JLCPCB vs PCBWay vs OSH Park: Best PCB Service in 2026

Why These Three Services Dominate Hobbyist PCB Fabrication

JLCPCB, PCBWay, and OSH Park collectively handle the vast majority of hobbyist and small-batch PCB orders worldwide. Each occupies a distinct niche, and choosing the wrong one can cost you weeks of turnaround time or unexpected fees at customs.

JLCPCB (Shenzhen, China) is the volume leader, processing over 2 million orders per year with a starting price of $2 for 5 boards on 2-layer FR4. They own the rapid-prototype market through aggressive pricing, 24-hour production on standard specs, and tight integration with EasyEDA and LCSC component sourcing.

PCBWay (Shenzhen, China) positions as the premium Chinese fab. Base pricing is similar to JLCPCB but PCBWay differentiates on advanced capabilities: flex PCBs, aluminum-substrate boards, HDI (High Density Interconnect) with laser-drilled microvias, and RF boards up to 22GHz. Their assembly service handles smaller BOM quantities without the 20-piece minimum that JLCPCB sometimes enforces.

OSH Park (Portland, Oregon, USA) is the only major US-based option for hobbyists. Their signature purple soldermask boards ship at $5 per square inch for 2-layer and $10 per square inch for 4-layer. No minimum order — you get 3 copies of your design. Since manufacturing is domestic, there are zero import duties, zero customs delays, and ITAR-compliant production for defense-adjacent projects.

Pricing Comparison: Base Cost vs Landed Cost

Raw board pricing tells only half the story in 2026. Since the US eliminated the de minimis exemption for Chinese imports in mid-2025, every package from China — regardless of declared value — now faces duties and processing fees. A $2 JLCPCB order that once arrived duty-free now carries $8-15 in additional charges depending on the customs broker.

JLCPCB's base pricing remains unmatched: $2 for 5 boards (2-layer, 100x100mm, 1.6mm FR4, HASL finish, green soldermask). Shipping via DHL or FedEx runs $15-20 to the US with 5-7 day delivery. Add Section 301 duties of 25% on the declared goods value plus a customs processing fee of $6-12, and a $2 PCB order lands at roughly $25-35 total.

PCBWay's base pricing is $5 for 5 boards with the same specs. Shipping and duty structure are identical to JLCPCB since both ship from Shenzhen. Total landed cost: $28-38.

OSH Park charges $5/sq.in. for 2-layer boards with no setup fee, no minimum, and free shipping via USPS. A 50x50mm board (roughly 4 sq.in.) costs $20 for 3 copies. No duties, no customs, no surprises. For boards under 40 sq.in., OSH Park is now price-competitive with Chinese fabs after tariffs — a reality that would have been unthinkable in 2024.

The crossover point is approximately 10 boards or 50 sq.in. of total board area. Below that, OSH Park wins on landed cost. Above it, JLCPCB's per-unit pricing absorbs the fixed tariff overhead and pulls ahead.

Quality and Finish Options

All three services produce boards that meet IPC Class 2 standards, which is more than adequate for hobbyist and low-volume production work. The differences show up in available finishes, tolerances, and specialty capabilities.

JLCPCB offers HASL (lead and lead-free), ENIG (gold), and OSP surface finishes. Standard tolerances are 6mil trace/space, 0.3mm minimum drill, and 1oz copper. They support up to 20-layer stackups, castellated holes, impedance-controlled traces, and via-in-pad — all at additional cost. Their 4-layer boards start at $7.50 for 5 pieces. Color options include green, red, blue, black, white, yellow, and matte black.

PCBWay matches JLCPCB on standard specs and surpasses them on advanced fabrication. They offer flex and rigid-flex PCBs (starting around $30), aluminum-core boards for LED applications, Rogers RO4003C and other RF laminates, and HDI boards with 4mil trace/space and laser-drilled microvias. If your custom ESP32 design needs an impedance-controlled RF section for the antenna, PCBWay's RF laminate option is the better choice.

OSH Park's boards are manufactured at a US facility with ENIG finish standard on all orders — no extra charge. Their signature purple soldermask with gold pads is distinctive and high-quality. Tolerances are 5mil trace/space on 2-layer (tighter than the Chinese fabs' standard offering), 0.25mm minimum drill. The tradeoff: limited to 2-layer and 4-layer stackups, no flex, no aluminum, and only purple soldermask.

Assembly Services Compared

PCB assembly (PCBA) — where the fab solders components onto your boards — is where the real cost savings live for surface-mount designs. Hand-soldering a QFN-packaged ESP32 module is possible but tedious; having the fab do it at $0.003-0.01 per joint is transformative.

JLCPCB's assembly service leverages their partnership with LCSC, a major Chinese components distributor. You upload your BOM and CPL (component placement list) alongside Gerbers, and JLCPCB pulls parts from LCSC stock. Assembly starts at $8 setup plus per-component fees. The catch: only LCSC-stocked parts are available, and some components carry an "extended" surcharge of $3. For ESP32-WROOM-32E modules, expect roughly $2.50 each from LCSC stock — significantly cheaper than Western distributors. Minimum order for assembly is typically 5 boards.

PCBWay's assembly service accepts components from any source — you can ship your own parts or have them procure from Mouser, DigiKey, or LCSC. This flexibility matters when your BOM includes parts not stocked at LCSC. Setup fees are higher ($25-50) but per-component costs are comparable. PCBWay also offers stencil printing, cable assembly, and 3D-printed enclosures as add-ons.

OSH Park does not offer assembly services. You order bare boards and solder components yourself or use a separate assembly house like MacroFab or Screaming Circuits (both US-based, starting around $50 setup for small runs).

Turnaround Time and Shipping

Speed matters when you are iterating on a prototype. A 2-week turnaround means 2 revision cycles per month; a 5-day turnaround means 4-6 cycles. That velocity difference compounds across a project.

JLCPCB's standard production time is 1-2 days for 2-layer boards and 3-5 days for 4-layer. They offer a 24-hour express option at roughly 1.5x cost. Shipping to the US via DHL Express takes 3-5 business days. Total door-to-door: 5-8 days standard, 3-5 days expedited. Since the de minimis change, add 1-2 days for customs clearance — packages that once sailed through now sit in a CBP queue.

PCBWay quotes 3-4 days production for standard boards, 24 hours for rush. Shipping timelines mirror JLCPCB since both use the same carriers from Shenzhen. Total: 7-10 days standard.

OSH Park's production time is 7-12 business days for 2-layer and 12-15 for 4-layer. They batch orders to fill production panels, which keeps costs low but adds lead time. Free shipping via USPS adds 3-5 days. Total: 10-17 days for 2-layer. They offer a "Super Swift" service at roughly 3x cost that ships in 5 business days.

For fastest iteration cycles, JLCPCB with DHL Express remains the leader at 3-5 days total. For predictability without customs uncertainty, OSH Park Super Swift at 5 days is increasingly attractive.

Design Tool Integration

The smoothest workflow is one where your design tool exports directly to the fab's ordering system. Two of these three services have invested heavily in that integration.

JLCPCB owns EasyEDA, a free browser-based PCB design tool. EasyEDA has a one-click "Order at JLCPCB" button that exports Gerbers, BOM, and CPL automatically — no file management, no format confusion. EasyEDA also provides direct access to LCSC's component library with real-time stock levels and 3D models. For beginners designing their first custom board, this frictionless pipeline is a significant advantage.

KiCad, the leading open-source PCB design tool, has a thriving plugin ecosystem. The JLCPCB Fabrication Toolkit plugin generates JLCPCB-formatted Gerbers, drill files, BOM, and CPL with one click. PCBWay has an equivalent KiCad plugin. There is no official OSH Park KiCad plugin, but their standard Gerber upload accepts KiCad's default output without modification.

For Altium Designer and its free community edition CircuitMaker, all three services accept standard Gerber RS-274X output. PCBWay has a direct Altium plugin. Eagle (now Autodesk Fusion Electronics) users can export to any service, though the JLCPCB-specific Fusion plugin streamlines the process.

Decision Framework: Which Service to Use When

The right choice depends on your order size, timeline, and whether you need assembly.

Choose JLCPCB when: you are ordering 10+ boards, you want PCBA with LCSC-stocked components, you need fast 3-5 day turnaround, you are using EasyEDA and want one-click ordering, or your per-board cost sensitivity outweighs the tariff overhead. JLCPCB dominates on volume and speed.

Choose PCBWay when: your design requires advanced fabrication (flex, aluminum, RF laminates, HDI), you need assembly with non-LCSC components, you want cable or enclosure bundled with the PCB order, or you need a dedicated project manager for a complex build. PCBWay is the specialist's choice.

Choose OSH Park when: you are making a small prototype run (1-5 boards under 40 sq.in.), you want to avoid tariffs and customs delays entirely, you need ITAR compliance, you value the premium ENIG finish at no extra cost, or you want the simplest possible ordering experience — upload Gerbers, pay, done. OSH Park wins on simplicity and predictability for small US-based orders.

As a rough decision tree: Is your board under 40 sq.in. and you are in the US? Start with OSH Park. Do you need assembly? JLCPCB if LCSC has your parts, PCBWay if not. Do you need advanced fabrication? PCBWay. Ordering 10+ boards? JLCPCB. Need it in under a week? JLCPCB express.