CometCAD vs Altium Designer

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

CometCAD is a Development solution with tags like 2d-cad, drafting, design, architectural-drawings, mechanical-drawings, floor-plans, electrical-diagrams.

It boasts features such as 2D drafting and design, Create architectural drawings, Create mechanical drawings, Create floor plans, Create electrical diagrams, Lightweight and easy to use and pros including Free and open source, Available on Windows, Linux and Mac, Good for simple 2D CAD tasks, Easy to use interface.

On the other hand, Altium Designer is a Development product tagged with pcb-design, schematic-capture, layout, manufacturing.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like 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.

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.

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:
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


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:
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