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Compare Altium CircuitMaker and PADS Professional 
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (68.2% of reviews)
Small-Business (56.3% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Free
Starting at $249.00 Per Month
Altium CircuitMaker
Star Rating
(110)4.3 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (68.2% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Free
Free Trial is available
Learn more about Altium CircuitMakerPADS Professional
Star Rating
(65)4.1 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (56.3% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $249.00 Per Month
Browse all 2 pricing plansAltium CircuitMaker vs PADS Professional
When assessing the two solutions, reviewers found Altium CircuitMaker easier to use and set up. However, PADS Professional is easier to administer. Reviewers also preferred doing business with PADS Professional overall.
- Reviewers felt that Altium CircuitMaker meets the needs of their business better than PADS Professional.
- When comparing quality of ongoing product support, reviewers felt that PADS Professional is the preferred option.
- For feature updates and roadmaps, our reviewers preferred the direction of PADS Professional over Altium CircuitMaker.
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
PADS Professional
PADS Professional Term-Based
Starting at $249.00
Per Month
- Additional features and license options may affect price.
Free Trial
Altium CircuitMaker
Free Trial is available
PADS Professional
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
8.5
93
8.3
60
Ease of Use
8.2
95
7.9
64
Ease of Setup
8.9
34
7.7
28
Ease of Admin
8.1
8
8.2
15
Quality of Support
7.7
74
8.7
60
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
8.1
7
9.1
15
Product Direction (% positive)
7.8
97
8.6
59
Features by Category
Design
8.8
84
8.3
56
8.8
83
8.2
55
Tools
7.5
68
Feature Not Available
8.6
84
8.5
55
Library
7.6
82
8.1
56
Platform
8.5
80
8.3
56
8.5
80
8.6
56
Customization
Feature Not Available
Feature Not Available
Feature Not Available
7.5
55
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
Altium CircuitMaker and PADS Professional are categorized as PCB Design
Unique Categories
Altium CircuitMaker has no unique categories
PADS Professional has no unique categories
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Altium CircuitMaker
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
PADS Professional
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
27.3%
Consumer Electronics
14.5%
Higher Education
5.5%
Computer Hardware
4.5%
Aviation & Aerospace
4.5%
Other
43.6%
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
17.2%
Design
7.8%
Computer Software
7.8%
Automotive
7.8%
Medical Devices
6.3%
Other
53.1%
Alternatives
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
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
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 is PADS PROFESSIONAL used for?
2 Comments
Official Response from PADS Professional
PADS Professional is the ideal choice for individual engineers working on the design of complex hardware-based electronic products. It is a fully integrated...Read more
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