Altium Designer vs CometCAD

Struggling to choose between Altium Designer and CometCAD? 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, CometCAD is a Development product tagged with 2d-cad, drafting, design, architectural-drawings, mechanical-drawings, floor-plans, electrical-diagrams.

Its standout features include 2D drafting and design, Create architectural drawings, Create mechanical drawings, Create floor plans, Create electrical diagrams, Lightweight and easy to use, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Available on Windows, Linux and Mac, Good for simple 2D CAD tasks, Easy to use interface.

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

CometCAD

CometCAD

CometCAD is a free, open-source 2D CAD program for Windows, Linux and Mac. It has basic 2D drafting and design features for architectural drawings, mechanical drawings, floor plans, electrical diagrams and more. It's lightweight and easy to use for simple 2D CAD tasks.

Categories:
Development Cad
2d-cad drafting design architectural-drawings mechanical-drawings floor-plans electrical-diagrams

CometCAD Features

  1. 2D drafting and design
  2. Create architectural drawings
  3. Create mechanical drawings
  4. Create floor plans
  5. Create electrical diagrams
  6. Lightweight and easy to use

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Available on Windows, Linux and Mac

Good for simple 2D CAD tasks

Easy to use interface

Cons

Limited features compared to paid CAD software

No 3D modeling capabilities

Lacks advanced tools for complex projects

Basic documentation and support resources