Inquire: Call 0086-755-23203480, or reach out via the form below/your sales contact to discuss our design, manufacturing, and assembly capabilities.
Quote: Email your PCB files to Sales@pcbsync.com (Preferred for large files) or submit online. We will contact you promptly. Please ensure your email is correct.
Notes: For PCB fabrication, we require PCB design file in Gerber RS-274X format (most preferred), *.PCB/DDB (Protel, inform your program version) format or *.BRD (Eagle) format. For PCB assembly, we require PCB design file in above mentioned format, drilling file and BOM. Click to download BOM template To avoid file missing, please include all files into one folder and compress it into .zip or .rar format.
Altium 365 Pricing: Plans, Features & Is It Worth It?
When Altium introduced their cloud platform, I was skeptical. After years of managing design files through shared drives and email chains, the idea of moving our PCB data to the cloud seemed like an unnecessary complication. Now, after using Altium 365 on dozens of projects, I have a much clearer picture of what the platform offers and whether the Altium 365 pricing makes sense for different types of engineering teams.
The challenge with understanding Altium 365 pricing is that Altium doesn’t publish straightforward price lists. The cost depends on your subscription tier, add-on integrations, and how many team members need access. This guide breaks down everything I’ve learned about Altium 365 costs, features at each level, and who actually benefits from the investment.
Altium 365 is a cloud-based platform designed to complement Altium Designer, the desktop PCB design software. It provides version control, collaboration tools, design sharing, BOM management, and supply chain visibility. Think of it as a bridge connecting your design team, mechanical engineers, procurement, and manufacturing partners.
The Altium 365 pricing structure is integrated with your Altium Designer subscription. When you purchase an Altium Designer license, you get access to Altium 365 Standard at no additional cost. Higher tiers (Pro and Enterprise) require additional payment. Add-on integrations like SiliconExpert and MCAD CoDesigner have their own pricing on top of the base subscription.
This bundled approach means you can’t easily separate “what does Altium Designer cost” from “what does Altium 365 cost.” They’re intertwined, which makes budgeting more complex but also means basic cloud capabilities come included with the design software.
Altium 365 Pricing Tiers Explained
Altium offers three primary subscription levels for Altium 365: Standard, Pro, and Enterprise. Each tier builds on the previous one, adding more collaboration and data management capabilities.
Altium 365 Standard Plan Features
The Standard plan comes included with any active Altium Designer subscription at no additional cost. This is the entry point for cloud collaboration.
What’s Included:
One Altium 365 Workspace
Cloud storage for design files
Basic project sharing and viewing
Web-based design review (no Altium Designer license required for reviewers)
Real-time notifications for design changes
Access to AltiumLive community
Basic ECAD-MCAD integration
24/5 live chat support
All Altium Designer software updates
For solo designers or small teams with minimal collaboration needs, Standard provides enough functionality to share designs with manufacturers and occasionally sync with mechanical engineers. The web viewer alone saves significant time when clients or colleagues need to review designs without installing Altium Designer.
Altium 365 Pro Plan Features
The Pro plan targets teams that need serious data management and collaboration capabilities. Based on available information, the Altium 365 Pro pricing adds approximately $1,000 per year on top of the Standard subscription.
What’s Included (in addition to Standard):
Complete component and design data management
Configurable lifecycles for components and designs
“Where-used” functionality for components
Revision control with full history
Conflict prevention (notifications when multiple users edit the same document)
Role and user group definition
Interfaces to external databases
IHS Markit integration for component lifecycle data
Advanced ECAD-MCAD integration (including rigid-flex support in SOLIDWORKS)
Component placement from MCAD environment
Priority technical support
Unlimited on-demand training access
5 hours of dedicated onboarding with Customer Success Manager
Pro makes sense when your team needs to manage component libraries across multiple designers, track where components are used in active designs, and maintain proper revision control. The lifecycle management alone prevents the headache of discovering obsolete parts late in development.
Altium 365 Enterprise Plan Features
Enterprise (formerly called Nexus) is designed for large organizations with complex workflows, compliance requirements, and PLM integration needs. Pricing is quote-based and varies significantly based on organization size and requirements.
What’s Included (in addition to Pro):
Workflow automation for design processes
PLM system integration (Arena, Duro, and others)
SIEM API for security event logging
Advanced compliance and auditing capabilities
Organizational-level data management
Custom configuration options
Dedicated enterprise support
On-premises deployment option (for organizations requiring data to stay on-site)
Enterprise is overkill for most small to mid-size companies. It’s built for organizations managing dozens of hardware products with formal release processes, regulatory compliance needs, and existing PLM infrastructure.
Altium 365 Pricing Comparison Table
Feature
Standard
Pro
Enterprise
Base Cost
Included with subscription
~$1,000/year additional
Quote-based
Altium 365 Workspace
1
1
Multiple
Cloud Storage
Yes
Yes
Yes
Web-Based Design Review
Yes
Yes
Yes
Version Control
Basic
Full with history
Full with history
Component Lifecycle Management
No
Yes
Yes
Where-Used Tracking
No
Yes
Yes
Role-Based Access Control
Limited
Yes
Advanced
ECAD-MCAD Integration
Basic
Advanced
Advanced
PLM Integration
No
Limited
Full
Workflow Automation
No
No
Yes
On-Premises Option
No
No
Yes
Technical Support
24/5 Chat
Priority
Dedicated
On-Demand Training
Limited
Unlimited
Unlimited
Onboarding Support
Community
5 hours
Custom
Add-On Integrations and Their Costs
Beyond the base Altium 365 pricing, several add-on integrations extend the platform’s capabilities. These are priced separately and based on usage or per-user fees.
MCAD CoDesigner Pricing
MCAD CoDesigner enables bidirectional data exchange between Altium Designer and mechanical CAD tools like SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, PTC Creo, and Autodesk Inventor/Fusion 360. Instead of exporting and importing STEP or IDF files manually, changes sync automatically between ECAD and MCAD environments.
Pricing is approximately $499 per user per year. For teams with dedicated mechanical engineers who need continuous access to PCB data, this integration eliminates hours of manual file translation and reduces errors from outdated exports.
SiliconExpert Integration Pricing
SiliconExpert provides component intelligence including lifecycle status, years-to-end-of-life (YTEOL) predictions, compliance data, and cross-reference alternatives. The integration surfaces this data directly in your Altium 365 workspace and ActiveBOM.
The SiliconExpert Extension is purchased separately and priced based on the number of annual part queries. Each unique component lookup counts as one query per billing year. This pay-per-query model works well for teams that design occasionally, while high-volume users may find costs adding up.
Z2Data Integration
Similar to SiliconExpert, Z2Data provides enriched part information and supply chain risk assessments. It helps identify components at risk of obsolescence, supply shortages, or counterfeit exposure. Pricing is additional and varies based on usage requirements.
Additional Integration Costs
Integration
Approximate Cost
Pricing Model
MCAD CoDesigner
$499/user/year
Per-user annual
SiliconExpert
Varies
Per-query annual
Z2Data
Varies
Per-query/subscription
Secure Collaboration (GovCloud)
Contact sales
Quote-based
SIEM API
Enterprise only
Included with Enterprise
Altium Develop: New Team Pricing Model
In 2025, Altium (under Renesas ownership) introduced Altium Develop with a restructured pricing approach designed for small and mid-size teams. This model bundles Altium Designer and Altium 365 together with a focus on collaborative design.
Altium Develop Pricing Components
Workspace Subscription (Annual): The foundation that activates your shared collaborative environment.
Author Seats (Annual, Concurrent): Altium Designer licenses that allow editing schematics and layouts. These are concurrent seats, meaning up to five authors can work simultaneously per workspace tier. The same seat can be shared among multiple designers if they don’t use it at the same time.
Collaborators (Free & Unlimited): Anyone can review designs, comment, work with BOMs and requirements, and provide feedback at no additional cost. They just can’t edit schematics or layouts in Altium Designer.
This model significantly reduces costs for organizations where only a few engineers actively create designs while many others need visibility. You’re not paying for full licenses for project managers, procurement staff, or mechanical engineers who only need to review and comment.
Scaling Beyond Altium Develop
When teams need more than five concurrent authors, advanced permissioning, compliance workflows, or cross-discipline governance, Altium Agile (Teams and Enterprise editions) becomes the next step. Agile uses quote-based pricing that varies based on organization size and requirements.
Is Altium 365 Worth the Investment?
After using the platform across various projects and team sizes, here’s my honest assessment of when Altium 365 pricing delivers value and when you might want alternatives.
When Altium 365 Is Worth It
Multi-designer teams: If two or more engineers work on the same designs, the version control and conflict prevention alone justify Pro pricing. The alternative (managing versions through file naming conventions and shared drives) inevitably leads to overwritten work and confusion about which version is current.
Teams with external collaboration: Sharing designs with contract manufacturers, clients, or external consultants is dramatically easier with web-based review. No one needs to install software, and you maintain control over what they can see and do.
Organizations managing component libraries: The Pro tier’s lifecycle management and where-used tracking prevent the nightmare of discovering mid-production that a critical component is obsolete or out of stock. For teams managing hundreds or thousands of components across multiple products, this visibility is essential.
ECAD-MCAD collaboration: If your designs involve complex mechanical integration (enclosure fitment, thermal considerations, connector placement), the MCAD CoDesigner integration transforms what’s traditionally a painful back-and-forth into a smooth workflow.
Supply chain visibility requirements: The SiliconExpert and Z2Data integrations surface component risks early in design, before you’ve committed to a BOM that includes parts going end-of-life next quarter.
When Altium 365 May Not Be Worth It
Solo designers with simple workflows: If you’re a one-person shop designing boards that go straight to a fabricator, the Standard tier included with your subscription provides enough. You probably don’t need lifecycle management or advanced collaboration tools.
Budget-constrained hobbyists or startups: The subscription costs add up. If you’re counting every dollar, the free tier combined with manual file management can work. It’s more painful, but it’s possible.
Teams not using Altium Designer: Altium 365 only works with Altium Designer. If your team uses KiCad, OrCAD, or other tools, you’ll need different collaboration solutions.
Organizations requiring on-premises data: Standard and Pro are cloud-only. If regulatory or security requirements mandate that design data stays on your servers, you’ll need Enterprise On-Premises, which comes with significantly higher costs.
Maximizing Value from Your Altium 365 Investment
If you decide the Altium 365 pricing works for your situation, here are strategies to get the most value:
Start with Standard, Upgrade When Needed
Don’t buy Pro features before you need them. The Standard tier provides genuine collaboration capabilities. Use it for a few projects, identify where you’re hitting limitations, then upgrade when you have clear requirements that justify additional cost.
Use Free Collaborators Aggressively
The unlimited free collaborator seats in Altium Develop are incredibly valuable. Get your mechanical engineers, procurement team, quality staff, and manufacturing partners into the workspace. The more eyes on designs early, the fewer expensive surprises late in development.
Negotiate Multi-Seat Deals
If you’re purchasing multiple Altium Designer licenses, negotiate Altium 365 pricing as part of the package. Volume discounts apply, and end-of-quarter timing often produces better pricing.
Leverage Included Training
Pro subscriptions include unlimited on-demand training. Use it. The platform has capabilities that most teams never discover because they learned enough to get work done and stopped exploring. Dedicated onboarding hours with Customer Success help configure the workspace optimally for your workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions About Altium 365 Pricing
Is Altium 365 free with Altium Designer?
Yes, Altium 365 Standard is included at no additional cost with any active Altium Designer subscription. This includes one workspace, cloud storage, basic project sharing, web-based design review, and software updates. The Pro tier, which adds component lifecycle management, revision control, and advanced collaboration features, requires additional payment of approximately $1,000 per year. Enterprise pricing is quote-based for large organizations with complex requirements.
Can I use Altium 365 without an active subscription?
No. When your Altium Designer subscription lapses, you lose access to Altium 365 workspace features. You can continue using a perpetual Altium Designer license for design work, but the cloud collaboration, version control, and data management capabilities require an active subscription. Your design files stored locally remain accessible, but cloud-hosted data becomes inaccessible until you renew.
How much does Altium 365 Pro cost compared to Standard?
Based on published information, upgrading from Altium 365 Standard to Pro adds approximately $1,000 per year to your existing Altium Designer subscription. Pro includes component lifecycle management, where-used tracking, revision control with history, advanced ECAD-MCAD integration, priority support, unlimited on-demand training, and dedicated onboarding. For teams managing shared component libraries or requiring proper revision control, the additional cost typically pays for itself through reduced errors and improved productivity.
What’s the difference between Altium 365 and Altium Develop?
Altium Develop is a newer bundled offering that combines Altium Designer and Altium 365 with team-focused pricing. It uses concurrent author seats (up to five simultaneous users per workspace tier) plus unlimited free collaborators who can review and comment but not edit designs. Altium 365 alone refers to the cloud platform that works with Altium Designer. The key difference is the licensing model: traditional Altium 365 pricing ties to individual Altium Designer subscriptions, while Altium Develop uses a workspace subscription with shared concurrent seats.
Are SiliconExpert and MCAD CoDesigner included in Altium 365?
No. These integrations are purchased separately from the base Altium 365 subscription. MCAD CoDesigner costs approximately $499 per user per year. SiliconExpert pricing is based on the number of annual part queries (each unique component lookup counts as one query). Z2Data and other supply chain integrations also have separate pricing. Basic Octopart integration for component pricing and availability is included in the base platform.
Final Thoughts on Altium 365 Pricing
The Altium 365 pricing structure makes more sense once you understand it’s designed as an ecosystem rather than a standalone product. The Standard tier provides genuine value included with your Altium Designer subscription. Pro adds capabilities that matter significantly for collaborative teams. Enterprise serves large organizations with formal processes.
For most engineering teams I’ve worked with, the progression looks like this: start with Standard, realize version control and library management limitations after a few projects, upgrade to Pro, and never look back. The teams that struggle are those who buy more capability than they’ll use or who try to avoid the platform entirely and manage collaboration manually.
The honest answer to “is Altium 365 worth it?” depends entirely on how you work. If you’re collaborating with others, managing component libraries, or need to share designs beyond your immediate team, the platform provides real value. If you’re working solo on straightforward boards, the included Standard tier is probably enough.
Request specific quotes from Altium or authorized resellers for current pricing. The numbers I’ve shared reflect publicly available information, but Altium’s pricing changes periodically and negotiated rates often differ from list prices. Take advantage of free trials to experience the platform before committing.
Pricing information reflects data gathered from multiple sources as of early 2026. Altium’s pricing and feature sets evolve, so verify current offerings directly with Altium or authorized resellers before making purchasing decisions.
Inquire: Call 0086-755-23203480, or reach out via the form below/your sales contact to discuss our design, manufacturing, and assembly capabilities.
Quote: Email your PCB files to Sales@pcbsync.com (Preferred for large files) or submit online. We will contact you promptly. Please ensure your email is correct.
Notes: For PCB fabrication, we require PCB design file in Gerber RS-274X format (most preferred), *.PCB/DDB (Protel, inform your program version) format or *.BRD (Eagle) format. For PCB assembly, we require PCB design file in above mentioned format, drilling file and BOM. Click to download BOM template To avoid file missing, please include all files into one folder and compress it into .zip or .rar format.
