I did my first non-homemade PCB on the free AutoTrax on a DOS emulator on SunOS in the mid-90's. When I started consulting in 2001, couldn't afford the fancy packages, and gEDA was too fluctuant, limited, and not nearly as useful as now, with basically no libraries. I found the free version of Eagle and it had huge libraries, was easy to use, and free for small boards, so that's what I used for a couple of prototypes until I made enough to spring for the Pro version of Eagle. In 2009, I evaluated almost every other package out there, and found Altium to be an amazing value (the price had just dropped.) Even though it was about the cheapest of the professional-grade packages, it was easier to use and had superior features that worked well. I liked Pulsonix as well (big brother to Easy-PC and DesignSpark), but the price was more than Altium for less capability.
The main advantages of Altium over Eagle, for me, were
- the hierarchical structure, making it easier to move/reuse/duplicate subsections of schematics and routing;
- the broader model of parts, more than just basically just schematic and footprint, so that the supplier info is included in the part, and I no longer have to work almost as hard putting together the BOM as I do on the PCB;
- The built-in version control, allowing not only version management, but actual comparisons between versions. Previously, I saved the files and used RCS.
- Cross probing and cross selecting; selecting parts on the schematic and then placing those selected parts on the PCB
- more basic built-in functionality; not having to use a ULP for simple stuff like re-annotation.
- 3D modeling - in fact this was the driving force, since some designs had to fit in tight enclosures requiring close work with a mechanical engineer. It's still work to make it happen, but worth it.
- I was interested in the FPGA features, but those were a bonus, not affecting the decision.
- tons of tutorials and examples
- Great user community
Regarding Eagle, some things that I thought were fine were:
- The User interface. It's different, and I like Altium more, since sometimes you just want to grab a part and move it around. However, I worked just fine with the Eagle interface after I got used to it.
- Eagle is multiplatform. That was critical for me, as I ran Linux exclusively for many years.
- Eagle has great integration between the schematic and PCB editors
- Good ERC and DRC checking.
- lots of library parts and templates
- Great user community
I plan to continue using and maintaining my Altium license, but I maintain my Eagle license, and will probably upgrade to Eagle 6 as well. With the new hierarchical structure, one of the major gripes will be gone. For hobby use, the other issues are not as serious.
Regarding the library, I find that Eagle has great libraries for through-hole parts, and nobody has great libraries for surface mount. I think everybody has slightly different preferences, and will have to make most parts once; then using the software gets easier and easier when you can pick previously created parts. You can find IPC footprints for Eagle, and copy standard symbols, so part creation is really not too difficult. It's about the same for any software, once you learn the tricks.
If I were a hobbyist on a budget, I'd look forward to the new Eagle 6, but I'd also keep one eye on the free programs, and check out DesignSpark and EasyPCB.
Dave