Compare software

Altium Designer vs Horizon EDA: catalog facts
Altium Designer	Horizon EDA
Best for: Professional PCB design suite covering schematics, layout, and simulation	Best for: Design circuit boards from schematics through manufacturing files
Paid Commercial license; no free tier.	Free The open-source software is available without a license fee. Hosting, hardware and external services are separate.
Windows	Windows, Linux
Covers the full workflow from schematic and simulation to layout and manufacturing files Widely used in professional electronics teams, so training and library resources are plentiful	Includes parts management, interactive routing and design-rule checks.
Expensive commercial licensing aimed at professional teams, not hobbyists Windows-only, with a steep learning curve for newcomers to PCB design	Desktop builds target Windows and Linux.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Altium Designer altium.com/altium-designer Catalog checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Horizon EDA github.com/horizon-eda/horizon github.com/horizon-eda/horizon/blob/master/LICENSE Catalog checked September 22, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.