SquareLine Studio alternatives

SquareLine Studio made visual LVGL design the normal way to start, and a lot of people now want something else: a free tool, a browser tool, LVGL 8, or an export that does more of the work. These are the LVGL designers worth a look, what each one exports, and where each one stops.

Who wrote this. We make LCD Wizard, one of the tools below. Everything said about the others comes from their own sites and repositories, linked under each one, and was checked on 23 September 2026. If something here is wrong or out of date, email admin@lcdwizard.online and it will be corrected.

Why people look for an alternative

The licence. SquareLine Studio's free Personal licence is capped at 10 screens and 150 widgets, and is not for commercial use. Commercial use starts at $790 a year, for companies under $150,000 in revenue and funding.

LVGL went its own way. SquareLine and LVGL developed the editor together until they separated in February 2024, and LVGL now makes its own editor, LVGL Pro. SquareLine has since launched a second product, SquareLine Vision, and says Studio will keep getting fixes, features and LVGL updates.

Coverage. SquareLine staff have said it will not integrate every LVGL widget, and LVGL 9.3 support, expected in November 2025, arrived in January 2026.

The export is the UI. For hardware without a board package, SquareLine's docs say you write the drivers and take care of the build. On a first ESP32 display board, that is usually the hard part.

Not a reason: LVGL 8. You may read that SquareLine dropped LVGL 8. Version 1.6.0 removed LVGL 8.3.6, but 8.3.11 is still supported, and version 1.6.2 fixed a bug in it in August 2026.

What to check before you switch

Your LVGL version. A tool that writes only LVGL 9 cannot help a project pinned to 8.3, and the API differs enough that moving is real work.
What the export contains. Most of these tools write the UI files and leave lv_init(), the display driver, touch and lv_conf.h to you. That is where most first projects stall.
Which chips and frameworks it builds for. Some tools build complete projects, but only for one vendor's chips.
The licence you can afford. Check whether commercial use is allowed on the plan you would buy, and whether the price renews.
Where it runs. A desktop app works offline; a browser tool needs nothing installed.
Your existing projects. None of the editors here says it can open a SquareLine project, so moving means rebuilding the screens. For ESPHome there is a converter, listed at the bottom.

At a glance

Tool	Runs on	LVGL	What it exports	Board and driver setup	Price
LCD Wizard	Web browser on any OS. Needs a connection, because the code is generated on the server.	8.3.11 or 9.2.2 for Arduino, 9.4 for MicroPython, 9.5 in ESPHome	A whole Arduino or PlatformIO project for ESP32, STM32 or RP2040; files for lvgl_micropython; one ESPHome YAML file	43 board presets, 37 display and 19 touch controllers. Writes the driver config, pin header, touch code and lv_conf.h for your board.	Designing is free. 5 exports with no account, 15 a month with a free account, then £2 for 10 more, or £49.99 once for unlimited. Nothing renews.
SquareLine Studio	Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux. Online only to log in.	8.3.11, and 9.x up to 9.5	LVGL UI code in C or MicroPython; template projects for a simulator, and for boards with a board package	Board packages for some boards. For other hardware, its docs say you write the drivers.	Free for personal use (10 screens, 150 widgets), not commercial. Small Business $790 a year; Business from $2,200 a year.
LVGL Pro	Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux. Needs a sign-in and a licence.	9, up to 9.5	Plain LVGL C from XML projects; starter projects for a simulator, Zephyr and Linux	None. Its docs say the code contains no drivers or references to hardware.	Free for personal use and evaluation. Commercial use licensed per product; the Product tier is $20,000 per product.
EEZ Studio	Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux. Works offline.	8.4, and 9.2 to 9.5	LVGL UI source files to add to your own project	None. You set up the display, touch and lv_conf.h in your own project.	Free
NXP GUI Guider	Desktop: Windows, Ubuntu, macOS. The download needs an NXP account.	9.4 (version 2.x)	Complete projects for NXP toolchains: MCUXpresso, IAR, Keil, ARMGCC, Zephyr and Linux	Board templates for NXP evaluation boards and their display panels	Free for use with NXP microcontrollers
PicoPixel	Web browser. Needs a sign-in and a connection.	8.x (9.x planned)	LVGL UI C files in a zip	None. Its ESP32 guide leaves lv_init(), the display driver and tick handling to you.	Free for non-commercial use (10 projects). Starter $10 a month; commercial use from Pro, $20 a month.
ESPHome Designer	Home Assistant integration (through HACS), or a web app	ESPHome's. Its LVGL mode is marked experimental.	ESPHome YAML or lambda code; OpenEpaperLink and OpenDisplay JSON	Profiles for about two dozen boards; the README calls unlisted devices untested	Free
ESPboards LVGL Designer	Web browser, no sign-up	ESPHome's	The lvgl: section of an ESPHome configuration	Board presets for display, touch and pins, per its README	Free. Optional component packs at $7.

LCD Wizard

Browser LVGL designer that writes the board setup too · lcdwizard.online, one developer in Scotland

LCD Wizard designs the screen and writes the board setup around it. The export is a project that compiles for the board you picked: the sketch, the display driver configuration, touch code with on-device calibration for resistive panels, lv_conf.h, a partition table and platformio.ini. The same design also exports as MicroPython for ESP32 boards, or as one ESPHome YAML file.

Where it is strongest

43 board presets, and any pins you enter are checked against the chip as you type: collisions, input-only, strapping and flash pins.
The driver config is written for you: User_Setup.h for TFT_eSPI, LGFX_Config.hpp for LovyanGFX, or the GFX Library for Arduino and esp_lcd setup.
Sensors, I/O expanders and ADC inputs, bound to widgets through formulas, become generated code.
LVGL 8 and LVGL 9, chosen per project.
Nothing to install and no account needed to start.

Where it stops

It runs online only. The generator lives on the server, so there is no offline mode.
Exports are metered: 5 with no account, 15 a month with a free account, then paid. An export holds up to 3 screens as a guest, 10 on a free account and 30 on Pro.
No visual logic editor. Events run a fixed list of actions, and animations are single-property actions rather than a timeline.
It builds for Arduino and PlatformIO, MicroPython and ESPHome. There is no ESP-IDF, Zephyr or vendor IDE project.
It cannot open SquareLine Studio or EEZ Studio projects.
It is closed source and made by one person.

Best for: ESP32, STM32 and RP2040 display boards where getting the panel and touch working is half the job, and anyone who wants a project that builds rather than UI files to wire in.

SquareLine Studio

The desktop LVGL editor most people start with · SquareLine Kft. · squareline.io

SquareLine Studio is the desktop LVGL editor most people meet first. It has a simulator, events, animations, themes, components and assets, and exports the UI as C or MicroPython. It was developed alongside LVGL until the two companies separated in February 2024, and it is still maintained: version 1.6.2, on 10 August 2026, added LVGL 9.5. SquareLine's newer product, SquareLine Vision, runs in the browser, and SquareLine has said Studio will keep getting fixes, features and LVGL updates.

Where it is strongest

Mature, with years of tutorials, examples and a forum behind it.
An animation editor, themes, global colours and reusable components.
LVGL 8.3.11 and LVGL 9 up to 9.5, where LCD Wizard's Arduino export stops at 9.2.2.
Works offline once logged in.
Boards with a board package get a ready template project.

Where it stops

For hardware without a board package, its docs say you write the drivers and take care of building the files.
The free Personal licence caps a project at 10 screens and 150 widgets, and is not for commercial use. Commercial use starts at $790 a year, for companies under $150,000 in revenue and funding.
SquareLine staff have said it will not integrate every LVGL widget.

Best for: Anyone with SquareLine projects and a licence already, boards that have a board package, and C projects that need LVGL 9.3 or 9.5.

LCD Wizard and SquareLine Studio, side by side

LVGL Pro

The LVGL team's own editor, built on XML · LVGL, the library's maintainers · lvgl.io/pro

LVGL Pro is the editor from the people who maintain LVGL. Screens and components are written in XML and edited either as text or by drag and drop, with a live preview that LVGL itself renders. It has data bindings, timeline animations, translations, UI tests, a Figma plugin and Git integration, and exports plain C that needs only LVGL. Version 1.0 came out in October 2025, and 2.0.4, released on 10 September 2026, is current.

Where it is strongest

Made by LVGL's maintainers, so new LVGL features reach it first.
Projects are plain-text XML, which diff and merge cleanly in Git.
Data bindings, timeline animations, translations and UI tests.
A live preview rendered by LVGL itself, and a Figma plugin.

Where it stops

The free Community tier is for personal use and evaluation. Commercial use is licensed per product: the Product tier is $20,000 per product for at least five years.
Its docs say the exported code contains no drivers or references to hardware. Its Arduino IDE guide has you edit the core's platform.txt and fix include paths again after every export.
It works with LVGL 9. Nothing in its documentation covers LVGL 8.

Best for: Companies building LVGL products who want the maintainers' own tooling, and personal projects that want the newest LVGL.

LCD Wizard and LVGL Pro, side by side

EEZ Studio

Free, open-source desktop LVGL editor with visual logic · Envox (EEZ) · www.envox.eu/studio/studio-introduction

EEZ Studio is a desktop editor from Envox, free and open source. Beyond laying out LVGL screens it has EEZ Flow, a flowchart-style way to program what the interface does, with a simulator and a debugger that stops at breakpoints and watches variables. It writes the UI source files into your project, and its FAQ says to call ui_init() after lv_init().

Where it is strongest

Free, with the source on GitHub, and regular releases: v0.29.0 came out on 2 August 2026.
EEZ Flow: interface logic drawn as a flowchart and stepped through in a debugger. LCD Wizard has nothing like it.
Animations on a timeline, themes, several languages including right-to-left, and FreeType fonts at run time.
Works offline, and offers LVGL 8.4 and every 9.x release from 9.2 to 9.5.

Where it stops

The export is the UI files. The display driver, touch and lv_conf.h are yours to set up. Its official ESP32 demo sets the drivers in ESP-IDF's menuconfig and describes itself as highly experimental.
An Arduino build needs the eez-framework library beside the UI files.
It cannot open SquareLine projects. The request has been open since June 2024.

Best for: A free, offline, open-source editor for somebody comfortable bringing up the display themselves, and interfaces whose logic deserves a flowchart and a debugger.

LCD Wizard and EEZ Studio, side by side

NXP GUI Guider

NXP's free LVGL editor for NXP chips · NXP · www.nxp.com/design/design-center/software/development-software/gui-guider:GUI-GUIDER

GUI Guider is NXP's LVGL editor. For NXP's own chips it does the job LCD Wizard does for ESP32 boards: pick a supported board and panel, and it builds a project that runs, with NXP's graphics accelerators switched on. Version 2.0, released in June 2026, added a flowchart-style event editor and a redesigned interface.

Where it is strongest

Complete, buildable projects for NXP evaluation boards, in MCUXpresso, IAR, Keil, ARMGCC, Zephyr or Linux.
Uses NXP's graphics hardware: PXP, VGLite and G2D.
Free, with a simulator, one-click build and flash, and Figma import.
LVGL 9.4 in version 2.0.1, released on 14 August 2026.

Where it stops

NXP chips only: i.MX RT, MCX, RW612 and the i.MX application processors. There is no ESP32, STM32 or Arduino target, and the licence covers use with NXP products.
Downloading it needs an NXP account.

Best for: Products built on NXP microcontrollers or processors.

LCD Wizard and NXP GUI Guider, side by side

PicoPixel

Browser LVGL editor with a simulator and team editing · Alamira Labs LLC · picopixel.io

PicoPixel is the closest to LCD Wizard in shape: an LVGL editor in the browser. It runs a WebAssembly build of LVGL as its simulator, has an events editor and animations, and lets several people edit a project at once. It entered open beta in February 2026 and ships often.

Where it is strongest

Real-time collaboration, version history and share links.
A WebAssembly LVGL simulator in the browser.
Unlimited screens, widgets and exports on every plan.

Where it stops

LVGL 8 only for now. LVGL 9 is planned.
The export is UI files. Its own ESP32 page says it leaves lv_init(), display driver registration and tick handling to you.
Commercial use starts at the Pro plan, $20 a month, and each plan caps the annual revenue it covers.

Best for: Teams designing LVGL 8 interfaces together who already have the display working.

ESPHome Designer

Open-source Home Assistant integration for ESPHome displays · koosoli, on GitHub · github.com/koosoli/ESPHomeDesigner

ESPHome Designer lays out ESPHome displays from inside Home Assistant, with live entity values on the canvas. It began with e-paper dashboards and covers OLED and LCD panels too. Its README marks the LVGL mode highly experimental and says it needs an ESP32-S3 with PSRAM. It is very active, with release candidates for 1.0 every few days.

Where it is strongest

Lives inside Home Assistant and shows real entity values while you design.
Strong on e-paper, including reTerminal, TRMNL and M5Paper.
Reads existing YAML back in.
Free and open source.

Where it stops

LVGL is experimental and needs an ESP32-S3 with PSRAM.
ESPHome only: no Arduino or C output.

Best for: Home Assistant users building e-paper or dashboard panels.

ESPboards LVGL Designer

Free browser designer for ESPHome LVGL YAML · ESPboards (espboards.dev) · lvgl.espboards.dev

The ESPboards LVGL Designer builds the lvgl: section of an ESPHome configuration in the browser, with no sign-up, flex and grid layouts, several screens and a library of ready-made components. It imports and exports YAML.

Where it is strongest

No sign-up.
Ready-made components, Google Fonts and Material Design icons.
A preview checked against real LVGL output.

Where it stops

ESPHome YAML only.
Its README says gaps between the preview and the device still turn up. Event editing and themes are open requests.
Linking Home Assistant entities is an open request.

Best for: ESPHome users who want LVGL YAML to paste into a configuration they already have.

Which one to pick

If you	Look at
Have an ESP32, STM32 or RP2040 display board and want a project that compiles, with drivers and touch set up	LCD Wizard
Already have SquareLine projects and a licence, or need LVGL 9.3 or 9.5 in C	SquareLine Studio
Build LVGL products at company scale and want the maintainers' own tooling	LVGL Pro
Want a free, open-source desktop editor, or need visual logic and a debugger	EEZ Studio
Build on NXP i.MX RT, MCX or i.MX processors	NXP GUI Guider
Design LVGL 8 screens as a team in the browser and already have the display working	PicoPixel
Run Home Assistant and want e-paper or dashboard panels designed next to your entities	ESPHome Designer
Want ESPHome LVGL YAML to paste into a configuration, with ready-made components	ESPboards LVGL Designer

Not compared here

These come up in the same conversations but are not LVGL interface designers, so a row in the table would mislead.

Lopaka. A drawing tool for small displays, strongest on monochrome OLEDs, e-paper and the Flipper Zero. Its LVGL output covers seven widgets (panel, button, slider, switch, checkbox, text area and arc) with Montserrat as the only font. Each screen becomes one drawing function, and its documentation describes no events, screen changes or touch handling. It writes no display driver, touch or pin setup either. To compare as an LVGL designer it would need interactive screens, the rest of LVGL's widgets and some part of the board bring-up.

SquarelineToEsphome. A converter that turns a SquareLine Studio project into ESPHome LVGL YAML. It has no editor of its own, but it is the only way we found to carry SquareLine screens into ESPHome without rebuilding them.

esphome-lvgl-simulator. A browser simulator for ESPHome LVGL YAML. It previews a configuration you have written; it does not design one.

Questions

What is the best free alternative to SquareLine Studio?

EEZ Studio is free and open source (GPL-3.0), runs offline on Windows, macOS and Linux, and writes LVGL 8.4 or 9.x UI code, with EEZ Flow for interface logic. LVGL Pro is free for personal use and evaluation. LCD Wizard is free to design in, exports 5 projects with no account and 15 a month with a free account, allows commercial use on every plan, and its export includes the display driver, touch and lv_conf.h setup.

Does SquareLine Studio still support LVGL 8?

Yes. Version 1.6.0, in January 2026, removed LVGL 8.3.6, but 8.3.11 is still supported, and version 1.6.2 fixed a bug in it in August 2026. LVGL 9 is supported up to 9.5.

Is there an official LVGL editor?

Yes. LVGL Pro is made by LVGL's maintainers. It is free for personal use and evaluation, and commercial use is licensed per product. It exports LVGL C with no drivers.

Which LVGL designer works with ESP32 and Arduino?

SquareLine Studio, LVGL Pro, EEZ Studio and PicoPixel all write LVGL C that compiles for an ESP32, but you set up the display driver, touch and lv_conf.h yourself, unless SquareLine Studio has a board package for your board. LCD Wizard writes that part too, for its board presets or for pins you enter. NXP GUI Guider builds for NXP chips only.

Can another editor open my SquareLine Studio project?

None of the editors compared here says it imports SquareLine projects. EEZ Studio has had an open request for it since June 2024. SquarelineToEsphome, a separate open-source converter, turns a SquareLine project into ESPHome LVGL YAML.

Sources

Read on 23 September 2026. Prices and version numbers change; the linked pages are the authority.