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LVGL IDE landscape, honestly
Four real tools can design an LVGL interface today. SquareLine is the polished incumbent, EEZ is free and open, LVGL Pro is the official new entry, and Protok is built for industrial HMI — where the UI is only half the problem and the protocol layer is the rest.
October 2026 — we aim to keep this accurate; if something is wrong, tell us.
| Capability | Protok Studio | SquareLine Studio | LVGL Pro | EEZ Studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual LVGL screen editor | ||||
| In-tool simulator (no rebuild) | Browser WASM, live CAN traces | Preview play mode | Preview | Desktop sim |
| CAN / J1939 / DBC import | Native — typed signals to widgets | |||
| TRDP / TCNOpen support | XML import + palette nodes | |||
| Low-code logic engine | Node graph on the same canvas | Events & actions | partial | EEZ Flow |
| Generated code | C99, zero-allocation, yours | C / MicroPython | C from XML | C / MicroPython |
| AI-assistant control (MCP) | Built-in MCP server | |||
| Real-time collaboration | Multi-cursor live sessions | |||
| Hardware panel ecosystem | Validated Protok panels | Board packages | partial | EEZ instruments |
| Runs in browser | ||||
| Free tier | Community — non-commercial | Personal — 10 screens / 150 widgets | partial | Free & open source |
| Commercial license | from $150/mo | from $790/yr (small biz) | paid tiers | free (GPL/MIT) |
| Maturity | Public beta | Mature, since 2020 | Early | Active, since 2019 |
When Protok is the better pick
- Your HMI talks to a CAN / J1939 / TRDP network — you want the database file to drive the UI, not glue code.
- You need logic beyond button events: node graphs, timers, watchdogs, state machines.
- You want deterministic C99 you can audit and own — not a black-box runtime.
- You work on industrial displays, not maker boards.
- You want an AI agent to actually operate the IDE, not just chat about it.
When the others fit better
- SquareLine — you want maximum UI polish, MicroPython export, and a mature tool that's been shipping since 2020.
- EEZ Studio — you need free and open-source, T&M instrument workflows, or must avoid subscriptions entirely.
- LVGL Pro — you prefer the official editor from the LVGL team and XML-first projects.