LibrePCB 1.3.0 Released: A Significant Upgrade for PCB Design Automation

On March 24, 2025, the open-source PCB design automation tool, LibrePCB 1.3.0, was released, marking its third significant update since the initial full version, LibrePCB 1.0.0, which came out in September 2023. This release removes previous limitations that hindered the creation of more complex circuit boards.

LibrePCB is designed as an intuitive tool for swiftly developing PCBs. While it may lack some advanced features found in KiCad, it is significantly easier to use and caters to the needs of both novices and professional engineers. The software is available for various platforms, including Linux (Flatpak, Snap, AppImage), FreeBSD, macOS, and Windows. The project is coded in C++ with a Qt-based interface and is distributed under the GPLv3 license.

Key features of LibrePCB include the integration of a schematic editor and project management tools within a single package, a user-friendly cross-platform graphical interface based on Qt, an efficient organization system for component libraries (introducing the concept of a “smart” library), support for commonly used formats for libraries and projects, the Multi-PCB mode for parallel development of different board variations from one schematic, and automatic synchronization of the netlist between the schematic and the PCB layout. The application supports multiple languages for element naming and allows importing of DXF files along with exporting in formats such as PDF, SVG, CSV BOM, pick & place X3/CSV, Gerber/Excellon, and STEP.

Enhancements in LibrePCB 1.3.0 include:

— The introduction of an interactive Bill of Materials (BOM) generator and assembly guide, which comes with sufficient descriptions for manual PCB production. The list is saved in HTML format and utilizes handlers, styles, and JavaScript libraries developed for the KiCad plugin, InteractiveHtmlBom. Unlike static PDF instructions, the interactive format allows for sorting, filtering, and searching components.

— Compatibility with the updated component library format proposed in KiCad 9.

— Support added for using the Rust programming language in LibrePCB development. The aforementioned BOM generator is written in Rust, which is anticipated to enhance development speed and overall product stability. Future plans indicate a gradual shift from using C++ to Rust, along with a complete overhaul of the user interface using the Rust framework Slint instead of the Qt library.

— The replacement of the QuaZip library for reading and writing ZIP archives with the Rust-based zip crate.

— The C++ codebase has been updated to conform to the C++20 standard, with tl::optional replaced by std::optional.

— Support for Qt5 has been discontinued.

— Previously identified bugs have been corrected, and optimizations have been made to the source code for various components, including the Control Panel, Library Editor, Schematic Editor, Board Editor, DRC, and the Import/Export mechanism.