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Altium Designer description
Altium Designer is a leading software suite for designing printed circuit boards (PCBs). It offers a comprehensive set of tools for electrical engineers and designers to create schematics, design PCB layouts, simulate circuits, and prepare designs for manufacturing. Altium Designer is particularly popular in industries like consumer electronics, automotive, aerospace, and medical devices. Its focus on collaboration and a unified design environment helps teams work together more efficiently. Altium Designer aims to simplify and accelerate the PCB design process from concept to production.
Who is Altium Designer best for
Altium Designer is a comprehensive PCB design suite ideal for businesses of all sizes, particularly those in electronics-focused industries. Users praise its comprehensive toolset, 3D visualization, and collaboration features. However, some find the learning curve steep and the cost high. It's a powerful solution for those needing advanced PCB design capabilities.
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Best fit for small, medium, and large businesses seeking a robust PCB design solution.
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Ideal for Manufacturing, Healthcare, Education, Software/IT, and Automotive/Aerospace sectors.
Altium Designer features
| Supported Altium Designer supports 2D sketching for defining part geometry, especially for PCB designs. |
| Supported Altium Designer allows customizing line weights and arrowheads. |
| Supported Altium Designer supports isometric views via Draftsman, useful for assembly instructions. |
| Supported Altium Designer supports creating and managing symbol libraries, including industry-standard ones. |
We evaluate the sentiment that users express about non-functional aspects of the software
Value and Pricing Transparency
Customer Service
Ease of Use
Reliability and Performance
Ease of Implementation
Scalability
Altium Designer reviews
We've summarised 586 Altium Designer reviews (Altium Designer Capterra reviews and Altium Designer G2 reviews) and summarised the main points below.
- Comprehensive set of tools for PCB design.
- Excellent 3D visualization capabilities.
- Integrated manufacturer part search.
- Collaboration features like Altium 365.
- Powerful routing and design rule checks.
- Steep learning curve for new users.
- Software can be slow and resource-intensive.
- Occasional bugs and crashes.
- Limited component availability in some libraries.
- High cost, especially for smaller businesses.
Altium Designer pricing
The commentary is based on 90 reviews from Altium Designer Capterra reviews and Altium Designer G2 reviews.
Altium Designer's pricing is generally considered high, especially for hobbyists and small businesses. While users acknowledge its professional capabilities and comprehensive features justify the cost for large companies, many express a desire for more affordable licensing options. Some find the tiered pricing structure complex and restrictive.
Users sentiment
Altium Designer alternatives
OnshapeBetter for collaboration and cloud-based workflows. A strong Altium Designer competitor for startups and smaller teams.Read more
Solid EdgeBetter for users looking for a more affordable and easier-to-use CAD software, especially suitable for mechanical design and manufacturing processes. Solid Edge is a strong SolidWorks PCB alternative.Read more
SolidWorks PCBBetter for ECAD/MCAD collaboration. Lower ratings overall. Users report bugs, difficulty with support, and excessive email spam. Negative pricing sentiment. No available data on industry fit.Read more
AutoCADBetter for 2D drafting and general design purposes. Broader industry application but less focused on PCB design. Has more website traffic momentum, yet slower employee growth. More user reviews and higher average rating.Read more
Altium Designer FAQ
What is Altium Designer and what does Altium Designer do?
Altium Designer is a PCB design software offering schematic capture, layout, simulation, and manufacturing tools. It's known for its comprehensive features, 3D visualization, and collaboration capabilities but can be resource-intensive and expensive. It's ideal for electronics designers in various industries, from consumer electronics to aerospace.
How does Altium Designer integrate with other tools?
Altium Designer integrates with other tools through Altium 365, a cloud platform enabling collaboration and data management. It also supports various file formats for importing and exporting design data, facilitating interoperability with MCAD and simulation tools.
What the main competitors of Altium Designer?
Top alternatives to Altium Designer include Xpedition Enterprise, Solid Edge, and AutoCAD. These PCB design software solutions offer similar functionalities, such as schematic capture and layout tools. However, they cater to different needs and budgets, making it crucial to evaluate each based on specific project requirements.
Is Altium Designer legit?
Yes, Altium Designer is a legitimate and widely used software for PCB design. It's known for its comprehensive features and is considered safe to use, though some users find it expensive and complex.
How much does Altium Designer cost?
I cannot find pricing details for Altium Designer. Contact Altium directly to determine product pricing and if it's worth the cost for your needs.
Is Altium Designer customer service good?
Customer support reviews for Altium Designer are mixed. While some users praise the helpful and responsive support team, others express frustration with slow response times and difficulty getting issues resolved. Several users mention the comprehensive online documentation and training resources as valuable alternatives.
Reviewed by
Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.
Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.