Ohmbo and Flux compared for a first hardware prototype
Flux helps you design a board in an AI-assisted editor. Ohmbo carries the whole project, from a plain-language idea through firmware, enclosure and engineer review to a prototype measured against a written test plan.
Flux and Ohmbo both start a circuit board from a plain-language description. The difference is where the work ends. Flux is a collaborative ECAD editor in which an AI agent helps you design, and the finished files are yours to order and verify. Ohmbo carries the project further: firmware and the enclosure stay on the same board revision, an engineer reviews the design before fabrication, and each prototype is built and measured against a written test plan, with results written back into the project.
This comparison is based on Flux's public website and pricing page, checked on 2026-10-30. Ohmbo publishes it, so check Flux directly for current features and prices.
Compare scope at a glance
| Ohmbo | Flux | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A plain-language idea or an existing design | A project description, or a design imported from Altium, Cadence, KiCad, Eagle, EasyEDA and others |
| Who drives the design | Ohmbo's AI works through each stage in one project; you review and request changes | You, in a browser editor, with an AI agent that plans, captures the schematic, places and routes |
| Firmware | A project stage on the same board revision, with source in the outputs | Mentioned as continued work on an imported design |
| Enclosure | 3D enclosure on the same board revision | Through Flux's separate MCAD product |
| Review before fabrication | Automated checks plus engineer review for DFM and electrical issues | Continuous automated design checks |
| Physical result | Prototypes built and tested per board against a written plan, under a quoted order | File packages to manufacturer specifications, with ordering from several manufacturers |
| Measured test results | Written back into the project | Not described on Flux's public site |
| Outputs | KiCad, Gerber, BOM, STEP and firmware source | Gerber, drill files, BOM, pick-and-place and netlists |
| Board scope | Low-voltage boards up to 6 layers and 100 × 100 mm | Up to eight layers, according to Flux |
| Pricing basis | Free plan with no subscription; paid plans add monthly work credits; prototypes quoted per order | Explore, Build, Pro, Teams and Enterprise plans; AI agent usage metered in compute units; 7-day trial for individual plans |
What Ohmbo adds after the design
A routed board is the middle of a hardware project, not the end. With Flux you leave the tool to order boards, write and flash firmware, and decide whether the result works. With Ohmbo those steps stay in the same project: the firmware targets the board revision you reviewed, an engineer checks the design before copper is ordered, and per-board measurements tell you what actually works. When a measurement sends you back to the schematic, the next revision starts with that evidence.
When Flux is the better fit
If you want a full ECAD editor with real-time collaboration and intend to stay the designer yourself, or your board needs more than 6 layers, Flux is built for that.
Compare with the same brief
Send the same requirements to each option: board size, interfaces, power source, quantity, firmware behavior and what must be tested. Then compare who takes responsibility for each step and the total cost to a working, tested board. For the wider field, see AI hardware design tools compared and Ohmbo and Quilter compared. Ohmbo's current offer is on the pricing page.