Download KiCad 8.0.0

One day after the release of KiCad version 7.0.11, the developers behind this project released version 8.0.0. KiCad is a collection of open source programs that can be used to design electronic schematics and printed circuit board layouts. Furthermore, it can be a bill of materials, Gerberfiles and create a 3D representation of the PCB and its components. KiCad has an extensive library of components, including the symbol, footprint and 3D models. A Spicesimulator is also missing. Detailed information about the innovations in version 8.0 can be found here this page are being found; this is a short excerpt from it:

Version 8.0.0 Released

The KiCad project is proud to announce the release of version 8.0.0. Despite coming only a year after KiCad 7 was released, version 8 is packed with new features, improvements, and hundreds of bug fixes. We hope you enjoy the new version! Head to the KiCad download page to get your copy of the new version (note that some packages may still be in the process of being released at the time this announcement is published). Our thanks go out to everyone who contributed to KiCad this past year. Whether your contribution was large or small, writing code, submitting bug reports, improving our libraries and documentation, or just supporting us financially: your help made a difference.

In accordance with the KiCad stable release policy, KiCad 7.x will no longer be actively maintained, and we will release bug fix versions of KiCad 8.x over the next year as we develop new features for KiCad 9. Read on to see some of the highlights of the new version!

Version 8 Changes

Many of the new features in KiCad 8 are described in a running thread on the forumand Wayne Stambaugh also presented them in his FOSDEM 2024 talk which is available to watch on YouTube. This post highlights some of the changes, but is not a complete list. There were also hundreds of bug fixes, performance improvements, and other smaller changes since KiCad 7. A full list of issues addressed in KiCad 8 can be found on the milestone page on GitLab.

By the numbers: KiCad 8 was built with changes and additions from hundreds of developers, translators, and library contributors. Approximately 4,300 commits were made that changed code or translations, representing a modest decrease from Version 7. This represents a stabilization of the development cycle as we got through a backlog of new features that had been developed during the long Version 6 cycle and settle in on an annual release pace. The project continues to bring in new contributors: this year we had over 70 first-time contributors to the code and translations.