CircuitMaker is Altium's free community PCB design tool — built on the same engine as Altium Designer but with cloud-only, public-by-default storage that has built a vibrant maker / hobbyist community.
Full Pricing Breakdown
Official software licensing terms, volume discounts, educational exemptions, and renewal fees vary significantly across countries, exchange rates, and regional authorized resellers. Click below to verify real-time terms directly on the vendor portal.
Official deployment options, concurrent multi-user licensing, and educational discounts are configured per enterprise seat on the vendor portal.
View Official Pricing PageKey Capabilities
PCB Design
Cloud
Components
Community
Technical Audit
Compatibility & Interoperability
Trust & Support
The Pros
- Real Altium engine for free
- Cloud project hosting is friction-free
- Open-source-style sharing community
The Cons
- Free tier requires public projects (no commercial confidentiality)
- Windows-only
- Pro tier exists for private projects — not really free for industry use
CADGuide Verdict
Final Professional Conclusion
"Free Altium for hobbyists who don't mind making their projects public — a great way to learn the Altium UI before paying."
Expert Q&A
?What is CircuitMaker used for?
Free community-edition PCB design from Altium, with public-cloud project sharing. CircuitMaker is an EDA solution widely adopted in Electronics, Hobbyist, Education.
?How much does CircuitMaker cost?
CircuitMaker is completely free to download and use with no paid license required. Visit the official website for download and license terms.
?Is CircuitMaker really free?
Yes — CircuitMaker is a free product distributed by the vendor. You can download and use it without paying a license fee. Premium services, training, or vertical add-ons may be sold separately.
?What operating systems does CircuitMaker support?
CircuitMaker runs on Windows.
?Which file formats does CircuitMaker support?
CircuitMaker works with standard EDA interchange formats including Gerber, IPC-2581, and ODB++. Check the vendor's official documentation for the complete list of supported import and export options.
?What are the best alternatives to CircuitMaker?
The closest alternatives to CircuitMaker are EasyEDA, KiCad, DipTrace. EasyEDA (available with a free tier) competes directly on core Electronics workflows, while KiCad (free and open-source) is another top-rated option in the same category. Compare their full specifications, file-format compatibility, and TCO side-by-side on CADGuide.
