Altium Develop vs. NX CAD

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Altium Develop
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Altium 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
NX CAD
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Siemens NX software is an integrated product design solution that helps deliver products faster and more efficiently. NX delivers design, simulation, and manufacturing solutions that enable companies to realize the value of the digital twin.N/A
Pricing
Altium DevelopNX CAD
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Altium DevelopNX CAD
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Altium DevelopNX CAD
Features
Altium DevelopNX CAD
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Altium Develop
-
Ratings
NX CAD
7.6
5 Ratings
3% above category average
3D Modeling00 Ratings8.75 Ratings
2D Drafting00 Ratings8.75 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings6.14 Ratings
Parametric Design00 Ratings8.45 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings6.54 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings7.65 Ratings
Assembly Design00 Ratings8.35 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings7.33 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings7.15 Ratings
Customization and Extensions00 Ratings7.35 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Altium DevelopNX CAD
Small Businesses
SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS
Score 8.5 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS
Score 8.5 out of 10
Onshape
Onshape
Score 7.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Autodesk Fusion
Autodesk Fusion
Score 8.0 out of 10
Rhino
Rhino
Score 8.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Altium DevelopNX CAD
Likelihood to Recommend
9.5
(54 ratings)
8.1
(28 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.2
(4 ratings)
8.5
(7 ratings)
Usability
8.4
(51 ratings)
7.3
(8 ratings)
Availability
6.4
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.2
(3 ratings)
7.3
(3 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
6.3
(2 ratings)
7.4
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
2.7
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Altium DevelopNX CAD
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.
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Siemens AG
There is perfect integration between NX CAD and NX CAM modules with less data loss. Better graphical interface and simplified commands makes NX CAD a better software then others. The tool has scope to develop an algorithm for generating surfaces from the point data. Include of option to convert .STL to any CAD format will be helpful. The connectivity of splines laying in different planes can be improvised.
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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
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Siemens AG
  • Seamless interaction across multiple departments.
  • The software allows you to create a very high level of control and organization within your engineering staff. This reduces the companies mistakes and maximizes productivity.
  • The software makes it very easy to track your product through every phase of the production cycle.
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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).
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Siemens AG
  • Keeping the colors of surfaces if volume bodies are linked
  • Show and keep symbolic threads
  • For me, I miss more information why a surface can't be deleted or a radius is not possible. And maybe a solution, how could it look like, if NX CAD adds a new surface.
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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.
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Siemens AG
possibility of integration and customization
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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.
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Siemens AG
Siemens NX CAD has been has been simple in design & user interface. It is best among the competitors. It can develop heavy models & designs with very ease. It has Layers options for arranging multiple assemblies in the same file. It does not require heavy system investment & works fine on professional PCs
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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.
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Siemens AG
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.
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Siemens AG
NX CAD version is going out of support after only 12 months. Changes will not be implemented after 12 months from prodcution
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Online Training
Altium
easy to follow, Good technical materials. good videos The platform is easy to use.
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Siemens AG
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Altium
Some times it is slow down PC due to polygons
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Siemens AG
the manitenance period is too small for our implementation timeline
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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
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Siemens AG
NX CAD is very good for interoperability between different three dimensional modelling softwares, it can convert to .jt models, from native format such as .CATPart, .CATProduct, and ones from SOLIDWORKS. Also it is integrated to Siemens Teamcenter, which also enables other downstream workflow, such as Tecnomatix Process Simulate. Other software packages would need more integration effort to make this possible
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Scalability
Altium
Because, in my opinion, usage for small organization is poor, it is difficult to set up initial configuration to support scaling.
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Siemens AG
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.
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Siemens AG
  • The software itself is pretty expensive compared to other CAD-systems.
  • Implementation is not out of the box, it requires a lot of consulting and iteration cycles.
  • On the positive side is to mention the seamless of downstream functionalities, from product development to manufacturing and visualization, etc.
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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.

NX CAD Screenshots

Screenshot of NX technology can generate multiple design options. (It's like having an extra employee dedicated to "trying out" different designs.) Then Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) can be used to generate the part.Screenshot of Studies show an inordinate amount of time can be spent by designers as they look for previous or similar parts. The software can search for similarly-shaped parts.Screenshot of NX has the ability to validate a part (or assembly) and its adherence to standards, collisions, and manufacturability.Screenshot of Virtual inspection and mark up full sized assemblies.Screenshot of a rendering created from the actual product design. Notice the lighting and surface realism.