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CAD · head to head

Altium 365 vs Zeplin

Altium 365 logo

Altium 365

CAD

Cloud workspace for Altium Designer PCB projects, now inside Renesas

From
$1990/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zeplin logo

Zeplin

Design

Design handoff and developer collaboration

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Zeplin 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Develop entry price is capped at five authors in total, so a growing team hits a forced migration to Agile Teams with unpublished pricing exactly when headcount is rising.; Zeplin the free plan is limited to 1 project and 100 screens and works only in a personal workspace
  • They diverge on capability: Altium 365 covers Shared workspace, Zeplin covers Design specs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Altium 365 and Zeplin differ
AttributeAltium 365Zeplin
Starting price$1990/yearFree
Pricing modelPer user per yearsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, Cloud, On-premiseWeb, Desktop, Mobile
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 Zeplin

  • Design specs
  • Asset export
  • Code snippets
  • Design tokens
  • Comments
  • Version control
  • Handoff workflow
  • Accessibility checks

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

Zeplin

  • Handing off design specs from Figma or Sketch to developersnot Altium 365
  • Sharing screens, assets and style guides with an engineering teamnot Altium 365
  • Reviewing and commenting on design versionsnot 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.

Zeplin

  • The free plan is limited to 1 project and 100 screens and works only in a personal workspace
  • Free plan AI reviews are capped at 3 per week
  • Role based permissions require the Advanced plan or higher
  • Single sign on, multi factor authentication, activity logs and invoiced billing are Enterprise only
  • Priority 24 hour support is Enterprise only
  • Basic plan caps screens at 1,000 per project and is priced per project rather than per seat
  • Enterprise pricing is by quote with no published rate

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

Zeplin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 project
    • 1 workspace
    • Basic specs
  • Starter$19/month
    • Unlimited projects
    • Multiple workspaces
    • Advanced specs
  • Professional$49/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Team collaboration
    • Admin controls

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 Zeplin if

  • You need design specs.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want asset export.
Zeplin review

Questions people ask

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

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.

Zeplin: How much does Zeplin Advanced cost?

Advanced costs $12 per seat per month when paid annually, with annual subscriptions offering 2 months off versus monthly rates.

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.

Zeplin: What's the difference between Free and Basic plans?

Free covers 1 project with 100 screens and 30-day version history. Basic offers 1-12 projects with practically unlimited screens per project and 1-year version history.

Source
Altium 365: Who owns Altium now?

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

Zeplin: Can I add unlimited team members?

Yes, Free and Basic plans allow unlimited team members. Advanced/Enterprise assign roles with Reviewers being free and unlimited.

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.

Zeplin: What can Reviewers do?

Reviewers can view designs and documentation and approve requests, but lack access to developer specs.

Source
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