2025 End of Year Fund Drive: The Year We Lost Count
We tried to count the new features in KiCad 10.
We gave up.
Somewhere between "lasso selection tool" and "45° full-screen crosshairs," someone on the team stopped tallying and just started giggling. Dark mode on Windows? Native rounded rectangles? Undo/redo inside dialog boxes? Variant support? The list kept going.
What Your Donations Built
KiCad 10 lands next month, and we need to talk about what’s in it. Not the polite corporate summary—the real list. The one that made our forum post hit 2,000+ likes.
The "Finally!" Features:
-
Windows dark mode (people are weeping with joy instead of eye pain)
-
Customizable toolbars
-
Jumper symbol support
-
Hop over wire-crossing in schematics
-
Variant support (schematic and PCB)
The "Wait, KiCad Can Do That Now?" Features:
-
Time domain / propagation delay tuning (picoseconds matter)
-
PCB Design Blocks with library linking
-
Full expression evaluation in arbitrary text strings
-
True 1:1 screen-to-reality zoom (measure your footprint with an actual ruler)
-
Footprints can now define objects on specific inner layers
The Quality-of-Life Little Miracles:
-
Lasso/freeform selection in both editors
-
Backspace removes track segments even when not routing
-
Live junction updates when dragging wires
-
Selection filter now tells you why you can’t click something (the filter flashes)
-
WYSIWYG font preview in the chooser
-
Drag and drop images into schematics
-
Groups in schematic editor (with automatic transfer to PCB)
-
Undo/redo in dialogs
-
Measurement tool in the Footprint Chooser
The Deep Technical Stuff:
-
Unified length calculations across router, status bar, and DRC
-
Multi-threaded PCB Net Inspector
-
IPC-4761 via protection features (filling, capping, tenting)
-
Component class dynamic assignment
-
Custom rules for solder mask expansion and paste margins
-
Local power symbols with sheet-level scope
-
Altium project import that actually links everything together
This is an incomplete list. We’re not kidding—there’s more.
The Math
Here’s the uncomfortable truth about open-source EDA software: electrons don’t pay rent.
Your donations fund the infrastructure that keeps KiCad running—the website, the bug tracker, the CI system that builds nightly releases across three operating systems. They fund developer time so that "nice to have" features actually get built instead of languishing in the issue tracker.
Last year, you helped us raise $100,000+ from more than 2,500 donors. That translated directly into the features you’re about to use in version 10.
We have big things planned for 2026, but we need your help to get there. The more we raise, the more we can do.
How to Help
Donate at donate.kicad.org
A number of corporate sponsors have generously offered to match donations during the fund drive—your contribution goes twice as far.
Monthly donors are especially valuable. Predictable funding lets us plan actual development roadmaps instead of hoping the money shows up. Monthly donors ($5/month for a year, or $60+ one-time) also get a limited-edition KiCad t-shirt, updated each year with a new design.
The Ask
If KiCad saved you from paying for a commercial license, consider what that’s worth.
If KiCad helped you ship a product, land a job, or prototype something that actually worked, consider what that’s worth.
If you just really wanted dark mode and we delivered, consider what your eyeballs are worth to you.
We’re not asking for much. We’re asking for enough to keep the lights on and the commits flowing. Every donation—$10, $50, $500—matters.
And if your company would like to sponsor matching donations during the fund drive, contact us at [email protected]. We’d love to talk.
P.S. — KiCons are happening around the world again this year. Come hang out with the people who make this possible.
See Also
KiCad Conference Asia 2025 Announcement
2025-09-14
The KiCad project is excited to announce the third annual Asian KiCad Conference (KiCon) in Shenzhen, China November 14th through the 15th, 2025. The conference will be held at the Atour Hotel (Shenzhen Nanshan Vanke Yuncheng),Nanshan District,Shenzhen,Guangdong. On line registration ends November 1st. This conference is geared towards KiCad users. There will be talks and workshops from users of all skill levels as well as members of the KiCad Lead Development Team.
KiCad Conference Europe 2025 Announcement
2025-06-30
The KiCad project is excited to announce the third annual European KiCad Conference (KiCon) in Bochum, Germany September 10th through the 12th, 2025. The conference will be held at the UFO - Ruhr Universität Bochum. On line registration ends September 1st. This conference is geared towards KiCad users. There will be talks and workshops from users of all skill levels as well as members of the KiCad Lead Development Team.