Softwr

Design · head to head

Abstract vs Altium 365

Abstract logo

Abstract

Design

Design version control and asset management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full review
Altium 365 logo

Altium 365

CAD

Cloud workspace for Altium Designer PCB projects, now inside Renesas

From
$1990/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Abstract has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Abstract the product appears to be gone. Its documentation path 404s, goabstract.com no longer resolves, and abstract.com now belongs to an unrelated venture capital firm; Altium 365 the 1,990 US dollar Altium Develop entry price is capped at five authors in total, so a growing team hits a forced migration to Agile Teams with unpublished pricing exactly when headcount is rising.
  • They diverge on capability: Abstract covers Version control, Altium 365 covers Shared workspace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Abstract and Altium 365 actually diverge.

Attributes where Abstract and Altium 365 differ
AttributeAbstractAltium 365
Starting priceFree$1990/year
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per year
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMacos, WebWeb, Windows, Cloud, On-premise
CategoryDesignCAD
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Abstract

  • Version control
  • Branching & merging
  • Asset library
  • Design tokens
  • Collaboration
  • File management
  • Comments
  • Activity tracking

Only in Altium 365

  • Shared workspace
  • Managed components
  • Browser review
  • Unlimited workspace users
  • MCAD CoDesigner
  • Manufacturing portal
  • Requirements Portal
  • BOM Portal

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Abstract

  • Design systemsnot Altium 365
  • Version controlnot Altium 365
  • Asset managementnot Altium 365
  • Team collaborationnot Altium 365

Altium 365

  • A hardware startup where two engineers draw boards but eight people need to review them, avoiding eight CAD seatsnot Abstract
  • A team handing fabrication and assembly data to a contract manufacturer as a versioned release rather than a zip of Gerbersnot Abstract
  • A company running board and enclosure design in parallel and needing bidirectional geometry exchange with mechanical CADnot Abstract
  • A buyer checking component lifecycle and availability against the live BOM before a design is frozennot Abstract

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Abstract

  • The product appears to be gone. Its documentation path 404s, goabstract.com no longer resolves, and abstract.com now belongs to an unrelated venture capital firm
  • Built around Sketch files, so it never covered teams that moved to Figma

Altium 365

  • The 1,990 US dollar Altium Develop entry price is capped at five authors in total, so a growing team hits a forced migration to Agile Teams with unpublished pricing exactly when headcount is rising.
  • Add-on portals are expensive per seat; BOM Portal has been quoted at around 1,999 US dollars per user per year and MCAD CoDesigner at around 499, so the real cost of a working configuration is well above the headline.
  • It is tied to Altium Designer; there is no meaningful use of the platform for teams designing in KiCad, OrCAD or Allegro, which makes it a lock-in decision rather than a tooling one.
  • Renesas acquired Altium in 2024, and a semiconductor manufacturer owning the design tool used to select competing semiconductors is a conflict some buyers will want addressed in writing before uploading a library.
  • Repeated repackaging, from Altium 365 Standard and Pro tiers to Altium Develop and Agile Teams, has made renewal comparisons difficult and customers have found their previous tier no longer maps to anything on the price list.

Pricing, plan by plan

Abstract

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 shared library
    • Basic version control
    • 2 team members
  • Pro$12/month
    • Unlimited libraries
    • Full version control
    • Unlimited team members
  • Enterprise$50/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Advanced admin controls
    • Compliance & security

Altium 365

$1990/year
  • Altium Develop$1990/year
    • One Altium Designer author licence
    • One workspace for shared projects and libraries
    • Unlimited workspace users for review, comment, tasks and BOM access
  • Altium Agile Teams$undefined/year
    • For teams beyond five ECAD authors
    • Extended workspace governance and administration
    • Quoted, no published price
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • On-premise or private cloud workspace server
    • Formal ECO and lifecycle governance
    • Quoted, no published price

Which should you pick?

Choose Abstract if

  • You need version control.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Macos, Web.
  • You also want branching & merging.
Abstract review

Choose Altium 365 if

  • You need shared workspace.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Cloud, On-premise.
  • You also want managed components.
Altium 365 review

Questions people ask

Is Abstract or Altium 365 better?
Neither clearly leads. Abstract starts at Free and Altium 365 at $1990/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Abstract or Altium 365?
Abstract has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Abstract and $1990/year for Altium 365.
Does Abstract or Altium 365 run on more platforms?
Abstract runs on Macos, Web. Altium 365 runs on Web, Windows, Cloud, On-premise.
Can I use Abstract for free?
Yes. Abstract has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Altium 365 starts at $1990/year.
What is Abstract best used for?
Abstract is most often used for design systems, version control, asset management, team collaboration. Of those, design systems and version control are not what Altium 365 is typically brought in for.
What can Abstract do that Altium 365 cannot?
Abstract covers Version control, Branching & merging, Asset library, Design tokens. Altium 365 covers Shared workspace, Managed components, Browser review, Unlimited workspace users.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Altium 365: Is Altium 365 free with Altium Designer?

A workspace is included with a current subscription, but the higher tiers, extra authors and the add-on portals are chargeable. The unlimited non-author users are genuinely included.

Altium 365: What does it cost?

Altium Develop starts at about 1,990 US dollars a year for one author plus a workspace, with extra authors at 995 US dollars each up to four more. Larger teams are quoted.

Altium 365: Who owns Altium now?

Renesas Electronics completed its acquisition of Altium in 2024. Altium 365 is therefore a Renesas-owned platform.

Altium 365: Can I keep design data on my own servers?

Yes, through the Enterprise on-premise workspace server, but that is a quoted product and most of the newer portal features assume the hosted platform.

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