# JLCPCB vs PCBWay vs AISLER for a one-off PCB

> JLCPCB, PCBWay, AISLER and CircuitHub for 5 bare and 2 assembled boards to Germany: price, minimum, build time, shipping, VAT, EU duty. Checked 4 Nov 2026.

Source: https://protoship.dev/compare/one-off-pcb-assembly

For five bare 2-layer boards to Germany, JLCPCB and PCBWay are cheapest ($4.00 and $5.00 for 100×100 mm, plus shipping from $7.04 and $6.04), AISLER is the simplest (€40.50 for three boards including 19 % VAT, free shipping inside Germany, no customs), and CircuitHub is built for fast US assembly at a much higher price. For two assembled boards, JLCPCB's Economic assembly starts with an $8.18 setup fee and a $1.53 stencil plus parts and $3.07 per extended-part feeder; AISLER does not publish assembly prices. All figures checked on 4 November 2026 from each maker's own calculator or help pages.

Since 1 July 2026 the EU charges a flat €3 customs duty per tariff line on small parcels under €150 sent to consumers, and since 1 November 2026 a €2 fee per item. For a parcel from China that adds a few euros on top of VAT, depending on how the maker declares and ships it. Details are in the customs section below.

## Five bare boards

2-layer, 100×100 mm, 1.6 mm, HASL. Checked 4 Nov 2026.

| Maker | Quantity | Board price | Build time | Cheapest shipping to Germany |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| JLCPCB | 5 (minimum 5) | $4.00 | 2 days (24 h: +$7.60) | Global Standard Direct Line $7.04, 9–11 business days |
| PCBWay | 5 | $5.00 | 24 h | Global Direct Shipping $6.04, 6–10 business days |
| AISLER | 3 or 6 (sets of 3) | €40.50 / €64.33 incl. VAT | Budget: dispatched in 10 business days; Blitz (6 boards €118.02): 2 business days | Free, Deutsche Post / DHL Warenpost, untracked, 2 business days |
| CircuitHub | Bare boards not priced publicly. |

JLCPCB's price is the web price; its JLCONE desktop app shows $2.00 for the same order. AISLER quotes lead-free HASL; JLCPCB and PCBWay are quoted with leaded HASL. For JLCPCB the listed board and shipping prices add up to $11.04 before VAT, duty and fees.

## Two assembled boards

| Maker | Minimum | Published assembly fees | Assembly time |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| JLCPCB Economic | 2 | Setup $8.18, stencil $1.53, $0.0016 per SMT joint, $3.07 per extended-part feeder; parts extra. Single-sided, 0402 minimum. | 1–3 days |
| JLCPCB Standard | 2 | Setup $25.56 single-sided or $51.12 double-sided, stencil $8.21 / $16.42, $1.53 per feeder; parts extra. Both sides, down to 01005. | 4 days and up |
| PCBWay | 1 | No separate setup or stencil fee published; stencil included in the quote. A sample quote for 2 boards with 20 unique parts showed $29.00 against a $170.91 list price, marked promotional and subject to review, excluding boards and parts. | 3–5 days |
| AISLER | 1 | Unit prices not published; you upload the design for a price. Customer-supplied parts €15 per part. | Amazing Assembly 18 working days; 2-layer Assembly Blitz 9–12 working days incl. material |
| CircuitHub | 1 | 5 boards, "2 layers, simple microcontroller", excluding parts: $1,023 in 3 days to $846 in 12 days. Price for 2 boards not published. Value Proto: 75 % off for up to 10 boards, no through-hole, no 0201, no consigned parts. | Grid Proto: 3 days (USA) |

JLCPCB's "preferred extended" parts are exempt from the feeder fee in Economic assembly, so choosing basic and preferred-extended parts keeps a small order close to the setup fee plus parts. JLCPCB also charges at least $14.93 difference between Economic and Standard handling; a shortfall is billed.

## VAT, customs and the new EU fees

- **EU €3 duty** From 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2028, a flat €3 customs duty on items in small parcels under €150 sent directly to consumers, levied per tariff sub-heading in the parcel (Council of the EU).
- **EU €2 fee** From 1 November 2026, all EU member states apply a fee of €2 per item (Council of the EU).
- **JLCPCB** Collects VAT at checkout through IOSS for consumer orders up to $170. Its customs FAQ (updated 28 Oct 2026) says the €3 applies per HS code on B2C parcels up to €150 and the €2 handling fee per declaration line is not collected through IOSS; Global Standard Direct Line is always B2C and pre-collects it. Business parcels go through formal customs clearance.
- **PCBWay** VAT and duty are not included unless you choose IOSS, DTP or DDP at checkout (terms of 22 Oct 2026).
- **AISLER** Ships from Germany: VAT included, no import.
- **CircuitHub** The customer pays import duties and taxes; shipping to Germany is not priced publicly.

## Files and API

- **JLCPCB** Gerber, BOM and placement file. API for PCB, stencil, 3D printing and parts after approval (order history, business account).
- **PCBWay** Gerber and BOM; a KiCad plug-in orders straight from KiCad, assembly included. Partner API by approval.
- **AISLER** Reads KiCad files natively, no plug-in. No API.
- **CircuitHub** No Gerber-only orders. Native Altium and KiCad, Fusion export, ODB++ and IPC-2581.

## Which one for a one-off

- **Lowest price** JLCPCB or PCBWay, if you can wait one to two weeks for shipping and accept the customs steps.
- **No customs, KiCad upload** AISLER: higher board price, but VAT is included and the parcel stays inside Germany.
- **Assembled in days, budget no concern** CircuitHub, in the USA, with import duties on top.
- **No new PCB at all** If your build already works on a dev board, you may not need a PCB. [Order a PCB yourself or have it built](https://protoship.dev/compare/order-pcb-yourself-or-have-it-built) compares the routes.

Prices change often. Re-check in each maker's calculator before you order.

## Let your agent check it

`estimate_build` returns cost and lead-time ranges for ordering boards yourself at JLCPCB or AISLER versus having your build finished, with the sources it used. `match_parts` checks your BOM lines against JLCPCB basic and preferred-extended parts, which avoid the extended-feeder fee. Connect the Protoship MCP server once:

```
claude mcp add --transport http protoship https://mcp.protoship.dev
codex mcp add protoship --url https://mcp.protoship.dev
```

An agent without MCP calls `GET https://protoship.dev/api/check?url=…` with the link to your repo or config file.

## Questions

### Which is cheaper for prototypes, JLCPCB or PCBWay?

For five 2-layer 100×100 mm boards on 4 Nov 2026, JLCPCB listed $4.00 and PCBWay $5.00. Cheapest shipping to Germany was $7.04 at JLCPCB and $6.04 at PCBWay, so the totals are close.

### Do I pay customs on PCBs from China to Germany?

VAT applies, and since 1 July 2026 a €3 EU duty per tariff line on small consumer parcels under €150, plus a €2 fee per item since 1 November 2026. JLCPCB collects VAT through IOSS and pre-collects the fees on Global Standard Direct Line.

### Can I order a single assembled PCB?

Yes at PCBWay (minimum 1), AISLER (from a single board) and CircuitHub (minimum 1). JLCPCB assembles from 2 boards.

### Is AISLER worth it compared with JLCPCB?

AISLER costs more per board (€40.50 for three 100×100 mm boards in Budget) but includes VAT, ships free inside Germany and has no customs.

[Finish my build](https://protoship.dev/finish#request) [Let your agent check your project](https://protoship.dev/guides/esp32-device-built-by-ai-agent#connect)

## Sources

Read on 4 November 2026.

- [JLCPCB online quote (Germany shipping)](https://cart.jlcpcb.com/quote)
- [JLCPCB: PCB assembly capabilities](https://jlcpcb.com/capabilities/pcb-assembly-capabilities)
- [JLCPCB: PCB assembly price](https://jlcpcb.com/help/article/pcb-assembly-price)
- [JLCPCB: PCB assembly FAQs](https://jlcpcb.com/help/article/pcb-assembly-faqs)
- [JLCPCB: EU VAT e-commerce rules](https://jlcpcb.com/help/article/EU-VAT-E-commerce-Rules-&-Adjustments)
- [JLCPCB: EU customs reform FAQ (updated 28 Oct 2026)](https://jlcpcb.com/help/article/eu-customs-reform-faq)
- [JLCPCB: online API](https://jlcpcb.com/help/article/jlcpcb-online-api-available-now)
- [PCBWay: PCB online quote](https://www.pcbway.com/orderonline.aspx)
- [PCBWay: assembly quote](https://www.pcbway.com/quotesmt.aspx)
- [PCBWay: assembly minimum quantity](https://www.pcbway.com/helpcenter/pcb_assembly_ordering/What_s_the_min_quantity_of_assembly_.html)
- [PCBWay: PCB assembly](https://www.pcbway.com/pcb-assembly.html)
- [PCBWay: terms of service (22 Oct 2026)](https://www.pcbway.com/terms_service.html)
- [PCBWay: API cooperation](https://www.pcbway.com/api_cooperation.html)
- [PCBWay: plug-in for KiCad](https://www.pcbway.com/blog/News/PCBWay_Plug_In_for_KiCad_3ea6219c.html)
- [AISLER: price calculator](https://aisler.net/en)
- [AISLER: boards](https://aisler.net/en/products/boards)
- [AISLER: assembly](https://aisler.net/en/products/assembly)
- [AISLER community: pricing](https://community.aisler.net/t/our-simple-pricing/102)
- [AISLER community: assembly lead times (15 Oct 2026)](https://community.aisler.net/t/399)
- [AISLER community: shipping](https://community.aisler.net/t/672)
- [AISLER: KiCad](https://aisler.net/en/partners/kicad)
- [CircuitHub: pricing](https://circuithub.com/pricing)
- [CircuitHub](https://www.circuithub.com/)
- [CircuitHub: Value Proto](https://docs.circuithub.com/getting-a-quote/value-proto)
- [CircuitHub: supported design tools](https://docs.circuithub.com/importing-a-project/supported-design-tools)
- [CircuitHub: terms and conditions](https://docs.circuithub.com/privacy/terms-and-conditions)
- [Council of the EU: €3 duty on small parcels (11 Feb 2026)](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/02/11/council-gives-final-green-light-to-new-customs-duty-rules-for-small-parcels/)
- [Council of the EU: small parcels policy (€2 fee from 1 Nov 2026)](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/eu-action-influx-of-small-parcels/)