Design it yourself
No engagement to book. Describe the board and siliXon lays it out in one session, while you watch.
The Diode alternative you run yourself
Diode is a design service: you send a spec, their engineers design your board with AI help, and you review and approve their work before it goes to manufacture. That is lovely, if you enjoy waiting in someone else's queue and working to their schedule. siliXon lets you design the board yourself, right now, in your browser: describe it, answer a few questions and get a placed, routed board with real parts and a full fab package, and you keep the design and every file.
Free plan. Runs in your browser.
Head to head
Who leads on what matters when you want a board.
siliXonYou design it, in the browser
DiodeIts engineers design it for you
Starting point
siliXon: A plain-English description
Diode: Requirements calls with its team
siliXon leads.Skills you need
siliXon: None
Diode: None; its engineers do the work
Even.Who does the work
siliXon: siliXon; you steer and edit
Diode: Diode's engineers; you sign off
siliXon leads.What you get
siliXon: An editable PCB and fab files
Diode: Manufactured boards, through to volume
Diode leads.Time to first board
siliXon: Minutes
Diode: Days to weeks
siliXon leads.Board complexity
siliXon: Up to 4 layers
Diode: Up to 10 layers
Diode leads.Layout prep
siliXon: None
Diode: A detailed spec, then their review cycle
siliXon leads.
Verdict
Choose siliXon to design and own a board yourself, today.
Choose Diode to hand a complex board to a team of engineers.
siliXon todaysiliXon is in early beta and builds two- and four-layer, mostly digital boards. Review every design before fabrication.
Where Diode is strongerAn engineer signs off every design, it takes on complex multi-layer boards, and Diode manufactures through to volume production.
Time to a prototype
siliXon
5 to 20 minutes
Diode
3 days to 3 weeks
From an idea to a board you can send to a fab, on one scale from zero. Estimates for someone new to each tool.
What changes when you switch from Diode
Your design, your call
Change any part, trace or via yourself, whenever you like. You own the design and its manufacturing files.
Free to start
siliXon has a free plan. Diode's published design tiers start at $10,000, plus fabrication.
siliXon vs Diode: feature comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A plain-English description | Requirements calls with Diode's team |
| AI generation | Generates the whole board | AI drafts; engineers review every design |
| PCB layout | Editable in 2D and 3D | Done by Diode's engineers |
| Copper layers | Up to 4 | Up to 10 in its Zener language |
| Part selection | Real, available parts picked for you | BOM compiler with live cost and stock |
| Design checks | Connectivity and manufacturing checks | DFM checks and engineer review |
| Fab outputs | Gerbers, drill, BOM and pick-and-place | KiCad, Altium or Cadence; Diode fabricates |
| Firmware | Programmable over USB, with flashing steps | Hardware bring-up in the Enterprise tier |
| Layout prep | None; answer a few questions | Write a spec; their engineers lay it out |
| Runs in | Browser | A service, plus an open-source CLI |
siliXon is in early beta and builds two- and four-layer, mostly digital boards. Review every design before fabrication.
So far creating my first project for 10 min - onboarding seems quite smooth
I like the self validation and how it explains everything too, makes it easier for me to quickly cross reference and learn on the go
Response is very meaningful, I like how it asks you questions to verify and gives you the options to choose the answers with the recommended on the one it thinks is a better option
Good so far. It is helpful and gives me advice
I have to say I love the UI and UX, the front end is really fun to interact with, with the little dynamic touches etc
Super helpful and easy to use
Really good actually better than Flux ai
Compare siliXon with other tools
siliXon vs KiCadFree, open-source desktop EDA for schematics and PCB layout
siliXon vs Altium DesignerProfessional EDA for complex, multi-layer production boards
siliXon vs SchematikAI that turns a prompt into Arduino, ESP32 and Pico projects
siliXon vs Blueprint.ioAI build plans with parts, wiring and assembly steps
siliXon vs Flux.aiBrowser ECAD with an AI agent that designs alongside you
siliXon vs QuilterAI placement and routing from your finished schematic
siliXon vs SnapMagicAI copilot for Altium, built on the SnapEDA parts library
siliXon vs CELUSAI that turns requirements into schematics and a BOM
siliXon vs atopileCode-native electronics design, with an agent in the browser
siliXon vs tscircuitOpen-source framework for designing PCBs in TypeScriptsiliXon vs Diode: your questions answered
Is Diode a tool or a service?
Mainly a service: its team designs and manufactures boards for you. It also publishes a free, open-source CLI, pcb, for designing boards as code.
How much does Diode cost?
Its published design tiers are $10,000, $20,000 and $50,000, plus fabrication; Enterprise is priced on request. siliXon has a free plan.
Which handles more complex boards?
Diode. Engineers sign off every design, and it takes on multi-layer, high-density work. siliXon builds boards of up to four layers during beta.
Can I edit the result myself?
In siliXon you edit parts, traces and vias in 2D and 3D. Diode exports its designs to KiCad, Altium and Cadence.