Compare Altium CircuitMaker and Altium Designer 
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (68.4% of reviews)
Small-Business (55.4% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Free
Starting at $355.00 Per Month
Altium CircuitMaker
Star Rating
(98)4.3 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (68.4% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Free
Free Trial is available
Learn more about Altium CircuitMakerAltium Designer
Star Rating
(562)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (55.4% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $355.00 Per Month
Free Trial is available
Browse all 2 pricing plansSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- Users report that Altium CircuitMaker offers a free entry-level price, making it an attractive option for small businesses and hobbyists, while Altium Designer starts at $355.00, which may be a barrier for some users.
- Reviewers mention that Altium Designer excels in PCB layout editing and schematic editing, both rated at 9.2, compared to Altium CircuitMaker's 8.8, indicating a more robust feature set for professional users.
- G2 users highlight that Altium Designer has a higher quality of support (8.3) compared to Altium CircuitMaker (7.8), suggesting that users may find more reliable assistance when using the more advanced software.
- Users on G2 report that Altium Designer has better product direction (8.8) than Altium CircuitMaker (7.8), indicating a more promising future for users who invest in the software.
- Reviewers say that Altium CircuitMaker shines in ease of setup (8.7) compared to Altium Designer (8.3), making it a more user-friendly option for those new to PCB design.
- Users mention that Altium Designer's component libraries (8.3) are more extensive and better maintained than those in Altium CircuitMaker (7.7), which can significantly impact the design process for users requiring a wide range of components.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
Altium CircuitMaker
CircuitMaker
Free
CircuitMaker is the best free-to-use schematic and PCB design tool for the Open Source Hardware community.
- Unlimited Access and Free to Use
- Comprehensive Component Library
- Sharing and Collaboration Made Easy with Altium 365
Altium Designer
Altium Designer Term-Based
Starting at $355.00
Per Month
Altium Designer® term-based licensing allows you to use the licensed software for a specified period, for example, a 12-month term. Designers and organizations preserve cash flow while also having the flexibility to scale capacity with additional seats. Term-based licenses include a Standard subscription for the latest Altium Designer, Altium 365®, and more.
- Additional features and license options will affect price.
Free Trial
Altium CircuitMaker
Free Trial is available
Altium Designer
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
8.5
81
9.1
458
Ease of Use
8.3
83
8.1
466
Ease of Setup
8.8
22
8.3
158
Ease of Admin
7.5
6
8.5
57
Quality of Support
7.8
64
8.3
409
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
7.3
5
8.5
51
Product Direction (% positive)
7.8
85
8.8
448
Features by Category
Design
Not enough data
8.5
68
Not enough data
8.2
65
Not enough data
8.6
66
Not enough data
8.2
65
Edit
Not enough data
8.0
64
Not enough data
8.0
59
Not enough data
8.8
62
Not enough data
7.9
57
Collaboration
Not enough data
8.6
61
Not enough data
8.4
61
Not enough data
8.2
58
Design
8.8
75
9.2
406
8.9
74
9.2
404
Tools
7.6
59
7.6
377
8.5
75
8.9
398
Library
7.7
73
8.3
404
Platform
8.4
71
9.1
399
8.4
71
9.2
402
Customization
Feature Not Available
7.9
338
Feature Not Available
7.9
343
Tools - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
Not enough data
7.9
8
Not enough data
7.6
7
Not enough data
8.3
5
Not enough data
8.3
6
Not enough data
6.7
6
File Options - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
Not enough data
7.3
5
Not enough data
6.3
5
Not enough data
6.7
6
Not enough data
7.7
5
Not enough data
8.7
5
Customization - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
Not enough data
6.0
5
Not enough data
6.0
5
Not enough data
5.3
5
Not enough data
6.3
5
Environment - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
Not enough data
7.7
5
Not enough data
7.7
5
Not enough data
6.9
6
Not enough data
8.3
6
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
Altium CircuitMaker and Altium Designer are categorized as PCB Design
Unique Categories
Altium CircuitMaker has no unique categories
Altium Designer is categorized as Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD) and General-Purpose CAD
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Altium CircuitMaker
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Altium Designer
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
28.6%
Consumer Electronics
15.3%
Higher Education
6.1%
Computer Hardware
5.1%
Medical Devices
4.1%
Other
40.8%
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
22.8%
Automotive
11.7%
Consumer Electronics
10.5%
Medical Devices
7.0%
Industrial Automation
4.4%
Other
43.7%
Most Helpful Reviews
Altium CircuitMaker
Most Helpful Favorable Review
P L.
Verified User in Higher Education
It is very much useful software for design a peb circuit in better way
Most Helpful Critical Review
Aditya S.
Verified User in Consumer Electronics
Not all the shortcuts are mapped like in Latium designer. The UI is a bit clunky and begging for an update
Altium Designer
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Brunel B.
Verified User in Defense & Space
The user interface is gorgeous. One can clearly see that work has been done to give it a modern look compared to the competition. Altium seems easier to learn to use compared to the competition. Personally, I find Altium easier to use than even the popular...
Most Helpful Critical Review
Ludwig C.
Verified User in Design
Lots of new functionality that does not work, is very buggy and breaks the functions that used to work in older versions.
P L.
Verified User in Higher Education
It is very much useful software for design a peb circuit in better way
Brunel B.
Verified User in Defense & Space
The user interface is gorgeous. One can clearly see that work has been done to give it a modern look compared to the competition. Altium seems easier to learn to use compared to the competition. Personally, I find Altium easier to use than even the popular...
Aditya S.
Verified User in Consumer Electronics
Not all the shortcuts are mapped like in Latium designer. The UI is a bit clunky and begging for an update
Ludwig C.
Verified User in Design
Lots of new functionality that does not work, is very buggy and breaks the functions that used to work in older versions.
Discussions
Is Altium CircuitMaker good?
1 comment
PJ
It's the best solution out there for small hobbyist or designers. I've seen other and they do not come close to Altium CMRead more
What does Altium software do?
1 comment
Official Response from Altium CircuitMaker
Altium makes software for people to create printed circuit boards (PCB). Their flagship product is Altium Designer.Read more
What does Altium software do?
1 comment
AJ
Hi there, Altium makes software for PCB designers and engineers to create printed circuit boards (PCBs). Altium's flagship product is Altium Designer,...Read more
Is there a way to modelize in 3D the Pcb designs?
3 comments
SQ
No or Yes, you can only place 3D bodies for components in PCB and get 3D view of your design. I think by placing components are your will. yes you can...Read more
Who uses Altium?
3 comments
JL
Electrical engineers, specifically embedded hardware design engineers. Read more
Hunting for software insights?
With over 2.5 million reviews, we can provide the specific details that help you make an informed software buying decision for your business. Finding the right product is important, let us help.
or continue with
Gmail.com addresses not permitted. A business domain using Google is allowed.
By proceeding, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
