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CircuitMaker vs OrCAD X: catalog facts
CircuitMaker	OrCAD X
Best for: Hobbyists and makers designing circuit boards for free	Best for: Electrical engineers and small teams designing professional printed circuit boards
Free Free to use, including for commercial designs.	Paid Paid licences in three editions, with a free trial.
Windows	Windows
Built on Altium Designer technology Up to 16 signal and 16 plane layers with no board size limit All 4 strengths for CircuitMaker Built on Altium Designer technology Up to 16 signal and 16 plane layers with no board size limit Commercial use allowed Large community library backed by Octopart	Schematic, simulation and PCB layout in one suite SPICE and mixed-signal analysis in higher editions All 3 strengths for OrCAD X Schematic, simulation and PCB layout in one suite SPICE and mixed-signal analysis in higher editions Free trial and a viewer available
Only five private projects; others are shared with the community Proprietary, unlike KiCad	Commercial licences, with advanced features in higher editions More than hobby projects usually need
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Not open source	Not open source
License not stated	License not stated
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 CircuitMaker altium.com/circuitmaker Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for OrCAD X orcad.com Catalog checked September 24, 2026

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