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.

Feature	CometCAD	Altium Designer
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

CometCAD

Description: 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.

Altium Designer

Description: 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.

Key Features Comparison

CometCAD Features

• 2D drafting and design
• Create architectural drawings
• Create mechanical drawings
• Create floor plans
• Create electrical diagrams
• Lightweight and easy to use

Altium Designer Features

• 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

Pros & Cons Analysis

CometCAD

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

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

Pricing Comparison

CometCAD

• Free
• Open Source

Altium Designer

• Subscription-Based
• Custom Pricing