Comparison
Schema vs EasyEDA
A free browser-based design tool tightly coupled to the LCSC parts catalogue and JLCPCB fabrication. Here is how the two differ, what EasyEDA does better, and which one to pick.
Last updated
The short version
Choose EasyEDA if…
You order from JLCPCB and want parts, footprints, stock and assembly to line up automatically.
Visit the EasyEDA site ↗Choose Schema if…
You want distributor-neutral output and an agent that can drive the whole schematic-to-Gerber loop.
At a glance
| Dimension | SchemaOurs | EasyEDA |
|---|---|---|
| Licence / distribution | Proprietary desktop app. Free plan including a monthly allowance of agent credits; further credits sold in packs. | Proprietary and free to use, operated alongside the LCSC / JLCPCB supply chain. |
| Where it runs | Desktop — macOS on Apple Silicon, and Windows and Linux on x86-64 and arm64. | Browser, with an optional desktop client. |
| Agent command surface | 74 documented commands across the schematic and PCB editors, identical for you and for the agent. | An extension API for the editor, rather than a command vocabulary intended for an autonomous agent. |
| AI assistance | A natural-language agent that drives the editor through those same commands, then checks its own work with DRC and ERC. | Not verified |
| Reads KiCad libraries | Yes — reads KiCad symbol and footprint libraries, and Altium schematic libraries. | Import paths exist for external libraries; LCSC parts are the native path.Vendor's claim |
| Fabrication output | Gerber RS-274X and Excellon drill, including plated and non-plated splits. | Gerber export, with a direct hand-off into JLCPCB fabrication. |
What Schema does differently
- Not tied to one parts distributor or fabricator — Gerbers go wherever you send them.
- A natural-language agent across schematic capture and board layout.
- A desktop application with local project files.
What EasyEDA does better
Every tool on this site has things it wins on. Here are theirs.
- The tightest parts-to-fabrication path in the industry: pick an LCSC part, order the assembled board from JLCPCB without leaving the flow.
- Free, with an enormous catalogue of ready-drawn parts backed by real stock data.
- Very low barrier to a first board.
The agent surface, specifically
This is the difference that is hardest to see from a feature list, so it is worth stating plainly.
Schema exposes 74 documented commands covering schematic capture and board layout — placing symbols, drawing wires, routing traces, filling zones, running checks, rendering the board, undoing. You issue them; the AI agent issues exactly the same ones.
That matters because it is what lets the agent work in a loop rather than in one shot: it can look at the design, make a change, run DRC or ERC, look at the result, and undo if it got it wrong. Every command reports what it actually did, and a command that cannot do what was asked refuses and changes nothing rather than doing something approximate.
You can read the whole vocabulary before installing anything — it is published in full in the command reference.
The commands behind the claim
Schema publishes its entire agent surface. Here are some of the 74 commands — the same ones you issue and the agent issues — so you can judge the claim rather than take it.
How this comparison was built
We make one of the tools on this page, so here is exactly what we did and did not check.
- Schema is our product. We build one of the tools on this page, and we say so at the top rather than in a footnote.
- Every claim about another tool is limited to durable, checkable properties — licence model, supported platforms, published file formats, documented automation interfaces.
- No page here states what another tool costs. Prices change without notice, and a stale price is the most common way a comparison page becomes wrong.
- Where we have not confirmed something, the table says "Not verified" instead of guessing. Vendor claims are labelled as vendor claims.
- Every comparison names what the other tool does better, including cases where we would tell you to pick it.
- Found a mistake? Tell us at corrections@getschema.dev and we will correct the page and update the date on it.
Last reviewed . Corrections: corrections@getschema.dev
Questions people ask
Is Schema a good EasyEDA alternative?
You want distributor-neutral output and an agent that can drive the whole schematic-to-Gerber loop. If instead you order from JLCPCB and want parts, footprints, stock and assembly to line up automatically. then EasyEDA is the better choice, and we would tell you so.
What can Schema do that EasyEDA does not?
Not tied to one parts distributor or fabricator — Gerbers go wherever you send them. A natural-language agent across schematic capture and board layout. A desktop application with local project files.
What does EasyEDA do better than Schema?
The tightest parts-to-fabrication path in the industry: pick an LCSC part, order the assembled board from JLCPCB without leaving the flow. Free, with an enormous catalogue of ready-drawn parts backed by real stock data. Very low barrier to a first board.
Can I move my existing designs into Schema?
Schema reads KiCad symbol and footprint libraries and Altium schematic libraries directly, and can convert a KiCad schematic into a Schema project. Boards are exported as Gerber RS-274X and Excellon drill files, so the output goes to any fabricator.
Other comparisons
The same treatment, for the other tools you might be weighing up.
Try Schema alongside EasyEDA
Free to start on macOS, Windows and Linux. It reads your existing KiCad and Altium libraries, so trying it does not mean rebuilding your parts.