Mokxi and KiCad, compared fairly
KiCad has no official online version; it is a desktop suite. Mokxi runs in a browser and covers a smaller part of the job: it simulates the circuit and its firmware, draws the schematic, lays out a simple two-layer through-hole board and exports a KiCad schematic for anything bigger. KiCad is a free, open-source suite for schematic capture and PCB layout, used for professional boards as well as hobby ones. Mokxi is a browser simulator that runs the microcontroller and the circuit together, with a schematic and a basic PCB view on top. They meet in the middle, and a Mokxi circuit can be handed on to KiCad as a schematic file.
Last checked November 2026
- 500parts on the bench
- 43boards running now
- 1.00xreal time, on every board
Where KiCad leads
These are the strongest reasons to choose KiCad today.
- A full PCB editor: boards of up to 32 copper layers, surface mount and through-hole footprints, an interactive router that can shove other tracks aside, and a design rule check you can script.
- A 3D viewer of the finished board, with STEP and other 3D model exports for fitting it into an enclosure.
- SPICE simulation of the schematic through ngspice, with operating point, DC transfer, AC sweep and transient analyses.
- Free and open source under the GPL v3, on Windows, macOS and Linux, with large symbol and footprint libraries and outputs that include Gerber and IPC-2581.
Where Mokxi leads
These are working parts of Mokxi you can open and test for yourself.
- The microcontroller runs: your C++ is compiled in the tab and executes on a modeled chip, on any of 40 boards, wired to the circuit on a breadboard. KiCad simulates circuits, not firmware.
- Nothing to install: it runs in a browser tab, including on a school Chromebook.
- A KiCad 8 schematic and netlist export on Pro, built from the nets the simulator ran, so a working breadboard becomes a starting point in KiCad.
- Its own PCB view is deliberately small: two layers, through-hole parts, an Uno shield outline, autoroute, a check against a cheap fab’s rules, and Gerber files with ordering on Pro. No surface mount parts and no 3D view.
Side by side
Last checked November 2026. If anything here has gone stale, that is our mistake and we want to know.
| Mokxi | KiCad | |
|---|---|---|
| Aimed at | Running firmware and a circuit together, then building it | Designing schematics and PCBs, from hobby to professional |
| Runs in | A browser tab | A Windows, macOS or Linux install |
| Simulates | Firmware on the chip, digital logic and analog circuits, live | Analog circuits with SPICE models through ngspice |
| PCB layout | Two layers, through-hole only, Gerber export on Pro | Up to 32 copper layers, surface mount and through-hole |
| Moving between them | Exports a KiCad schematic and netlist (Pro) | Reads the exported schematic in KiCad 8 and later |
| Price | Free; Pro for exports, private projects and more room | Free and open source |
Which one should you use
Straight answers. Where the other one is the right call, we say so.
You are laying out a board with surface mount parts or more than two layers
KiCad.
You want to test the sketch and the circuit before ordering anything
Mokxi, then export the schematic to KiCad if the board outgrows Mokxi’s PCB view.
You are on a Chromebook or a computer you cannot install software on
Mokxi runs in the browser.
You need a 3D model of the finished board for an enclosure
KiCad.
Looking for KiCad online?
There is no official web version of KiCad, so a search for one usually means one of two things: you are on a machine where you cannot install software, or you want to try a circuit before committing to a layout. Mokxi helps with both, inside its limits. Build and run the circuit in the browser, look at its schematic, and lay out a simple through-hole board there.
When the board needs what Mokxi does not do, export the schematic as a KiCad file from the Schematic view, open it in KiCad on a computer that has it, assign footprints and update the PCB from it. The guide below has the steps and the errors people hit on the way.
Compare the other options
The same straight comparison for the tools teachers, students and makers also consider.
In short
Is there an online version of KiCad?
Not an official one. KiCad is a desktop suite for Windows, macOS and Linux. Mokxi runs in a browser and can export a schematic that KiCad 8 and later open.
Can Mokxi replace KiCad for PCB design?
For a small two-layer through-hole board or an Uno shield, it can take you to Gerber files. For surface mount parts, more layers, a 3D view or a professional layout, use KiCad.
Should I use Mokxi if you are laying out a board with surface mount parts or more than two layers?
KiCad.
Should I use Mokxi if you want to test the sketch and the circuit before ordering anything?
Mokxi, then export the schematic to KiCad if the board outgrows Mokxi’s PCB view.
Should I use Mokxi if you are on a chromebook or a computer you cannot install software on?
Mokxi runs in the browser.
Should I use Mokxi if you need a 3d model of the finished board for an enclosure?
KiCad.
Try it yourself
A comparison page is somebody else’s opinion. Open the editor, press Run and make up your own mind.