# Autodesk EAGLE, FreeCAD vs Altium Develop Comparison

| | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.0 out of 5 | 4.1 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 76 | 61 | 996 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (77.8% of reviews) | Small-Business (67.9% of reviews) | Small-Business (58.3% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | $545.00 Per Year | No pricing available | Starting at $1,990.00 Per Year | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### Autodesk EAGLE

**Not enough data**

### FreeCAD

**Not enough data**

### Altium Develop

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

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

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 8.3 (67 reviews) | 8.3 (45 reviews) | 8.9 (818 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 7.6 (66 reviews) | 7.6 (46 reviews) | 8.1 (836 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.1 (6 reviews) | 7.9 (7 reviews) | 8.3 (373 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 9.0 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.3 (137 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 7.8 (53 reviews) | 7.7 (37 reviews) | 8.3 (733 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.5 (131 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 6.6 (62 reviews) | 8.2 (45 reviews) | 8.9 (799 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Autodesk EAGLE

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: Fusion 360 with EAGLE

Price: $545.00 Per Year

Description: For serious professionals. Provides maximum board area and the capability to push the limits of PCB design. 

Key Features:
- Bring your designs to life by adding electronic intelligence using the Schematic design, PCB Layout and routing capabilities integrated in Fusion 360

[Browse all 2 editions](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-eagle/pricing)

#### Free Trial

No

### FreeCAD

#### 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 |
|---|---|---|
| **Autodesk EAGLE** | N/A | N/A |
| **FreeCAD** | 7.9/10 | 29 |
| **Altium Develop** | 8.4/10 | 82 |

#### Design

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Drawing** | Not enough data | 8.4 (23 reviews) | 8.5 (75 reviews) | 
| **Modeling** | Not enough data | 8.2 (28 reviews) | 8.3 (72 reviews) | 
| **Visualize ** | Not enough data | 8.0 (23 reviews) | 8.6 (73 reviews) | 
| **Rendering** | Not enough data | 7.5 (21 reviews) | 8.2 (71 reviews) | 

#### Edit

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **File Import ** | Not enough data | 8.4 (24 reviews) | 8.0 (71 reviews) | 
| **Push/Pull** | Not enough data | 7.2 (21 reviews) | 8.1 (65 reviews) | 
| **Views** | Not enough data | 8.0 (23 reviews) | 8.8 (69 reviews) | 
| **Grips ** | Not enough data | 7.5 (23 reviews) | 8.0 (63 reviews) | 

#### Collaboration

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Annotate** | Not enough data | 8.2 (20 reviews) | 8.7 (67 reviews) | 
| **Documentation ** | Not enough data | 7.7 (22 reviews) | 8.5 (68 reviews) | 
| **Data Extract** | Not enough data | 8.2 (21 reviews) | 8.2 (64 reviews) | 

### Product Data Management (PDM)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Autodesk EAGLE** | N/A | N/A |
| **FreeCAD** | N/A | N/A |
| **Altium Develop** | 8.5/10 | 44 |

#### Metadata

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Repository** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.4 (39 reviews) | 
| **Taxonomy** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Types** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 

#### Data Management

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Version Control** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.5 (43 reviews) | 
| **Alignment** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Workflows** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Lifecycle** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 

#### Generative AI

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **AI Text Summarization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **AI Image-to-Text** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 

### CAD Viewers

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Autodesk EAGLE** | N/A | N/A |
| **FreeCAD** | 7.8/10 | 19 |
| **Altium Develop** | N/A | N/A |

#### File Options

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Import files** | Not enough data | 8.3 (19 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Export files** | Not enough data | 8.4 (19 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **View 2D files** | Not enough data | 8.1 (18 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **View 3D files** | Not enough data | 7.9 (18 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Batch convert files** | Not enough data | 6.9 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **File size** | Not enough data | 7.9 (18 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Tools

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Dimensioning tools** | Not enough data | 7.3 (19 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Change units** | Not enough data | 7.5 (19 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **3D/solid modeling tools** | Not enough data | 7.8 (19 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Design

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Drawing** | Not enough data | 8.0 (19 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### PCB Design

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Autodesk EAGLE** | 8.1/10 | 21 |
| **FreeCAD** | N/A | N/A |
| **Altium Develop** | 8.6/10 | 726 |

#### Design

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **PCB layout editing** | 8.4 (19 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.1 (685 reviews) | 
| **Schematic editor** | 8.4 (20 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (679 reviews) | 

#### Tools

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **3D modeling tools** | 7.1 (17 reviews) | Not enough data | 7.6 (631 reviews) | 
| **Component placement** | 8.3 (18 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.9 (663 reviews) | 

#### Library

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Component libraries** | 7.5 (20 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.3 (678 reviews) | 

#### Platform

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Board size** | 8.4 (18 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.1 (663 reviews) | 
| **Layers** | 8.4 (18 reviews) | Not enough data | 9.2 (666 reviews) | 

#### Customization

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Custom commands** | 8.3 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Custom interface** | 7.7 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | 7.8 (583 reviews) | 

### Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Autodesk EAGLE** | N/A | N/A |
| **FreeCAD** | N/A | N/A |
| **Altium Develop** | 8.0/10 | 22 |

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

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **3D/solid modeling Tools** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.2 (19 reviews) | 
| **Rendering Tools** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.0 (18 reviews) | 
| **Drawing Tools** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.6 (16 reviews) | 
| **Editing Tools** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.3 (17 reviews) | 
| **Text Editing Tools** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.7 (17 reviews) | 

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

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Export Files** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.3 (17 reviews) | 
| **Import Files** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.2 (17 reviews) | 
| **File Interoperability** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.0 (17 reviews) | 
| **Backwards compatibility** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.5 (17 reviews) | 
| **File size** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.2 (16 reviews) | 

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

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Custom Commands** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Custom Scripts** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.2 (15 reviews) | 
| **Custom Menus** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.4 (16 reviews) | 
| **Custom Interface** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.6 (16 reviews) | 

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

| Feature | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Hardware support** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.2 (16 reviews) | 
| **Task-based interfaces** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.2 (15 reviews) | 
| **Manage Multiple Profiles** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.2 (16 reviews) | 
| **Command Clarity** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.8 (16 reviews) | 

---
## Categories

**Unique to Autodesk EAGLE (1):** [PCB Design Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/pcb-design)

**Unique to FreeCAD (3):** [Mechanical Computer-aided Design (MCAD) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/mechanical-computer-aided-design-mcad), [CAD Viewers](https://www.g2.com/categories/cad-viewers), [General-Purpose CAD Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/general-purpose-cad)

**Unique to Altium Develop (4):** [General-Purpose CAD Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/general-purpose-cad), [PCB Design Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/pcb-design), [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)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Autodesk EAGLE | FreeCAD | Altium Develop | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 77.8% | 67.9% | 58.3% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 15.3% | 16.1% | 29.6% | 
| **Enterprise** | 6.9% | 16.1% | 12.1% | 

### By Industry

#### Autodesk EAGLE

- **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 27.8%
- **Consumer Electronics:** 20.8%
- **Automotive:** 5.6%
- **Biotechnology:** 4.2%
- **Computer Hardware:** 4.2%
- **Higher Education:** 4.2%
- **Telecommunications:** 2.8%
- **Mechanical or Industrial Engineering:** 2.8%
- **Design:** 2.8%
- **Industrial Automation:** 2.8%
- **Other:** 22.2%

#### FreeCAD

- **Design:** 16.1%
- **Mechanical or Industrial Engineering:** 14.3%
- **Industrial Automation:** 8.9%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 7.1%
- **Automotive:** 5.4%
- **Machinery:** 5.4%
- **Higher Education:** 5.4%
- **Architecture & Planning:** 3.6%
- **Civil Engineering:** 3.6%
- **Computer Software:** 3.6%
- **Other:** 26.8%

#### Altium Develop

- **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 22.2%
- **Automotive:** 10.9%
- **Consumer Electronics:** 10.2%
- **Aviation & Aerospace:** 6.4%
- **Medical Devices:** 6.3%
- **Industrial Automation:** 4.0%
- **Research:** 3.4%
- **Higher Education:** 3.2%
- **Computer Hardware:** 3.0%
- **Design:** 2.5%
- **Other:** 27.9%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Autodesk EAGLE

- [KiCad EDA](https://www.g2.com/products/kicad-eda/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (67 reviews)
- [NI Multisim](https://www.g2.com/products/ni-multisim/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (42 reviews)
- [OrCAD Capture](https://www.g2.com/products/orcad-capture/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (34 reviews)
- [EasyEDA](https://www.g2.com/products/easyeda/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (20 reviews)
- [SolidWorks PCB](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks-pcb/reviews) — 3.8/5 stars (14 reviews)
- [DipTrace](https://www.g2.com/products/diptrace/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (45 reviews)
- [SolidWorks Electrical Schematics](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks-electrical-schematics/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (11 reviews)
- [SOLIDWORKS](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (643 reviews)
- [Altium CircuitMaker](https://www.g2.com/products/altium-circuitmaker/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (110 reviews)
- [ExpressPCB Plus](https://www.g2.com/products/expresspcb-plus/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (29 reviews)

### Alternatives to FreeCAD

- [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)
- [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (519 reviews)
- [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.g2.com/products/designcenter-solid-edge/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (599 reviews)
- [Inventor](https://www.g2.com/products/inventor/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (440 reviews)
- [DraftSight](https://www.g2.com/products/draftsight/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (208 reviews)
- [Creo](https://www.g2.com/products/creo-2025-08-26/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (200 reviews)
- [Rhinoceros](https://www.g2.com/products/rhinoceros/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (191 reviews)
- [AutoCAD](https://www.g2.com/products/autocad/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (1930 reviews)
- [QCAD](https://www.g2.com/products/qcad/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (13 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 (1930 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 (599 reviews)
- [Designcenter NX](https://www.g2.com/products/designcenter-nx/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (527 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 (1324 reviews)
- [KiCad EDA](https://www.g2.com/products/kicad-eda/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (67 reviews)
- [PADS Professional](https://www.g2.com/products/pads-professional/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (64 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### Autodesk EAGLE

- Title: [What is Eagle premium?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-eagle-premium) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "The commercial version of the product"
- Title: [Is Eagle software free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-eagle-software-free) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "It is free for students, with a student license, outside of commercial use"
- Title: [What is the use of Autodesk Eagle?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-use-of-autodesk-eagle) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "PCB circuit schematic and board layout design"

### FreeCAD

- Title: [Is FreeCAD easy to learn?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-freecad-easy-to-learn) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "its easy, if you are familiar with other CAD software"
- Title: [Is FreeCAD reliable?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-freecad-reliable) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "No, it has all kinds of silly errors that sometimes pop up when you change something that is unrelated to the error.
FreeCAD-pros admit this in their..."
- Title: [new user](https://www.g2.com/discussions/29807-new-user) — 1 comment, 2 upvotes
  > **Top comment:** "Looks impressive. I look forward to getting involved. Interested in Vintage 1930s cars. i'm in Australia"
- Title: [FREECAD FOR PROFESSIONAL](https://www.g2.com/discussions/29803-freecad-for-professional) — 1 comment, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "hi.
i just want to know that can i use FreeCAD for professional uses for free or it is open for practice/student only
"
- Title: [CAD Services That Will Bring You to the Future – Cadsourcing](https://www.g2.com/discussions/28081-cad-services-that-will-bring-you-to-the-future-cadsourcing) — 1 comment, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "You can check here for more details!
https://cadsourcing.com/cad-services-that-will-bring-you-to-the-future/"

### 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/autodesk-eagle-vs-freecad-vs-altium-develop)