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CAD · head to head

Altium 365 vs Vectr

Altium 365 logo

Altium 365

CAD

Cloud workspace for Altium Designer PCB projects, now inside Renesas

From
$1990/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vectr logo

Vectr

Design

Free vector graphics editor for everyone

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vectr 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Develop entry price is capped at five authors in total, so a growing team hits a forced migration to Agile Teams with unpublished pricing exactly when headcount is rising.; Vectr performance issues: slowness during edits is a recurring complaint, especially problematic for complex designs
  • They diverge on capability: Altium 365 covers Shared workspace, Vectr covers Vector drawing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Altium 365 and Vectr differ
AttributeAltium 365Vectr
Starting price$1990/yearFree
Pricing modelPer user per yearUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, Cloud, On-premiseWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook
CategoryCADDesign
FoundedUnknown2014

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 Altium 365

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

Only in Vectr

  • Vector drawing
  • Shape tools
  • Typography
  • Gradient tools
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Cloud storage
  • Export options
  • Simple interface

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 Vectr
  • A team handing fabrication and assembly data to a contract manufacturer as a versioned release rather than a zip of Gerbersnot Vectr
  • A company running board and enclosure design in parallel and needing bidirectional geometry exchange with mechanical CADnot Vectr
  • A buyer checking component lifecycle and availability against the live BOM before a design is frozennot Vectr

Vectr

  • Logo designnot Altium 365
  • Vector illustrationnot Altium 365
  • Web graphicsnot Altium 365
  • Learning designnot 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.

Vectr

  • Performance issues: slowness during edits is a recurring complaint, especially problematic for complex designs
  • Limited advanced features: lacks some features available in paid tools like Adobe Illustrator including complex shape manipulation
  • Internet dependency: requires constant internet connection with no offline capabilities limiting use in unreliable connectivity areas
  • Limited export options: fewer export formats compared to other vector graphics software
  • Limited integration: does not offer seamless integration with other design tools and lacks third-party extension support

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

Vectr

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1GB storage
    • Basic tools
    • Limited AI credits
  • Plus$1.99/month
    • 1GB storage
    • 600 AI credits
    • Single-session access
  • Premium$4.99/month
    • 5GB storage
    • 2,400 AI credits
    • Three concurrent sessions

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 Vectr if

  • You need vector drawing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook.
  • You also want shape tools.
Vectr review

Questions people ask

Is Altium 365 or Vectr better?
Neither clearly leads. Altium 365 starts at $1990/year and Vectr at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Altium 365 or Vectr?
Vectr has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1990/year for Altium 365 and Free for Vectr.
Does Altium 365 or Vectr run on more platforms?
Altium 365 runs on Web, Windows, Cloud, On-premise. Vectr runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook.
Can I use Vectr for free?
Yes. Vectr 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 Vectr is typically brought in for.
What can Altium 365 do that Vectr cannot?
Altium 365 covers Shared workspace, Managed components, Browser review, Unlimited workspace users. Vectr covers Vector drawing, Shape tools, Typography, Gradient tools.

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.

Vectr: Is Vectr free to use?

Vectr offers a free plan with 1GB storage, basic tools, and limited AI credits for essential vector editing. Paid Plus and Premium plans provide additional storage, AI credits, and concurrent sessions.

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.

Vectr: Can you collaborate in real-time with Vectr?

Yes, Vectr features built-in real-time collaboration with live workspace sharing through custom URLs and integrated chat for team communication, enabling distributed creative teamwork.

Source
Altium 365: Who owns Altium now?

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

Vectr: Does Vectr require an internet connection?

Yes, Vectr requires constant internet connection as it is cloud-based. It does not have offline capabilities, which can be limiting for users in areas with unreliable connectivity.

Source
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.

Vectr: What file formats can you export from Vectr?

Vectr supports exporting in SVG, PNG, JPG, and Vectr SVG formats. Compared to other vector graphics software, export options are somewhat limited.

Source
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