# JLCPCB

83 Hacker News commenters recommended JLCPCB and 13 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 6.5 years (4 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Cheap, fast PCB fabrication and assembly from one vendor, especially for parts in its library. Most common caveat: parts outside its library and tariffs add hassle and cost.

## Why people recommend it

- Cheap boards, even for small orders (5 comments): "jlcpcb can deliver you 10 boards for anything a hobbyist will likely need for 10$ including shipping, and it ships in 24 hours" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48887927)) "Getting production quality, one-off, multi layer PCBs done as a hobbyist is dirt cheap these days" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47214852)) "I can get 4 layer boards for like $8 from JLC and it just makes everything much more easily" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46282863))
- Fast delivery, often within days (3 comments): "I can pay for DHL overnight from JLC and still come in from uploading my design to holding it in my hand ~7 business days or less." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50243522)) "jlcpcb can deliver you 10 boards for anything a hobbyist will likely need for 10$ including shipping, and it ships in 24 hours" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48887927)) "it's just so cheap and fast that it makes no financial sense to buy locally" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48887916))
- Easy PCB and parts assembly (4 comments): "Board was ordered with PCBA (they did assembly of the stock components) and I did SMD for just the oddball module/ICs they don't stock. Works exactly to design." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49569871)) "If you stay within their component library it is dead easy, just upload your gerber and BOM" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49615322)) "the integrated JLCPCB assembly flow solved all these problems good enough" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46203449))
- One vendor for many prototype needs (3 comments): "being able to order basically any type of PCB (and increasingly more than just PCBs) from a single vendor is a pretty significant value-add" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48888206)) "I would not have been able to do it without companies like JLC. It made an entire industry approachable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47776789)) "It is literally a one-stop-shop for all your hardware prototype needs." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46586664))

## What people warn about

- Tariffs and shipping raise costs (3 comments): "it can be a headache to get designs back from PCBWay / JLC between customers, tariffs, shipping" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47311271)) "the tariffs when ordering from JLCPCB from the U.S. this year have been astronomical" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48892094)) "But tariffs/taxes were 55% of merchandise cost." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45879004))
- Marketing and nudges toward own tools (2 comments): "The marketing of companies like JLC or pcbway whenever I post a hardware project" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48887106)) "It's a pity JLCPCB always wants to nudge me towards their own EDA tools." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50118363))
- Confusing interface and DFM reports (2 comments): "illegible DFM-tool screenshots with no color legend for the layers" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50283881)) "I felt confused by a lot compared to JLCPCB" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50273123))
- Too expensive at small scale (2 comments): "Even the $5 orders from JLCPCB become infeasible for hobbyists here due to all the roadblocks." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49322882)) "it was way too expensive on a smaller scale" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48803080))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [PCBWay PCB fabrication](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pcbway.md): 32 recommend
- [OSH Park](https://hackerapproved.com/p/osh-park.md): 17 recommend
- [The Grid by CircuitHub](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grid.md): 15 recommend
- [ProvenMetal](https://hackerapproved.com/p/provenmetal.md): 15 recommend
- [Aisler PCB manufacturing service](https://hackerapproved.com/p/aisler.md): 11 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://jlcpcb.com/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "JLCPCB", https://hackerapproved.com/p/jlcpcb/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).