Altium Designer vs CircuitLab
Altium Designer
altium.comCircuitLab
circuitlab.comSide by side
| Figure | Altium Designer | CircuitLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $460/mo | $2/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 9 |
| Spec score · Electrical Design Software | 8.4 (#4) | 8.2 (#7) |
| Platform | An Altium comparison page lists Windows 10 and newer as supported and says macOS and Linux are not supported. | The membership feature list says CircuitLab runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and works on iPad in a browser. |
| Purpose | Altium Designer is an integrated electronics design tool covering schematic capture, PCB layout, simulation, and analysis. | CircuitLab provides in-browser tools for schematic capture and circuit simulation for students, hobbyists, and professional engineers. |
| Simulation | The product supports SPICE simulation, power issue resolution, and signal integrity analysis. | It supports analog and digital simulation, including mixed-mode simulation, frequency-domain analysis, and parameter sweeps. |
| Support | Altium lists documentation, a knowledge base, ticketed support cases, training, and community forums as support resources. | CircuitLab directs users to online documentation and community support forums; Enterprise support is listed with a response within 24 hours. |
Plans
CircuitLab
- CircuitLab Hacker Lite$16 a month
- CircuitLab Micro$24 a year
- CircuitLab Hacker$26 a month
- CircuitLab Pro$39 a month
- CircuitLab Hacker Lite$79 a year
- CircuitLab Hacker$129 a year
- CircuitLab Pro$399 a year
- CircuitLab Student Edition$2,400 a year
- CircuitLab EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Altium Designer
Altium Designer has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
CircuitLab
CircuitLab provides in-browser tools for schematic capture and circuit simulation for students, hobbyists, and professional engineers. It supports analog, digital, and mixed-mode simulation, plus frequency-domain analysis and parameter sweeps. Users can import SPICE device models and use CSV files as signal sources. Schematics can be exported as PDF, PNG, EPS, or SVG, and unique circuit URLs make it possible to share designs or ask for help.
CircuitLab runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux and works in a browser on iPad. Its membership information also describes offline access through the Chrome Web Store and SSL-encrypted access. It offers a free plan and paid subscriptions, including Micro at $24 a year, Hacker Lite at $16 a month, Hacker at $26 a month, and Pro at $39 a month. The pricing note lists a starting rate of $2/mo (annual). Commercial use is permitted with Pro and Enterprise subscriptions; otherwise, the terms describe use as personal and non-commercial unless otherwise specified. Support includes online documentation and community forums.