Altium vs KiCad:Which is searched more?
In September 2026, KiCad had more branded searches than Altium among PCB design software worldwide. KiCad had about 246,000 branded searches, while Altium had 74,000. KiCad made up 24.8% of all PCB design software searches we track, and Altium accounted for 7.4%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Is Altium or KiCad more popular in search?
Compare the software engineers design circuit boards in. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of searches by month for KiCad, Altium. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Fusion 360 | KiCad | EasyEDA | Altium | OrCAD | CircuitMaker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 54.6% | 16.4% | 20% | 6% | 2.2% | 0.8% |
| Nov 2025 | 54.9% | 16.5% | 20% | 6% | 1.8% | 0.81% |
| Dec 2025 | 57.8% | 17.4% | 17.4% | 5.2% | 1.6% | 0.69% |
| Jan 2026 | 61.8% | 15.2% | 15.2% | 5.6% | 1.7% | 0.61% |
| Feb 2026 | 55.2% | 16.6% | 20.2% | 6.1% | 1.5% | 0.54% |
| Mar 2026 | 50.7% | 18.5% | 22.7% | 5.6% | 2% | 0.5% |
| Apr 2026 | 50.9% | 18.6% | 22.8% | 5.6% | 1.7% | 0.5% |
| May 2026 | 46.6% | 20.8% | 25.5% | 5.1% | 1.5% | 0.46% |
| Jun 2026 | 50.3% | 18.4% | 22.5% | 6.8% | 1.7% | 0.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 53.1% | 19.5% | 19.5% | 5.8% | 1.7% | 0.34% |
| Aug 2026 | 50.3% | 22.5% | 18.4% | 6.8% | 1.7% | 0.4% |
| Sep 2026 | 45.3% | 24.8% | 20.2% | 7.4% | 1.8% | 0.44% |
How has the Altium and KiCad comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- KiCad was ahead of Altium in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Altium’s share of searches among PCB design software worldwide moved from 6% to 7.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 74K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, KiCad’s share of searches among PCB design software worldwide moved from 16.4% to 24.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 165K to 246K.
How did search popularity change for PCB design software worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, KiCad gained share of searches among PCB design software worldwide, from 22.5% to 24.8%.
In September 2026, Altium gained share of searches among PCB design software worldwide, from 6.8% to 7.4%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Altium’s and KiCad’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among PCB design software
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