# Altium CircuitMaker vs OrCAD PCB Designer Comparison | | Altium CircuitMaker | OrCAD PCB Designer | |---|---|---| | **Star Rating** | 4.3 out of 5 | 4.1 out of 5 | | **Total Reviews** | 110 | 15 | | **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (68.2% of reviews) | Small-Business (46.2% of reviews) | | **Entry Level Price** | Free | No pricing available | --- ## Top Pros & Cons ### Altium CircuitMaker Pros: - PCB Design (8 reviews) - Features (7 reviews) Cons: - Slow Rendering (4 reviews) - Complex Interface (3 reviews) ### OrCAD PCB Designer **Not enough data** --- ## Ratings Comparison | Rating | Altium CircuitMaker | OrCAD PCB Designer | |---|---|---| | **Meets Requirements** | 8.5 (93 reviews) | 7.6 (9 reviews) | | **Ease of Use** | 8.2 (95 reviews) | 8.0 (9 reviews) | | **Ease of Setup** | 8.9 (34 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Ease of Admin** | 8.1 (8 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Quality of Support** | 7.7 (74 reviews) | 7.1 (8 reviews) | | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 8.1 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 7.8 (97 reviews) | 6.1 (9 reviews) | --- ## Pricing ### Altium CircuitMaker #### Entry-Level Pricing Plan: CircuitMaker Price: Free Description: CircuitMaker is the best free-to-use schematic and PCB design tool for the Open Source Hardware community. Key Features: - Unlimited Access and Free to Use - Comprehensive Component Library - Sharing and Collaboration Made Easy with Altium 365 [Learn more about Altium CircuitMaker](https://www.g2.com/products/altium-circuitmaker/reviews) #### Free Trial Yes ### OrCAD PCB Designer #### Entry-Level Pricing No pricing available #### Free Trial No information available --- ## Features Comparison By Category ### PCB Design | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **Altium CircuitMaker** | 8.3/10 | 91 | | **OrCAD PCB Designer** | 7.5/10 | 11 | #### Design | Feature | Altium CircuitMaker | OrCAD PCB Designer | |---|---|---| | **PCB layout editing** | 8.8 (84 reviews) | 7.6 (9 reviews) | | **Schematic editor** | 8.8 (83 reviews) | 8.3 (9 reviews) | #### Tools | Feature | Altium CircuitMaker | OrCAD PCB Designer | |---|---|---| | **3D modeling tools** | 7.5 (68 reviews) | 5.2 (8 reviews) | | **Component placement** | 8.6 (84 reviews) | 7.0 (9 reviews) | #### Library | Feature | Altium CircuitMaker | OrCAD PCB Designer | |---|---|---| | **Component libraries** | 7.6 (82 reviews) | 7.8 (9 reviews) | #### Platform | Feature | Altium CircuitMaker | OrCAD PCB Designer | |---|---|---| | **Board size** | 8.5 (80 reviews) | 8.0 (9 reviews) | | **Layers** | 8.5 (80 reviews) | 8.3 (9 reviews) | #### Customization | Feature | Altium CircuitMaker | OrCAD PCB Designer | |---|---|---| | **Custom commands** | Feature Not Available | 7.6 (7 reviews) | | **Custom interface** | Feature Not Available | 8.1 (8 reviews) | --- ## Categories **Shared Categories (1):** [PCB Design Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/pcb-design) --- ## Reviewer Demographics ### By Company Size | Segment | Altium CircuitMaker | OrCAD PCB Designer | |---|---|---| | **Small-Business** | 68.2% | 46.2% | | **Mid-Market** | 15.5% | 30.8% | | **Enterprise** | 16.4% | 23.1% | ### By Industry #### Altium CircuitMaker - **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 27.3% - **Consumer Electronics:** 14.5% - **Higher Education:** 5.5% - **Aviation & Aerospace:** 4.5% - **Computer Hardware:** 4.5% - **Automotive:** 3.6% - **Medical Devices:** 3.6% - **Mechanical or Industrial Engineering:** 3.6% - **Information Technology and Services:** 3.6% - **Education Management:** 2.7% - **Other:** 26.4% #### OrCAD PCB Designer - **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 30.8% - **Manufacturing:** 7.7% - **Semiconductors:** 7.7% - **Research:** 7.7% - **Mechanical or Industrial Engineering:** 7.7% - **Industrial Automation:** 7.7% - **Education Management:** 7.7% - **Design:** 7.7% - **Defense & Space:** 7.7% - **Consumer Electronics:** 7.7% --- ## Alternatives ### Alternatives to Altium CircuitMaker - [KiCad EDA](https://www.g2.com/products/kicad-eda/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (68 reviews) - [EasyEDA](https://www.g2.com/products/easyeda/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (20 reviews) - [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (519 reviews) - [Autodesk EAGLE](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-eagle/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (77 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) - [DipTrace](https://www.g2.com/products/diptrace/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (45 reviews) - [Cadence PSpice](https://www.g2.com/products/cadence-pspice/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (11 reviews) - [SolidWorks PCB](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks-pcb/reviews) — 3.8/5 stars (14 reviews) - [PADS Professional](https://www.g2.com/products/pads-professional/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (65 reviews) ### Alternatives to OrCAD PCB Designer - [Altium Develop](https://www.g2.com/products/altium-develop/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (1002 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) - [EasyEDA](https://www.g2.com/products/easyeda/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (20 reviews) - [KiCad EDA](https://www.g2.com/products/kicad-eda/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (68 reviews) - [Allegro X PCB Designer](https://www.g2.com/products/allegro-x-pcb-designer/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (30 reviews) - [Autodesk EAGLE](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-eagle/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (77 reviews) - [PADS Professional](https://www.g2.com/products/pads-professional/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (65 reviews) - [CAM350](https://www.g2.com/products/cam350/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (43 reviews) --- ## Top Discussions ### Altium CircuitMaker - Title: [What does Altium software do?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/altium-circuitmaker-what-does-altium-software-do) — 1 comment > **Top comment:** "Hi there, Altium makes software for PCB designers and engineers to create printed circuit boards (PCBs). Altium's flagship product is Altium Designer,..." - Title: [What does Altium software do?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-does-altium-software-do) — 1 comment *(includes official response)* > **Top comment:** "Comment deleted by user." - Title: [Is Altium CircuitMaker good?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-altium-circuitmaker-good) — 1 comment > **Top comment:** "It's the best solution out there for small hobbyist or designers. I've seen other and they do not come close to Altium CM" ### OrCAD PCB Designer No discussions available for this product. --- **Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/altium-circuitmaker-vs-orcad-pcb-designer)