Circuit Planner vs KiCad Viewer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Circuit Planner
Design professional IEC circuit diagrams with a user-friendly interface. Access a vast library of symbols, utilize automatic connection features, and export your plans in PDF format. Ideal for electrical engineering projects.
- User-friendly interface for circuit diagram creation
- 1056 integrated IEC circuit diagram symbols
- Automatic connection system for precise wiring
- Export diagrams in PDF format
- Supports A4, A3, A2 formats with up to 20 drawing sheets
- Automatic backup of project data
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Circuit Planner is the intuitive and creative App to design IEC circuit diagrams for electrical engineering: โข Uncomplicated handling and fast results close the gap between conventional drawing programs and complex CAD applications. โข Numerous circuit diagram symbols, divided into categories, cover a wide range of applications in absolutely high-quality visualization. โข All planning results can be exported in pdf format and printed out if required. The features in detail: โข User-friendly, uncomplicated application for creating circuit diagrams for electrical engineering โข 1070 integrated objects such as IEC circuit diagram symbols, text fields and geometries โข Detailed IEC circuit diagram symbols, stored in categories, such as batteries, brakes, capacitors, conductors/cables, connections/terminals, control technology, converters, cross-references, devices, digital technology, fuses, generators, inductors, installation plans, integrated circuits / ICs, light sources, measuring instruments, motors, optical fibre cables, overvoltage protection, photovoltaic, plugs/sockets, protective devices, relays/contactors, reporting/signal devices, resistors, semiconductors, starters, switches/contacts, terminal strips, transformers and voltage sources โข Reliable snap function for precise arrangement of objects on the drawing sheet โข The automatic connection system ensures the correct electrical connection to immediately adjacent circuit diagram symbols at the starting point and end point of conductors โข Automatically updated cross-references โข Circuit diagrams in A4, A3 and A2 formats, each in landscape or portrait format with up to 20 drawing sheets โข Drawing sheets with title block in two sizes for project details, date and name โข Drawing sheets with column and row labelling and optional drawing grid โข Print and export function for the circuit diagram in pdf format โข Export and import options for scpData - project files โข Clear and understandable explanations on how to use โข Demo projects from the fields of energy technology, control technology and electronics โข Save, load and sort function for project files โข Automatic backup of project data when closing the application โข App language: English and German Circuit Planner - A professional tool without annoying adverts, requires no internet connection and no in-app purchases.
KiCad Viewer
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KiCad Viewer is a tool built for engineers hand-soldering their PCBs designed in KiCad. It lets you view the schematic, layout, 3D board and BOM list on your iPad or iPhone โ keep your design on the bench right next to your iron, no laptop required. And when a pull request comes in, you can review what changed from the same place. Open native KiCad files directly. No exporting, no converting โ point it at your project, in Files, iCloud Drive or a network share, and it reads your .kicad_sch and .kicad_pcb files as-is. Features: - Interactive schematic โ pinch to zoom and pan around the full drawing. Tap any component or net and it stays highlighted, so you never lose your place mid-solder. - Cross-probing โ select a part on the schematic and watch it light up on the board (and vice versa). Instantly find where R47 actually lives on your layout. - PCB layout viewer โ explore the board with smooth zoom and pan. Toggle copper, silkscreen, and other layers on and off, dim the ones you're not working on, or switch to KiCad's own colors. - 3D view โ turn the board to any angle, in perspective or isometric, tap a part to find it on the schematic, or put it on your desk at real size in AR. - BOM list โ every part grouped by value and footprint, with quantities and reference designators, plus search to find that one cap fast. - Pull and merge request review โ open a pull request from GitHub or Gitea, or a merge request from GitLab, and see every change on the schematic, board and BOM: parts added, removed or moved, traces rerouted, values edited. Flip between before, after and overlay, and step through the changes one by one. Paste a link to review a pull request without cloning the repo. A sample pull request is included, so you can try it right away. - Log in and clone directly from GitHub, GitLab or Gitea โ sign in once and pull your repositories straight onto your device, private repos included. Self-hosted GitLab, Gitea and Forgejo (Codeberg) work too. Pull new commits and switch branches from the app. - Nested and hierarchical projects โ opens multi-sheet schematics and projects buried in subfolders. - Works offline โ once a project is on your device, everything loads with no connection. Perfect for the workbench, the lab, or anywhere. - Dark and Light modes โ whichever you prefer. - Legacy to modern โ supports KiCad 5 through 10, so decade-old .sch schematics open right next to brand-new projects. Designed from the ground up for touch, KiCad Viewer keeps your schematic, board, and parts list one tap away while your hands are busy. Requires a one-time purchase or subscription. Free trial available. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://www.kicadviewer.com/privacy KiCad Viewer is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the KiCad project or its contributors. The app renders KiCad files with its own independent implementation, so some schematics or boards may not appear exactly as they would in KiCad. Please reach out to us if your design is not rendering correctly!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: KiCad Viewer at Free against Circuit Planner's $2.99. KiCad Viewer also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). Circuit Planner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
KiCad Viewer is free to download; Circuit Planner costs $2.99 up front. KiCad Viewer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Circuit Planner asks for nothing beyond the download.
Circuit Planner ships an update every 2 weeks, KiCad Viewer daily. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Circuit Planner | KiCad Viewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free โ better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | โ |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Daily โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | โ |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15 | 15.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Axel Hauschild | Mark Szente |
In-app purchases
Circuit Planner
No in-app purchases
KiCad Viewer
- KiCad Viewer7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- KiCad Viewer$14.99
Questions
Is Circuit Planner free?
Is KiCad Viewer free?
Do Circuit Planner or KiCad Viewer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Circuit Planner or KiCad Viewer?
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