In the world of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design, one name stands atop the industry standard: Altium Designer. Known for its unified environment, powerful routing engines, and real-time 3D visualization, Altium Designer is the tool of choice for professional engineers at Fortune 500 companies. However, for students, hobbyists, startups, or freelancers, the professional license fee (often costing several thousand dollars) can be a steep barrier to entry.
If you need to test the software for a specific commercial project or evaluation, Altium offers a 30-day free trial of the full Altium Designer suite. Make the Switch and Import from KiCad to Altium Designer altium designer free software
| If your goal is... | Your best option is... | | :--- | :--- | | To get hired as a PCB designer | Altium Student License (Learn the industry standard) | | To launch a hardware startup on a budget | KiCad (No commercial restrictions, ever) | | To manufacture a simple IoT board cheaply | EasyEDA + JLCPCB | | To review designs as a manager | Altium 365 Free Viewer | | To design a 16-layer server motherboard | You need a paid Altium license or a very skilled KiCad user | Unlocking Professional PCB Design: The Truth About Altium
Access: Gives you full access to advanced features like multi-board assembly, rigid-flex design, and seamless Altium 365 cloud collaboration. 3. Altium 365 Viewer If you need to test the software for
In an effort to make its software more accessible, Altium introduced a free version of Altium Designer, which can be downloaded from its website. The free version, known as Altium Designer Free, offers a limited set of features compared to the full version. It allows users to create and edit PCB designs, including schematic capture, component placement, and routing. However, it lacks some of the advanced features, such as high-speed design, simulation, and analysis tools.