KiCad's own engine, not a lookalike
ZIRO Designer is a TypeScript translation of KiCad 10's C++ source, kept file for file against the KiCad release. That is why a .kicad_pro project opens with no import step and saves back into files desktop KiCad opens unchanged.
- Copper zone fills come out identical to KiCad's on our test boards.
- Gerber and PDF output go through KiCad's own plotters.
- KiCad's interactive router, Electrical Rules Check and Design Rules Check.
Work on the same design together
Share a project by link or invite, and the other person opens the real project, not a zip file or a screenshot. In the schematic editor you can edit together live, with each other's cursors and selections, and that traffic is encrypted end to end like the project itself.
Private by design
Every cloud project has its own key and is encrypted in your browser before it is uploaded. Board files, schematics, file names and project details are all covered, and the server stores only ciphertext. Your password never reaches it. How we protect your designs →
Open any KiCad project on GitHub
Put a public repository after designer.ziroeda.com/gh/ and its KiCad project opens read-only, with "Save a copy" to make it yours. Maintainers can add an "Open in ZiroEDA" badge to their README:
[](https://designer.ziroeda.com/gh/OWNER/REPO)
Made for labs, classrooms and quick reviews
College lab PCs and Chromebooks often cannot install software. ZIRO Designer needs only a recent desktop browser, so a whole class can open the same project in minutes, and anyone can check a board from another machine.
What is included
- Schematic editor with symbols from KiCad's libraries, ERC and Update PCB from Schematic
- PCB editor with the interactive router, zones, DRC and a 3D viewer
- Symbol editor, footprint editor and Assign Footprints
- Gerber viewer, PCB calculator, image converter and drawing sheet editor
- KiCad's official symbol, footprint and 3D model libraries, ready to use
ZIRO Designer and KiCad
ZIRO Designer extends the KiCad ecosystem; it does not replace KiCad. For very large, heavy designs, desktop KiCad is the right tool. ZIRO Designer is for everything around it: small and medium projects, working from any machine, reviewing a board without installing anything, and working on a project together. The files move freely between the two. ZIRO Designer is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the KiCad project.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. The editor is free and open source under GPL-3.0, like KiCad. Paid plans, when they come, will be for hosted team features, never for the editor itself.
Does it work offline?
No. ZIRO Designer is cloud-first, because opening projects from anywhere and working on them together is the point. You can export any project as ordinary KiCad files at any time.
Which browsers does it support?
Recent desktop Chrome, Edge or Firefox (2022 or newer) and Safari 15.4 or later.
What changed recently?
See the changelog for every release since the first one in July 2026.
Building it with us. ZIRO Designer is in public beta. Come try it, tell us what breaks, and help shape what ships next.
Join the Discord →