KiCad vs. Altium Designer

Comparison of KiCad and Altium Designer
Real cost
	KiCad A complete, free and open-source tool for schematics and boards, with no size limits. It takes time to learn.	Altium Designer The professional standard for complex boards, with the strongest routing. It is very expensive and runs only on Windows.
Price	0 €	3700 € per year
Payment	Free	Subscription
Trial	No trial	15-day trial
Free Tier	No free tier	No free tier
Open Source	Yes	No
Features and limits
Main Features	Schematic editor and board layout 3D view of the board Large part and footprint libraries Circuit simulation No limit on board size or layers	Schematic and board layout in one app Advanced routing for fast signals 3D check against the enclosure Part data from suppliers Team review and version history
Limits	Takes time to learn Fewer tools for teams than paid rivals	Runs only on Windows Very high price
Compatibility and trust
Supported Operating Systems	WindowsmacOS	Windows
Verified on	15 Oct 2026	3 Sep 2026
Where to buy
Vendor	Go to vendor’s site: KiCad (opens in a new tab) Free, open source.	Go to vendor’s site: Altium Designer (opens in a new tab) Subscription; the price depends on the plan. Approximate list price in euros, check the vendor.

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