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Altium Designer vs LibrePCB: catalog facts
Altium Designer	LibrePCB
Best for: Professional PCB design suite covering schematics, layout, and simulation	Best for: Hobbyists and students designing circuit boards with free software
Paid Commercial license; no free tier.	Free Free and open source with no paid tier.
Windows	Windows, macOS, 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	No cost, restrictions or online account Human-readable file format suited to Git All 4 strengths for LibrePCB No cost, restrictions or online account Human-readable file format suited to Git Structured library concept for symbols and footprints Runs on Windows, Linux and macOS
Expensive commercial licensing aimed at professional teams, not hobbyists Windows-only, with a steep learning curve for newcomers to PCB design	Smaller ecosystem of ready-made parts than long-established EDA tools No circuit simulation built in
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account 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 LibrePCB librepcb.org Catalog checked September 23, 2026

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