--- title: "Altium Develop Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Altium Develop the right Engineering CAD solution for you? Explore 182 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Altium Develop 4.6 (182) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/175058/Altium-Designer/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated September 16th, 2026 # Reviews of Altium Develop Ease of use 4.3 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews DM Derese M Electronics Design EngineerElectrical/Electronic Manufacturing, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “What I like the most is its interactive cloud based design showing feature, which avoids opening Altium Designer every time I want to open my designs.“ May 14, 2025 KA Karl A PCB Designer, Embedded Hardware EngineerComputer Hardware, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “The fact that some readily available extensions, like PDN and SI Analyzer by Keysight, are NOT available to standard (perpetual license) customers like me.“ December 18, 2024 JD Jon D Configuration Systems EngineerElectrical/Electronic Manufacturing, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Altium Designer is an intelligent and user-friendly PCB design platform that has enhanced my company's design capabilities tremendously.“ December 10, 2024 KA Kamal A Sales and Technical coordinatorAutomotive, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “The BOM files aren't updated according to the schematic, for instance by updating the BOM doc, you will face some troubles.“ December 18, 2024 AA Ashenafi A Technical Supervisor and Hardware EngineerElectrical/Electronic Manufacturing, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “It allows me to access my designs anytime through web based interactive interface.“ June 6, 2025 MB Maya B Design and EngineeringRenewables & Environment, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Lack of generic symbol libraries and having to build up your own libraries before you actually can get down to your design.“ December 10, 2024 NA Nick A FounderAutomotive, Self-employedUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “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 to move very quickly.“ December 17, 2024 PM Petros M Junior Technical EngineerTelecommunications, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “What I liked the least about Altium 365 is the learning curve, which is a little difficult for beginner designers“ June 25, 2025 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 182 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use H S Younes B. engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Discover the Power of Altium Designer: A Comprehensive PCB Design Solution " January 31, 2023 4.0 Pros The best quality of Altium Designer software is its comprehensive and integrated approach to PCB design. It offers a range of advanced features and capabilities, including:User-friendly interface and intuitive design flowAdvanced schematic capture and component managementHigh-performance, multi-layer PCB layoutRobust design verification and analysis toolsSeamless data management and collaboration with team membersExtensive libraries and components databasesIntegration with popular industry tools and standards.These features and capabilities make Altium Designer a highly effective and efficient solution for PCB design, delivering exceptional quality and reliability. Cons The worst thing about Altium Designer software is its high cost compared to some other similar products in the market. It is a premium solution and the pricing may not be attractive for organizations with limited budgets or for hobbyists and makers who are just starting with PCB design. Additionally, the software may have a steep learning curve for some users, especially those who are new to PCB design or electronics. Some users may also find the software to be resource-intensive, requiring a high-performance computer with ample memory and storage. Finally, some users may experience technical issues or compatibility problems with certain hardware or software platforms. Review Source FN Fatih N. Embedded hardware engineer Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Altium 365: A tool every hardware designer should know" June 5, 2025 5.0 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 AH Aaron H. President Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Develop - same as Pro at Half Price" August 20, 2026 5.0 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 DM Doug M. Director of Engineering Industrial Automation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "If they can solve tech support responsiveness issues, this is a great tool" December 10, 2024 3.0 All good except tech support is slower than I've ever experienced. Pros Industry acceptance, good integration, active BOM feature Cons Tech support responsiveness has been abysmal Switched from [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/) Hoping to get something more industry-accepted, more capability for complex boards. Review Source MÇ Mahmut Ç. Senior electronic hardware design engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "What a great design tool: Altium 365" June 15, 2025 5.0 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 BD Bethlehem D. Electronic Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Design together with Altium 365" May 29, 2025 5.0 Overall I'm good using Altium 365, starting from day one it helped me a lot through my professional projects. Pros I like its seamless cloud-based collaboration. Unlike traditional design environments that rely on file-based sharing and manual version control, Altium 365 allows real-time access and editing of PCB projects from anywhere. Cons The thing I don't like about Altium 365 is that the pricing for subscription is a little expensive. It could make it unaffordable to beginner designers. Switched from [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/) To use Altium 365's feature of collaborative design. Review Source BH Binyam H. Electromechanical Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Altium 365 and its use" May 20, 2025 5.0 I am good using it, I mean it helped me a lot since day one. It allowed me to collaborate with my team in a single workspace while doing projects. Pros I like Altium 365 feature of automatic Bill of Materials (BOM) generation, I also liked the interactive web based design viewing and storage capability of Altium 365 Cons Some of the features are hard to learn at first glance since there aren't plenty of free resourses to learn about it. So it might be hard to understand for beginners Switched from [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/) Since Altium has great features to manage my projects well Review Source LT LIDYA T. Lead Electrical and Computer Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Altium 365 and its great features" March 13, 2025 5.0 I'm quite happy using it and hope it would be like this in the future too Pros The features are really great. Its collaboration feature along with being cloud based, it makes the tool very useful. Cons I like everything about this great tool , and there's nothing I could hate Switched from [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/) This Altium 365 has all in one features that makes a project management easier Review Source YK Yusuf K. Embedded Systems Engineer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A tool everyone should know: Altium 365" June 20, 2025 5.0 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 HM Hossein M. Electronics Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "What I liked and be disappointed about Altium 365" June 11, 2025 5.0 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 NB Nathan B. Electrical Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Altium 365 - Fantastic accessory to the Altium package" October 13, 2023 5.0 With the ability to request parts, review designs and share project information and only require an account and invite to the organisation is a great bonus. Data can be shared with internal and external parties who wouldn't normally have access to the design software but then can view and data very easily. The option to live track components costs and availability is also a huge time saver. Pros The ability to log on and view project data from any location via a browser. If I'm working from home, in the office or in the lab I can view and analyse project data without needing to open the project in the application taking a licence from my colleagues who may need it to design. Cons I have encountered issues with some tools. The Assembly function is great but misses some components off on occasion. The Assembly View is in Beta. Alternatives considered [CR-8000 Design Force](https://www.capterra.com/p/175726/CR-8000-Design-Force/) Reason for choosing Altium Develop Cost and Ease of compatibility for current design data Review Source ES Ed S. Electrical Engineer Oil & Energy Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Altium Designer Review" December 21, 2023 5.0 Overall I have had a good experience with Altium Designer. It was relatively easy to migrate from another major schematic capture/PCB layout package. Both packages had their pluses and minuses which pretty much balanced out, but Altium's lower cost tends to make it stand out. Pros The ability to work from one software program is nice and seamless. 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 for multiple board versions. Cons Other PCB design packages easily allow displaying components and nets in user selectable colors by selecting the components or nets to be colored from the schematic which is great when grouping parts for placement and for verifying specific nets do not stray from where they are supposed to be. Reason for choosing Altium Develop I chose to stay with Altium because it was already in place at my new place of work, and it was very capable of producing quality work. Not only was it more cost effective per seat, but the initial seat was already paid for. It did so well that we later invested in a second license. Switched from [Event Cadence](https://www.capterra.com/p/215564/Cadence/) Altium was in use at my latest job. I could have switched to Cadence OrCAD/Cadence Allegro which I was more familiar with, but Altium Designer was more than capable to produce equivalent work, so it made sense to stick with it which prevented having to deal with legacy files including viewing and maintenance, and the need for the additional software to do so. Review Source AD Abrham D. Electrical and computer Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Navigating Altium 365: Pros, Cons, and Key Features" August 2, 2024 5.0 Overall I am glad that I used this tool so far. It has too many incredible features that helped me in my journey as an electrical engineer. I recommend anyone in the field of electronics or related professional to use Altium 365. Pros The platform integrates design, version control, BOM management, and cloud storage into a single environment, which streamlines workflows and increases productivity. Real-time collaboration allows team members to work together, comment on designs, and track changes, enhancing communication and minimizing errors. Additionally, its cloud-based setup provides convenient access from anywhere, making it a valuable tool for contemporary PCB design projects. Cons What I like least about Altium 365 is that its comprehensive features and integration can be daunting for newcomers, making it challenging to learn quickly. Furthermore, its dependence on a reliable internet connection for cloud access can lead to performance issues if the connection is unstable. Additionally, the subscription price might be viewed as relatively expensive compared to other PCB design software. Switched from [OrCAD X](https://www.capterra.com/p/10015795/OrCAD-X/) I made the switch to Altium 365 for its seamless integration of design, version control, BOM management, and cloud storage. Its real-time collaboration features enhance teamwork and communication. Additionally, the platform's cloud-based access offers flexibility and convenience for remote work. Review Source yM yibeltal M. Electrical Engineer Computer Hardware Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A great electronics design tool for professionals and students" May 6, 2024 5.0 as an electrical engineer especialising on electronics design I found Altium designer the most necessary designing tool for every professional pcb designer and for academic purposes Pros It is an industry standard designing tool and it provides great features for schematics simulation and pcb designing Cons It might be a little expensive for beginner designers to afford it Switched from [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/) because of the industry standard features altium designer provides and the markets need for design engineers who use altium designer Review Source SB Sisay B. Hardware Engineer Computer Hardware Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "What a great tool, Altium 365" March 6, 2025 5.0 I have a good experience of using Altium 365 and it helped me a lot on my projects. Pros It has a great future on cloud based interactive interface for our designs. Cons Its interactive future and allowing team members on a project to collaborate joining the workspace. Review Source sM saravanakumar M. ENGINEERING MANAGER Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Engineering manager review for Altium for PCB Design" December 20, 2024 5.0 Simple tool easy to learn and use ,we are using for PCB design its helping a lot Pros E CAD Connectivity is good and integration with other software is good. Cons it will take lot of time to understand some of the features. Review Source TH Tam H. Research Engineer Internet Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Altium Designer for Engineer 2024" December 18, 2024 4.0 I'm happy with what Altium Designer offering right now. Pros Well integrated environment, very convenient to switch between schematic and layout, part search is very useful. Cons location of buttons, panels, etc, keep changing for every update version. could you just update the functionality and keep the user interface the same for all versions. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Electrical Engineer Industrial Automation Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Altium 365: Ultimate ECAD tool " October 3, 2023 5.0 Altium is an extremely useful and intuitive ECAD tool that allows users to create customized processes, design complex boards accurately, and produce great documentation and PCBAs. It also allows teams from different disciplines to work together and visually explore circuit designs. Pros The 3D view and ability to interface with Solidworks (and other CAD tools) allows complicated electromechanical designs to be created accurately. Cons Due to the large amount of features, the program is buggy at times. The grid system could also have finer resolution. Review Source JB Josh B. Senior Electronics Engineer Research Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "JB Loves Altium, Can't Wait to See What's Next" April 11, 2023 5.0 We are a small shop and our turn-over for students can make managing, tracking, and updating project work a challenge. With 365, however, that's no longer an issue. I can manage just about every aspect of a project from within Altium, on the fly. I really love using this program. Pros The ability to manage and coordinate multiple project efforts with designers ranging from my 10+ yrs. experience to undergraduate, student workers has made a world of difference. We can all access the same library and share parts with ease. Our projects can be updated without concerns of either engineering team, electrical or mechanical, running into conflicts or missing critical design changes. We get version control plus localized storage for the best of both worlds. What's not to like? Cons Of course there are always ways to grow and improve, but honestly the main desire I have is for more, manufacturer-approved footprints and models, possibly via a user-contributor portal. Possibly some in-program tutorials for setting up probing and/or design simulation? I know you already offer webinars, but maybe there's a way to make some of that knowledge available through the program? Heck, maybe that already exists and I just need to make some more time to explore. Reason for choosing Altium Develop Much, much better interface, much more feature-rich software, version control and cloud management, built-in libraries, CAD and collaboration features, simulation capabilities, not to mention that Altium is the accepted industry standard and is what we prefer to teach our student employees to prepare them for employement. Review Source LG Lou G. Senior Electronics Engineer Industrial Automation Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Altium Designer-It is the best I've used so far." October 18, 2023 5.0 We recently solved high voltage clearance issues, differential signal routing issues, and 22 layers. Wow! Pros Everything works. Most of it is self explanatory, and easy to find. Since I have only been using it for a few years, I've recently had to learn it. Given that I have used three of its competitors, I know a little about these platforms. Altium is far and away the best and most comprehensive. Cons I would have to say that the complexity of the software, and its integration with schematics, BOMs, CAD, etc, make it more difficult to learn initially. Alternatives considered [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/)[Event Cadence](https://www.capterra.com/p/215564/Cadence/) Reason for choosing Altium Develop Reliability and comprehensive. Switched from [KiCad EDA](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006638/KiCad-EDA/) New JOb Review Source JD Josh D. Principal Electrical Engineer Research Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My Preferred Design Tool" January 2, 2024 5.0 Pros I like the efficiency that I get from AD. Having been a Cadence user for several years with a previous company, the component library and parts creation was incredibly inefficient and error-prone. Altium has streamlined my workflow tremendously. The seamless integration from schematic to layout is also a huge advantage for AD, as well as the mechanical design workflow with MCAD CoDesigner. Cons There have been occasional buggy issues with the software and extensions. I sometime feel like releases happen too often and the user becomes a Beta tester. Paying customers should only get a fully vetted release and the frequency of new versions suggests otherwise to me. Review Source BB Bobby B. Systems Engineer Medical Devices Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Altium365 Review" January 3, 2024 4.0 Love being able to effortlessly save and manage components to 365 that can be later used on any device or project instead of having to manage local libraries that must be shared between many projects and have to manage directories and file links to import correct parts when switching between workspaces. Pros Free add on to our current Altium Designer suite and accounts so managing and maintaining is much more efficient than a standalone solution. Cons Can be difficult managing between local and 365 content and syncing between the two to ensure the latest version is being saved to 365 for later use and revisioning. Review Source GF Guilherme F. Hardware Engineer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "If you work alone, 365 its not for you" September 26, 2023 5.0 Pros It gave ume the ability to colaborate with my colleagues so much easier, that I dont imagine a scenario wich I dont use 365. Cons User experience can always be improved, although we are all engineers it should be made in way that everyone could use it. Review Source DS Domas S. Student Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great software " March 22, 2024 4.0 Definitely is important to have, easy to check your projects and do small changes. Pros Able to work from different devices, without the need to move my license from/to devices. Cons Can get slow, buggy. Altium designer feels way better and more comfortable. Review Source GK Greg K. Electronics Engineer Mining & Metals Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One of the best electronics engineering design suites available on the market. " October 26, 2023 5.0 I am using Altium 365 to design numerous Electronics Circuit Boards. Track hardware revisions and changes Pros Ease of use, and ability to track and handle multiple electronics designs. Cons It is a little pricey. It would be nice to have a lower cost option. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.