Frequently Asked Questions

No. PicoPixel runs entirely in your browser: there is no desktop app, no plugin, and no SDK to install. Open the editor URL, sign in with GitHub or Google, and start designing.

PicoPixel works best in the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. Safari is supported but may have minor rendering differences with certain LVGL widgets.

PicoPixel generates standard LVGL C code that runs on any platform with an LVGL port, including ESP32 (all variants including ESP32-P4), STM32, Arduino, Raspberry Pi Pico, NXP, Renesas, and Linux-based systems. We have tested on boards from LILYGO, M5Stack, Waveshare, Guition, Elecrow, and Adafruit. If your hardware runs LVGL, the exported code will work on it.

PicoPixel is browser-based (no installation), supports real-time team collaboration, and includes a live LVGL simulator powered by WebAssembly. SquareLine Studio is a desktop application that requires a paid license for commercial use. PicoPixel is significantly more affordable, with a generous free tier and competitively priced paid plans. For a detailed side-by-side breakdown, see our LVGL editor comparison.

We provide a detailed side-by-side comparison of PicoPixel, SquareLine Studio, and EEZ Studio covering features, pricing, collaboration, code export, and more. See the full LVGL editor comparison.

The workflow is: design your interface visually on the canvas, wire up interactions with the visual events editor, preview in the live LVGL simulator, export production-ready C code, and integrate into your firmware project. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see How PicoPixel Works.

You cannot import raw LVGL C code or projects from other editors like SquareLine Studio or EEZ Studio. However, you can export, share, and import .picopixel project files, which contain your full LVGL design. Importing from external LVGL source files is on our roadmap and is one of the most-requested features.

PicoPixel compiles LVGL to WebAssembly and runs it directly in your browser. What you see in the preview is the actual LVGL rendering engine, not a mock-up, so the output matches your target hardware pixel-for-pixel.

Yes. You can upload custom font files and image assets directly in the editor. PicoPixel also comes with a library of bundled fonts, so you can convert them to work with your LVGL project with the click of a button instead of sourcing and converting fonts manually. Full Unicode support is included for languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and more. The Fonts workspace mode lets you create and manage an array of LVGL fonts, and the Assets Library stores reusable widgets, images, fonts, and colors. Learn more in our LVGL fonts guide, or try the fonts template to explore bundled fonts with multiple languages built in.

Yes. PicoPixel compiles LVGL to WebAssembly and runs it directly in your browser. The simulator renders your design using the actual LVGL engine, so what you see matches your target hardware. Interaction overlays show what can be tapped and scrolled. You can also generate shareable simulator links for clients or teammates.

Yes. PicoPixel supports real-time collaborative editing. Multiple team members can work on the same project simultaneously, leave comments and annotations, and see each other's changes live. Built-in version control lets you create checkpoints to track changes, and notifications keep you informed when a teammate leaves feedback on your work.

PicoPixel exports a zip file containing clean, production-ready LVGL C code (.c and .h files). The output includes widget setup, styling, layout, event bindings, and asset references, all using standard LVGL API calls with no proprietary dependencies.

Yes. The Events Editor lets you wire up LVGL event handlers visually, drag actions onto widgets for screen navigation, style changes, value updates, and more, without writing C code. PicoPixel generates the LVGL event callbacks automatically on export. See all features.

Yes. PicoPixel includes built-in version control with checkpoints, granular session history (Session Actions), and the ability to revert to any previous state. No external VCS is needed for your UI design work.

PicoPixel's editor has three modes: Build, Reference, and Animation. Build mode is where you place and design LVGL widgets, manage assets, and build your interface. Reference mode lets you add text and images outside of your LVGL screen as notes for yourself or your team — these are not LVGL content, are not exported, and do not carry over when sharing .picopixel files. Animation mode provides an advanced timeline-based keyframe editor for creating custom animations on widget properties like position, size, and opacity.

Yes. PicoPixel includes a powerful Animation mode with a full timeline-based keyframe editor. You can animate widget properties like position, size, and opacity over time, create custom animation curves, and choreograph complex multi-track sequences. Animations are previewed live in the simulator and exported as part of your LVGL C code. Unlike other editors that gate animations behind paid tiers, PicoPixel does not limit animations on any plan — free or paid. There is a realistic cap of 100 animations per project to protect against abuse, but there are no tier-based restrictions.

No, PicoPixel is a web-based application that requires an internet connection. It does include auto-save, so your work is protected even if your connection drops. If offline support is a feature you would like to see, let us know. For organizations in sensitive sectors such as defense or medical that need air-gapped deployments, we offer a dedicated on-premise option where the entire application is deployed on your own hardware behind your own authentication (LDAP, SSO, or any OAuth provider), with custom audit logs and full audit traces. Contact us if that is something you would like to evaluate.

PicoPixel supports a wide range of LVGL widgets organized into categories: Layout (Panel, Container), Media (Image, Animated Image, Sprite, Chart, Bar), Input (Label, Textarea, Roller, Dropdown), and Interact (Button, Arc, Slider, Switch, Checkbox, Spinbox). Sprite is unique to PicoPixel — built on top of Animated Image, it enables stateful animations so you can define different animation sequences for different states, such as a charging animation that transitions to a fully-charged loop, or a character like Stack-Chan with idle, walking, and waving animations. The widget set is growing and new widgets are being added actively.

Yes. The exported code uses standard LVGL API calls with no proprietary dependencies, so it integrates with any build system that supports LVGL, including ESP-IDF, Arduino IDE, and PlatformIO. See the ESP32 integration guide for step-by-step instructions.

You can set any display resolution in PicoPixel to match your target hardware, from small 240x240 round displays (GC9A01) to 320x240 SPI TFTs, 800x480 panels, and larger. The live simulator renders at your chosen resolution.

Yes. There will always be a free Community tier that includes core editing, the live simulator, code export, and up to 10 projects. Commercial use of generated code is available with certain paid tiers. See our pricing page for details.

Paid plans will range from Starter ($10/mo) to Pro ($20/mo) for individuals, and Startup ($100/mo) to Enterprise ($450/mo) for teams, with annual discounts available. Plans scale storage, project limits, team seats, and commercial-use thresholds. All existing accounts will be grandfathered in, and more details will be shared via email once pricing goes live. See the pricing page for a full breakdown.

The exported code uses standard LVGL API calls with no proprietary dependencies. On the Pro plan and above, you are free to use PicoPixel's generated code in commercial products. The Community and Starter plans are for personal, educational, and hobby use only and do not include commercial-use rights. See our pricing page for details.