--- title: "Altium Develop Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Altium Develop Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Engineering CAD products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # Altium Develop Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on August 26, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Users](#users)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Altium Develop ## What is Altium Develop? Altium Develop provides professional Engineering CAD capabilities for PCB and electronics product design within the Altium 365 ecosystem. Engineers can create, review, and manage schematics, PCB layouts, component libraries, and design documentation from a connected cloud workspace. The platform supports collaborative design workflows, version control, design reviews, and requirements traceability to help teams maintain accuracy throughout development. Integrated design data management ensures stakeholders have access to current project information while reducing risks associated with disconnected files. By centralizing ECAD design activities, Altium Develop helps teams accelerate product development, improve design quality, support design-for-manufacturing processes, and streamline the transition from engineering to production. ## What is Altium Develop used for? [Engineering CAD](https://www.capterra.com/engineering-cad-software/)[Collaboration](https://www.capterra.com/collaboration-software/)[Product Data Management](https://www.capterra.com/product-data-management-software/) Overall rating Based on 182 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 95% Neutral 4% Negative 2% Starting price $1990 Per User, Per Year Free trial available Free version not included Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Rating Breakdown 4.6 +− Features4.6 Value for Money4.2 Ease of Use4.3 Customer Service4.2 Rating Breakdown 4.6 Features4.6 Value for Money4.2 Ease of Use4.3 Customer Service4.2 ## Altium Develop Reviewers Verdict Updated August 2026 AI summary - Altium Develop suits engineering teams needing integrated schematic, PCB layout, and design management for electronics projects. - Users appreciate its smooth schematic-to-layout workflow, broad CAD toolset, and support for 3D visualization and data exchange. - Day-to-day, it helps teams manage projects, reduce design errors, and move designs efficiently from concept to manufacturing. - Buyers may need to accept some trade-offs around a steep learning curve, occasional library complexity, and variable support responsiveness. - It fits organizations prioritizing unified PCB workflows but may challenge teams seeking quick onboarding or extensive customization. ## Altium Develop alternatives Highest Rated [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) [4.7 (3,213)](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/reviews/) Starting price $250.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) [4.5 (357)](https://www.capterra.com/p/164681/Onshape/reviews/) Starting price $1500.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.5 (63)](https://www.capterra.com/p/179964/Solid-Edge/reviews/) Starting price $113.09 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 90% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [SolidWorks Premium](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) [4.6 (760)](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 96% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/93121/SolidWorks-Premium/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/alternatives/) ## FAQs about Altium Develop Overview ### What problems does Altium Develop solve? Altium Develop helps electronics teams solve slow, fragmented PCB workflows by combining schematic capture, layout, design rules, libraries, 3D visualization, and manufacturing outputs in one environment. Hardware engineers, PCB designers, startups, and enterprise design teams use it to reduce library rework, catch fit issues early, speed routing, and simplify project sharing. Answer based on 65 reviews Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Altium Develop? Altium Develop is most used by electrical, electronics, and hardware engineering teams that design schematics, PCB layouts, and embedded systems while coordinating design revisions. Engineering leads and technical decision-makers use it to standardize development workflows, improve collaboration, and maintain visibility across complex product design and documentation processes. Answer based on 182 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Altium Develop built for? Altium Develop is built for small businesses and electronics-focused teams, with 66% of reviewers from small companies and 36% from electrical/electronic manufacturing. It also serves enterprise and midsize organizations, plus automotive and design firms, supporting PCB collaboration, BOM management, traceability, and Engineering CAD. Answer based on 182 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Altium Develop? Altium Develop includes core PCB design features such as schematic capture, PCB layout, component libraries, and design rule checking. Differentiating capabilities include 3D imaging, Solidworks and other CAD integrations, document generation for manufacturing, and version-controlled collaboration through project management, file sharing, and access controls. Answer based on 47 reviews Pricing ### How much does it cost and what fees or limitations are included? Altium Develop starts at $1,990 per user/year, with one Author seat, a shared workspace, unlimited collaborators, and a free trial. Up to four extra Author seats cost 995 per user/year. Reviewers often call pricing steep or expensive, though some say it is reasonable for the features and lower than some alternatives. Answer based on 23 reviews Integrations ### Which third-party tools and platforms does Altium Develop integrate with? Altium Develop integrates with SolidWorks Premium most often in reviewer feedback, especially for MCAD, 3D board fit, STEP export, and PCB-to-mechanical workflows. Reviewers also mention connections with Cadence Software and Designcenter Solid Edge. Integration breadth appears limited in the provided data, with SolidWorks clearly the primary third-party platform. Answer based on 19 reviews Getting Started and Support ### How easy is it to onboard and train a team on Altium Develop? Altium Develop offers live online sessions, webinars, videos, and documentation to help teams ramp up. Reviewers say beginners and student users can get started with basic PCB work fairly quickly, while admins, advanced users, and teams managing libraries or complex workflows usually need more time because the feature set creates a steeper learning curve. Answer based on 22 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Altium Develop offer, and how do users rate the experience? Altium Develop offers email/help desk, FAQ/forum, a knowledge base, phone support, and chat. Users often describe the guides, documentation, community resources, and help system as easy to search and useful, with some reporting quick answers. Others report slow response times, difficulty reaching support, and uneven service despite competent assistance once connected. Answer based on 18 reviews User interface ### How easy is Altium Develop to use for PCB design? Altium Develop offers a generally intuitive PCB design interface with strong visualization, layout controls, and web access. Engineers and cross-functional hardware teams often find schematic editing, 3D viewing, and documentation clear, but some users still mention a steep learning curve, changing menus, and inconsistent shortcuts across desktop and web experiences. Answer based on 40 reviews ## Who uses Altium Develop? Based on Capterra reviews from the past 3 years Talk to a software expert to get a free software list tailored to your business needs ## Features AI summary Based on 1,425 Engineering CAD reviews Capterra reviewers point to these as the top features buyers look for in Engineering CAD software: - **CAD Tools** (**47%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **2D Drawing** (**41%**) - **Data Import/Export** (**37%**) Altium Develop supports all three of the features reviewers rank highest: **CAD Tools**, **2D Drawing**, and **Data Import/Export**. Together, these capabilities help engineering teams create detailed designs, produce accurate technical drawings, and move files between systems more easily, allowing teams to work faster and maintain consistency across design workflows. CAD Tools 4.4 (89) 91.01% of 89 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important You get a comprehensive set of CAD tools for schematic capture and PCB design, with real-time collaboration and integration with mechanical CAD. Some reviewers find the tools intuitive and collaborative, but a few mention issues with Solidworks integration and harness drawing. 2D Drawing 4.3 (79) 84.81% of 79 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important It gives you user-friendly tools for schematic and PCB layout, supporting collaboration and manufacturing documentation. Users say the 2D drawing is intuitive and accurate, but some feel Draftsman is slow and certain drawing tasks could be more streamlined. Design Analysis 4.3 (57) 89.47% of 57 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Simulate physical behavior for a design or structure Manufacturing Design Data 4.4 (30) 73.33% of 30 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Access to a library of manufacturing parts, models, and specs 3D Imaging 4.7 (75) 82.67% of 75 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important With this capability, you can visualize PCB designs in 3D, aiding mechanical integration and error detection. Reviewers appreciate how it helps spot clearance issues, improves communication with mechanical teams, and supports exporting to tools like Solidworks for collaboration. Data Import/Export 4.4 (84) 91.67% of 84 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Altium Develop offers broad import/export options, supporting formats from tools like OrCAD, Eagle, KiCAD, and Solidworks. Users think it streamlines collaboration, data sharing, and manufacturing handoffs, though some wish for even more compatibility with manufacturer libraries. Altium Develop 30 features ### All Features - 2D Drawing: It gives you user-friendly tools for schematic and PCB layout, supporting collaboration and manufacturing documentation. Users say the 2D drawing is intuitive and accurate, but some feel Draftsman is slow and certain drawing tasks could be more streamlined. - 3D Imaging: With this capability, you can visualize PCB designs in 3D, aiding mechanical integration and error detection. Reviewers appreciate how it helps spot clearance issues, improves communication with mechanical teams, and supports exporting to tools like Solidworks for collaboration. - Access Controls/Permissions: Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems - Bills of Material: Material list of manufacturing parts and associated costs - CAD Tools: You get a comprehensive set of CAD tools for schematic capture and PCB design, with real-time collaboration and integration with mechanical CAD. Some reviewers find the tools intuitive and collaborative, but a few mention issues with Solidworks integration and harness drawing. - Change Management: Track and monitor efficient handling of all changes/transitions - Collaboration Tools: Provides a channel for team members to share AI models, media files, communicate, and work together - Communication Management: Manage and track all internal and external communication conducted via calls, email, text, or chat - Compliance Management: Track and manage adherence to policies for any service, product, process, or supplier - Configuration Management: Identify component attributes like servers, hardware, software, and manage relationships across all services - Content Library: Centralized repository to store content and assets - Customizable Fields: Customize data fields to support various needs and use cases - Data Capture and Transfer: Import, collect, and capture data from multiple sources - Data Import/Export: Altium Develop offers broad import/export options, supporting formats from tools like OrCAD, Eagle, KiCAD, and Solidworks. Users think it streamlines collaboration, data sharing, and manufacturing handoffs, though some wish for even more compatibility with manufacturer libraries. - Data Storage Management: Manage and store data in a database - Data Visualization: Graphical representation of data - Design Analysis: Simulate physical behavior for a design or structure - Design Management: Collaborate on creating a product by sharing and adjusting designs through a shared portal - Document Generation: This characteristic helps you automate the creation of schematics, BOMs, and manufacturing documents. Reviewers appreciate the time savings, reliable templates, and version control, though some mention setup can be complex and output job files could be easier to use. - Document Management: Store, manage, and track all electronic documents in a centralized location - Electrical: For electrical engineering - File Management: Create, save, and store files - File Sharing: Public or private sharing of digital files such as documents, audio/video, images, and more - Manufacturing Design Data: Access to a library of manufacturing parts, models, and specs - Mechanical: For mechanical engineering - Mechatronics: Integration of electrical and mechanical engineering to create hybrid systems - Process Control: Monitor and manage manufacturing and production processes. - Project Management: Plan and coordinate all the resources, costs and time needed to execute assignments - Project Templates: Pre-designed project plans that can be customized - Version Control: Track revisions and updates made to files and navigate between different versions --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 4.6 (182) 4.6 Based on 182 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.2 (158) Free Trial [View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/pricing/) Altium Develop Pricing $1,990 Per User,Per Year It includes: - Shared Cloud Workspace - Unlimited Collaborator Access - PCB Design & Layout - Schematic Capture - Component Library Management - Cloud Part Libraries - BOM Management - Real-Time Supply Chain Data - Requirements Traceability - Design Review & Commenting - Task Management - ECAD-MCAD CoDesign - Manufacturing Handoff - Revision History - Multi-Factor Authentication - Data Access Control - Native 3D PCB Design - High-Speed PCB Design - Rigid-Flex PCB Design Value for money 4.2 (158) 4.2 Based on 158 reviews ## Integrations [ Altium Develop](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/) 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. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.2 (143) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.2 (143) 4.2 Based on 143 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.6 Based on 182 reviews Filter by rating 5(118) 4(54) 3(7) 2(1) 1(2) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent AH Aaron H. President Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing ### "Develop - same as Pro at Half Price" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 2.0 2.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 August 20, 2026 Good. It works. Minimum 100 characters?? OK. Good. It works. Good. It works. Good. It works. Good. Pros I've been a long-time user of Altium Designer Pro since around 2009. I had a perpetual license up until 2021 or so when it was discontinued and moved to the Annual Subscription model. When it was time to renew, Develop had just been released. I was surprised Develop had ALL of the same features I was already using, and for less than half price. Cons The onboarding was a disaster. The sales team told me my A365 would be unchanged, but in reality they gave me a new workspace and disabled access to the old. I had one revision that I had not transferred and it's lost forever. It still struggles with some of the same recent issues that plague other current versions. Mainly, the selection algorithm stops choosing some components. Restarting fixes it, but it shouldn't be happening at all. This is not Develop's fault - this is an admin issue. I don't think I need to elaborate. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. PO Pelin O. Hardware Design Engineer Automotive ### "A tool that every designer should know about" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 June 30, 2025 Overall Altium 365 is a great tool for both academicians and professional users. It makes design procedures more easier and fast Pros Altium 365's ability to share designs with team members instantly is what I liked the most about the tool Cons There are two things I liked the least about Altium 365. The first one is the subscription cost and the second one is the learning curve to be familiar with the tool Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. PM Petros M. Junior Technical Engineer Telecommunications ### "What a tool for designers: Altium 365" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 25, 2025 Overall Altium 365 is a great tool with greate features, starting from my academics projects till now for my professional projects, I found Altium 365 really helpful Pros What I liked the most about Altium 365 is its feature of cloud based automatic Bill of Materials (BOM) generation, which saves much time. Cons What I liked the least about Altium 365 is the learning curve, which is a little difficult for beginner designers Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. RF Rustam F. Hardware Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing ### "A greate design collaboration tool: Altium 365" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 21, 2025 Overall Altium 365 is a great tool with greate features. From web based cloud design environment to automatic BOM generation it made my design procedures easier Pros The thing I liked the most about this tool, Altium 365, is that it has a feature of collaborative design which is cloud based and easy to access anywhere Cons The subscription fee and the learning curve are the things I liked the least about Altium 365. It should have alternatives with lower subscription fee Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. YK Yusuf K. Embedded Systems Engineer Design ### "A tool everyone should know: Altium 365" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 20, 2025 Overall Altium 365 is a great tool, it makes most things easier. I have a good experience using it and for sure it continues this way Pros The thing I liked the most from the features of Altium 365 is that its ability to create a web based collaborative design workspace Cons The thing is that when the subscription period passed we couldn't have access to our workspace, so we shoud have an active subscription inorder that our data stays there Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. MC Mahmut C. Senior electronic hardware design engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing ### "What a great design tool: Altium 365" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 15, 2025 Overall Altium 365 is a greate cloud based collaborative design platform and it helped me throughout my career. I love this tool. Pros The thing I liked the most about Altium 365 is that its feature of online accessibility of designs and design collaboration features. Cons The thing I liked the least is that availability of free resources to learn the tool is not abundant Switched from [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/) Because Altium 365 provides all in one features that are critical for designers Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. HM Hossein M. Electronics Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing ### "What I liked and be disappointed about Altium 365" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 11, 2025 Overall Altium 365 is a great web based design collaboration tool and it helped me a lot. But it would be great if the subscription fee is reduced a little or include a version with limited features and lesser price. Pros The tool Altium 365 is a great tool with incredible features. Its automatic generation of Bill of Materials (BOM) made my designs time efficient Cons The learning curve is somehow difficult and it’s hard to get free resources on it. So it’s hard to get started and be familiar with its features. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. AA Ashenafi A. Technical Supervisor and Hardware Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing ### "Altium 365: A tool each design team should have" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 6, 2025 Overall Altium 365 is a great tool and it helped my organizations design team a lot. We are performing good with Altium 365 Pros I like the feature of Altium 365 being able to be accessible from any computer whether it has Altium Designer installed or not. It allows me to access my designs anytime through web based interactive interface. Cons The thing I liked the least is that its accessibility is dependent on having a valid Altium Designer license, means when the license expires I couldn't access my designs Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. FN Fatih N. Embedded hardware engineer Aviation & Aerospace ### "Altium 365: A tool every hardware designer should know" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 5, 2025 Overall Altium 365 is a great tool and everyone in the field of hardware design should use it. It helped me starting from my academics projects and now for professional projects. Pros What I liked the most is that its feature of being able to share design files instantly with team members, view changes live, and comment on specific parts of the PCB layout saved us a lot of time and eliminated version control issues. It brought true cloud-based hardware design to our workflow. Cons What I liked the least about Altium 365 is that it is hard to learn the full functionalities. While the platform is powerful, setting up permissions and navigating between design, BOM, and documentation tools could feel overwhelming at first without proper training. Switched from [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/) Since Altium 365 has a great web based collaboration feature, I shifted from KiCad EDA to Altium 365 for my designs. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. DF Derese F. Electronics Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing ### "Altium 365 and great features you should know" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 June 1, 2025 Overall I am grateful using Altium 365 and it helped me a lot throughout my design projects, it made collaboration with friends and automatic generation of Bill of Materials. Pros Altium 365 is more than what I've thought, its feature of cloud based collaboration on design projects made my project management efficient. Cons The thing I don't like is it hasn't many resources online to learn its full features. So first I wasn't able to use all the features efficiently. Review source Vendor Referred - Incentive Offered: This reviewer was invited by the software vendor to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive as a thank you. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. 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