# horizon-eda/horizon

Horizon is a free EDA package

Repository: https://github.com/horizon-eda/horizon
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/horizon-eda-horizon
Homepage: https://horizon-eda.org/
Language: C
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2026-07-28T21:09:37+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 75/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 94, release rhythm 36, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3503, "days_push": 36, "days_rel": 271, "gap_med": 93.0, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1310, forks 101 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:19.831992+00:00)

## What it is
Horizon EDA is a free, open-source Electronic Design Automation package for printed circuit board design. It provides an integrated end-to-end workflow covering parts management, schematic entry, PCB layout, 3D preview, and Gerber export.

## Use cases
- design a printed circuit board from schematic to gerber export
- manage a shared pool of electronic parts and symbols
- draw hierarchical schematics with a netlist-aware editor
- route PCB layouts with an interactive router
- preview PCB designs in 3D before manufacturing
- run design rule checks on a board layout

## When to choose
- you need a free, open-source alternative to KiCad or commercial EDA tools
- you want an integrated workflow from parts library management through board export
- you value a modern, legacy-free C++ codebase with JSON on-disk format
- you work on Linux or Windows and want GPU-accelerated rendering

## When to avoid
- you need simulation or SPICE analysis features
- you require macOS support
- you need integration with an existing KiCad or Altium project ecosystem
- you need FPGA or IC design tools rather than PCB design

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: gui, graphics, developer-tools
- domain: hardware, developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: windows, cpp
- tags: eda, pcb-design, schematic-capture, gerber-export, cad, electronics, linux, desktop

## Member repositories
- horizon-eda/horizon (main) score 75

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:19.831992+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:49:55.394795+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/horizon-eda/horizon (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:19.831992+00:00, sha 30d185221d53)
  - homepage: https://horizon-eda.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:08:30.335634+00:00, sha d994c431cf52)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.