TrustRadius

Altium Develop vs. National Instruments Multisim

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.N/A
NI Multisim
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
National Instruments offers Multisim, a simulation application for engineers, designers, and educators.
$1,869
per user
Pricing
Altium DevelopNational Instruments Multisim
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Base
$1,869.00
per user
Full
$3,267.00
per user
Professional
$4,838.00
per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Altium DevelopNI Multisim
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
Community Pulse
Altium DevelopNational Instruments Multisim
Considered Both Products
Altium Develop
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
The advantage of KiCAD and EasyEDA versus Altium Designer is that KiCAD and EasyEDA are free. Even so, Altium Designer is more powerful than competitors in terms of integrability, easy of use and powerful tools. For example, in Siemens EDA software there is no tool for …
RB
Raphael Buitendag
Electronic designer
Chose Altium Develop
Other tools are open source and free to use, which often means its easier to use but has limited abilities. With using Altium Designer compared to the other tools I have found the review process a lot better and its workspace environment a big plus because I can find …
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
Altium Designer is a more mature, feature complete product. However, in 2025 it has become EXTERMELY expensive. KiCAD is quickly catching up and focusing on the core PCB design tools. We are likely to switch over in 2-3 years if things progress like they have.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
For some reason Autodesk Eagle wasn't showing up, but personally the cross team aspect of Altium Designer is much better, as well as the schematic editing and PCB editing, especially on a board level with placing constraints and editing layers. Fusion360 with its new schematic …
JL
Jesse Lackey
Design Engineer
Chose Altium Develop
I used Eagle for a long time, then switched to Altium Designer around 2014. Eagle was rather basic comparatively, but also comparatively dirt cheap and capable for modestly complex designs. But the future was clear - Altium Designer was required for stepping up my design game.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
OrCAD was used at our company for years before we switched over to Altium Designer. Usually, moving all projects from one software can be a pain and time-consuming. Altium Designer made it very streamline to move all projects over, including all component libraries. In …
SD
Sebastian de Leon
Senior Electronics Engineer
Chose Altium Develop
I always thought of Altium Designer as a more intuitive tool. Also makes PCB design more fun. Don't know why, it just happens.
AM
Abdul Sami Mughal
Electronics Manager
Chose Altium Develop
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 …
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
The opensource nature of the library system works better than Altium. The libraries being text based means that version control with github is a natural fit. I don't see Altium having an advantage here even if it has tied into external api's like Octopart.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
KiCad is easier to learn and the performance is fine, but BOMs, Footpring-Management, all that had to be done manually
With Altium and 365 everything is just built-in
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
Altium Designer is a CAD tool like the others. In comparison, Altium is chosen for its ability to make electrical circuits, its wide capacity, and its shared mode, which facilitates configuration and improves work time on projects.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
Due to coworker use the same software, it's easier to work with.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
Orcad is good, but doesn't provide a very integrated solution for PCB layout and physical modeling.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
We originally used EAGLE cad, I could not find the tool in the above menu. Altium Designer is miles better than EAGLE with a much better user interface and the ability to select parts intelligently with filters that greatly speed up the design process. The error checking and …
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
It's the first and only choice.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
Altium is too expensive...
PL
Phil Landau
Electronics Design Engineer
Chose Altium Develop
We had two licenses, purchased at a time when Altium Designer products were affordably priced. I can't remember how much they were, but they were not at a price where we even had to think about it at all. We wished to purchase a 3rd license a couple of years ago, actually, …
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
Altium Designer is much more intuitive and has a far more comprehensive library already available.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
I'm more experienced with Altium, so I use it. If I had to pay for it myself I don't have a personal copy of Altium I would consider a free tool.
Verified User
Anonymous
Chose Altium Develop
Overall Altium Designer is in another league compared to KiCad, especially the older versions. The whole design process works better in Altium Designer. The only thing I miss from KiCad is the disjointedness between symbols and footprints. Whilst less appropriate for …
NI Multisim

No answer on this topic

Best Alternatives
Altium DevelopNational Instruments Multisim
Small Businesses
SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS
Score 8.4 out of 10
Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Inventor
Score 8.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SOLIDWORKS
SOLIDWORKS
Score 8.4 out of 10
Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Inventor
Score 8.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Autodesk Fusion
Autodesk Fusion
Score 8.5 out of 10
Navisworks
Navisworks
Score 9.5 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Altium DevelopNational Instruments Multisim
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
6.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
2.7
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
2.7
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Altium DevelopNational Instruments Multisim
Likelihood to Recommend
Altium 365 is fantastic for students learning about PCB design and for large team-based PCB projects. Because this product is relatively easier to use than other ECAD software and it enables collaboration, students and professional engineers would greatly benefit from having this software in their skill set. In other words, Altium 365 is great for academic and industry purposes.
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
For simulation of electrical and electronics circuits either in transient or normal mode or various other modes. To obtain plots between various circuit parameters and elements and also check values of various output parameters based on input parameters. It also has various examples in the library which make it easier to modify few params instead of designing circuits from scratch
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
Pros
  • 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
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
  • It has various components available
  • Real time simulation of various circuits
  • Various types of simulations for a single circuits to obtain plots and values
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
Cons
  • 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).
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
  • It's good but sometimes error during simulation won't be more specific
  • Has wide range of elements but some specifications aren't available
  • Nothing
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
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.
Jose Perri | TrustRadius Reviewer
Jose Perri
Director of Engineering and Product Development
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Usability
Like any complicated program, it will always need some room for improvement. For example, it would be nicer to have other shortcuts than just the numpad Asterisk as the layer shift shortcut, or easy to shift layers via other ways. Some programs use a space bar instead, or similar. It would also be nice to manipulate or make 3D items better
Abdul Sami Mughal | TrustRadius Reviewer
Abdul Sami Mughal
Electronics Manager
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Not very stable. Sudden lack of functionality when the license expires is not indicated clearly and can lead to loss of work.
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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.
Hugo Macias | TrustRadius Reviewer
Hugo Macias
Professor
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Online Training
easy to follow, Good technical materials. good videos The platform is easy to use.
Hugo Macias | TrustRadius Reviewer
Hugo Macias
Professor
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Some times it is slow down PC due to polygons
TC
Tom Chu
Sensor Hardware Developer
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
OrCAD was used at our company for years before we switched over to Altium Designer. Usually, moving all projects from one software can be a pain and time-consuming. Altium Designer made it very streamline to move all projects over, including all component libraries. In addition, on the Mechanical Engineering side of things, Altium Designer has wonderful integration with SOLIDWORKS, so all parts can be 3D modeled and brought over.
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Because, in my opinion, usage for small organization is poor, it is difficult to set up initial configuration to support scaling.
Verified User
Anonymous
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • 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.
Pat Duncan | TrustRadius Reviewer
Pat Duncan
Electronics Technician
Read full review
  • Prevent components from being burnt out
  • Better design of circuits
  • Real time testing
Verified User
Anonymous
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.