Gerber & ODB++ Viewers

Always view your fab output before paying for boards. KiCad and other EDA suites have built-in 3D and 2D plot views, but a separate viewer catches stackup / aperture / drill mismatches the source EDA can't. For the EDA tools that emit these files see PCB / EDA Suites; for in-browser PCB rendering see PCB 3D Viewers.

Desktop viewers

• ★ gerbv — the FOSS classic. Part of the gEDA family; reads Gerber RS-274X, Excellon drill, pick-and-place. Works on every platform. GPL. Spartan UI but reliable.
• KiCad's Gerber Viewer — bundled with KiCad; surprisingly good standalone, even for non-KiCad output. GPL.
• ZofzPCB — free closed-source Windows app that renders Gerbers + drill + outline as a believable 3D PCB. Great for catching silkscreen/copper errors visually.
• GC-Prevue — Graphicode's free Windows viewer; classic, conservative.
• CAM350 / GerbTool — commercial, used by fabs themselves.
• Pentalogix ViewMate — free Windows viewer; another fab-house favorite.

Browser-based / online

• ★ Tracespace View — fully client-side browser Gerber viewer. Free, MIT-licensed; great for sharing a quick render link with a teammate. Active in 2025–2026.
• ★ KiCanvas — renders KiCad project files (.kicad_pcb, .kicad_sch) in the browser. Brilliant for embedding live PCB views in docs and READMEs. MIT.
• PCBWay Online Gerber Viewer, JLCPCB Gerber Viewer — fab-house viewers; require upload but show what they'll actually fab. Use these as the final sanity check before clicking "place order."
• Aisler's Online Viewer — clean, fast, doesn't push you toward an order.
• gerber-viewer (HPRC / others) — various open-source web embeds based on tracespace.

ODB++ / IPC-2581 / specialty

• ODB++ Viewer (Siemens) — free official viewer; Windows.
• Ucamco UcamX Viewer — Ucamco's free viewer; supports Gerber X3 and IPC-2581 well.
• IPC-2581 Viewer (FlexLogic) — free; the format is gaining traction.

Drill / pick-and-place / stencil utilities

• Excellon is the universal drill format; gerbv, Tracespace, and KiCad all read it.
• gerber2blend — convert Gerbers into a Blender-renderable scene (for marketing / docs).
• gerber-to-svg — JS lib used inside Tracespace; useful when you want raw SVG.
• Pcb-Stackup — JS lib that combines layer Gerbers into a single rendered SVG board image.

Pick this if…

• Default FOSS desktop viewer: gerbv.
• You're already in KiCad: KiCad's bundled Gerber Viewer.
• Quick share-a-link review with a teammate: Tracespace View.
• Embed a live PCB render in your project README / docs: KiCanvas.
• Final sanity check before ordering: the fab house's own viewer (JLCPCB / PCBWay / Aisler).
• Visualize a Gerber set as a believable 3D board: ZofzPCB.