Flux.ai vs Quilter: what each one actually does
Two AI-assisted PCB tools that show up in the same searches but answer different questions — what each is, how pricing works, and which fits your workflow.
Updated 2026-07-09
Flux and Quilter show up in the same searches, but they aren’t really competing for the same decision. Quilter is a physics-driven AI tool that automates PCB placement and routing, with native support for popular ECAD formats — Altium, Cadence, Siemens, KiCad, OrCAD — so a design from an existing EDA package can be uploaded and returned in its original format [1]. Flux is different — and here the characterization is our read of Flux’s positioning, not a claim from the sources cited on this page: a full browser-based design environment with an AI copilot built into the flow, rather than a layer added on top of a different tool. The two aren’t substitutes: one replaces your EDA tool, the other adds an AI layer to the one you already have. The comparison people search for is really “which workflow am I in?”
What Flux is
The sources cited on this page are Flux’s pricing terms, not a description of the product itself — so the characterization in this paragraph is our read of Flux’s positioning, not a cited claim: Flux presents itself as a browser-based PCB design environment with real-time collaboration and an AI copilot built into the design flow, rather than a tool that plugs into a different EDA package. Choosing Flux means moving your whole design process into its environment, not handing off a single step like layout.
On price, Flux’s Starter plan is $20 per editor per month on monthly billing, or $16 per editor per month when billed annually [2]. Its Pro plan is $142 per editor per month — roughly a 7x jump from Starter, with no tier in between [3]. Both tiers are recurring, per-editor subscriptions.
What Quilter is
Quilter is a physics-driven AI tool that automates PCB placement and routing, with native support for popular ECAD formats — Altium, Cadence, Siemens, KiCad, OrCAD — so a design from an existing EDA package can be uploaded and returned in its original format [1]. It isn’t a standalone design environment; it’s a layout engine that sits on top of the tool you already use.
Quilter prices per project rather than per seat: “Pay per Project. Not per Seat. No annual licenses.” [4]Each board’s cost is set by the number of pins to route, no specific prices are published, and prospects are directed to contact sales [4].
Head-to-head
| Tool | Approach | Where your design lives | Pricing model | Lock-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flux | Design tool, licensed per editor per month [2] | Not covered by the sources cited on this page | $20/mo Starter [2] → $142/mo Pro, no tier between [3] | Not covered by the sources cited on this page |
| Quilter | AI tool that automates placement & routing on designs from your existing ECAD tool [1] | Uploaded from Altium, Cadence, Siemens, KiCad, or OrCAD and returned in its original format [1] | Per project, by pin count; no published rates, contact sales [4] | Low — reads & returns native ECAD formats [1] |
Values above are limited to what each vendor’s own cited page states, or are assessments we derive from those cited facts (marked “Low”). “Not covered by the sources cited on this page” means the cited source doesn’t address that column, not that the feature is absent.
Which to pick
Sources
- Quilter is a physics-driven AI tool that automates PCB placement and routing, with native support for popular ECAD formats (Altium, Cadence, Siemens, KiCad, OrCAD) so designs from existing EDA packages can be uploaded and returned in their original format. Quilter homepage (verified 2026-07-09, archived copy).
- Flux's Starter plan is $20 per editor per month on monthly billing ($16 when billed annually). Flux pricing page (verified 2026-07-09, archived copy).
- Flux's Pro plan is $142 per editor per month ($112 when billed annually) and includes 100 ACUs (Agent Compute Units) per editor per month — roughly a 7x jump from the $20 Starter plan, with no pricing tier in between; above Pro, Flux lists a Teams tier at $158 per editor per month and an Enterprise tier. Flux pricing page (verified 2026-07-09, archived copy).
- Quilter prices per project rather than per seat — "Pay per Project. Not per Seat. No annual licenses." — with each board's cost set by the number of pins to route; no specific prices are published, and prospects are directed to contact sales. Quilter pricing page (verified 2026-07-09, archived copy).