LCD Wizard and SquareLine Studio
SquareLine Studio is the mature option: a desktop editor with animations, themes and components that exports C or MicroPython for LVGL 8.3 or 9. It writes the UI, plus a template for boards that have a package; for other hardware you write the drivers. LCD Wizard writes the driver, touch and build setup for 43 presets or pins you enter, runs in the browser, and allows commercial use on every plan, with unlimited exports at £49.99 once.
At a glance
| LCD Wizard | SquareLine Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Web browser on any OS. Needs a connection, because the code is generated on the server. | Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux. Online only to log in. |
| LVGL | 8.3.11 or 9.2.2 for Arduino, 9.4 for MicroPython, 9.5 in ESPHome | 8.3.11, and 9.x up to 9.5 |
| What it exports | A whole Arduino or PlatformIO project for ESP32, STM32 or RP2040; files for lvgl_micropython; one ESPHome YAML file | LVGL UI code in C or MicroPython; template projects for a simulator, and for boards with a board package |
| Board and driver setup | 43 board presets, 37 display and 19 touch controllers. Writes the driver config, pin header, touch code and lv_conf.h for your board. | Board packages for some boards. For other hardware, its docs say you write the drivers. |
| Price | 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. | Free for personal use (10 screens, 150 widgets), not commercial. Small Business $790 a year; Business from $2,200 a year. |
| Licence | Proprietary. The code it generates is yours, for any purpose. | Proprietary |
What you get when you export
SquareLine Studio exports the UI in C or MicroPython, and can build template projects: one for its simulator, and one for each board that has a board package, which is a zip template with a JSON description. For hardware without a package, its docs say you need to write the drivers and take care of building the files.
LCD Wizard writes the whole project for the board you picked, preset or not: the sketch, the display driver configuration (User_Setup.h for TFT_eSPI, LGFX_Config.hpp for LovyanGFX, or the GFX Library for Arduino and esp_lcd setup), the touch code, lv_conf.h, the partition table and platformio.ini. A resistive panel gets calibration that runs on the device at first boot. The same design can export as MicroPython for lvgl_micropython, or as one ESPHome YAML file.
LVGL 8 and 9
Both support LVGL 8 and LVGL 9. SquareLine Studio 1.6.0, in January 2026, removed LVGL 8.3.6, but 8.3.11 is still there: version 1.6.2 fixed a bug in it in August 2026, and added LVGL 9.5.
LCD Wizard's Arduino export pins LVGL 8.3.11 or 9.2.2, chosen per project. Its MicroPython export uses lvgl_micropython's LVGL 9.4, and ESPHome brings 9.5. If you need a 9.3 or 9.5 feature in C, SquareLine Studio has it and LCD Wizard's Arduino export does not yet.
Price and commercial use
SquareLine Studio's Personal licence is free, with up to 10 screens, 150 widgets, one component, five global colours and two themes, and is not for commercial use. Small Business costs $790 a year for companies with under $150,000 in revenue and funding. Business costs $2,200 a year, or $4,200 for a lifetime licence that includes one year of updates, with further years at $1,490. A licence is tied to one user and one computer.
LCD Wizard lets you use what it generates in commercial products on every plan, including the free ones. Designing is free, 5 exports need no account, and a free account adds 15 a month. After that, 10 exports cost £2, or unlimited exports cost £49.99 once. Nothing renews.
Where it runs
SquareLine Studio is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, and needs a connection only to log in or move a licence. LCD Wizard runs in the browser with nothing to install, and needs a connection all the time, because the code is generated on the server.
Where SquareLine Studio is the better choice
- 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 LCD Wizard is the better choice
- The driver, touch, pin and build setup for 43 board presets or any pins you enter, with the pins checked against the chip as you type.
- Sensors, I/O expanders and formulas become generated code.
- ESPHome YAML from the same design.
- Commercial use on every plan, and one payment of £49.99 for unlimited exports instead of a yearly licence.
- Nothing to install.
Moving a design across
LCD Wizard cannot open .spj projects, and none of the other editors compared here says it can either. Moving means rebuilding the screens. The rebuild is familiar ground, because LCD Wizard follows SquareLine's model of widgets, style parts and states, triggers and actions. Images and fonts carry across as files.
If you are moving to ESPHome, SquarelineToEsphome converts a SquareLine project into ESPHome LVGL YAML.
Which to use
Pick SquareLine Studio if you already have SquareLine projects and a licence, your board has a board package, you need LVGL 9.3 or 9.5 in C, or you work offline.
Pick LCD Wizard if your ESP32, STM32 or RP2040 board has no ready template, you want the drivers, touch and sensors written for you, or you want commercial use without a yearly licence.
Sources
Read on 23 September 2026. Prices and version numbers change; the linked pages are the authority. Spotted something out of date? Email admin@lcdwizard.online.
- SquareLine Studio (squareline.io)
- Pricing and licences
- Licence documentation
- Changelog: 1.6.0, 1.6.1 and 1.6.2
- Exporting C and MicroPython
- Typical development process: drivers for your own hardware
- Open Board Platform: board packages
- LVGL and SquareLine separate, February 2024 (lvgl.io)
- SquareLine's business vision, and widget coverage (SquareLine forum)
- SquareLine Vision beta, and Studio's future (SquareLine forum)