Did Autodesk ever reconsider Eagle?

[AutodeskEagleCad]

My EE's are not ME's and I'm not paying them to learn Fusion 360. I just read some interesting and compelling threads on the "transition".

We will never have our work product on anyone else's server. We'd be in breach of our obligations if we did so.

Fusion 360 is not going to happen at our company.

That being said, is there still no Eagle?

It's still Fusion 360 or nothing from Autodesk?

Looks like Kicad is the best alternative.

It looks like they easily import Eagle files.

Anyone have better suggestions?

Thanks.

[jorge_garcia · Accepted solution]

Hi @AutodeskEagleCad,

It's nice to hear from you, I hope you're having a great day. Just to make it simple, there has been no change in Autodesk's position. EAGLE will still be EOL in June of 2026.

All of our competitors can easily import EAGLE files, it's one of the benefits of having a documented XML format.

Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[petergharrison]

Replies from Autodesk are often patronising at best IMHO!! Total and utter reliance on the internet for major clients is foolhardy - as evidenced by recent attacks on undersea infrastructure by certain parties.

How long before some enterprising hacker breaks through the security and creates havoc??

How long before a major solar storm paralyses satellite cummunications??

[JacksonAudio]

Will we be able to continue using Eagle after June of 2026 or will we be locked out?

[jorge_garcia]

Hi Brad,

It's always nice to hear from you. To keep it simple, here's the breakdown:

If you are using an older version of EAGLE (V7.7 and prior) , you will be unaffected since those version of EAGLE used a perpetual licensing scheme. As long as you have your key file, installation code, and a system that will run it you will be able to continue using it.

If you are on a version after EAGLE 7.7 (8.0-9.6.2), those use the cloud authentication system. Come June 7, 2026 the servers that authenticate EAGLE entitlements will be shutdown and from that point forward the newer versions of EAGLE will no longer be able to authenticate a commercial (Premium) entitlement. At that point the options are to move into Fusion Electronics or take your data elsewhere.

I think clarity and transparency is the best I can offer right now. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,

[phybmd]

You are not addressing the real problem.  Fusion requires files to be stored on your servers.  That is in violation of IP policies for many businesses and institutes.  Hence we cannot use your products if this is enforced.  Even if it were not the case, it is untenable to not be able to have the files stored on your own computer.

[grahamUTKMN]

Hi @jorge_garcia 

This part:

"If you are on a version after EAGLE 7.7 (8.0-9.6.2), those use the cloud authentication system. Come June 7, 2026 the servers that authenticate EAGLE entitlements will be shutdown and from that point forward the newer versions of EAGLE will no longer be able to authenticate a commercial (Premium) entitlement. At that point the options are to move into Fusion Electronics or take your data elsewhere."

Will we even be able to open the files at all?

Thanks,

G

[DitroniX]

This whole situation from Autodesk point of view is simple, 'we' purchased Eagle CAD, 'we' incorporated it into Fusion (although it is a horrible workaround!), 'we' kill the old Eagle Cad off.  'You' |Us users), can now either migrate to Fusion, or go away to another vendor.   Very cold and patronizing approach.

However, from my point of view, I am fed up with the major vendors taking the software to cloud based.   As a hardware and software developer, I totally see the commercial benefits of this but for the user, such as me, and thousands of others, I do not want this.  Often I am work on closed network systems which simple do not have a gateway to the outside world.

The original transition from an older version of EAGLE (V7.7 and prior), to the version after EAGLE 7.7 (8.0-9.6.2), could very easily be resolved and for a one off fee, V8.x could be made available without the cloud licensing, or a 'local license'.

This could be provided on a NO, Zero, support basis.  Just as CorelDraw has done, a One-Time-Purchase.

However,  maybe Autodesk are pampering to the investors and being so very short sighted.   Where on the other hand, they could provide a OTP, keep the users hundreds and thousands of invested hours, and allow us to keep the old Windows version.

Autodesk maybe even be surprised in the future, when they eventually get the software to a mature state, as it is simply not here yet, and some of us may migrate to Fusion.

The approach of a long lead time to June 7, 2026 at 00:00 hour is admirable but equally instils a lot of absolutely and totally unnecessary hardware designer anxiety and need to jump ship.

Autodesk, please have some compassion for the probably millions of hours the users have invested in EagleCad and simply want to stay local!!

[JacksonAudio]

What needs to happen is very simple.

AutoDesk needs to allow for one more payment from each user that allows them a perpetual license of the existing software with no support given. This is the only way for them to get one last cash grab from their customers. 

AutoDesk has completely screwed Eagle customers like me, and as God is my witness, I will never buy another AutoDesk product ever again. They purchased a great product and guaranteed constant updates which they did for a time and then abandoned quickly. Now because they are not listening to their customers (WE DON'T WANT FUSION!!!!) they are demanding that we go elsewhere to someone like KiCAD and in my case, lose 10 years of libraries and work flows.

AutoDesk. Make a good decision and create a perpetual license for Eagle, and maybe...just maybe...people like me will consider using your software in the future. You are shooting yourself in the foot here.

[jorge_garcia]

Hello @DitroniX and @JacksonAudio,

First off I'm not a decision maker here at Autodesk, I'm in this context, just a messenger. I understand you are both frustrated with this situation as many EAGLE users have been. With that said both of you are business owners, you understand the dynamics of that . You know that if a customer is unhappy with your product or if it doesn't suit their needs, they will get a refund, sell it, not buy it, etc. and move on to something else. You guys are ok with that, Autodesk is as well. To say that's cold and patronizing is disingenuous.

I don't know when either of you last tried Fusion, but I'm willing to guess it's been a while. There's no reason to lose 10 years of libraries and workflows, if you are already paying for EAGLE, there's no additional cost to move to Fusion. You'll have more functionality than you did in EAGLE and everything will come over seamlessly. I'm happy to help if either of you want to experiment with transitioning one of your designs to Fusion if you would like to give it an objective try. If you have been using a perpetual release of EAGLE then this doesn't affect you and you can continue working as you have always done.

Autodesk leadership knows there would be a fall out from the end of the EAGLE(all the Cadsoft guys said as much, myself included), that's all been calculated and considered and this is the decision they arrived at. Again, appealing to your business savvy, there's no money in making bad products, competition in the market incentivizes innovation, new products, and risk. Autodesk intends for Fusion Electronics to be the best tool of it's class, and it's made great strides in a little over 4 years. If you haven't tried it in some time, I encourage you to take a second look. 

I've been responding to threads like this since the EOL was announced and I will likely continue until the EOL date. I have a lot of respect for what you do (I googled both of you), I have meant no disrespect in my response. I have only tried to appeal to reason and to your business backgrounds, you are both successful entrepreneurs and you will continue to be regardless of the decision you make in regards to your EDA tools.

Let me know if I can be of any help.

Best Regards, 

[AutodeskEagleCad]

They just don't get it.

We have many years and plenty of dollars invested in Eagle.

Now our only option is to move our work product to a partition on an Autodesk server, but many of us just can't do that.

Maybe in your dreamland everyone's making unicorns and butterflies but some people actually do real work. Work that can't be on any system that's connected to the internet.

With the EOL on Eagle, our work product will become unusable. We won't even be able to read it because we don't (won't) have the license for the size of the design.

Autodesk needs to issue some lifetime licenses for Eagle or provide a means for Fusion to run on a local machine with no internet connection. 

Really seems like standing for a class-action tort claim otherwise.

[DitroniX]

@AutodeskEagleCad Having read the reply from @jorge_garcia, and living in the real world, I totally agree.

1) Apparently, it is understood that 1000’s of EAGLE users are frustrated but despite the decades of investments people have made, what is totally understood, is that Autodesk simply do not care.

2) As for trying Fusion,
   a. Firstly, I have, and I know many others whom have too. Despite Autodesk investing a lot of time trying to make headway, it still has a long way to go. Hence my gut feeling for the long lead time to kill EAGLE.
   b. Secondly, as we (us users around the World), have been trying to iterate many times but seems totally lost, is that this is still, for all intense, cloud based. Totally not what is needed by many users.

3) Quote ‘Autodesk leadership knows there would be a fall out’. However, when I said earlier that Autodesk approach was ‘very cold and patronizing’ – it is clear from the reply, it still is.

With some 30 odd years of investment in EAGLE, and once a majority industry following especially due to the superb marketing model that was provided in the days of CadSoft and then Farnell, with universities and schools being supported, all this momentum and interest is being totally wasted. Such as massive shame.

All that Autodesk need to do is allow EAGLE to continue 'exactly' as it is. Without any upgrades, support, or warranty. The software works well, so why kill it off and waste the investment?

My simple question: Why is this so difficult?

[JacksonAudio]

I totally agree. Just take our money one more time, and give us what we've already paid for many times.

[lsnc-e1]

Well, as I have stated a few times earlier, for me, as a Linux user, it is impossible to even try Fusion.  And the answers regarding the data security aspects referred to some white papers, which really didn't guarantee anything, leaving the EULA, which caps the maximum compensation on data security breaches to some thousands of dollars, if I remember correctly.

I am in the process to move to KiCad.  I probably end my subscription next June, which would have been the last Eagle term.

[DitroniX]

This is interesting as not used EAGLE on Linux (Ubuntu. Mint etc.)  but can see where you are coming from.

For me, the main reason for not jumping ship from EAGLE to date is the 'dynamic schematic and PCB interaction'  Where the two sides are always in sync and you can have them dynamically linked and open on two screens, irrespective of PCB size and layers.

Autoroute is a nice feature but only really suitable for quick prototypes as most, even EAGLE, without a means of setting constraints, can do a good job.  Even in multiplayer boards, I tend to manually route, with maybe an autoroute on remaining lesser important single nets.

Starting to scout the options with a plan to start looking at other software.  Not looking for free software (as open source is not always the best route) , just one that is not charging a fortune and works as well as EAGLE currently does.

Possible quick options, but not exclusively,  for investigation include:

- DesignSpark (@lsnc-e1 will also apparently also run under Linux)
- KiCad (but pretty sure this does not dynamically link)
- Target 3001 (@lsnc-e1 will also apparently also run under Linux)
- CADSTAR (questionable)
- SPRINT (questionable)
- PADS (questionable)
- Cadence OrCad (costly.  Not dynamic schematic and PCB integration)
- Altium (costly)

Also, looking to go back to EAGLE V7x, which from my personal and business perspective, is still a far better option than the Fusion route.

[lsnc-e1]

---

@DitroniX wrote:

This is interesting as not used EAGLE on Linux (Ubuntu. Mint etc.)  but can see where you are coming from.

For me, the main reason for not jumping ship from EAGLE to date is the 'dynamic schematic and PCB interaction'  Where the two sides are always in sync and you can have them dynamically linked and open on two screens, irrespective of PCB size and layers.

....

---

After a while when Autodesk announced killing Eagle, I decided to not to be burned again with any new proprietary software.  Still, I agree that Autodesk should offer loyal paying Eagle users the perpetual license to make the migration easier.

KiCad has schematics to PCB synchronization, although not near like the one in Eagle.  But KiCad has become much better in this regard.  When I first tried KiCad about five years ago, it still lacked but it is now quite good, and in some things very good. Actually, the more relaxed synchronization is a relief as sometimes Eagle gets confused and it is a real pain to recover from that.  And sometimes, one needs to make some tweaks, which are very difficullt in Eagle just because of the live sync.

My main gripes with KiCad are the different behaviour in signal routing, especially snapping to grids.  At least for me, it is more difficult to get even looking routing, but this may be because I haven't yet found the correct way to use it.

And the final thought on product management.  If one has a product that is supposed to have a certain supported lifetime, let's say 10 years.  During that time, one is expected to have all HW design, including electronics, embedded software etc. in a state where everything is in editable and modifiable form for possible patches, fixes and other modifications.  Currently, with proprietary software, this is very hard or even impossible.  For this, in the end of the development cycle, I create a virtual machine instance where I have all the software and other stuff.  This VM machine is the the reference platform for possible support mods etc.  Even after decades, if needed, it is possible to revive the old development environment and get well defined results.  With current Eagle or Fusion licensing and practices, this is impossible.  And with Windows, it is also impossible or very difficult.

[DitroniX]

@lsnc-e1 Many thanks for the insight regarding dynamic or live linking. Like you I did try years ago but it fell way short.

Ultimately, my files are all 'local' and whilst I tried the Fusion managed library route, got bitten a couple of times with being out of sync libraries on different machines (i.e. working away and forgot to upload the managed library on the desk PC), where using the server / Dropbox route for all EAGLE files, never had a an issue.  On a side note, shame I cannot disable the managed Libraries folder, complete with its 'Eagle PCB' sub-folders.

Agree with the VM option and whichever route is taken with this, even if using something like AOMEI Backupper.  Being able to go back in time (decades before even), with the system setup snapshot has helped out on a few occasions.  Cloud offerings simply do not give you this 'feature'.

My concern with KiCad and the 'open-source side', is potential security and integrity.  Have seen this before where Open Source software has been purchased or simply closed down due to some falling out in the development team. Is this a future problem with KiCad, I do not know. That said, as you relate too. the trusty VM is an insurance for such an event.

[bbourbin]

Like others, I stopped trying to work with Autodesk and convince them that the way they were killing EAGLE, and their solution going forward, was extremely flawed. They didn't seem to care, so we've moved on to migrating to another solution.

We finally landed on KiCad also, as for the platform support (we are mostly Mac OSX) and feature set, with very good support.

That is not to say migrating was without complexity and effort. Like most, we started with our current EAGLE files and used KiCAD's import tools. This got us, I would say, 80% there. Then there was a lot of tweaking, mostly from library components that we didn't create ourselves (we've learned our lesson and will be making all our own footprints from now on, as we had maybe 30% from other vendors/users in our products).

EAGLE has lots of limitations that you normally work around (i.e. creating pads of unique shapes), so all those needed to be re-implemented in the more direct KiCAD ways. Also, KiCAD's DRU is more extensive and many things needed to be adjusted. KiCAD files are text files, like EAGLE, so you can bring them into a standard text editor and do lots of batch search/replace operations easily.

As far as how KiCAD works, we've been very pleased. It is extremely responsive and fast (unlike Fusion 360) and has all the features we need. I agree though, laying down traces is a bit of a learning curve, but I remember first using EAGLE decades ago, and had the same kind of learning curve.

Plus, it is a native Apple Silicon application that gets normal frequent updates (unlike EAGLE that I'm going on many years now without a single one, and still being asked to pay to continue to use).

Good luck to others like us, finding a solution that works without having to compromise your security and rights.

B

[DitroniX]

Hi Jorge, @jorge_garcia 

Appreciate you are in the middle of this but what jumps out from the many EAGLE user / engineers in the community and businesses Worldwide, is that for whatever reasons, placing EAGLE out to pasture come June 7, 2026, is not at all a favoured route.  It is equally not the right thing to do, given the overwhelming support, following and dedication the users have.

Hopefully you are able to provide feedback to those that make decisions within Autodesk, that the EAGLE community have a very strong case to keep the EAGLE Windows software and that not all users can, or want, to take the forced Fusion, or cloud, route.

The ideal, is to provide a perpetual license to existing log standing EAGLE users.  This allowing us to continue to use EAGLE indefinitely. 

Many thanks

Dave

[jorge_garcia]

Hi @DitroniX,

I'll pass this up the chain, that's all I can do. I have tried to be transparent with our users, I think that's better than giving false hope of a change. I do not mean to come off cold, myself and others contributed a lot to get EAGLE to it's current state. I've contacted many of our users over the years and provided a lot of support. I have a lot of empathy for what you are all going through, but "there is a time to give up as lost" as an old scripture would say.

If anything does change I will definitely post and respond, but I'm not expecting and it would be very cruel of me to make you think otherwise. The best I can do is tell you the current state of affairs so that you can transition with time and not be left hanging in the air with no way to continue your work.

Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Best Regards,