# Compare Altium Develop vs AutoCAD 2026 | Capterra > Unsure of what to choose? Check Capterra to compare Altium Develop and AutoCAD based on pricing, features, product details, and verified reviews. Source: https://www.capterra.com/compare/175058-265024/Altium-Designer-vs-AutoCAD --- # Altium Develop vs AutoCAD Features and Cost Comparison Last updated April 20th, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) Your comparison: Altium DevelopAutoCAD2/4 selected [Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/)[4.6 (181)](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[4.7 (3,207)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) [## Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/)[4.6 (181)](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Value-for-Money 4.2 Functionality 4.6 Ease of Use 4.3 Customer Service 4.2 Reviews Sentiment Based on [181 reviews](#user-reviews) Positive 171 Neutral 7 Negative 3 [## AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[4.7 (3,207)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) Starting Price $250.00/month Value-for-Money 4.2 Functionality 4.6 Ease of Use 4.1 Customer Service 4.2 Reviews Sentiment Based on [3,207 reviews](#user-reviews) Positive 3,113 Neutral 82 Negative 12 ## Send this comparison chart to my inbox ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. ## Summary * * * Key features rated by users Features selected based on 2,499 reviews from engineering cad software users. about the Fit Score methodology. Fit Score methodology Our Fit Score reflects how reviewers rate a product’s performance against a set of features reviewers rate as most important. A higher score indicates the product is rated better in delivering what reviewers most care about. If the Fit Score is not shown for a specific product, that only means there are currently not enough relevant data points to develop a meaningful score. It does not indicate that the product should be excluded from further evaluation. Best for Methodology 81%Fit High performer Feature ratings CAD Tools 4.4 Document Generation 4.5 2D Drawing 4.3 Bills of Material 4.6 Data Import/Export 4.4 87%Fit High performer Feature ratings CAD Tools 4.7 Document Generation 4.3 2D Drawing 4.7 Bills of Material 4.1 Data Import/Export 4.5 User satisfaction User satisfaction 4.6 User reviews[181](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) Ease of use 4.3 Functionality 4.6 Value for money 4.2 Customer support 4.2 User satisfaction 4.7 User reviews[3,207](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) Ease of use 4.1 Functionality 4.6 Value for money 4.2 Customer support 4.2 Price starts from Price starts from \-- - Free version - Free trial Price starts from $250Per User, Per Month - Free version - Free trial Best for Best for Altium Develop is built for developers, IT teams, and enterprises needing to integrate, customize, and extend product design and collaboration workflows. Best for Designed for architects, designers, engineers, project managers, real estate developers, students, construction professionals who want to create precise 2D and 3D drawings. ## User reviews Pros & cons DM Derese M. Electronics Design Engineer > "What I like the most is its interactive cloud based design showing feature, which avoids opening Altium Designer every time I want to..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6809628) KA Karl A. PCB Designer, Embedded Hardware Engineer > "The fact that some readily available extensions, like PDN and SI Analyzer by Keysight, are NOT available to standard (perpetual..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6628640) SI Stefano I. Electronics engineer > "It allows projects and component management, mechanical CAD integration and has useful sharing features, so that all designers in my..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6331967) PM Petros M. Junior Technical Engineer > "What I liked the least about Altium 365 is the learning curve, which is a little difficult for beginner designers" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6842337) AA Ashenafi A. Technical Supervisor and Hardware Engineer > "It allows me to access my designs anytime through web based interactive interface." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6828361) KA Kamal A. Sales and Technical coordinator > "The BOM files aren't updated according to the schematic, for instance by updating the BOM doc, you will face some troubles." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6628952) BH Binyam H. Electromechanical Engineer > "It allowed me to collaborate with my team in a single workspace while doing projects." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6814770) Abel A. Electrical and Computer Engineer > "Its subscription pricing is somehow unaffordable, so beginner designers and academicians might not be able to use this incredible..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6401764) JD Jon D. Configuration Systems Engineer > "Altium Designer is an intelligent and user-friendly PCB design platform that has enhanced my company's design capabilities..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6618911) MB Maya B. Design and Engineering > "Lack of generic symbol libraries and having to build up your own libraries before you actually can get down to your design." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6618520) Abdi M. Hardware Designer > "I like its cloud based collaboration and its support for import and export of documents in various formats." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6401745) BD Bethlehem D. Electronic Engineer > "The thing I don't like about Altium 365 is that the pricing for subscription is a little expensive." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6822374) GH Gebregziabher H. Electrical and Electronics divisions Head > "Over Altium 365 is a very helpful tool for professional in the field of electronics design." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6818299) BH Binyam H. Electromechanical Engineer > "Some of the features are hard to learn at first glance since there aren't plenty of free resourses to learn about it." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6814770) AC Abera C. Maintenance Engineer > "I liked the feature that allows my supervisors could see what I am doing and they give me a real time feedbacks and assistances." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6402715) DF Derese F. Electronics Engineer > "The thing I don't like is it hasn't many resources online to learn its full features." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6824237) SC Stephan C. Student > "I am somewhat new to PCB design so I don’t need all this power yet but it definitely gives you control over any part you want and is..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6369268) AC Abera C. Maintenance Engineer > "It requires a lot of money to use this great tool, and this is not affordable by beginner designers like me and my coworkers." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6402715) FN Fatih N. Embedded hardware engineer > "It brought true cloud-based hardware design to our workflow." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6827772) OS Owen S. Electrical Engineer > "Cost and sometimes performance issues with very large assemblies and models." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6362119) NA Nick A. Founder > "As a small tech startup we don't have the resources and man power that a large company may have, yet Altium Designer has enabled us..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6628261) AD Abrham D. Electrical and computer Engineer > "Additionally, the subscription price might be viewed as relatively expensive compared to other PCB design software." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6421005) MS Matiwos S. Electronics Engineeer > "I could do projects in collaboration with my colleagues and then my professor could provide me feedbacks. And that makes my learning..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6379526) DM Derese M. Electronics Design Engineer > "The subscription price is somehow unaffordable for some beginner designers like me" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6809628) BB Bobby B. Systems Engineer > "Love being able to effortlessly save and manage components to 365 that can be later used on any device or project instead of having..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6111602) MS Matiwos S. Electronics Engineeer > "Some of its features may not be beginner friendly and I found it a little complex to learn at first." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6379526) AA Abdulhahim A. Hardware Engineer > "As an electrical engineering professional I liked its user friendly and cloud based real time collaboration feature for designers..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6420954) IM Ivan M. Electronics Manufacturing and Qualification Manager > "This was a single case for us when a user began making random changes on components without notification to the team, causing layout..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6094731) Sven S. Hardware Developer > "It's a good tool to develop electronics and create reliable and complete manufacturing data." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6328569) DF Derese F. Electronics Engineer > "So first I wasn't able to use all the features efficiently." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6824237) M Mahmut Ç. Senior electronic hardware design engineer > "Overall Altium 365 is a greate cloud based collaborative design platform and it helped me throughout my career." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6834663) AO Andre O. PCB Layout Engineer > "One of the few things that still leaves something to be desired is the fact that Active BOM shows stocks of components from American..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5047505) JL Jonatan L. R and D Engineer Antennas > "The shared workspace with my colleagues all around the world and the possibility to share designs with folks that do not have Altium..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6213722) HM Hossein M. Electronics Engineer > "So it’s hard to get started and be familiar with its features." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6831596) JR Jeff R. Electrical Engineer > "The integration of mechanical and electrical design, in conjunction with the streamlining of efforts between members of teams greatly..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5046404) NE Natnael E. Electrical and Electronics Engineer > "Its price of subscription, as it may not be affordable for some users" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6359747) Abdi M. Hardware Designer > "Its automatic generation of Bill of Material is also a great feature of Altium 365." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6401745) PH Peter H. EE Manager > "The features are not intuitive enough for users to quickly adopt and use it." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6618979) ES Ed S. Electrical Engineer > "The ability to view show others the assembled PCB in 3D is also quite nice, as well as easily being able to create unique instances..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6095961) AT Andrew T. Staff Design Engineer > "Takes a long time to load the program from startup" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6619451) ML Mickael L. Emmbedded hardware engineer > "Altium also have a big community and lots of online resources to solve all issues that you could have." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6321914) RK Riku K. Senior RF Engineer > "There is lot of bugs especially in component importing from file based libarires to A365 cloud." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6206184) AA Ashenafi A. Technical Supervisor and Hardware Engineer > "Overall Altium 365 is a great tool and it helped my organizations design team a lot." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6828361) KN Kenneth N. Hardware Engineer > "I think something very difficult is trying to import footprints and libraries from online sources such as snapeda or ultra librarian." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5084367) PO Pelin O. Hardware Design Engineer > "It makes design procedures more easier and fast" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6846026) GG Greg G. Sr. EE > "The paid training is a ripoff. " [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6623269) JD Jon D. Configuration Systems Engineer > "It was somewhat daunting to adopt it as a replacement for our outdated design software, but the payoff is ultimately worth the effort!" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6618911) ML Mahesh L. Sr. Electrical Engg > "Sometimes little complicated to use." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6358972) BD Bethlehem D. Electronic Engineer > "I like its seamless cloud-based collaboration." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6822374) SS Saulius S. Electronics engineer > "Also, the relation between the workspace vs local vs project component libraries seems convoluted." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5085341) AH Alazar H. Electronics Design Engineer > "It helped me a lot with both academic projects and projects from clients." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6736578) DM Doug M. Director of Engineering > "All good except tech support is slower than I've ever experienced." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6618901) KA Kamal A. Sales and Technical coordinator > "Easy to implement, it is possible to check all connections and get notes for being an expert designer." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6628952) Matheus Augusto V. Hardware Developter Vonluteer > "Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the amount of options the software shows and it is not always clear what they mean." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5087493) SI Stefano I. Electronics engineer > "Free of charge, at least in the basic version included with Altium Designer." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6331967) TW Tyler W. Electronics Engineer II > "Sometimes the setup and some of the release documentation can be a little cumbersome to use" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5058988) NB Nathan B. Electrical Engineer > "Data can be shared with internal and external parties who wouldn't normally have access to the design software but then can view and..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5073832) CP Cesar P. Senior Power systems Engineer > "Sometimes slow to load, specially if there are many task assigned for review and feedback" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5004506) LG Lou G. Senior Electronics Engineer > "We recently solved high voltage clearance issues, differential signal routing issues, and 22 layers. " [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5082553) MW Michael W. Production Manager > "Accessing Company based File Libraries can be difficult. " [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5046196) DM Derese M. Electronics Design Engineer > "Till now I am very happy using it, so it's worth having it and using it in my academic and professional projects" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6809628) KG Kris G. Hardware Design Engineer > "They have to be redone in these tools and it is very time consuming." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6094291) SM Saravanakumar M. ENGINEERING MANAGER > "Simple tool easy to learn and use ,we are using for PCB design its helping a lot" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6632043) KB Kenneth B. R&D engineer > "It is a tad confusing and I still have difficulty figuring out how to solve my problems" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5004631) AJ Atefeh J. Hardware developer > "I am satisfied with but, it takes time and slower than the last versions, I like the possibilities which all can work and save on..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___5047057) RI Riley I. EE R&D Co-op > "I don't know the software well enough to have specific cons, but sometimes the BOM exporting process can be a bit weird and/or..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___4543830) AE Abel E. Electrical and computer engineer > "It made my career more interesting and it helped me in many ways." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6402700) H S Younes B. engineer > "Finally, some users may experience technical issues or compatibility problems with certain hardware or software platforms." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___4542282) YK Yusuf K. Embedded Systems Engineer > "Overall Altium 365 is a great tool, it makes most things easier." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6838812) PP Pruthav P. High Voltage Team Lead > "It is difficult to navigate to the actual page the circuit I am working on is." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___4357520) BD Beer D. Electrical Engineering Student > "Inspecting the designs is also really well made." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6552667) KA Khairul A. student > "There is no option available for Microcontroller simulation." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___3891452) AG Anand G. Assistant Manager > "The availability of the latest footprints along with its lifecycle data is very useful while designing a product and the 3D cad, the..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___3878534) JT Jonathan T. Student > "Some of the features that I use most often (cross probe) does not have easy to use keyboard shortcuts." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___4660951) H S Younes B. engineer > "It offers a range of advanced features and capabilities, including:User-friendly interface and intuitive design flowAdvanced..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___4542282) SC Stephen C. Electrical Engineer > "It used to be that Protel/AD was not very well established, so recruitment of experienced people wasn't easy." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___4748292) AE Abel E. Electrical and computer engineer > "I recommend anyone in the field of electronics design or other related fields to use this awesome tool." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6402700) DP Divyani P. RFIC ENGINEER > "so far the library is little bit not that friendly or may be I am not that accustom to it much.." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___4762150) AD Abraham D. Electronics Engineer > "Overall I am happy using Altium 365, it helped me a lot in my career." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___6402910) VR Verified Reviewer Development Engineering Manager > "the suite of products that you can buy beyond the standard schematic capture, layout, and routing, creates ala carte options that..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#Capterra___2409469) [View Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) Saara P. Interior Designer > "floorplans, elevations, electrical drawing, ceiling drawing, false ceiling drawing. Once the drawing is properly detailed it can be very hassle free to execute it in..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7012847) VR Verified Reviewer Electrical Engineering Student > "Sometimes, even in simple files (like a small house plan), placing a single object/block causes the software to freeze indefinitely, forcing me to restart my entire..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7071099) VR Verified Reviewer Electrical Engineering Student > "For my electrical engineering projects, the layer management is perfect for separating lighting circuits from the architectural floor plan." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7071099) AK Anthony K. Mechanical Engineer > "The thing that I liked the least about AutoCAD is just that some commands are not too easy to find and require a few digging into the menus to find the right command..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7133535) SS Steven S. Show Manager > "In my opionion it is the pinnacle of software for technical creation that needs to be finite in details or measurements." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7099858) WJ Walter J. Sr Project Manager MEP > "there is very little easy ways to fix it if you make an error early on , newer version cannot understnad when you are using an old version what AEC object are and..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6810354) Jose L. Salesman - Engineering > "What I like most about AutoCAD is the ability to create blueprints for architectural designs and create 3D images of an engineering product / idea." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6473310) JS Jalal S. Optical Engineer > "AutoCAD lacks specialized optical simulation tools, so it won’t handle lens design, ray tracing, or optical performance analysis." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6492422) Jose L. Salesman - Engineering > "I really like AutoCAD because it allows me to create drawings for my machine shop and helps the machinist see exactly what needs to be done with visual dimensions." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6473310) Caleb T. Mechanical Engineer > "The only other thing is that it does not use the native file explorer very well, and sometimes it is a little tricky to find files on your computer inside the..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7012159) WH Waleed H. Freelance Writer > "With its fully packed toolset and effective drafting abilities, AutoCAD brings out even the smallest details in your 2D and 3D design." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6526746) VR Verified Reviewer Project Manager, Architectural Technician > "At first, there was a bit of a learning curve to AutoCAD. As it can be a big program, my computer had a bit of a hard time operating efficiently while running..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6595744) Caroline B. Bachelor in Supply Chain Management > "This design software has saved me time by being able to create 3D and 2D drawings in a very perfect way, which completely eliminated the need to make manual drawings..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6510370) WJ Walter J. Sr Project Manager MEP > "the thing i used to hate the most was when an error occured and you could spend 100 hours making this plan that looks so great and one error will keep it from..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6810354) JS Jamal S. safety officer > "AutoCAD developed by autodisk,is a highly versatile and powerfull computer aided design software used by proffesional accross various industries including..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6417740) WJ Walter J. Sr Project Manager MEP > "Those masters engineers may know how to solve the real problem in the field or have the deepest understanding of the code and those people get the hardest problems..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6810354) WJ Walter J. Sr Project Manager MEP > "Even as architectural disciplines shift toward Revit and BIM software, AutoCAD remains essential, seamlessly integrating with the Autodesk suite and standing tall as..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6810354) M Marek Ž. Service Team Leader > "When we were zooming in/out while drawing into the schemas, we had some strange bugs that the screen went white on upper half and grey on the lower." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6402612) SS Steven S. Show Manager > "From updating to the newest software each year to keeping it up and going on multiple devices working in tandem, I never once had a software issue. " [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7099858) JA Jana A. Student > "It takes time to learn,especially for beginners some tools are very not intuitive at first and it can be heavy on weak devices" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6837673) RS Radha S. Legal Assistant > "Overall, AutoCAD delivers a robust and industry‑standard drafting experience that’s ideal for professionals who need accuracy and flexibility." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7132508) VB Virginia B. Security Specialist > "I'm not totally happy with its cost and licensing plan, quite complex and not so intuitive sometimes. Although it is very suitable also for simple designs, in this..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6395918) PK Pradeep K. Assistant Professor > "Supports 2D as well as 3D modeling, which makes it more comprehensive in handling different users' requirements at different stages in a project." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6544789) LS Leila S. Research Scientist > "the file sizes are too large and some functions take very long time to process if the computer that you are using is not a high speed one." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6452560) RS Radha S. Legal Assistant > "It’s most rewarding when used regularly and for complex work—but may feel overwhelming for casual users or those with lighter design needs." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7132508) IA Ian A. Student > "The processor requirements for AutoCAD are quite high for those who do not have a specific computer built for handing the software." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6500676) AK Anthony K. Mechanical Engineer > "It is great that the overall layout has not changed too much over time where it would be difficult to find many items you are used to in previous versions. " [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7133535) VR Verified Reviewer team manager > "Large projects and 3D work require a lot of power from your computer, and can be slow on some lower-end PCs." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6645923) JS Jalal S. Optical Engineer > "I'm an optical engineer and AutoCAD excels in precision drafting, making it suitable for designing mechanical and optical systems with exact dimensions." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6492422) VR Verified Reviewer Product Marketing Manager > "It takes a lot of computer memory to install and it is unsuitable for small RAM Laptops and then it didnt work properly" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6615545) AT Aniruddha T. Operations Support > "I have been using this software since 2021 and upgraded to AutoCAD 2023 version last year and it has helped me work on my facility layout projects with ease and..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6506180) MAN Muhammad Abid N. Renewal Specialist > "It can be resource-intensive, requiring a powerful computer for optimal performance, which can be a barrier for some users." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6496626) SA Subhan A. Assitant professor > "Its intuitive interface and vast library of features support efficient workflows, especially with 2D drafting and 3D modeling." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6581175) GA Greyson A. Research Scientist > "I've had to completely start from scratch more than a handful of times which can be frustrating. Once you find out the things that tend to bog it down, there's work..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6408549) WJ Walter J. Sr Project Manager MEP > "Viewports allow for real-world-scale drawings that can be effortlessly resized for print in any metric or imperial format." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6810354) PK Pradeep K. Assistant Professor > "It sometimes becomes too messy when designing something but it can't be helped with, I guess as the complexity of the tasks demands it." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6544789) JA Jana A. Student > "Very precise and professional.i like hpw it allows me to draw electrical diagrams with high accuracy and flexibility." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6837673) AT Aniruddha T. Operations Support > "Still some glitches which causes me to close entire application before I can work back normally." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6506180) NS Nicole S. Project Manager > "AutoCAD is essential to our structure and design capabilities with 3D modeling and understanding our jobs in detail." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6464271) Gowtham S. Manufacturing Engineering > "The only con i saw in this software is that you cannot section view the drawing created and also we cannot assemble the drawing to analysis the assembly" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___4827909) AA Ana A. Estagiário de Investigação > "The precision drawing tools are perfect for creating detailed architectural plans and technical layouts." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6700856) NV Nitin V. Student > "Sometimes AutoCAD can be a bit frustrating to use as it might be a little less intuitive to use than other CAD softwares." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6517834) AS Adam S. Founder > "Even though we don't use this software as close to its full potential, it helped us convey ideas into realistic 3D models instead of pitching them in the form of..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6345219) MM Maverick M. Electrical Engineer > "If you havent used a CAD platform before, its very difficult to learn all the different options with AUTOCAD." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6483052) EC Edwin C. Technical Designer > "Overall Autocad is fantastic for simple Line Drawings, however can be very time consuming for larger projects as one drawing does not correlate with one another." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6585328) SY Saurabh Y. student > "Interface can be visually cluttered and overwhelming due to the sheer number of options" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6450009) GA Greyson A. Research Scientist > "It's really an industry standard for a reason, and is incredibly powerful when it comes to land development and other civil and environmental engineering design..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6408549) VR Verified Reviewer Traffic Engineer > "The software cannot handle the large CAD files/" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6453221) Caleb T. Mechanical Engineer > "There is basically no learning curve, and even if you do get stuck, it has a convenient search bar that works well." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___7012159) Basanta T. owner > "Some features and workflows feel outdated or clunky compared to modern software" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6616830) TM Thandwa M. Draughtsman > "I also allows a flexible space in making inorganic shapes too ,not only a very geometric work space." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6602452) KS Kevin S. BIM Manager > "I think I least like the 3D aspect of AutoCAD, mostly because there are other Autodesk products that does this better." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6657835) AE Ali E. Purchasing Manager > "The best application that can be used for drawing in projects, there is no other program that can replace it from the past to the present." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6500697) ME Marcelo E. Student > "The number of features can be overwhelming at first, and it takes time to understand how everything works together." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6491347) Nilesh C. BIM Lead > "It is the lighter variant of the AutoCAD Programming, and hence, it's working, and execution is excessively smooth and useful, particularly the individuals who work..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6312716) SA Subhan A. Assitant professor > "Additionally, it’s resource-intensive, requiring a powerful system and can be costly for individual users." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6581175) AE Ali E. Purchasing Manager > "We use it for electrical projects, it is a program that we can use to run our business more cleanly and easily." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6500697) VR Verified Reviewer team manager > "High license fees can be prohibitive for individual users or small businesses." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6645923) TM Thandwa M. Draughtsman > "It has allowed for me to utilize tools that have made tons of my projects quicker compared to ,having used tools and hands." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6602452) PS PARNEET S. ARCHITECT > "There are two things i want to mention first the pricing its expensive for a fresher architect its impossible to buy it sometimes." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6592166) Xavier C. Plan Drawer and administration > "besides the design options that have been great for a number of versions, maintaining quality, and coherence for commands and user interaction" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6631379) KS Kevin S. BIM Manager > "These types of projects usually do not need a 3d model developed." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6657835) FF Fahed F. Senior Electrical Engineer > "Its strengths lie in its precision, extensive toolset, and ability to handle both 2D and 3D projects." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6555792) UA Usman A. Lecturer in Engineering > "D modelling within AutoCAD is slightly messy." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6568260) TT Tommy T. AV Technician > "The amount of features and ability to design from wiring diagram to product design itself is amazing." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6562613) SM Saravanakumar M. ENGINEERING MANAGER > "Changes in new version may affect the previous version so its hard to use sometime." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6637521) CB Chris B. SDR - Sales Development Rep > "Used this software for many years and has delivered for us in every part of our design business." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6821535) PR Pranita R. Freelancing > "The software interface is little more complex and confusing to the beginners." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6380380) JD Jacob D. designer > "I like how easy it is to go from a digital model to a 3D print—just export to STL and you're good to go. Plus, it automatically updates things like the bill of..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6771703) MGK Muhammad Ghufran K. Documents Controller > "These cons suggest that while AutoCAD is a powerful and versatile software, it may not be the best fit for everyone, particularly those who require real-time..." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6240039) VR Verified Reviewer project manager > "It is great for both 2D drafting and 3D modelling, though it can be a bit heavy on system resources." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6546595) MT MICHAEL T. Design Engineer > "occasional freezes, trouble with printing to pdf" [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6334752) CJ Chris J. Operations Engineering Intern > "Perhaps my favorite feature was the ability to customize shortcuts and tools, which made things so much faster! " [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6564050) VR Verified Reviewer Engineering Intern > "steep learning curve which can prevent usage of its full potential." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6469894) Tamzed Z. Engineering Student > "A very solid software for anyone starting with 3D or 2D cad drawing." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6827028) SG Shan G. CTO > "The implement can be a little too complex with other platforms." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6624553) Santos T. Designer > "I then import it into a Revit model for future design modifications, but otherwise it is a great program and critical to know how to use for engineering." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6481371) ME Marcelo E. Student > "On the downside, the learning curve can be steep, especially for beginners." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6491347) Mohamed K. electrical and Instruments Engineer > "It's precision in creating detailed designs and its powerful 2D and 3D tools." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6547011) TM Thandwa M. Draughtsman > "It was also the size of the software , taking a lot of time to install." [See full review](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#Capterra___6602452) [View Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) ## User interface 4.56 (181) [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) 4.65 (3,207) ## Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ### Features Do these products fit your needs? Prioritize real-user-identified key features according to your needs to find your best fit. \--% Fit vs \--% Fit 2D Drawing 207 Important 3D Imaging 150 Important Access Controls/Permissions 120 Important Altium Develop Top features 27/35 - 2D Drawing - 3D Imaging - Access Controls/Permissions - AI Copilot - Bills of Material - CAD Tools - Change Management - Civil - Collaboration Tools - Compliance Management - Configurable Workflow - Configuration Management - Content Library - Customizable Fields - Data Capture and Transfer - Data Import/Export - Data Visualization - Design Analysis - Design Management - Document Generation - Document Management - Electrical - File Management - Generative AI - Manufacturing Design Data - Mechanical - Mechatronics - Presentation Tools - Process Control - Product Data Management - Project Management - Project Templates - Reporting/Analytics - Version Control - Visual Analytics [See all features](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/#features) AutoCAD 23/35 - 2D Drawing - 3D Imaging - Access Controls/Permissions - AI Copilot - Bills of Material - CAD Tools - Change Management - Civil - Collaboration Tools - Compliance Management - Configurable Workflow - Configuration Management - Content Library - Customizable Fields - Data Capture and Transfer - Data Import/Export - Data Visualization - Design Analysis - Design Management - Document Generation - Document Management - Electrical - File Management - Generative AI - Manufacturing Design Data - Mechanical - Mechatronics - Presentation Tools - Process Control - Product Data Management - Project Management - Project Templates - Reporting/Analytics - Version Control - Visual Analytics [See all features](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/#features) ### Recognition Altium Develop is recognized as a top-rated tool in 1 Capterra Shortlist reports AutoCAD is recognized as a top-rated tool in 2 Capterra Shortlist reports ### Deployment & support Altium Develop Deployment - Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based - Desktop Mac - Desktop Windows - Desktop Linux - On-Premise Windows - On-Premise Linux - Desktop Chromebook - Mobile Android - Mobile iPhone - Mobile iPad Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos AutoCAD Deployment - Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based - Desktop Mac - Desktop Windows - Desktop Linux - On-Premise Windows - On-Premise Linux - Desktop Chromebook - Mobile Android - Mobile iPhone - Mobile iPad Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos ### Company Details Altium Develop - By Altium - Located in United States - Founded in 1985 AutoCAD - By Autodesk - Located in United States - Founded in 1982 ## Popular Comparisons [Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/)[4.56 (181)](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) vs [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[4.63 (756)](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/reviews/) Contact vendor for pricing Price Contact vendor for pricing 4.6 Features 4.6 4.3 Ease of Use 4.3 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-175058/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-Altium-Designer) [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[4.65 (3,207)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) vs [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/)[4.63 (756)](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/reviews/) $250/month Price Contact vendor for pricing 4.6 Features 4.6 4.1 Ease of Use 4.3 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/93121-265024/SolidWorks-Premium-vs-AutoCAD) [Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/)[4.56 (181)](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) vs [MATLAB](https://www.capterra.com/p/125813/MATLAB/)[4.60 (2,093)](https://www.capterra.com/p/125813/MATLAB/reviews/) Contact vendor for pricing Price $203.63/year 4.6 Features 4.6 4.3 Ease of Use 4.0 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/125813-175058/MATLAB-vs-Altium-Designer) [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[4.65 (3,207)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) vs [Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.69 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/) $250/month Price $10/month 4.6 Features 4.6 4.1 Ease of Use 4.6 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/172312-265024/Alibre-Design-vs-AutoCAD) [Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/)[4.56 (181)](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) vs [Alibre Design](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/)[4.69 (183)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172312/Alibre-Design/reviews/) Contact vendor for pricing Price $10/month 4.6 Features 4.6 4.3 Ease of Use 4.6 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/172312-175058/Alibre-Design-vs-Altium-Designer) [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[4.65 (3,207)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) vs [Onshape](https://www.capterra.com/p/164681/Onshape/)[4.51 (342)](https://www.capterra.com/p/164681/Onshape/reviews/) $250/month Price $1500/year 4.6 Features 4.1 4.1 Ease of Use 4.5 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/164681-265024/Onshape-vs-AutoCAD) [Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/)[4.56 (181)](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) vs [CATIA](https://www.capterra.com/p/100453/CATIA/)[4.56 (223)](https://www.capterra.com/p/100453/CATIA/reviews/) Contact vendor for pricing Price Contact vendor for pricing 4.6 Features 4.6 4.3 Ease of Use 3.8 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/100453-175058/CATIA-vs-Altium-Designer) [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/)[4.65 (3,207)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) vs [CATIA](https://www.capterra.com/p/100453/CATIA/)[4.56 (223)](https://www.capterra.com/p/100453/CATIA/reviews/) $250/month Price Contact vendor for pricing 4.6 Features 4.6 4.1 Ease of Use 3.8 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/100453-265024/CATIA-vs-AutoCAD) [Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/)[4.56 (181)](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) vs [Creo](https://www.capterra.com/p/164678/Creo/)[4.38 (126)](https://www.capterra.com/p/164678/Creo/reviews/) Contact vendor for pricing Price $3190/year 4.6 Features 4.3 4.3 Ease of Use 3.8 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/164678-175058/Creo-vs-Altium-Designer) 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[ActCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/)[4.22 (214)](https://www.capterra.com/p/168061/ACTCAD-Professional/reviews/) $250/month Price $249one time 4.6 Features 4.2 4.1 Ease of Use 4.3 [View full comparison](https://www.capterra.com/compare/168061-265024/ACTCAD-Professional-vs-AutoCAD)