EasyEDA vs. Altium Designer

When most people are just getting started in PCB design, there is understandable hesitation to purchase a software subscription. New designers aren't performing design services and they aren't always working a job requiring PCB design software. This is why we see many new designers, students, and hobbyists getting started on a cloud PCB design software platform like EasyEDA.

Cloud-based PCB design has its merits in terms of convenience, availability of free software options, and the ability to share design data with other users. But for professional projects that involve complexity, engineering discipline, and an eye towards mass manufacturing, a professional-grade piece of software is critical. That's why many engineers eventually move on to a more powerful design platform like Altium Designer.

Why New Designers Start Using EasyEDA

There is one common reason new designers start using a platform like EasyEDA: the price tag! EasyEDA is free to use, and once a design is completed, it does not cost anything to download the PCB design data or the manufacturing files.

• EasyEDA makes several other tasks easy inside their browser based interface:
• Finding commercial parts from LCSC’s inventory
• Footprints are available for common component packages
• Common modules that are popular with makers are freely available
• Circuit editor that supports multiple schematic sheets
• PCB layout supports low layer counts with decent latency

Given these features, it should be no surprise that hobbyists and students gravitate towards an online platform like EasyEDA. The platform is a gentle introduction to PCB design and it eliminates many of the enterprise-level features which hobbyists do not want or need.

EasyEDA only enables simpler, low-layer count PCBs. [Source: easyeda.com]

EasyEDA also has a downloadable version which can run in Windows or Linux, and the platform is rolling out an optional paid tier with additional features.

These types of features are ideal for hobbyists and students. The platform was designed for the simplest boards that will only be produced overseas. Unfortunately, focusing only on ease of use and a free price tag means that the platform is totally unusable for designing moderately advanced products. This is why so many companies continue to use paid software that runs on your desktop: these applications serve the professional market with advanced automation features, industry-wide supply chain information, and mechanical collaboration, all available in a single design tool.

Why Pro Engineers Trust Altium designer

It's clear that simple PCB projects can be completed using EasyEDA, but the design features in EasyEDA are wholly incompatible with the needs of professional engineers. At a high level, there are four important areas where EasyEDA fails to offer the professional design capabilities found in a paid platform like Altium Designer.

1. Hierarchical and multi-channel design supporting circuit reuse
2. PCB routing automation and full control over routing via design rules
3. Ability to create any component in a private library, including proprietary components
4. Access to components across the electronics supply chain instead of being confined to buying from LCSC

There are many other areas, such as highly accurate signal integrity features integrated into routing and automated manufacturing documentation creation, where EasyEDA does not have even the basic required features.

To really illustrate, where EasyEDA falls short of Altium Designer, take a look at the table below.

The features in Altium Designer are major productivity boosters when working with components, interfaces, and types of designs that are standard in commercial products. Designs with fast digital interfaces like DDR, high-density and rigid-flex boards, high-layer count boards, and RF designs get done faster, more accurately, and with fewer changes when completed in Altium Designer.

DDR4 routing in Altium Designer

In summary, simple designs can be completed in EasyEDA, particularly where the design has low layer counts and only uses simple components stocked from LCSC. Altium Designer caters to real product designs from professional freelancers, contract engineering firms, ODMs, and OEMs. And compared to other paid design platforms in its class, like Cadence and Siemens, Altium Designer beats them all in terms of modern design capability and price.

Why Altium Designer is Used to Build Real Products

Job prospects. There are major career advancement incentives and financial incentives for new designers to learn and eventually switch to a paid platform like Altium designer. Today, the majority of job listings require Altium Designer, and Altium Designer users can earn top salaries. Meanwhile, you won’t find a single job listing that requires EasyEDA or any other free PCB design software.

Real products, not hobby projects. Simply put, real products with advanced features that are manufactured at volume are rarely created in free PCB design software. HDI designs, high-layer count designs, digital PCBs requiring controlled impedance, and rigid-flex designs aren’t actually “advanced,” they are standard in today’s products. EasyEDA does not enable any of these designs.

Full supply chain access. Most commercial projects require purchasing from distributors around the world. Because EasyEDA limits users only to LCSC inventory, users cannot conform to the standard workflow used by real companies to source and purchase components. Altium Designer allows users to create and use any component, and users can access pre-made components through the Manufacturer Part Search panel.

Mechanical design integration. Altium Designer users can collaborate with MCAD users through the cloud via Altium 365. MCAD collaboration allows a mechanical designer to instantly access project files without sending files through email. The MCAD user can then design a product enclosure, specify locations for critical parts, determine product assembly steps, and much more.

Real products always have a housing and mechanical elements in addition to the PCB. Altium Designer includes integrations with MCAD software for mechanical systems design around the PCB layout.

By now it should be clear: Altium Designer might cost a subscription fee, but it quickly pays for itself in terms of access to advanced projects, career opportunities, and business opportunities. Don’t hold yourself by sticking with free PCB design software like EasyEDA. Invest in yourself, your skills, and your career by learning to use Altium Designer. To help designers learn and gain these skills, Altium offers multiple free resources through our website and through Altium Education.

If you want to advance your career as a designer, then you should start learning and using Altium Designer. Whether you need to build reliable power electronics or advanced digital systems, contact Altium Education or speak with an expert at Altium to get started!

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns EasyEDA?

EasyEDA is owned by LCSC, a Chinese component distributor that also owns the PCB manufacturing company JLCPCB. This is why EasyEDA limits users to only selecting components that match LCSC’s inventory; it is so that users will be forced into purchasing parts from LCSC.

Does EasyEDA support advanced PCB design rules and constraints?

EasyEDA only includes basic design rules and DRC capabilities. However, it does not provide the depth of design rules required for impedance control, length/delay matching, or DFM/DFA.

How do the collaboration models differ between EasyEDA and Altium Designer?

EasyEDA focuses on browser-based sharing and simple collaboration. Altium Designer supports structured collaboration through version control, role-based access, and managed releases which are configured in Altium 365.

Can both tools generate manufacturing outputs?

Yes. Both EasyEDA and Altium Designer can generate Gerber and NC drill files. Altium Designer also supports intelligent manufacturing data formats, specifically ODB++ and IPC-2581. Altium Designer also provides a tool for automated creation of manufacturing drawings.

Why do cloud-based PCB platforms like EasyEDA struggle with complex designs?

Cloud platforms process everything on remote servers, so more complex require more processor and network bandwidth when using the design tool. This creates noticeable lag during design. This is why the hybrid cloud+desktop model was introduced; the tasks requiring low latency are done on the desktop and tasks are performed in the cloud.

Does Altium offer any free PCB design options?

Yes. Altium offers CircuitMaker for schematic capture and PCB layout. CircuitMaker is a free PCB design application that provides storage space for your projects in the cloud. The cloud connection allows users to access their projects from anywhere and to share their projects with other designers. CircuitMaker is like an “Altium Designer Lite” application; it provides all the schematic capture, layout, and routing tools you would expect to see in Altium Designer but without the SI, integrations, and design management features normally needed by enterprises.

If I start using Altium Designer, can I convert my EasyEDA projects into Altium’s format?

Currently, Altium Designer and Altium 365 do not support migration of EasyEDA projects into Altium’s file format. However, this may change in the future as Altium continues to add new features to its products.