CircuitMaker is electronic design automation software for printed circuit board designs targeted at the hobby, hacker, and maker community.^[1][2] CircuitMaker is available as freeware, and the hardware designed with it may be used for commercial and non-commercial purposes without limitations.^[3] It is currently available publicly as version 2.0 by Altium Limited, with the first non-beta release on January 17, 2016.^[4]

CircuitMaker implements schematic capture and PCB design using the same engine as Altium Designer, providing an almost identical user experience. The schematic editor includes basic component placement and circuit design as well as advanced multi-channel design and hierarchical schematics. All schematics are uploaded to the Altium server and can be viewed by anyone with a CircuitMaker account, stimulating design re-use.^[16] CircuitMaker supports integration with the Octopart search engine^[17] and allows drag and drop placement of components from the Octopart search results if schematic models are attached to them. Users can build missing schematic symbols and commit them to the server, called the Community Vault, making them available for other users.^[18] The continuously growing part database eliminates the need for a custom schematic symbol or footprint design for common parts, increasing user-friendliness for beginners. It is not possible to import component models from Altium Designer directly into CircuitMaker,^[19] but there are community-supported workarounds to this limitation.^[20]

Concurrency editing was added in version 1.3,^[21] allowing multiple users to collaborate on a schematic or PCB document simultaneously and exchange thoughts through an integrated comment and annotation system.

Transfer of schematics to a PCB is a straightforward process in CircuitMaker since PCB footprints are automatically attached to any component on the schematic that was picked from the Octopart library. PCB footprints may have simple 3D models or complex STEP models attached to them, enabling real time 3D rendering of the PCB during development.^[22] CircuitMaker supports design rule configuration and real time design rule checking. Some advanced features, including differential pair routing, interactive length tuning,^[23] and polygon pour management, are also available.^[24] Production files can be exported directly, although an external Gerber viewer must be used to check the exports. The entire PCB can also be exported as a 3D STEP model for further use in mechanical 3D CAD software.

CircuitMaker is only available for the Windows operating system. This requires users to have access to a Windows license to use CircuitMaker.^[25][26] As of 2020, CircuitMaker can be run in Wine on Ubuntu, with limitations,^[27][28] but some users reported it does not work on their Linux distribution.^[29] Unofficial support for Linux and BSD users is provided by Altium staff and volunteers on the CircuitMaker forum.^[30]

While users can import resources from competing EDA software packages,^[31] CircuitMaker does not support exporting design resources itself. A workaround for this issue is provided by Altium Designer 15 and 16 which do support the import of CircuitMaker files.^[32]

CircuitMaker requires a free account to represent its users in the community.^[33] An active internet connection is required to start and use the software.^[34] Users are allowed to have 5 private projects, the so-called sandbox mode for practicing. By default, all schematics and PCBs are uploaded to the server and can be viewed by other users as soon as they are committed through the internal svn engine. While this renders CircuitMaker undesirable for closed source projects, it encourages collaboration in the community. Users are allowed to fork existing projects, or request permission to collaborate in existing projects. Importing schematic documents and PCBs from other EDA packages (OrCAD, PADS, P-CAD, EAGLE) is supported.^[35] Users are allowed to own unlimited projects, and there is no hard limit on board complexity.^[36] However, Altium warns that users may experience a performance drop for large projects.^[37]

All documents are under version control by default, allowing users to revert changes made in their projects, and build new versions of existing schematic symbols or footprints in the Community Vault. Users can comment on each other's projects and parts, rate them, and propose improvements.

CircuitMaker supports direct generation of production files in industry standard formats such as Gerber and NC Drill, as well as printing of stencils for DIY circuit board etching.^[38]

• Altium Limited
• Cloud storage
• Altium Designer
• Comparison of EDA software