Altium Designer vs Circuit Wizard

Struggling to choose between Altium Designer and Circuit Wizard? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Altium Designer is a Development solution with tags like pcb-design, schematic-capture, layout, manufacturing.

It boasts features such as PCB Layout and Routing, 3D PCB Visualization, FPGA Design, MCAD Co-Design, BOM Generation and Supply Chain Management, Simulation and Signal Integrity Analysis, Version Control and Design Data Management and pros including Powerful routing and layout tools, Intuitive 3D visualization, Tight integration between schematic and PCB, Support for complex designs like high-speed or RF, Extensive component libraries.

On the other hand, Circuit Wizard is a Development product tagged with circuit-simulation, analog-circuits, digital-circuits, pcb-design.

Its standout features include Component libraries with over 2000 parts, Virtual instruments like oscilloscope, multimeter, function generator, SPICE simulation engine, Graphing and analysis tools, PCB layout and autorouting, Import/export circuits as images or netlists, Multi-language support, and it shines with pros like Free and easy to use, Large component library, Allows testing circuits before building, Good for learning and education.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Altium Designer

Altium Designer

Altium Designer is professional printed circuit board (PCB) design software used for schematic capture, PCB layout, and file output for manufacturing. It helps engineers design and prototype complex electronic hardware products.

Categories:
Development Electronic Design Automation
pcb-design schematic-capture layout manufacturing

Altium Designer Features

  1. PCB Layout and Routing
  2. 3D PCB Visualization
  3. FPGA Design
  4. MCAD Co-Design
  5. BOM Generation and Supply Chain Management
  6. Simulation and Signal Integrity Analysis
  7. Version Control and Design Data Management

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based
  • Custom Pricing

Pros

Powerful routing and layout tools

Intuitive 3D visualization

Tight integration between schematic and PCB

Support for complex designs like high-speed or RF

Extensive component libraries

Cons

Steep learning curve

Expensive licensing model

Limited free version capabilities

Resource intensive

Circuit Wizard

Circuit Wizard

Circuit Wizard is a free circuit simulation software for Windows. It allows users to design and test analog and digital circuits before building them. Key features include component libraries, virtual instruments, graphing tools, and PCB layout.

Categories:
Development Circuit Design
circuit-simulation analog-circuits digital-circuits pcb-design

Circuit Wizard Features

  1. Component libraries with over 2000 parts
  2. Virtual instruments like oscilloscope, multimeter, function generator
  3. SPICE simulation engine
  4. Graphing and analysis tools
  5. PCB layout and autorouting
  6. Import/export circuits as images or netlists
  7. Multi-language support

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and easy to use

Large component library

Allows testing circuits before building

Good for learning and education

Cons

Limited simulation features compared to paid options

No online community support

Only available for Windows