Can I import my existing design data?

Existing design data can be imported from a number of other design applications, including EAGLE. As long as EAGLE users have their original project files available, they can convert these into Altium Designer’s file format.

How does On-Demand licensing work?

On-Demand licensing gives you floating license capabilities within a geographic scope (as outlined in the EULA).

What is included in the price?

Software features can vary based on the license type selected at time of purchase. Pro license holders will have access to additional features through the Altium 365 platform; view a full comparison here. Pro licenses also grant access to additional on-demand support and training materials.

Are other add-ons required?

None of the add-ons available in Altium Designer are required to create and manufacture PCBs. The add-ons in Altium Designer are available for free. Some features, such as the integration with IHS Markit for real-time component data, are made available through Altium 365 and require a Pro license.

What are my recurring costs after year one?

If you choose a term-based license, or wish to add a maintenance subscription, there are ongoing costs. If you wish to purchase a perpetual/lifetime license without updates or Altium 365 features, there are no recurring costs.

Altium Designer® vs. EAGLE®
The Ultimate Comparison Guide

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Compare Altium Designer® vs. Autodesk EAGLE®

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Provides the most advanced PCB tools required by large teams and experienced professionals, yet still intuitive to new designers and students.

Simpler toolset makes EAGLE a good starter program for new engineers. Useful in small design firms and startups. Learn more

Key Features

Hierarchical schematic capture with integrated SPICE simulation

PCB editor with basic CAD tools and routing utilities

Built-in 3D design features with STEP model support

Intuitive interface for manufacturing output creation

Built-in libraries with basic components and distributor links

Support for multi-board systems and assemblies

Realistic layer stacks employ 3D field solver for accurate impedances

Advanced interactive routing features with built-in signal integrity tools

Fabrication and assembly drawing generation tools

Component management and BOM creation features with real-time supply chain data

Ability to collaborate with other users in a secure cloud platform

100% backwards compatible with files from all previous releases

100% forwards compatible with future product releases

Software updates

Monthly Releases
(active since 2000,
formerly Protel 1985-2000)

Last Release May 2020
(active since 1988)

Integration with Other Design Tools

Export design data for use in Ansys field solvers

Collaborate with mechanical teams with the MCAD CoDesigner extension

Multiple exporter utilities that support other CAD file formats

Convert old projects from other applications with multiple importers

Board Size & Layer Limits

Board Size

100 in. by 100 in.

Up to 4 m²

Schematic Sheets

Unlimited

999

Signal and Plane Layers

32 signal + 16 plane + unlimited mechanical

16 signal layers, no dedicated planes layers, 52 total layers

Business Opportunities

Unified design environment with all features in a single program

Ideal for new designers

Ideal for experienced designers

Job Offerings

per Glassdoor Nov. 2021

395 Jobs

14 Jobs

Average Base Pay of Users

per Glassdoor Nov. 2021

$64,307 per year
($40k - $104k)

Not enough data

Ideal for service bureaus

Ideal for start-ups

Ideal for enterprises that need collaboration and integration

Supported Platforms

Windows Server 2016 Standard Edition (64-bit)

Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)

Windows 10 (64-bit)

Windows 8 (64-bit)

Windows 7 or newer

OS X Yosemite (10.10.x)

El Capitan (10.11.x)

MacOS Sierra (10.12)

Linux

System Requirements

CPU

Intel^® Core i5 processor or equivalent

64-bit processor

RAM

4 GB RAM

3 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)

Video Memory

3 GB DDR4/DDR5 Video Memory

Disk Memory

12 GB disk space recommended

At least 650MB disk space

Screen Resolution

Minimum 1600x1200

Minimum 1024x768

Other

Microsoft Excel required for BOM,
Microsoft Access required for DbLibs

Linux users: 64 bit version requires libc.so.6 with subversion GLIBC_2.14 or higher

Pricing

Price

Starting at $325 /month

Starting at $347 /year

Time-based subscription

Perpetual license option

Multiple subscription options

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Altium Has Been Enabling Engineers
To Unify Their Design Environment Since 1985

Unify your entire PCB design environment via one platform
Interact and collaborate with mechanical designers like never before
Enjoy the #1 PCB design solution in the world
Route it your way, faster than ever
Altium Designer includes all the critical design features hobbyists and professional designers need.
It’s easy to convert projects from other software into Altium’s file format.
Altium Designer sees the highest demand by employers and industry leaders.
A complete toolset helps users take products from concept to high-volume production.
Altium’s design features are the most intuitive and easiest-to-use.
Individual engineers and large enterprises look to Altium to help them stay at the cutting edge of technology.

"To this day, I still don’t count on getting a design right on the first try, but with design rule changes that update automatically inside Altium Designer, I’m 99% there every time, and can pretty much go straight into production. I couldn’t do that with any other tool I’ve used."

Bill Herd,
Electronics Design Legend

"Altium Designer is a very unique PCB software system because everything you need is all in one place. The unified design environment is unlike any other tool I’ve seen"

Nicolas Furnemont
Mechatronics Engineer
Woodoo

"Altium Designer has also reduced the design cycle of the sensor controls of our transducers from three weeks to two weeks. This is a 30% increase in efficiency. Without this tool, we would have never made our frequency converters to Bosch Rexroth’s strict environmental and performance targets."

Wang Jianyuan
Technical Director
Bosch Rexroth

Trusted by over 20,000 companies, including

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About Altium

Since 1985, we have been developing, creating and selling award-winning electronic design tools (software and hardware) that help electronics designers harness the latest devices and technologies, manage their projects across broad design ‘ecosystems’, and create connected, intelligent designs.

Learn More About Altium

Which is better: Altium Designer or Eagle?

There are many reasons Altium Designer is a better choice than Autodesk Eagle. Altium Designer’s integrated set of PCB design and layout features is ideal for electronics engineers and PCB designers of any experience level. Some of the most important features that help Altium Designer rise above EAGLE in comparisons are found in the powerful routing, layout, and signal integrity tools:

Altium Designer’s PCB layout features are easier to use than EAGLE’s layout and CAD utilities
Auto-interactive routing features in Altium Designer keep users more productive than Eagle users
Altium users can access real-time supply chain data for components, while EAGLE users must manually create and update component databases
High-quality PCB fabrication and assembly drawings are easier to generate in Altium Designer vs. Autodesk Eagle thanks to Altium Designer’s built-in Draftsman utility
Altium Designer users can more easily automate many design reuse tasks using templates, reusable circuit blocks, and project management features
Altium’s Layer Stack Manager provides highly accurate real-time solver-based impedance calculations using a built-in Finite Element Analysis engine, while EAGLE users have to use an external program

Underneath the design features in Altium Designer is a design rules engine that unifies all of Altium’s PCB design, layout, and trace routing features into a single program. Unlike Autodesk’s Eagle users, Altium Designer users have everything needed to take an advanced design from concept to PCB fabrication for an assembled electronics product.

Why Switch from EAGLE to Altium Designer?

Switching from Eagle to Altium Designer?

Switching to Altium Designer from Eagle might seem like a huge leap. If you're an existing EAGLE user, it's easy to make the switch and start designing from Day 1. Altium Designer includes conversion tools for importing your old libraries and projects into Altium’s file format with minimal effort. All Altium Designer users can take advantage of free online resources to learn more about Altium's leading-edge design tools, basic principles, advanced techniques, new capabilities, and everything in-between. Don’t fear the unknown; Altium is the only solution built by PCB designers for PCB designers.

Discover Migration Options

* Autodesk EAGLE^® and EAGLE^® are registered trademarks owned by Autodesk Inc.

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Altium Designer® vs. EAGLE®The Ultimate Comparison Guide