The board, not just the circuit
siliXon places and routes the board. SnapMagic helps with circuits and parts, and you lay out in Altium.
The SnapMagic alternative that lays out the board
SnapMagic Copilot is a helpful sidekick inside Altium Designer: it suggests circuits and parts from a huge verified library, then politely leaves the layout to you. That means you will need the Altium licence, a Windows machine and the skills to place and route the board yourself. siliXon runs in your browser and goes from a plain-English description to a placed, routed board with real parts, Gerbers, drill files, a BOM and pick-and-place data, no EDA licence needed.
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
SnapMagicAI copilot inside Altium
Starting point
siliXon: A plain-English description
SnapMagic: Your Altium project, plus plain English
siliXon leads.Skills you need
siliXon: None
SnapMagic: Altium and PCB layout
siliXon leads.Who does the work
siliXon: siliXon; you steer and edit
SnapMagic: You, with AI suggestions in Altium
siliXon leads.What you get
siliXon: An editable PCB and fab files
SnapMagic: Circuit and part suggestions
siliXon leads.Time to first board
siliXon: Minutes
SnapMagic: No PCB of its own
siliXon leads.Board complexity
siliXon: Up to 4 layers
SnapMagic: Set by your Altium layout
Even.Layout prep
siliXon: None
SnapMagic: Place and route it yourself in Altium
siliXon leads.
Verdict
Choose siliXon to go from a description to a finished board without an EDA licence.
Choose SnapMagic to add AI circuit and parts help inside Altium.
siliXon todaysiliXon is in early beta and builds two- and four-layer, mostly digital boards. Review every design before fabrication.
Where SnapMagic is strongerA very large library of verified symbols and footprints, supply-chain data, and it works inside the Altium tool you already use.
Time to a prototype
siliXon
5 to 20 minutes
SnapMagic
No PCB of its own
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 SnapMagic
No Altium licence
siliXon runs in the browser. SnapMagic Copilot needs Altium Designer 20 or later.
Checked and exported
siliXon runs connectivity and manufacturing checks and exports the full fab package itself.
siliXon vs SnapMagic: feature comparison
| Feature | |  |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A plain-English description | Your Altium project, plus plain English |
| AI generation | Generates the whole board | Circuit suggestions and part picks |
| PCB layout | Editable in 2D and 3D | No; you lay out in Altium |
| Copper layers | Up to 4 | Set by your EDA tool |
| Part selection | Real, available parts picked for you | Large CAD library with alternates |
| Design checks | Connectivity and manufacturing checks | Footprint manufacturability checker |
| Fab outputs | Gerbers, drill, BOM and pick-and-place | From your EDA tool |
| Firmware | Programmable over USB, with flashing steps | Not stated |
| Layout prep | None; answer a few questions | You lay out the board in Altium |
| Runs in | Browser | Extension for Altium Designer 20+ |
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 DiodeAI-assisted board design service, from spec to production
siliXon vs QuilterAI placement and routing from your finished schematic
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 SnapMagic: your questions answered
What is SnapMagic?
The AI copilot from the team behind SnapEDA, renamed SnapMagic in 2023. Its parts library is now called SnapMagic Search.
Does SnapMagic lay out PCBs?
Its site does not describe placement or routing. You lay out the board and export fab files in Altium.
Which EDA tools does Copilot support?
Altium Designer 20 and later.
Is SnapMagic free?
SnapMagic Search is free for designers. Copilot is in early access and its price is not published. siliXon has a free plan.