Altium: What Has Changed in the Product Line and How to Choose the Right PCB Solution

Altium in 2025-2026: What Has Changed in the Product Line and How to Choose the Right PCB Solution

Over the past few years, the Altium ecosystem has significantly expanded. It is no longer just a desktop tool for PCB layout, but a comprehensive platform for managing the entire PCB development process — from schematic design to manufacturing and component control.

How the Altium Ecosystem Is Structured Today

As of today, Altium solutions can be viewed on three levels: engineering, team collaboration, and management.

• Altium Designer — the flagship PCB design tool: schematic capture, layout, high-speed and RF projects, 3D visualization, rule checks, and ECAD–MCAD integration.
• Altium 365 — a cloud-based environment for collaboration, version control, manufacturing data sharing, and web-based project review without installing EDA software.
• Altium Agile — a cloud solution for component management, BOM control, lifecycle tracking, and supply chain risk visibility.

For most engineering teams, Altium Designer remains the core entry point, typically integrated with Altium 365 to enable structured collaboration.

What Has Changed Recently

• Stronger focus on cloud collaboration — project reviews, revisions, and approvals increasingly take place through Altium 365.
• Component data management emphasis — data accuracy, component availability, and lifecycle tracking have become critical for manufacturing teams.
• Separation between design and process management — clearer positioning of engineering tools versus management-level solutions.
• Performance improvements in recent Designer versions — optimized workflows for multilayer boards, high-speed routing, and complex constraint management.

In short, Altium is evolving from a traditional EDA tool into a full PCB development platform.

When Altium Designer Is Enough — and When to Consider More

Altium Designer + Altium 365 is typically sufficient if:

• Your team consists of 1–3 engineers.
• The main focus is PCB design.
• There is no complex PLM infrastructure.
• BOM management is handled without centralized lifecycle control.

Altium Agile should be considered if:

• Your team has 5+ engineers.
• Multiple projects run in parallel.
• Component replacement risks regularly affect timelines.
• Management requires visibility into BOM and supply chain data.

Altium Agile is not simply a “more expensive Designer” — it represents a different level of process and component management.

Questions to Ask Before Purchasing

• How many engineers are working on projects in parallel?
• How are component libraries currently managed?
• Are there delays caused by manual BOM validation?
• Is centralized version control required?
• Is team expansion planned in the near future?

The answers help determine whether Altium Designer is sufficient or whether a broader configuration would bring measurable benefits.

Commercial Considerations

Pricing and purchasing conditions may vary depending on region and acquisition channel. Working through an authorized distributor can provide structured licensing guidance, configuration support, and tailored commercial terms.

In certain cases, additional individual conditions may apply depending on license volume and configuration.

Softprom is an official Altium distributor. We support engineering and manufacturing companies in selecting the optimal configuration, organizing trial access, and planning implementation.