signex
Open-source, AI-first schematic and PCB editor built in Rust, compatible with industry EDA workflows.
What it does and how it connects
Signex is open-source EDA tooling built in Rust with GPU-accelerated rendering. Today it is a schematic editor with symbol, footprint and component-library editors, ERC, annotation, and PDF, BOM and netlist export. The PCB editor, 3D viewer, simulation and plugin system are on the roadmap, not in the Community Preview. Native file formats (.snxsch, .snxpcb) are line-diffable in git and about 5x smaller than the equivalent JSON.
It ships in two editions from one codebase. Signex Community (Apache-2.0, free forever) is the schematic editor today, with the PCB editor to follow. Signex Pro (subscription, planned for the Pro Release) adds Signal AI, a Claude-powered design copilot, plugins, real-time collaboration and Signex 365 cloud PLM. Migrating in is covered by two optional import companions, distributed independently: a KiCad import companion (GPL-3.0-or-later) that converts project files one-way, and an Altium import companion (Apache-2.0, clean-room) that converts .PrjPcb, .SchDoc, .PcbDoc, .SchLib and .PcbLib files, listing everything it had to approximate or skip.
Status is early development. v1.0.0-rc.1 (2026-10-29), the first release candidate of the Community Preview (schematic-only), is the latest tag and the last one numbered with SemVer; v0.15.0 (2026-07-23) is the latest stable release. From the next release on, versions are calendar-based, YY.MM.MICRO. The trunk already carries work past v0.15.0, including a stock library with placeable parts, ERC completeness rules with waivers, cross-sheet net navigation and project-wide find and replace.
What engineers report
if such a key also lies inside a wire with no junction dot, anchoring merges two whole nets.
2026-11-06Read the original
Alternatives
Compare side by side- MadakeCAD
An AI-first electrical CAD for industrial equipment wiring diagrams with JIS and IEC compliance and ngspice-grounded verification, rather than a general schematic editor.
- tscircuit
Designs boards in TypeScript and React (TSX) in a browser or CLI workflow, rather than a native Rust schematic editor.
- kicad-mcp-pro
An MCP server that drives KiCad schematic, PCB, ERC and DRC and manufacturing export workflows, rather than a standalone schematic editor.
Sources
Not verified
- Pricing (Signex Pro is a planned subscription with no price stated on the repo or site)
- Release status beyond the README: v1.0.0-rc.1 is a prerelease tag, and the latest GitHub release is v0.15.0
Last verified November 6, 2026. Listings are informational. The evidence score measures public, verifiable evidence and is not an endorsement or a compatibility claim.