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CAD · head to head

Altium 365 vs OpenSCAD

Altium 365 logo

Altium 365

CAD

Cloud workspace for Altium Designer PCB projects, now inside Renesas

From
$1990/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenSCAD logo

OpenSCAD

CAD

The programmers solid 3D CAD modeler

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenSCAD has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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Develop entry price is capped at five authors in total, so a growing team hits a forced migration to Agile Teams with unpublished pricing exactly when headcount is rising.; OpenSCAD script-based workflow, not interactive design interface
  • They diverge on capability: Altium 365 covers Shared workspace, OpenSCAD covers Script-based modeling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Altium 365 and OpenSCAD differ
AttributeAltium 365OpenSCAD
Starting price$1990/yearFree
Pricing modelPer user per yearfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, Cloud, On-premiseWindows, macOS, Linux, WebAssembly
FoundedUnknown2009

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

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 Altium 365

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

Only in OpenSCAD

  • Script-based modeling
  • CSG operations
  • 2D to 3D extrusion
  • Parameterization
  • STL export
  • Preview
  • 3D printers
  • Slicers

What people use each for

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

Altium 365

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

OpenSCAD

  • Parametric 3D design for manufacturing and 3D printingnot Altium 365
  • Technical design with scripted control over geometrynot Altium 365
  • Procedural model generationnot Altium 365

Where each one falls short

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

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.

OpenSCAD

  • Script-based workflow, not interactive design interface
  • Limited to constructive solid geometry and 2D extrusion modelling
  • Not suitable for artistic 3D modelling or computer animation
  • Complex build dependencies (Qt, CGAL, Boost)

Pricing, plan by plan

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

OpenSCAD

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the OpenSCAD review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Altium 365 if

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

Choose OpenSCAD if

  • You need script-based modeling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, WebAssembly.
  • You also want csg operations.
OpenSCAD review

Questions people ask

Is Altium 365 or OpenSCAD better?
Neither clearly leads. Altium 365 starts at $1990/year and OpenSCAD at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Altium 365 or OpenSCAD?
OpenSCAD has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1990/year for Altium 365 and Free for OpenSCAD.
Does Altium 365 or OpenSCAD run on more platforms?
Altium 365 runs on Web, Windows, Cloud, On-premise. OpenSCAD runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, WebAssembly.
Can I use OpenSCAD for free?
Yes. OpenSCAD has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Altium 365 starts at $1990/year.
What is Altium 365 best used for?
Altium 365 is most often used for a hardware startup where two engineers draw boards but eight people need to review them, avoiding eight cad seats, a team handing fabrication and assembly data to a contract manufacturer as a versioned release rather than a zip of gerbers, a company running board and enclosure design in parallel and needing bidirectional geometry exchange with mechanical cad, a buyer checking component lifecycle and availability against the live bom before a design is frozen. Of those, a hardware startup where two engineers draw boards but eight people need to review them, avoiding eight cad seats and a team handing fabrication and assembly data to a contract manufacturer as a versioned release rather than a zip of gerbers are not what OpenSCAD is typically brought in for.
What can Altium 365 do that OpenSCAD cannot?
Altium 365 covers Shared workspace, Managed components, Browser review, Unlimited workspace users. OpenSCAD covers Script-based modeling, CSG operations, 2D to 3D extrusion, Parameterization.

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.

OpenSCAD: What is the cost of OpenSCAD?

OpenSCAD is free software with no licensing fees, subscriptions, or costs of any kind. The software is available as open-source with no restrictions on commercial or non-commercial use.

Source
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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