fastroute
Fast open source PCB autorouter for KiCad and Specctra DSN files, a Rust port of Freerouting with bug fixes, length matching, controlled impedance and differential pair routing.
What it does and how it connects
fastroute is a PCB autorouter for KiCad and Specctra DSN files: a Rust port of the Freerouting PCB autorouter. It uses the same algorithms, the same input and output (Specctra .dsn to .ses), and the same command line, without Java, several times faster and with a fraction of the memory, per the README. Exact mode with the parity flag produces SES output byte identical to Freerouting deterministic mode on all 20 benchmark boards.
The default mode runs the optimizer in parallel with deterministic results for any thread count, and a live view flag lets the board be watched being routed in a browser. The README documents bug fixes and routing improvements on by default, including optimizer stop handling, tail removal, unclamped optimizer scores, plane net connections, fanout on ignored nets, and clearance classes applied to all item classes of both net classes.
A KiCad plugin ships in the integrations/kicad directory. The README states it is not related to the FastRoute global router for IC design used in OpenROAD. Development is supported through GitHub Sponsors and Open Collective.
What engineers report
Thanks for fastroute, it routes our 4-layer test board much faster than our other options.
2026-10-05Read the original
Alternatives
Compare side by side- TraceMaker
An autorouter and component placer for KiCad 9 and 10 that draws tracks and vias and writes them back, judged by KiCad's own design rule check, rather than a Rust port of Freerouting.
- DeepPCB
A cloud AI autorouter for PCB routing, usable through a KiCad plugin or web upload, rather than a local Rust autorouter for DSN files.
- kicad-mcp (blwfish)
A community MCP server letting AI agents drive KiCad PCB workflows including Freerouting based autorouting, rather than a standalone autorouter binary.
- flamingo-pcb
Prompt first PCB CAD that Claude Code drives over MCP to pick real LCSC parts, autoroute, and export JLCPCB ready fabrication files, rather than a DSN autorouter.
- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server exposing KiCad schematic, PCB, ERC/DRC, DFM, BOM and manufacturing export workflows to AI agents, rather than a standalone autorouter.
Recurring errors it addresses
Error Index entries this tool is built to reduce or work around.
- Interactive routing creates unwanted micro-segments and awkward paths that take time to clean up.Error Index
- Grid snap and move commands can disconnect items or reposition them in unwanted ways.Error Index
- GUI lag, occasional freezes, and sluggish editor switching interrupt concentration.Error Index
- Wayland/NVIDIA users report graphical glitches, flicker, or instability.Error Index
- Freerouting can insert a complete new route, delete it as a dangling tail before the final endpoint attaches, and still return ROUTED while the connection is missing: on the C4 net of the Corney Island wireless board the maze found a valid 150 um bridge, stub cleanup deleted the whole bridge, the later attachment added only a tiny stub, and KiCad confirms C4 is still disconnected.Error Index
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing: none stated on the repo. A donation link is not a price.
- A named individual builder beyond the repository owner handle parisxmas
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.