Altium Designer vs PADS PCB Design

Struggling to choose between Altium Designer and PADS PCB Design? 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, PADS PCB Design is a Development product tagged with schematic-capture, pcb-layout, component-libraries, design-rule-checking, manufacturing-output.

Its standout features include Schematic capture, PCB layout and routing, Design rule checking, 3D modeling and visualization, Component library with over 500,000 parts, Imports netlists from various EDA tools, Generates manufacturing and assembly files, and it shines with pros like Powerful design features and capabilities, Extensive component libraries, Easy to learn and use, Great for complex, high-speed designs, Seamless ECAD/MCAD collaboration, Good technical support.

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

PADS PCB Design

PADS PCB Design

PADS PCB Design is printed circuit board (PCB) design software used for schematic capture and PCB layout. It offers extensive component libraries, design rule checking, and supports various output formats for manufacturing.

Categories:
Development Pcb Design
schematic-capture pcb-layout component-libraries design-rule-checking manufacturing-output

PADS PCB Design Features

  1. Schematic capture
  2. PCB layout and routing
  3. Design rule checking
  4. 3D modeling and visualization
  5. Component library with over 500,000 parts
  6. Imports netlists from various EDA tools
  7. Generates manufacturing and assembly files

Pricing

  • Subscription
  • Perpetual License

Pros

Powerful design features and capabilities

Extensive component libraries

Easy to learn and use

Great for complex, high-speed designs

Seamless ECAD/MCAD collaboration

Good technical support

Cons

Expensive licensing model

Steep learning curve for advanced features

Limited customization options

Frequent updates can introduce bugs

Weak simulation features compared to other tools