# Allegro X PCB Designer vs Altium Develop Comparison
---
## AI Generated Summary
- **G2 reviewers report** that Altium Develop excels in providing a unified design environment, allowing users to seamlessly transition from schematic capture to PCB layout. This integration is enhanced by features like real-time collaboration and version control, which users find invaluable for team projects.
- **Users say** that Allegro X PCB Designer is particularly user-friendly, with an intuitive interface that simplifies the design process. Reviewers appreciate the ease of commands and the quick access to advanced features, making it a solid choice for those new to PCB design.
- **According to verified reviews** , Altium Develop has a significantly higher overall satisfaction score, reflecting its strong performance in areas like ease of use and setup. Users highlight the Altium 365 web portal as a standout feature for collaboration, ensuring that design versions are always up to date.
- **Reviewers mention** that while Allegro X PCB Designer is easy to use, it may not offer the same depth of features as Altium Develop. Users note that while it simplifies tasks like schematic netlist import and Gerber generation, it lacks some of the advanced capabilities that more experienced designers might seek.
- **G2 reviewers highlight** that Altium Develop's extensive library and modules contribute to faster project completion, with users reporting a smoother workflow from planning to final documentation. This comprehensive support is a key advantage for teams looking to streamline their design processes.
- **Users report** that while both products have strong support ratings, Allegro X PCB Designer edges out in quality of support, with users praising the assistance from the Cadence team. This can be a crucial factor for businesses that prioritize responsive customer service during their design projects.



| | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.4 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 30 | 1,009 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (51.7% of reviews) | Small-Business (58.2% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | Starting at $1,990.00 Per Year | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### Allegro X PCB Designer

Pros:
- Ease of Use (4 reviews)
- PCB Design (3 reviews)

Cons:
- Poor Customer Support (2 reviews)
- Software Bugs (2 reviews)

### Altium Develop

Pros:
- Ease of Use (272 reviews)
- Features (218 reviews)

Cons:
- Learning Curve (93 reviews)
- Expensive (91 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 9.1 (25 reviews) | 8.9 (829 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 8.9 (25 reviews) | 8.1 (847 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.9 (6 reviews) | 8.3 (385 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | Not enough data | 8.3 (137 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 9.1 (23 reviews) | 8.3 (740 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | Not enough data | 8.5 (131 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 9.0 (24 reviews) | 8.8 (808 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Allegro X PCB Designer

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

### Altium Develop

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: Altium Develop Pricing

Price: Starting at $1,990.00 Per Year

Description: Altium Develop offers subscription-based pricing starting at $1,990 per year per workspace, which includes one ECAD Design Author seat and a shared collaboration workspace for projects, libraries, and design data. Additional ECAD Design Author seats can be added for $995 per user per year, with support for up to four additional authors per workspace. The platform also includes unlimited free collaborator access for review, commenting, task management, and BOM visibility at no extra cost. This pricing model is designed to help teams scale design capacity through a per-seat subscription while enabling broad cross-functional collaboration without increasing overall costs.

Key Features:
- Unified Workspace & Collaboration: Cloud-based platform (Altium 365) for PCB design, schematics, MCAD models, and BOMs with real-time collaboration across teams
- Component & Library Management: Centralized component libraries with traceability, lifecycle management, and part request workflows
- Advanced PCB Design: Support for high-speed PCB design, HDI, rigid-flex, and 3D-MID using Altium Designer

[Learn more about Altium Develop](https://www.g2.com/products/altium-develop/reviews)

#### Free Trial

Yes

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### General-Purpose CAD

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Allegro X PCB Designer** | N/A | N/A |
| **Altium Develop** | 8.4/10 | 82 |

#### Design

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Drawing** | Not enough data | 8.5 (75 reviews) | 
| **Modeling** | Not enough data | 8.3 (72 reviews) | 
| **Visualize ** | Not enough data | 8.6 (73 reviews) | 
| **Rendering** | Not enough data | 8.2 (71 reviews) | 

#### Edit

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **File Import ** | Not enough data | 8.0 (71 reviews) | 
| **Push/Pull** | Not enough data | 8.1 (65 reviews) | 
| **Views** | Not enough data | 8.8 (69 reviews) | 
| **Grips ** | Not enough data | 8.0 (63 reviews) | 

#### Collaboration

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Annotate** | Not enough data | 8.7 (67 reviews) | 
| **Documentation ** | Not enough data | 8.5 (68 reviews) | 
| **Data Extract** | Not enough data | 8.2 (64 reviews) | 

### Product Data Management (PDM)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Allegro X PCB Designer** | N/A | N/A |
| **Altium Develop** | 8.5/10 | 44 |

#### Metadata

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Repository** | Not enough data | 8.4 (39 reviews) | 
| **Taxonomy** | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Types** | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 

#### Data Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Version Control** | Not enough data | 8.5 (43 reviews) | 
| **Alignment** | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Workflows** | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Lifecycle** | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 

#### Generative AI

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **AI Text Summarization** | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **AI Image-to-Text** | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 

### PCB Design

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Allegro X PCB Designer** | 8.8/10 | 26 |
| **Altium Develop** | 8.7/10 | 735 |

#### Design

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **PCB layout editing** | 9.3 (23 reviews) | 9.1 (688 reviews) | 
| **Schematic editor** | 9.3 (23 reviews) | 9.2 (682 reviews) | 

#### Tools

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **3D modeling tools** | 7.9 (23 reviews) | 7.6 (633 reviews) | 
| **Component placement** | 8.9 (23 reviews) | 8.9 (664 reviews) | 

#### Library

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Component libraries** | 8.8 (23 reviews) | 8.3 (685 reviews) | 

#### Platform

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Board size** | 9.3 (23 reviews) | 9.1 (664 reviews) | 
| **Layers** | 9.3 (23 reviews) | 9.2 (668 reviews) | 

#### Customization

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Custom commands** | 8.4 (23 reviews) | Feature Not Available | 
| **Custom interface** | 8.4 (23 reviews) | 7.8 (585 reviews) | 

### Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Allegro X PCB Designer** | N/A | N/A |
| **Altium Develop** | 8.0/10 | 23 |

#### Tools - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **3D/solid modeling Tools** | Not enough data | 8.3 (20 reviews) | 
| **Rendering Tools** | Not enough data | 8.1 (19 reviews) | 
| **Drawing Tools** | Not enough data | 8.7 (17 reviews) | 
| **Editing Tools** | Not enough data | 8.4 (18 reviews) | 
| **Text Editing Tools** | Not enough data | 7.7 (17 reviews) | 

#### File Options - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Export Files** | Not enough data | 8.4 (18 reviews) | 
| **Import Files** | Not enough data | 8.2 (17 reviews) | 
| **File Interoperability** | Not enough data | 8.0 (17 reviews) | 
| **Backwards compatibility** | Not enough data | 8.5 (17 reviews) | 
| **File size** | Not enough data | 9.2 (16 reviews) | 

#### Customization - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Custom Commands** | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Custom Scripts** | Not enough data | 7.2 (15 reviews) | 
| **Custom Menus** | Not enough data | 7.4 (16 reviews) | 
| **Custom Interface** | Not enough data | 7.6 (16 reviews) | 

#### Environment - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Hardware support** | Not enough data | 8.3 (17 reviews) | 
| **Task-based interfaces** | Not enough data | 8.2 (15 reviews) | 
| **Manage Multiple Profiles** | Not enough data | 8.2 (16 reviews) | 
| **Command Clarity** | Not enough data | 8.8 (16 reviews) | 

### Requirements Management

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Allegro X PCB Designer** | N/A | N/A |
| **Altium Develop** | 7.4/10 | 31 |

#### Requirements Authoring and Structure - Requirements Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Structured Requirements Authoring** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Hierarchical Requirements Organization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Compliance and Governance - Requirement Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Regulated Industry Standards Support** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Administration

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Requirements Listing** | Not enough data | 8.7 (29 reviews) | 
| **Centralized Information** | Not enough data | 8.4 (28 reviews) | 
| **Traceability** | Not enough data | 8.0 (28 reviews) | 

#### Collaboration and Review - Requirements Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Review and Approval Workflows** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Role-Based Access Control** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Communication

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Stakeholder Communication** | Not enough data | 6.3 (28 reviews) | 
| **Internal Communication Enablement** | Not enough data | 7.0 (27 reviews) | 

#### Role-Based Access Co - Requirements Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Baselining** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Procedural

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Automated Creation & Testing** | Not enough data | 5.6 (23 reviews) | 

#### Traceability - Requirements Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Bidirectional Traceability** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Impact Analysis** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Traceability Matrix Generation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### AI Traceability - Requirements Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Suspect Link Detection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Integration - Requirements Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **ALM and Project Management Tool Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Change Management and Version Control - Requirements Management

| Feature | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Complete Audit Trail** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories
**Shared Categories (1):** [PCB Design Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/pcb-design)


**Unique to Altium Develop (4):** [General-Purpose CAD Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/general-purpose-cad), [Product Data Management (PDM) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/product-data-management-pdm), [Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/mechanical-computer-aided-design-mcad), [Requirements Management Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/requirements-management)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Allegro X PCB Designer | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 51.7% | 58.2% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 48.3% | 29.4% | 
| **Enterprise** | 0% | 12.4% | 

### By Industry

#### Allegro X PCB Designer

- **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 27.6%
- **Defense & Space:** 10.3%
- **Semiconductors:** 6.9%
- **Design:** 6.9%
- **Consumer Services:** 6.9%
- **Consumer Electronics:** 6.9%
- **Computer Hardware:** 6.9%
- **Manufacturing:** 3.4%
- **Telecommunications:** 3.4%
- **Professional Training & Coaching:** 3.4%
- **Other:** 17.2%

#### Altium Develop

- **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 21.9%
- **Automotive:** 10.9%
- **Consumer Electronics:** 10.1%
- **Medical Devices:** 6.3%
- **Aviation & Aerospace:** 6.3%
- **Industrial Automation:** 4.1%
- **Research:** 3.4%
- **Higher Education:** 3.2%
- **Computer Hardware:** 3.0%
- **Design:** 2.4%
- **Other:** 28.4%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Allegro X PCB Designer

- [KiCad EDA](https://www.g2.com/products/kicad-eda/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (68 reviews)
- [PADS Professional](https://www.g2.com/products/pads-professional/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (65 reviews)
- [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (519 reviews)
- [SOLIDWORKS](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (643 reviews)
- [Onshape](https://www.g2.com/products/onshape/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (695 reviews)
- [Autodesk EAGLE](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-eagle/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (77 reviews)
- [OrCAD PCB Designer](https://www.g2.com/products/orcad-pcb-designer/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (15 reviews)
- [Altium CircuitMaker](https://www.g2.com/products/altium-circuitmaker/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (110 reviews)
- [OrCAD Capture](https://www.g2.com/products/orcad-capture/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (34 reviews)
- [DipTrace](https://www.g2.com/products/diptrace/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (45 reviews)

### Alternatives to Altium Develop

- [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (519 reviews)
- [AutoCAD](https://www.g2.com/products/autocad/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (1935 reviews)
- [Onshape](https://www.g2.com/products/onshape/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (695 reviews)
- [SOLIDWORKS](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (643 reviews)
- [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.g2.com/products/designcenter-solid-edge/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (606 reviews)
- [Designcenter](https://www.g2.com/products/designcenter/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (600 reviews)
- [Inventor](https://www.g2.com/products/inventor/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (440 reviews)
- [SketchUp](https://www.g2.com/products/sketchup/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (1326 reviews)
- [ZWCAD](https://www.g2.com/products/zwcad/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (350 reviews)
- [MicroStation](https://www.g2.com/products/microstation/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (416 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### Allegro X PCB Designer

- Title: [How I can use this software at my home because I used this in my company network only.](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-i-can-use-this-software-at-my-home-because-i-used-this-in-my-company-network-only) — 1 comment, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "Depending upon where you live, you can contact a local Cadence Channel Partner and he may be able to grant you a WFH License for a short duration. Also check..."

### Altium Develop

- Title: [Who uses Altium?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/who-uses-altium) — 3 comments *(includes official response)*
  > **Top comment:** "Altium Designer is used mainly by those who create and work with printed circuit boards or PCBs. All electrical products, computers, toasters, remotes, and..."
- Title: [Is Altium Designer free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-altium-designer-free) — 3 comments
  > **Top comment:** "No, Altium Designer is not free but there is a free viewer that can be downloaded. "
- Title: [What is Altium Designer used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-altium-designer-used-for) — 3 comments
  > **Top comment:** "Altium Desinger is a complete PCB (Printed Circuit Board) design software package, which includes Schematic Capture, PCB Layout, Libraries, Manufacturing..."
- Title: [Is there a way to modelize in 3D the Pcb designs?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/36429-is-there-a-way-to-modelize-in-3d-the-pcb-designs) — 3 comments, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "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..."
- Title: [What is Altium 365 used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-altium-365-used-for) — 2 comments
  > **Top comment:** "Create circuit design & PCB Design"

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/allegro-x-pcb-designer-vs-altium-develop)