Altium Designer
The industry's leading PCB design software
About Altium Designer
Altium Designer is a desktop PCB design tool that combines schematic capture, PCB layout, routing, simulation, and manufacturing output in one environment with a unified data model. It connects to the Altium 365 cloud platform for version control, design reviews, and ECAD-MCAD collaboration, and is sold through the Altium Develop, Altium Agile Teams, and Altium Agile Enterprise subscriptions. Altium has been part of Renesas Electronics since its 2024 acquisition.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Schematic, layout, simulation, and output generation live in one tool, so there is no import/export between separate apps
- Handles advanced boards such as rigid-flex, HDI, and multi-board assemblies
- Altium 365 adds version control, browser-based reviews, and unlimited free reviewers
- Live component pricing and availability from Octopart during part selection
- Widely used in industry, so Altium skills transfer between employers
- Free license for students through the Student Lab
Cons
- Subscription-only; new perpetual licenses are no longer sold
- $1,990/year entry price is expensive compared to free tools like KiCad
- Windows-only desktop application
- Users report slowdowns and crashes on very large projects
- Steep learning curve for beginners
Key Features
Unified Design Environment
Schematic capture, PCB layout, simulation, and manufacturing documentation share one interface and one data model.
Interactive Routing
Smart interactive routing and assistive layout tools for fast, rules-compliant trace placement.
Constraint Management
A spreadsheet-like, object-based constraint editor for managing large numbers of nets and design rules.
Native 3D PCB Design
Validate mechanical fit in 3D during layout to catch enclosure conflicts early.
Advanced Board Technologies
Supports rigid-flex, HDI structures, wire bonding, and 3D-MID design.
Multi-Board and Harness Design
Design multiple connected PCBs and wire harnesses in the same environment as the board.
Hierarchical and Multi-Channel Design
Partition and reuse circuit blocks while keeping system-level consistency.
Altium 365 Cloud Collaboration
Version control, browser-based design reviews, comments, and PCB co-authoring through the Altium 365 workspace.
Live Supply Chain Data
Component pricing, stock, and lifecycle data from Octopart surface during part selection and BOM management.
ECAD-MCAD CoDesign
Sync board outlines and components with mechanical CAD tools such as SOLIDWORKS, Creo, and Fusion.
Pricing
- Free Altium Designer license for students
- Cloud workspace for class collaboration
- 200,000+ components and templates
- PCB design courses and certificate
- 1 Altium Designer Author
- 1 Altium 365 workspace for projects and libraries
- Unlimited workspace users for review and comments
- ECAD-MCAD CoDesign
- Requirements traceability and AI requirements assistant
- Add up to 4 more authors at $995/year each
- Free 30-day trial, no credit card
- For teams with more than 5 ECAD authors
- PCB co-authoring and browser design reviews
- Workflow templates and Jira sync
- Requirements Portal and live supply chain data
- SSO, role-based access, and audit logs
- Duro PLM integration
- Enterprise-wide governance and access control
- Governed BOM and strategic sourcing with automated RFQ
- PLM, ERP, and Jira integrations
- Automated audit trail
- Multi-site deployment options
Best For
Professional PCB Design
Electrical engineers take boards from schematic to Gerber and assembly outputs in one environment.
Small Hardware Teams
Startups use Altium Develop to share projects, libraries, and BOMs across up to five designers with free reviewers.
Complex and Rigid-Flex Boards
Teams building HDI, rigid-flex, or multi-board products validate fit in 3D before fabrication.
Enterprise Electronics Development
Large organizations in aerospace, automotive, and medical devices connect PCB design to PLM, ERP, and governed sourcing.
Engineering Education
Students learn industry-standard PCB design with a free license and structured courses.
Ready to try Altium Designer?
Start using Altium Designer today and boost your productivity.
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