Introduction
Follow this tutorial and you will go from an empty EasyEDA workspace to a complete schematic. Components placed, wires drawn, nets labeled, and a design rule check passed. You will also know which files to export when you are ready to send your board to a PCB manufacturer. The only prerequisites are a web browser and a free EasyEDA account.
Before You Begin: What to Know About EasyEDA
Electronic design automation tools range from free browser-based editors to multi-thousand-dollar workstation suites. EasyEDA sits at the browser-based end, and it comes in two editions. Pick one before you start, because the choice commits you to a workflow. You will be designing the schematic for a printed circuit board. The design itself takes place in the schematic editor, and the PCB design software produces the files a fabricator needs.
EasyEDA Standard vs EasyEDA Pro
EasyEDA Standard is free, works entirely in a browser, and is the edition this tutorial uses. EasyEDA Pro is a newer application with a WebGL rendering engine, hierarchical schematics, differential pair routing, and length tuning. It supports over 50,000 components and 34 copper layers. Both editions run in a browser and have desktop clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can open the Standard editor at easyeda.com/editor.
Pro was launched at the end of 2019 as a separate application. Data does not sync between the two. You can import a Standard project into Pro using the migration tool on the Pro start page, but there is no route back. Once a design is saved in Pro, it stays in Pro. The Standard edition separates symbols from footprints. Pro uses a Device concept that bundles a symbol, footprint, 3D model, and properties into one object. This simplifies reuse but makes the learning curve different.
Source: EasyEDA Pro Introduction and the edition comparison table.
What free means
The Standard Edition is free for commercial use, with no time limit and no restricted editor features. Free accounts are limited to a small number of private projects. You can increase that limit by contributing high-quality public projects, symbols, or footprints to the community library. The Professional Edition editor is also free for all users. Paid tiers ($19.90/mo Premium, $39.90/mo per member Enterprise) add cloud storage, private libraries, and faster part-drawing service. They add dedicated support and UI watermarking. They do not unlock editor features that are otherwise hidden. Source: EasyEDA pricing page.
Standard Edition practical capacity limit
The Standard Edition performance guide recommends keeping designs below 300 footprints and 1,500 pads or vias. Above that threshold, you should disable real-time DRC and automatic teardrop insertion to avoid slowdowns. The editor works for larger boards, but the experience degrades. Pro handles designs with tens of thousands of pads smoothly. Source: EasyEDA FAQ, ‘How to solve the PCB very slow issue’ section.
Which component library to use
EasyEDA gives you access to over one million public component libraries, but they are not all equal. EasyEDA’s own documentation warns that user-contributed libraries are not guaranteed to be correct. It recommends the System library and the LCSC catalog for verified parts. The LCSC library is the manufacturer-verified subset. Before placing a community-contributed symbol or footprint, check the datasheet against the pin mapping and pad dimensions.
Simulation capability
Both editions simulate, and neither simulates firmware. EasyEDA Standard is powered by LTspice, and its own FAQ is blunt about the limits: schematic and PCB are the target, not simulation, and the editor ships very few simulation models (EasyEDA Std FAQ). EasyEDA Pro has simulated since version 3.2, using two engines you choose between: Simulide for entry-level real-time analysis, and NGSpice for transient and AC work (EasyEDA Pro simulation guide).
Check this one against the vendor rather than against a summary. EasyEDA’s own Standard versus Pro comparison table still shows simulation as missing from Pro, and the Pro documentation linked above describes the feature in detail. The table is out of date. Where a vendor’s summary and its feature documentation disagree, the feature documentation is the one that gets updated.
Neither edition runs microcontroller code. SPICE models circuits, not the states and processes of code-driven devices, so an MCU in your schematic is a set of pins to the simulator and nothing more.
If you need full mixed-signal cosimulation with firmware, external tools like Proteus handle that, but they are separate products with separate licensing.
EasyEDA Schematic Tutorial: Step by Step
These five steps take you from an empty workspace to a finished schematic. The screenshots that follow each step were captured from the live EasyEDA Standard editor. The procedure works identically in the browser or the desktop client.
Step 1: Open the editor, no account needed
Go to easyeda.com/editor. The Standard editor loads straight away with no sign-up: you get the Common Library rail on the left, the Quick Start panel, and a full menu bar, while the header still offers Login and Register. Verified logged out on 1 August 2026. An account is what lets you keep work, not what lets you try the tool, because EasyEDA Standard stores projects in its cloud rather than on your machine. If you only want to see whether the editor suits you, skip the sign-up for now.
Step 2: Start a sheet, and what the New Project button really does
Clicking New Project in Quick Start does not open a project. It opens a notice headed “New project notice” in which EasyEDA recommends Pro over Standard and states plainly that “The EasyEDA Std will no longer add new features, and enter maintenance phase”. You are offered New Pro Project, New Std Project and Cancel. Choose New Std Project while logged out and nothing is created; you land back on the Start tab, because a project is a cloud object and needs an account. To draw without signing up, use File > New > Schematic instead, which opens a blank sheet inside a drawing frame immediately. Once you do have an account, New Project gives you the project tree, where you can add more schematic sheets, a PCB and supporting documents. Either way the default sheet is A4 landscape; right-click the frame border to change the paper size or fill in the title block.
Step 3: Place your components
There are two routes, and the screenshot below shows the quicker one. The Common Library rail down the left edge holds the parts you reach for constantly: GND and VCC flags, resistors, capacitors, inductors, power connectors. Click one, then click the canvas to drop it. For anything else, press Shift+F or click the Libraries icon in the left panel to open the component search dialog. Type a part number, value, or description. The results show symbols, footprints, and availability from the System and LCSC libraries. Pick a result, check that its package and pin configuration match your datasheet, then click Place. Click on the schematic canvas to drop the component. Repeat for each part in your design. Use the Space key to rotate a component before placing it, and use X or Y to flip it horizontally or vertically.
Every component needs a unique designator (R1, R2, C1, U1). Double-click a designator text to edit it. To auto-assign all designators at once, use the Assign Bit Number feature under the top menu.
Step 4: Wire the connections
Click the Wire tool in the toolbar or press W (the Standard shortcut). Click on a component pin to start a wire. Left-click at each bend point, and click on the destination pin to finish. Right-click or press Esc to exit the wire tool. For connections that span across sheets, use net labels. Press N, type the net name, and attach the label to a wire. Connected pins sharing a net label are electrically the same node even when no visible wire joins them.
For power nets, use VCC and GND symbols from the Wiring Tools palette instead of plain wires. They make the schematic clearer and pass design rule checks without manual net labeling.
Step 5: Run DRC and finalize the schematic
Open the Design Manager in the left panel and click Check Net. The tool flags unconnected pins, shorted nets, duplicate designators, and components with missing footprints. Resolve every error before proceeding. An unconnected net that you intend to leave open still needs a No Connection flag, available from the Wiring Tools palette. The editor also detects flying wires (nets with no visible connection). It prompts you to resolve them before you can export manufacturing files.
Tip: You can also watch this video tutorial for a walkthrough of the same steps.
EasyEDA Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- Zero upfront cost: the core editor is free for commercial use.
- No installation required for browser use on any operating system.
- Component library with over one million public parts, plus direct access to the LCSC catalog for verified manufacturer parts.
- One-click Gerber, BOM, and pick-and-place export from a single dialog.
- Simulation in both editions: LTspice in Standard, Simulide or NGSpice in Pro.
- Multi-sheet schematics in Standard; hierarchical schematic design in Pro.
- Desktop clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux with full offline mode in Pro.
Disadvantages
- Standard edition slows down on designs above roughly 300 footprints and 1,500 pads.
- Standard ships very few simulation models, by EasyEDA’s own account, so anything beyond a simple circuit needs another tool.
- One-way migration into Pro: once you save a project in Pro, it cannot go back to Standard.
- No simulation of microcontroller firmware or code-driven devices.
- Cloud storage means designs live on EasyEDA servers by default. This may not suit ITAR-regulated or security-sensitive projects. The Pro desktop client’s full offline mode mitigates this concern.
- Keyboard shortcuts differ between Standard and Pro, so switching editions requires relearning muscle memory.
- Missing advanced signal-integrity analysis tools for high-speed digital design (USB 3.0, HDMI, DDR).
What Do the Users Say About EasyEDA Software?
The best way to check a program’s quality is to see what existing users think. Here is a small part of the feedback provided by EasyEDA users.
We came across an EasyEDA review emphasizing the software’s simplicity. The learning curve is short; you should learn how things work in minutes.
Another user pinpoints the importance of a community-built database of components.
Thanks to that, you may encounter some unique components in this database that you can’t find anywhere else.
Finally, users also love the fact that EasyEDA supports multiple platforms.
It will be possible to use it on different Windows, Mac, or Linux versions.
You can also use the Online Editor to store all your cloud data.
Once you finish the design, sharing it with other users is possible.
How to Export and Order Your PCB
EasyEDA can generate all the files a PCB fabricator needs. The export process is the same regardless of which manufacturer you send them to.
Run Design Rule Check first
Before exporting, run DRC from the Design Manager panel or the top menu. The check identifies unconnected nets, clearance violations, and missing footprints. Resolve every error. A design with open DRC errors will produce boards that do not work.
Export Gerber files
Click File > Generate PCB Fabrication File (Gerber). The export dialog produces a compressed archive with RS-274X Gerber files for each copper, solder mask, silkscreen, paste, and outline layer. It also includes Excellon-format drill files, separated into plated and non-plated holes. Check the output with a Gerber viewer such as Gerbv or an online tool before submitting it. Make sure the drill file coordinate format matches what your fabricator expects.
Export the Bill of Materials
Click File > Export BOM. The file lists every component by designator, value, footprint, and quantity. Most fabricators need at least four columns: Comment (value or part number), Designator, Footprint, and a manufacturer part number column. If your fabricator supports SMT assembly, confirm their BOM format requirements before exporting so the columns match.
Export the Pick-and-Place file
Click File > Export Pick and Place File. This CSV maps each component designator to its X-Y coordinates, rotation, and board side (top or bottom). Coordinates must be in millimeters only. Confirm your fabricator’s unit and rotation convention before uploading, because a unit mismatch is a common cause of placement errors.
Send the files to your fabricator
Upload the Gerber archive, BOM, and pick-and-place file to your chosen fabricator’s quoting system. Every PCB manufacturer has its own upload form and specification fields. After upload, review the preview images the fabricator generates, checking that drill holes, board outline, and component positions match your design.
Conclusion
EasyEDA takes you from a blank schematic sheet to a complete design in five steps. Create an account. Start a project. Place components. Wire connections. Run DRC. When the schematic is finished, export Gerbers, a BOM, and a pick-and-place file, and upload them to your fabricator of choice.
If you have your design ready and need boards fabricated, contact WellPCB for a quote.
