LVGL Editor Comparison

Browser-Based vs Desktop App

PicoPixel runs entirely in the browser — open a URL and start designing. There is nothing to download, install, or update. It works on any OS with a modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari). SquareLine Studio is a desktop application that requires downloading and installing a platform-specific binary, with manual updates.

For teams, this means PicoPixel is faster to evaluate and easier to onboard new members — no IT provisioning required.

Real-Time Collaboration & Version Control

PicoPixel supports real-time collaborative editing: multiple users can work on the same project simultaneously, see live cursors, leave annotations and comments, and review changes together. Built-in version control tracks every change with automatic rollback.

SquareLine Studio is a single-user desktop application. Its only collaboration feature is an option to store screens in separate files for external git workflows (added January 2026). There is no built-in version control, commenting, or shared workspace.

Pricing & Accessibility

PicoPixel is free with no feature restrictions — including for commercial and enterprise use. As the platform grows, optional paid plans will be introduced (primarily for enterprise) to cover real-time collaboration and storage costs, but there will always be a generous free tier. Generated code is commercially free with no restrictions, regardless of plan.

SquareLine Studio offers a limited free tier (10 screens, 150 widgets, non-commercial use only). Paid tiers start at approximately $790/year for small business use, with revenue caps and income verification requirements. Commercial use of generated code requires a paid license.

Code Export Quality

PicoPixel exports clean LVGL C code — just the UI, without extra boilerplate or framework wrapper code (no SDL, no template artifacts). The output is designed to integrate directly into any existing firmware project.

SquareLine Studio exports C and MicroPython. Generated code can include SDL and template-related boilerplate depending on the project template selected.

LVGL Focus

Both tools are committed to LVGL. PicoPixel is built exclusively for LVGL and embedded devices with limited compute power — every feature is designed around LVGL's architecture. SquareLine Studio remains LVGL-focused, though its official partnership with the LVGL project ended in February 2024 due to differences in vision. Both continue independently.

Browser-Based vs Desktop App

PicoPixel runs in the browser with zero installation. Share a link and start collaborating. EEZ Studio is an Electron-based desktop application that requires download and installation — but it works fully offline, making it a better fit for air-gapped environments.

Visual Design Approach

PicoPixel offers a Figma-like visual design experience focused on drag-and-drop simplicity, with a clean modern UI and a visual flow-node connector-based events editor.

EEZ Studio combines visual drag-and-drop with EEZ Flow — a powerful visual flowchart-based programming system that lets non-programmers build application logic without writing C/C++. EEZ Studio also handles test & measurement instrumentation and desktop dashboard apps. This breadth provides flexibility but comes with a steeper learning curve.

Collaboration & Team Workflows

PicoPixel is built for teams: real-time collaboration, comments, version control, and shareable preview links. EEZ Studio is a single-user desktop application — team coordination happens through external tools like Git.

Widget Coverage & Maturity

EEZ Studio has extensive widget support built over years of development — including arcs, charts, gauges, calendars, QR codes, and many more. PicoPixel is in beta with a growing but currently more limited widget set. New widgets are being added actively.

Pricing Model

SquareLine Studio is a paid product with a limited free tier. Business and Lifetime licenses cost hundreds to thousands of dollars per year. EEZ Studio is completely free and open source (GPL-3.0) — no paid tiers, no feature gating, no usage limits, no revenue caps. For price-sensitive developers, EEZ Studio eliminates cost entirely.

Open Source vs Proprietary

EEZ Studio is open source — users can inspect the code, contribute improvements, and modify the tool for their needs. Generated code uses MIT/BSD licenses. SquareLine Studio is proprietary and closed source. Users depend on the company for updates, bug fixes, and continued LVGL version support.

Widget & Feature Coverage

Both tools have extensive widget support. SquareLine Studio has a larger established user base and more platform-specific documentation for targets like ESP32, STM32, NXP, and Renesas. EEZ Studio offers unique features like EEZ Flow visual programming and test & measurement instrument control. Both support LVGL v9.x.