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Horizon EDA vs Altium Designer: catalog facts
Horizon EDA	Altium Designer
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Best for: Design circuit boards from schematics through manufacturing files	Best for: Professional PCB design suite covering schematics, layout, and simulation
Free The open-source software is available without a license fee. Hosting, hardware and external services are separate.	Paid Commercial license; no free tier.
Windows, Linux	Windows
Includes parts management, interactive routing and design-rule checks.	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
Desktop builds target Windows and Linux.	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
Open source	Not open source
License: GPL-3.0	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 Horizon EDA github.com/horizon-eda/horizon github.com/horizon-eda/horizon/blob/master/LICENSE Catalog checked September 22, 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.

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