like an ordinary music album. On mobile phones, you can play it in the background, display the album cover on the dynamic island, and create beautiful widgets. In the desktop version, you can set it as a dynamic desktop wallpaper and monitor global keyboard input. We hope that ælbum can keep updating, connect more visual and sound artists and users, and create a unique and wonderful experience.

Screenshots

KiCAD PCB Viewer4 screens
ælbum4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: KiCAD PCB Viewer at none against ælbum's shown. KiCAD PCB Viewer also leads on review sentiment (15% vs 0%) and chart position (#146 vs unranked). ælbum's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

KiCAD PCB Viewer costs $1.99 and ælbum $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

KiCAD PCB Viewer ships an update every 2 weeks, ælbum every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
KiCAD PCB Viewer versus ælbum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKiCAD PCB Viewerælbum
Price$1.99 — better$2.99
Rating1.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews15.4% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#146 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer明杰 曾Latent Cat Inc

Customer experience

KiCAD PCB Viewer

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative84.6%

ælbum

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

KiCAD PCB Viewer

No in-app purchases

None

ælbum

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is KiCAD PCB Viewer free?
KiCAD PCB Viewer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ælbum free?
ælbum costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do KiCAD PCB Viewer or ælbum have ads?
ælbum shows ads; KiCAD PCB Viewer does not.
Which is updated more often, KiCAD PCB Viewer or ælbum?
KiCAD PCB Viewer ships an update every 2 weeks, and ælbum every 2 days. Most recently, KiCAD PCB Viewer was updated on September 26, 2026 and ælbum on September 10, 2026.

Other comparisons