A Cross Platform and Open Source Electronics Design Automation Suite

KiCad for Mac

KiCad for Mac

  -  1.4 GB  -  Open Source
  • Latest Version

    KiCad 9.0.1 LATEST

  • Review by

    Sophia Jones

  • Operating System

    macOS 10.15 Catalina or later

  • User Rating

    Click to vote
  • Author / Product

    KiCad Team / External Link

  • Filename

    kicad-unified-universal-9.0.1.dmg

KiCad for Mac is an open-source software suite for Electronic Design Automation (EDA). The programs handle Schematic Capture and PCB Layout with Gerber output.

The suite runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS and is licensed under GNU GPL v3. The first release date was in 1992 by its original author, Jean-Pierre Charras, but is now currently under development by the KiCad Developers Team.

Schematic Capture

With the schematic editor, you can create your design without limit; there are no paywalls to unlock features. An official library for schematic symbols and a built-in schematic symbol editor help you get started quickly with your designs. Schematic capture is efficient, with all the tools you can expect for such a task.

The interface focuses on productivity. There are no complexity limits, as large designs can be divided into hierarchical subsheets. Various export options are available (PDF, SVG, HPGL, Postscript).

PCB Layout

Make professional PCB layouts with up to 32 copper layers. KiCad for macOS now has a push and shove router which is capable of routing differential pairs and interactively tuning trace lengths.

This modern tool will help you layout your board faster. As you draw your track, it pushes forward traces that are in the way. If that is not possible, your track will be rerouted around obstacles. The push and shove router will make sure that your DRC constraints are respected.

3D Viewer

Ki Cad for macOS includes a 3D viewer that you can use to inspect your design in an interactive canvas. You can rotate and pan around to inspect details that are difficult to inspect on a 2D view.

Multiple rendering options allow you to modify the aesthetic appearance of the board or to hide and show features for easier inspection. When laying out your PCB, you can instantly inspect your design in an interactive 3D view. Rotate and pan around to inspect details easier than with a 2D display.

Features and Highlights
  • Electrical Rules Check
  • Export Netlists
  • Bill Of Materials
  • Integrated libraries
  • Push and shove router
  • Length tuning
  • Footprint Editor (GAL)
How to Use
  • Install by dragging KiCad to Applications folder
  • Launch the app and choose a project workspace
  • Create a new schematic with Eeschema
  • Place components using the library browser
  • Connect components with wires in the schematic
  • Annotate components and assign footprints
  • Switch to PCB editor to layout the board
  • Route traces manually or use autorouter
  • Run DRC to check for design rule violations
  • Generate Gerber files for manufacturing
  • Export BOM and other documentation
System Requirements

macOS 10.14 or later

64-bit Intel or Apple Silicon (ARM64)

4 GB RAM minimum (8 GB recommended)

1 GB free disk space

OpenGL-compatible GPU for 3D viewer

PROS
  • Free and open-source EDA tool
  • Cross-platform and regularly updated
  • Powerful schematic and PCB editor
  • Large library and community support
  • Supports 3D rendering of PCB designs
CONS
  • Occasional bugs in new releases
  • UI less polished than commercial tools
  • Limited autorouting capabilities
  • Some libraries may need manual setup
Also Available: Download KiCad for Windows

Why is this app published on FileHorse? (More info)
  • KiCad 9.0.1 Screenshots

    The images below have been resized. Click on them to view the screenshots in full size.

    KiCad 9.0.1 Screenshot 1
  • KiCad 9.0.1 Screenshot 2
  • KiCad 9.0.1 Screenshot 3
  • KiCad 9.0.1 Screenshot 4
  • KiCad 9.0.1 Screenshot 5

What's new in this version:

General:
- Vertically center text in cells in job sets table.
- Automatically recognize URLs in symbol and footprint properties grids
- Show URL button when hovering in field properties grids
- Support bare hyperlinks in table cells and text boxes
- Fix inconsistent capitalization in "Add New Job" dialog
- Fix misleading label "output file" for some schematic output jobs
- Ensure project manager hotkeys appear in hotkeys list
- Fixed description column naming when changing job sets
- Support pinning/unpinning multiple libraries in the library editors
- Do not persist fallback canvas type due to OpenGL failure.
- Prompt to enable IPC API when required by plugin
- Fix project manager performance using projects tracked with Git
- Fix crash when accessing footprints of imported Altium *.IntLib files
- Show project manager hot keys in hot key list
- Fix git clone project dialog layout issues
- Properly restore panels for all editors
- Fix crash on start when no git repository is present
- Persist generate gerber job file setting
- Prevent extra curves when importing certain SVG files
- Persist some missing job set arguments
- Use Gerber job settings not in job sets
- Fix schematic plot to PDF for job sets
- Fix button alignment in job set run log dialog
- Support ctrl-delete for delete word forward
- Fix opening embedded PDF files
- Fix segfault when opening a project which has git repository with SSH keys configured to GitHub
- Fix a git2 related crash when closing KiCad

Schematic Editor:
- Prevent image duplication when pasting from clipboard
- Properly handle importing Altium harnesses
- Resolve field references in symbol text items
- Update instance reference from property inspector
- Pretty print cross references in "Symbol Fields Table" dialog
- Remove prohibition from clearing value field in Symbol Fields Table dialog
- Do not load old symbols with all fields set to visible
- Prevent crash when importing over existing project
- Make exclude from simulation indicators more subtle.
- Allow simulation models to reference embedded files
- Correct mirror location of text box
- Fix formatting of field file formatting that broke loading files with 9.0.0
- Ensure sheet file name color is respected
- Don’t trigger ERC error when no connect is connected to a no connect object
- Fix multi-unit symbol when importing Altium schematics.
- Ensure imported Altium schematic sheet names are unique
- Don’t translate file dialog "All Files" filter string.
- Fix loading schematic with embedded files
- Don’t wait for mouse move to draw selection shadows
- Do not print all pages with the first page border and title block
- Keep the full depth of the hierarchy in bookmarks when plotting to PDF
- Use stable sort ordering in ERC reports
- Correctly handle duplicate entries in BOM presets
- Fix schematic load failure

Symbol Editor:
- Restore export symbol feature
- Handle exporting symbols into existing libraries
- Fix creation of a new symbol library due to an issue with write permissions
- Fix crash when deleting footprint filter when no filter selected

Spice Simulator:
- Fix net name quoting issue for user defined signals
- Resolve hotkey conflicts
- Fix crash when attempting to run IBIS simulation

Board Editor:
- Improve performance of creepage DRC.
- Add "Route Selected From Other End" action to edit context menu
- Don’t disable line styles on filled shapes
- Add field 'Name' property to properties panel
- Improve performance of teardrop generation.
- Do not throw DRC error "unconnected end" when via has no net
- Properly save "view board mirrored" preset setting
- Fix incorrect plot of tables rotated +-90
- Ensure drill layer pairs are created in ODB++
- Fix broken report file stacking relationship
- Reduce height of board setup dialog
- Prevent invisible vias in dimmed inactive layer view mode from auxiliary layers
- Fix zone manager dialog layout issues
- Prevent ignored violation "No-Mirrored text on back layer" from displaying a red arrow after DRC
- Prevent layer specific solder mask overrides as they are not supported
- Prevent duplicate Gerber output of linear dimension arrows
- Fix export SVG mode logic
- Fix crash related to git support
- Do not remove solder mask relief when length matching tools are used
- Do not warn for all connected pads when modifying a single trace width
- Do not include fabrication values on silk screen gerber output
- Prevent orphaned track on a zone when connected to the net of the zone
- Ensure pad clearance lines are always drawn not only when footprint is selected
- Disable multiple via dragging
- Fix plotting of tables with non-90 degree rotation angles.
- Improve default sizes of appearance panels
- User defined layer bug fixes
- Prevent pad losing layers when footprint is flipped
- Move arrow direction to more appropriate section of dimension properties dialog
- Printing should never hide small elements
- Fix Specctra export for multiple netclasses.
- Fix crash when placing certain footprints
- Fix DRC memory leak
- Add DRC for tables.
- Prevent leaving vias behind after retreating from a PNS router push
- Fix crash in multiple drag PNS shove
- Allow DRC rule to reduce the number of spokes
- Don’t ignore tables on copper layer using PNS router
- Fix false positive DRC error for zones with rotated tables
- Fix stuttery zoom performance
- Fix DRC exclusion for Edge.Cuts on layer legend after DRC rerun
- Prevent creepage DRC violation indicators from disappearing on repeated runs
- Prevent creepage DRC from only checking front copper layer
- Use correct date format in misc/info file when exporting ODB++
- Update footprint properties even when footprint cannot be updated
- Fix DRC false positive when arc used as trace
- Use user interface order for drill report stack up
- Fix crash when attempting to place vias in differential routing against pads
- Correctly plot "Indicate DNP on fabrication layers"
- Use correct rectangle height and width after setting grid origin in properties panel

Footprint Editor:
- Do not allow renaming a footprint to silently overwrite existing footprint
- Fix crash on second "Edit Pad as Graphics Shapes" operation
- Don’t disable first internal layer
- Prevent false positive error message when creating fillet line
- Fix crash when increasing number of copper layers if board contains a footprint with custom padstack

Gerber Viewer:
- Ignore negative layers when exporting Gerbers to PCB

3D Viewer:
- Don’t render thickness walls of text not being drawn
- Put layers without defined board side on front of board
- Allow default color settings to be reset
- Correctly render tables

PCB Calculator:
- Fix incorrect formula for strip line conductor loss.

Command Line Interface:
- Fix broken PCB SVG output
- Add IPC-D-356 export
- Deprecate instead of remove --plot-invisible-text option from PCB exporters
- Restore the page size mode behavior

Libraries:
- Added 200 new symbols and 252 new footprints
- Regenerated over 10000 generated footprints in Version 9 format
- 72% of all footprints in the library are now automatically generated

API:
- Add serialization of footprint mounting style. kicad-python#19
- Refresh board editor after changing selection
- Add board origin setter and getter methods. kicad-python#20
- Fix crash when updating reference designators via API
- Fix build with protobuf 30