Altium vs KiCad: Which is the best option for you?

When making the decision to take the step from a wired prototype to the design of a printed circuit, it is necessary to take into account what tools are necessary to carry out said design. There are many hardware development tools available on the market, but there are two in particular that are quite versatile, Altium and KiCad.

Although both programs have the same end use, there are differences between them; In some cases one is better than the other, and to facilitate the decision of which program to use, let's start by making a differentiation by characteristics and functionalities.

Free or paid software?

The first aspect is the ownership of the software, while Altium is a program designed by a development company and requires purchasing a license, KiCad is a free software tool.

As Altium is a paid program, it has more personalized support, with help lines in different languages willing to support you in the use of the tool and the licenses are mainly annual, but their cost varies depending on the type of support and the final use. of the program, which allows you to have licenses of various types (commercial, business and student) with different levels of support and customer service.

On the other hand, there is KiCad, where the online community provides support, mainly through forums, tutorials and videos where the different users and the program development team provide help and show how to use the tool and do the processes.

Design Environment: Schematic Sheets

Both of them have tools for schematic design, but with some particularities between them. When making a schematic design, both programs allow the functionality of organizing projects with many modules (or circuits) in block schematic sheets, facilitating understanding with a black box architecture.

In both programs you can add graphic content (such as diagrams and images), or draw on them using lines and geometric shapes, which enriches and facilitates the understanding of the designs. The management of the libraries is very similar between them and they are supported by many component databases and footprint libraries.

The management of the libraries inside the program varies a little with respect to how they are stored with respect to their schematic sheets. In Altium, after adding a component to the schematic, it is incorporated into the schematic sheet, which allows it to be available at all times, even when opening the file on another computer and it does not find the library, this allows the integrity to be guaranteed in a schematic display mode.

In KiCad there is occasionally a problem with the libraries when opening the schematic document, where it is possible that the schematic symbol gets damaged, affecting the display of the schematic.

This is due to the mode of updating the schematic symbols within the program, while in KiCad when opening the project it searches for the libraries and updates the symbols, in Altium this process only occurs when changes are made to the schematic design or the symbol, but it is a process that is generally manual.

PCB Layout Design

KiCad and Altium have an environment for designing PCB files, but the way they do it is different.

KiCad uses a slightly more traditional graphical environment where you can view the different layers from the top. It has tools for straight, angular and curved lines, measurement, custom polygon design (hiding, transparency adjustments, thermal release), hiding layers , among others.

Altium incorporates these same features, but adds many more features that facilitate design such as:

• Editing tracks, polygons and shapes in general by deforming and arranging them using the mouse.
• Rotation and Flip of the PCB views (that is, you can see the PCB from the button as a primary layer, or from the top as a primary layer)
• Adding graphic elements to the PCB (such as symbols, logos) without having to create a library with these elements (it is only necessary to copy and paste the image)

The management of 3D models in both tools is compatible in both applications, and allows the designer to have a graphical view of the shape of the PCB (see PCB benefits) and its elements, and to export said models in graphic formats to facilitate the design of the enclosures in any design software.

While in KiCad the 3D model is a quick rendering of the design for visualization, in the case of Altium it is an active visualization mode of the PCB, that is, the 3D is not a static model, it is a model that can be actively edited and changes made from the 3D view are automatically updated in the PCB design, which greatly facilitates the arrangement of elements when it must be adjusted to an enclosure model.

Regarding the multiboard design, there are projects that have multiple electronic cards connected to each other. Altium has a special type of multiboard project that allows you to have access to all the schematics and create connection blocks at the diagram level, and import from each of the projects the 3D models of the cards to view from the same program how they fit together. Which greatly facilitates the design of this type of project.

Simulation tools / Design checking

In many projects it is necessary to guarantee that they are adequately designed and it is necessary to resort to tools that allow us to verify that what is being done meets the manufacturing requirements.

Both programs offer verification tools based on preconfigured and adjustable design rules, which allow you to quickly validate the thickness, distances and limits of your design and make reports of any anomalies that may be found.

For simulation, both environments offer plugins that allow basic electrical simulation of the circuits.

Manufacturing files and documentation

Both Altium and KiCad have the ability to export the design and BOM files of the components for manufacturing in different formats; but Altium has many embedded tools that allow not only to document the project, but also facilitate the purchasing and stock process of the components because it has a functionality called active BOM (Bill of Materials) that is connected to the databases from the main distributors in the world, which allows you to export a more complete BOM with complete component information (seller, costs and stock), which makes it much easier to manufacture a design.

Minimum requirements

The resources you need to run one or another program vary due to the functionalities that these programs require.

KiCad is a much more conservative software due to the recommended requirements regarding processor/memory/graphics, which makes it easier to run a basic computing device.

Altium is a software that requires, in contrast, many more resources to be able to run properly (mainly in RAM/Video), because its PCB design tool is more graphical, which significantly increases the consumption of resources required by the computing equipment.

Which one is better?

In conclusion, you might think that Altium is the best program to design, but the answer is “not necessarily”, although Altium has many tools that make PCB design easier, if what you want to do is a basic 2 or 4 layer design , KiCad is a very good option to use without needing to obtain a license.

If your design is very complex and you would use it regularly for your work (high density designs of components of 4 layers or more), Altium is a great option to improve your designs and increase your productivity.

If you don’t have a computer with good resources, KiCad is the best tool for designing electronic circuits, and since it is free you can install and use it on a wide variety of computers without many problems.

Finally, there is also the possibility of hiring a team that can help you out with designing and manufacturing PCBs, the best way to do it is through electronic prototyping services. Whether you need a basic or complex Printed Circuit Board, a specialized team will provide great results.