A single electronics design environment – from schematics to a 3D model of the finished product
Altium is an American-Australian electronic design company founded in 1985 and part of Renesas since 2024. Its core product, Altium Designer is used together with Altium 365 and Altium Agile, creating a unified ecosystem for electronic product development – from schematics and the first prototype to team collaboration, data management and preparation for manufacturing. Today, Altium solutions are used by more than 100,000 professional engineers, while the number of commercial subscribers exceeds 60,000.
Altium Designer (AD) is a professional ECAD environment for printed circuit board design in which schematic capture, PCB routing, 3D visualisation and preparation of manufacturing data are handled in one program without constant export and import between separate tools. The system is suitable for high-speed projects with DDR4/DDR5, supports rigid-flex and multi-board designs, and PCB data can be transferred to Ansys Electronics Desktop via EDB for advanced Signal Integrity, Power Integrity and EMI analysis. Unlike a toolchain with separate EDA software, a separate 3D viewer and a separate BOM manager, AD keeps the main development stages within one connected project context. More information about Altium is available on the GEO-MENTOR website.
| Capability | Altium Designer | Separate tools |
| Schematics and PCB | Schematics and routing are linked within one project | Data must be exchanged between programs |
| High-speed boards | Supports differential pairs, length tuning and DDR4/DDR5 design | Functionality depends on the selected tools |
| 3D and board types | 3D representation, rigid-flex and multi-board in one environment | A separate 3D tool is often required |
| Analysis | Data transfer to Ansys for Signal/Power Integrity and EMI via EDB | PCB data has to be transferred between different systems |
| BOM and manufacturing | BOM and manufacturing data are linked to the project | Data may be managed in separate applications |
PCB design ECAD software Altium brings the main stages of electronics development into one ECAD environment. Engineers can work on a project from the initial schematic through to preparing data for manufacturing. The key tools are interconnected, making changes easier to control at every stage.
Schematic Capture in Altium Designer supports hierarchical schematics, signal harnesses and ERC checks. This helps structure complex projects and identify connection errors before moving to PCB design. For new teams, Altium Designer training makes it easier to learn both basic and enterprise workflows.
PCB Layout combines component placement, interactive routing and constraint control. This type of PCB design ECAD software is suitable for high-speed projects with DDR4/DDR5. Key tools include:
This makes it possible to control critical signal lines directly during routing.
3D visualisation makes it possible to check board shape, components and mechanical clearances. MCAD CoDesigner synchronises the project with SOLIDWORKS, PTC Creo and Autodesk Inventor. For a broader ECAD-MCAD workflow, GEO-MENTOR also provides Dassault Systemes.
Altium Designer supports mixed-signal SPICE simulation through MixedSim. For advanced analysis, the project can be transferred to Ansys Electronics Desktop via EDB. Signal Integrity, Power Integrity and EMI analysis are available there.
Draftsman is used for assembly and manufacturing drawings, while ActiveBOM manages the component list. Supported outputs include:
ActiveBOM also helps track manufacturers, availability, prices and component supply sources through connected databases.
Altium Designer is the platform’s core ECAD environment, while other solutions extend it with collaboration, data management and product lifecycle capabilities. The choice depends on team size and the depth of enterprise integration.
| Solution | What it does | Who it is for |
| Altium Designer | Schematics, PCB routing, 3D and documentation output | PCB engineers and design teams |
| Altium Agile | Managed processes, roles, approvals and digital continuity | Medium-sized and large engineering organisations |
| Altium 365 | Cloud project storage, collaboration, comments and version management | Distributed teams |
| Altium Discover | Component search and selection with pricing and availability data | Engineers and procurement specialists |
| Altium Lifecycle | Connects ECAD processes with PLM, supply chain and manufacturing | Companies managing the full electronics lifecycle |
Altium Designer price depends on the licence format, number of seats and geographical scope of use. Subscription models and configuration selection for the Ukrainian and CIS markets are available.
| Option | Who it is for | Minimum seats | Key feature |
| Single Site | Local teams at one site | 1 | Licence use within a single site |
| Continental | Distributed teams within one continent (region) | from 3 | Shared licence use across offices |
| Global | International teams | from 5 | Shared licence pool for divisions in different countries |
Engineering teams benefit from managing development in one environment – from schematics and PCB through 3D checks, documentation and preparation for manufacturing. This reduces errors when data moves between stages. Altium combines high-speed interface routing, multi-board and rigid-flex projects, 3D design and cloud collaboration, while support for common formats simplifies data exchange with other engineering systems.
The platform is used in aerospace, defence, medical, telecommunications and other industries, and regularly receives new features and support for current technologies. In Altium Designer engineers also have access to the Altium Forum, technical documentation and the extensive Learning Hub resource base. To review terms, licences and a suitable configuration for your team, you can request a consultation for your organisation from GEO-MENTOR specialists.
Altium Designer is an ECAD system for developing electronic devices and printed circuit boards. Engineers use it to create schematics, perform PCB Layout, define routing rules, check 3D assembly and generate manufacturing files. The system is suitable for standard, multi-board and rigid-flex projects. It is used when schematics, PCB, BOM and documentation need to remain linked within one project.
Altium Designer differs through its developed enterprise ecosystem around PCB design. KiCad covers a broad range of schematic and routing tasks without a licence fee. Altium adds Altium 365, ActiveBOM, MCAD CoDesigner, PCB Co-Authoring and PLM integrations. KiCad may be sufficient for standalone development. Distributed teams more often need version management, access rights and cross-disciplinary data exchange.
$1,990 per year is the price of Altium Develop for one Altium Designer Author. Additional authors and enterprise tiers have different terms. Companies also need to consider Single Site, Continental or Global licensing, along with collaboration features and integrations. The exact cost is therefore calculated after the team structure and required workflow have been defined, taking the selected licence type into account.
Yes, collaboration is available through Altium 365 and Altium Develop/Agile solutions. Workspace provides project, access, comment and version management. PCB Co-Authoring allows several engineers to work on the same board and coordinate changes. The available functions depend on the licence, so determine in advance whether your team needs simultaneous PCB work.
MCAD CoDesigner is used to integrate Altium Designer with SOLIDWORKS, allowing engineers to exchange board shape, component and mechanical changes. CoDesigner also supports PTC Creo, Autodesk Inventor, Fusion and Siemens NX. Direct compatibility with CATIA should be checked for the specific version and workflow. Data exchange can be organised through neutral 3D formats or PLM. GEO-MENTOR can help configure the ECAD-MCAD working environment.
