There’s no way I’m wasting my time on kicad, they can’t give it away for a reason. I mean load it up side by side w Altium. It sucks. I’m sorry but it’s just bad software and a waste of time to learn and then have to unlearn. It reminds me of microsoft paint
Wow, harsh :-) I've been using Altium ever since they dipped their price to $4k back in 2009. I've kept the subscription up to date since then. It's great, bugs and all. For the past few years, I'd try Kicad periodically before dismissing it. It might have been a toy 5 years ago, but not any more.
At version 5, it became good enough to use for open-source hobby projects, where accessibility was more important than the niceties of Altium.
At version 6, it was good enough to use for some small professional projects.
As of version 7, it has outstripped most low-end commercial packages and is good enough that I can see not renewing support on Altium. Kicad is definitely looking at Altium as a source of features, and now has many of the best features of Altium including:
- powerful properties dialogs and part selection facilities
- database libraries
- scriptable output generation, and alternative to Altium's OutJob facility, which might actually be more powerful because it can use CI to generate packages of production files automatically
- meaningful cut/past/multichannel operations that work well with hierarchical sheets
- improved ability to break out traces from high density pads
- decent handling of complex pad shapes
- 3D spacemouse support!
- Python scripting
- Excellent cross probing capabilities
- Smart PDF capabilities
Altium still has an edge in a number of areas but the list, and the distance between the two, is shrinking. Here's a partial list:
- available plugins/integration of high-end (expensive) tools
- Better BOM generation. Altium uses templates with good substitution capabilities. Kicad relies on plugins, and even the best of those are not as good as Altium's
- Graphical comparison of revisions on disk or in source control, and easy facility to load prior revisions. Although services like Cadlab.io can fill in the gap for now.
- Better bulk parts-editing capabilities with spreadsheet-like interface.
- more mature breakout and routing tools
- More powerful 3D modeling and manipulation capabilities
- multiboard and flex-PCB support
- Slightly less jittery routing, but this gap is narrow and is constantly narrowing.
- more consistent UI between schematic and PCB. For example, alignment tools work in schematic and PCB
It would be nice if Kicad supported multiple projects and files open at once, with tabbed/tiled panes, like Altium. But it's very usable. I fully expect that kicad will start to nip at the lower end of Altium's potential new user pool. It may even displace some licensed seats that have been solid until now.