ExpressPCB or Eagle?

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1

I have played (very little) with both. In quick review it seems ExpressPCB is simplier and more intuitive. On the other hand, Eagle seems most popular with Sparkfun and they have eagle files for each component already. I can only invest in learning 1 and wondering which? Any thoughts? tia

2

I have only tried Eagle. Mostly for the same reasons:

  1. Sparkfun, Adafruit have Eagle libraries
  2. Availability of online tutorials from various sources on how to work with Eagle
3

As far as I know the ExpressPCB is a proprietary file format so your locked in to their production line. I dont think you can export ExpressPCB to Gerber as needed by other pcb manufacturer.

So go for Eagle.

Personly I use DipTrace http://www.diptrace.com/ that has a 300 pin free version. If you become a member of LMR http://letsmakerobots.com/ additional pins are available to you.
DipTrace exports to Gerber.

4

Don’t get sucked into stuff that’s not industry standard just because it’s “easier”. Eagle all the way…

5

I use eagle or Altium DXP. Eagle is an exceptional package for the price.

6

The free version of EAGLE can do about every single hobby level you like and for very little money you can do multi layer design.
EAGLE can really surprise you with what it can do!

7

A friend of mine described Eagle well: Not very intuitive, but not very difficult once you spend some time with it

8

I also confirm all this :wink: Go for Eagle !