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DesignSpark PCB vs Altium Designer: catalog facts
DesignSpark PCB	Altium Designer
Best for: Hobbyists and engineers designing circuit boards on a budget	Best for: Professional PCB design suite covering schematics, layout, and simulation
Free + paid options Free plan available, with paid Creator and Engineer plans that add advanced features.	Paid Commercial license; no free tier.
Windows	Windows
Free plan without limits on layers, connections or schematic size Schematic capture and PCB layout in one program All 3 strengths for DesignSpark PCB Free plan without limits on layers, connections or schematic size Schematic capture and PCB layout in one program Interactive HTML BOM export and length-matching routing in higher plans	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
Several newer features are limited to paid plans Not open source	Expensive commercial licensing aimed at professional teams, not hobbyists Windows-only, with a steep learning curve for newcomers to PCB design
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 DesignSpark PCB rs-online.com/designspark/pcb-software Catalog checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Altium Designer altium.com/altium-designer Catalog checked September 22, 2026

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