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Altium Develop vs. GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Altium Develop

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/AAltium Develop is a platform that unifies multidisciplinary teams across engineering, sourcing, and manufacturing to support seamless co-creation. It provides real-time visibility into designs, requirements, and supply chain data, enabling contributors to work together concurrently rather than in silos.

    $995

    per year per seat

    GrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)

    Score5.7 out of 10
    N/AGrabCAD Workbench was a CAD collaboration solution that helps designers to manage files and engage partners in the design process. Since August 2022 it has been discontinued.N/A
    Pricing
    Altium DevelopGrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Altium DevelopGrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Best Alternatives
    Altium DevelopGrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Onshape
    Score10 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    Onshape
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    PTC Creo
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Altium DevelopGrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (27 ratings)
    7.4
    (4 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.4
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    7.4
    (25 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    7.6
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    2.7
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    2.7
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Altium DevelopGrabCAD Workbench (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Altium
    For general PCB design, rigid flex PCB design, and multi-layer PCB design, Altium Designer is the best software to use on the market. The simple movement between board layers and easy component placement are what sets it apart from other similar software. When designing our PCBs for industry, it is easily capable of suiting all of our needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    GrabCad Workbench is well suited for group projects, where all my team members can view the designs at the same time, and by integrating it with CAD software like SolidWorks, all my team members can see the live changes in the projects based on the recommendations received. I can also do conversations with my team, which are project-specific, thus reducing time in email and video conferences. For assemblies, I can generate a Bill of materials with a single click. However, there are some drawbacks like every member needs to have an account in order to sync files with everyone, and the platform requires good internet connectivity otherwise file uploading will be time-consuming.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Altium
    • BOM management - with just a little bit of extra care any designer produces a usable bom along with their pcb design ready to be ordered
    • 365 - being able to view and review (placing comments) projects without the need to have the software installed locally
    • Multi-pcb projects
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • GrabCAD is the source of truth for the files being used
    • GrabCAD is free
    • Easy to use and get started
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Altium
    • The tools organization section has too many tools that are easy to lose.
    • Save settings for multi-projects and reuse settings from other projects in new ones.
    • Better import final designs into multiple formats (details are often lost when imported into CAD formats).
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • The software is not intuitive.
    • You must have an account to share files.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Altium
    ALTIUM DESIGNER is the reference tool in the electronic circuit design sector, its use is widespread worldwide. Although there are other alternatives, some of them free do not rival ALTIUM DESIGNER in terms of features and reliability. It is also very practical to request quotes with ALTIUM DESIGNER BOM reports since all suppliers are accustomed to using the tool.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Altium
    For beginners, Altium 365 is extremely accessible because of its friendly UI and thorough documentation regarding how the software should be used. For professional engineers, Altium 365 lays out all advanced features that could ever be needed in a PCB project. Thus, Altium 365 makes it easy to transition from other ECAD software to this one.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Reliability and Availability
    Altium
    Not very stable. Sudden lack of functionality when the license expires is not indicated clearly and can lead to loss of work.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Altium
    I use the educational Program. And so far is the best technical support. Every time that I need one or I have a question. They respond so far and with excellent advice.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Never needed.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Altium
    easy to follow, Good technical materials. good videos The platform is easy to use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Altium
    Some times it is slow down PC due to polygons
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Altium
    Altium offers much better features and usability over Proteus. Proteus also has certain limitations in what it can achieve, so that leaves it behind. Same with KiCad, while it is easier to use, and quite an amazing software for a freeware, it lacks certain features which makes it harder for us to use. OrCAD offers a lot of features, great focus on signal integrity, but the ease of use is non-existent
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    It’s the bottom of the barrel.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Altium
    Because, in my opinion, usage for small organization is poor, it is difficult to set up initial configuration to support scaling.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Altium
    • I can only guess, but I think the investment, at least for real industry, is a no-brainer. The labor savings are obvious and far over the outlay.
    • To be more specific, the time saved on component selection/procurement is phenomenal. I will no longer waste days poring over catalogs and websites.
    • The biggest downside I know of is the time spent explaining the above to the accounts department because, let's face it, it's still pretty spendy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • GrabCad Workbench is the best in terms of integration with other CAD software like SolidWorks where live changes can be made to a product.
    • GrabCad Workbench has a common parts library, which allows us to use repetitive parts without redesigning them again and again. Hence saving a lot of time.
    • I can do all the conversations in the file itself, reducing time in email and other modes.
    • It automatically generates BOM for my assembly files.
    • It tracks versions, all the files are updated automatically for all members once a new version is created.
    • It would be good if it can be updated to read drawing and sketch files.
    • The team needs to improve the stability of the platform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Altium Develop Screenshots

    Screenshot of the 3D View Editor in Altium Develop that transforms the standard 2D PCB workspace into a fully interactive, three‑dimensional design environment. Users can toggle between 2D and 3D modes, then zoom, pan, and rotate the board freely using tools like a directional sphere for precise pivot control and adjust display settings (such as transparency or coloring) via the View Configuration panel to visually explore and inspect PCB layouts in realistic detail.Screenshot of Project History in Altium Develop, which provides a browser-based, visually chronological timeline of a project's key events such as: creation, commits, releases, clones, and MCAD exchanges offering version control transparency directly within workspace.Screenshot of Altium Develop's unified design environment built on a single data model. From schematic capture to PCB layout, routing, and assembly preparation, every step flows seamlessly. Smart placement and routing features make complex designs faster, easier, and more reliable.Screenshot of ActiveBOM, which is a dynamic, table-based Bill of Materials (BOM) editor integrated into Altium Develop that elevates component management to a real-time, design-aware process. It automatically aggregates supply chain data such as pricing, stock, lifecycle status, and lead times - from sources like Octopart and IHS Markit, enabling parts selection, alternates, cost calculation, rule-based verification, and traceability - within the same environment as the schematic and PCB design.Screenshot of BOM Portal, which is a cloud-native, procurement-focused tool within Altium Develop that transforms traditional Excel-like Bill of Materials (BOM) workflows by integrating live supply chain, compliance, and pricing data. It enables collaboration between engineering and procurement, helps identify supply risks like obsolescence or shortages, supports BOM consolidation and alternates, and ensures thorough version control and traceability bridging design to manufacturing with real-time visibility and control.Screenshot of Workspace Projects, which provide a cloud-native, version-controlled hub within Altium Develop that simplifies electronic project management with centralized storage, collaboration, and built-in Git-based version control. This interface enables real-time design navigation (including schematic, 2D/3D PCB, BOM, and Draftsman views), task tracking, release and manufacturing management, historical timeline review, and sharing.