If you want to design your own electronic circuits and need accessible software with good support, the first option on your list is KiCad. Free, open-source, and backed by a strong community, KiCad has earned a privileged place, but that doesn't exempt it from some difficulties, notably locating, downloading, incorporating, and managing new libraries with symbols and footprints. Fortunately, a brand new unofficial database compatible with KiCad makes the whole process simpler.
Nobody likes to use incomplete tools, but it would be very unfair to classify KiCad that way. The software is in a state of constant evolution, and the same can be said of electronics, so it's not strange to discover that some component is missing during circuit design. Now, the community has responded strongly to minimize these inconveniences.
In fact, several companies offer their own modules, but in the end they are still partial solutions, and the KiCad user must get their hands dirty one way or another. The library management in the program leaves much to be desired, and until that improves, many prefer the manual route when dealing with symbols and footprints.
KiCad Database: Component Database
For them, the user "twitchyliquid64" has created the KiCad Database, a database that contains a significant number of footprints. All we have to do is enter a partial or full name, but the search engine also supports auxiliary search elements such as pin count and other attributes (say, "SMD").
Among the results, we can check whether a footprint in question is official from KiCad or if it was created by someone else (Digikey appears several times). By far, the best part of the KiCad Database is its part viewer, giving the user a much clearer reference before downloading the content.
KiCad Database is an open-source project, and everyone is invited to contribute or expand the database. Some users have already requested its integration into KiCad, and a direct collection of libraries on GitHub, though these are not simple things. If you are a KiCad user, this new resource may serve you in the future.
