# Altium Designer vs OpenSCAD

| Attribute | Altium Designer | OpenSCAD |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 57.6 (43% (low)) | 61.9 (14% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 22 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 10,020 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Altium Designer is a comprehensive electronics design platform that combines schematic capture, PCB layout, circuit simulation, and manufacturing preparation. It integrates with Altium 365's cloud workspace to enable secure real-time collaboration, version control, and design data management for electronics development teams. | An open-source programming-based tool for creating precise 3D CAD models. Rather than using graphical design interfaces, it uses a scripting language to define 3D objects mathematically, making it ideal for parametric modeling and technical design. |
| integrations.count | 15 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Altium 365"},{"name":"EAGLE"},{"name":"KiCad"},{"name":"OrCAD"},{"name":"PADS"},{"name":"Zuken CR-5000"},{"name":"Siemens NX"},{"name":"Autodesk Inventor"},{"name":"Onshape"},{"name":"Arena"},{"name":"Duro"},{"name":"Jira"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"SiliconExpert"},{"name":"Z2Data"}]` | - |
| language.primary | - | C++ |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"web":true,"windows":true}` | `{"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Altium Develop","summary":"$995/year for 1 author; add authors at $995/year each up to 5 total","features":["Altium Designer desktop license","Altium 365 workspace","Unlimited workspace viewers","ECAD-MCAD co-design","Version control","Real-time design collaboration","Review and feedback tracking"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"author","amount":995,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Individual designer or small team with desktop design and cloud collaboration","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Advanced MCAD CoDesigner","summary":"$499/user/year","features":["MCAD tool synchronization"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":499,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Mechanical CAD integration add-on","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Assembly Assistant","summary":"From $999/user/year","features":["Assembly workflow guidance"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":999,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Manual assembly optimization application","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"BOM Portal","summary":"$1999/user/year","features":["Supply chain monitoring","Part health tracking"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":1999,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Bill of Materials and supply chain risk platform","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Design Review"},{"name":"Process Workflows","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":999,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Requirements & Systems Portal","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":999,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Secure Collaboration (Organizational Security Package)","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1500,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"SiliconExpert Integration","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":5000,"period":null,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Z2Data Integration","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":5000,"period":null,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $995/year for individual designer. Free 30-day trial. Team and enterprise editions available with additional applications priced per-user or per-organization.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.altium.com/in/platform/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T12:23:14.812Z","freeTrialDays":30,"startingPrice":{"amount":499,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["year"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source under GPL v2","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://openscad.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T12:56:31.877Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | high | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 12 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2021.01","date":"2021-02-07T00:14:34Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2021.01"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2019.05","date":"2019-05-13T01:57:03Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2019.05"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2015.03","date":"2015-03-10T20:59:43Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2015.03"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2014.03","date":"2014-03-09T22:14:17Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2014.03"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2013.06","date":"2014-02-24T01:13:53Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2013.06"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2013.01","date":"2014-02-25T06:44:17Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2013.01"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2011.12","date":"2014-02-25T06:44:12Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2011.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2011.06","date":"2014-02-25T06:44:10Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2011.06"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2011.04","date":"2014-02-25T06:44:08Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2011.04"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2010.05","date":"2014-02-25T06:43:57Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2010.05"},{"url":"https://github.com/openscad/openscad/releases/tag/openscad-2010.02","date":"2014-02-25T06:43:42Z","type":"stable","version":"openscad-2010.02"}]` |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 5.7 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |

## Capabilities (CAD Software)

| Capability | Altium Designer | OpenSCAD |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | - | - |
| Parametric history based timeline | - | - |
| Nurbs and surface mathematical modeling | - | - |
| 2d drafting and dimensioning blueprints | - | - |
| Cam toolpath generation cnc milling | - | - |
| Bim architectural information modeling | - | - |
| Fea stress and thermal simulation | - | - |
| Pcb electrical circuit design sync | - | - |
| Stl export for standardized 3d printing | - | - |
| Dwg dxf autocad standard file import | - | - |
| SOC2 type ii | - | - |
| ISO 27001 | - | - |
| Pricing model | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:13:59.771Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*