Compare Altium Develop and KiCad EDA 
Featured Products
At a Glance
Market Segments
Small-Business (58.2% of reviews)
Small-Business (83.9% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $995.00 Per Year
Free
Altium Develop
Star Rating
(987)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (58.2% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Starting at $995.00 Per Year
Free Trial is available
Learn more about Altium DevelopKiCad EDA
Star Rating
(67)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (83.9% of reviews)
Pros & Cons
Entry-Level Pricing
Free
Browse all 2 pricing plansSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- G2 reviewers report that KiCad EDA is an excellent choice for beginners, highlighting its free access and the abundance of online tutorials that make it easy to learn. Users appreciate its ability to quickly launch prototypes and small pilot runs, making it a practical option for small businesses.
- Users say that Altium Develop excels in providing a unified design environment, where schematic capture, PCB layout, and design verification occur seamlessly in one place. This integration, along with real-time collaboration features, significantly enhances team efficiency, according to recent feedback.
- Reviewers mention that while KiCad EDA offers a high ease of setup, making it user-friendly for newcomers, Altium Develop's setup process is slightly more complex, which may require additional time for teams to adapt to its advanced features.
- According to verified reviews, Altium Develop stands out with its robust component libraries and extensive built-in modules, which help users build projects faster and with less confusion. This is particularly beneficial for teams working on complex designs.
- G2 reviewers highlight that KiCad EDA's strong community support and low cost are significant advantages, especially for small businesses. Users feel that the software is a great tool for designing various prototypes without the financial burden.
- Users report that Altium Develop's collaboration tools, such as the Altium 365 web portal, greatly simplify sharing and managing design versions, reducing the risk of confusion over file versions. This feature is particularly praised for enhancing teamwork and project management.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
Altium Develop
Altium Develop Pricing
Starting at $995.00
Per Year
The annual Workspace subscription activates the shared Altium Develop workspace and provides access for both Authors and Collaborators, making it the essential starting point for using the platform. The subscription is priced at $995 per year. Altium Designer Authors are supported with up to five concurrent Author seats, which correspond to the number of paid licenses; each seat covers one Author at a time and can be shared across the team. Author seats are priced at $995 per Author per year. Collaborators, who cannot edit within Altium Designer but can fully participate in requirements, reviews, BOMs, comments, and task management, are included at no additional cost.
- Unified Workspace & Collaboration: A secure, cloud-based platform (Altium 365) that hosts all design data, including schematics, PCB layouts, MCAD models, and BOMs, allowing for real-time co-creation between electrical, mechanical, and software teams.
- Component & Library Management: Transformation of file-based libraries into managed, traceable components, supporting, audit checks, and, part request workflows.
- Advanced PCB Design Tools: Access to Altium Designer for high-density interconnect (HDI) design, rigid-flex design, and 3D-MID (Three-Dimensional Molded Interconnect Devices).
KiCad EDA
OSS Edition
Free
KiCad is Open Source software. We offer world-class EDA design tools that are free to use, now and forever.
- 100k+ Symbol and footprint library
- 10k+ 3d Models
- Fast, responsive interface
Free Trial
Altium Develop
Free Trial is available
KiCad EDA
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
8.9
813
8.4
48
Ease of Use
8.1
831
8.6
50
Ease of Setup
8.3
368
9.3
9
Ease of Admin
8.3
137
Not enough data
Quality of Support
8.3
731
7.9
37
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
8.5
131
Not enough data
Product Direction (% positive)
8.9
795
8.7
45
Features by Category
Design
8.5
75
Not enough data
8.3
72
Not enough data
8.6
73
Not enough data
8.2
71
Not enough data
Edit
8.0
71
Not enough data
8.1
65
Not enough data
8.8
69
Not enough data
8.0
63
Not enough data
Collaboration
8.7
67
Not enough data
8.5
68
Not enough data
8.2
64
Not enough data
Metadata
8.3
38
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Data Management
8.5
42
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Generative AI
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
Design
9.1
681
8.1
38
9.2
675
8.3
38
Tools
7.6
630
6.6
30
8.9
662
8.4
36
Library
8.3
675
7.7
35
Platform
9.1
663
8.6
35
9.2
665
8.5
35
Customization
Feature Not Available
7.6
26
7.8
580
Feature Not Available
Tools - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
8.2
19
Not enough data
8.0
18
Not enough data
8.6
16
Not enough data
8.3
17
Not enough data
7.7
17
Not enough data
File Options - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
8.3
17
Not enough data
8.2
17
Not enough data
8.0
17
Not enough data
8.5
17
Not enough data
9.2
16
Not enough data
Customization - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
Feature Not Available
Not enough data
7.2
15
Not enough data
7.4
16
Not enough data
7.6
16
Not enough data
Environment - Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
8.2
16
Not enough data
8.2
15
Not enough data
8.2
16
Not enough data
8.8
16
Not enough data
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
Altium Develop and KiCad EDA are categorized as PCB Design
Unique Categories
Altium Develop is categorized as General-Purpose CAD, Product Data Management (PDM), and Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)
KiCad EDA has no unique categories
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Altium Develop
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
KiCad EDA
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
22.2%
Automotive
10.8%
Consumer Electronics
10.2%
Aviation & Aerospace
6.4%
Medical Devices
6.3%
Other
44.1%
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing
41.9%
Consumer Electronics
12.9%
Design
8.1%
Research
6.5%
Higher Education
4.8%
Other
25.8%
Alternatives
Discussions
Who uses Altium?
3 Comments
Official Response from Altium Develop
Altium Designer is used mainly by those who create and work with printed circuit boards or PCBs. All electrical products, computers, toasters, remotes, and...Read more
Is Altium Designer free?
3 Comments
RO
No, Altium Designer is not free but there is a free viewer that can be downloaded. Read more
What is Altium Designer used for?
3 Comments
DR
Altium Desinger is a complete PCB (Printed Circuit Board) design software package, which includes Schematic Capture, PCB Layout, Libraries, Manufacturing...Read more
How can I turn on only the radsnet of the component I am moving?
1 Comment
IA
Yes you can. If you open Pcbnew, go to the right-hand side toolbar and you will see some tools. The first one (top) is the arrow key for "Select item". The...Read more
KiCad EDA has no more discussions with answers
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