Compare DipTrace vs. Quilter

DipTrace is a professional PCB design suite from Novarm Ltd, in continuous development since 2004 and used by over 30,000 engineers across 50+ countries. Companies in aerospace, defense, medical devices, and industrial electronics rely on it for production work. The suite covers the full design flow in one environment. Schematic Capture handles multi-sheet hierarchical projects with electrical rule check, a Digital SPICE Simulator for analog and digital circuits, and cross-selection with the board. PCB Layout provides interactive push-and-shove editing, where moving or rotating a placed component displaces neighbouring traces and vias as you work, and dragged traces route themselves around pads, keepouts, and existing copper. Designers choose whether design rules are enforced at all times or violations are permitted deliberately. High-speed work is supported through differential pair routing, length matching, layer stackup management, and a PCB calculator. Manufacturing output covers Gerber X2, ODB++, IPC-2581, NC Drill, and STEP for mechanical CAD. Version 5.3 introduced a native XML project format that mirrors the binary format feature for feature, making designs practical to keep under Git or another version control system. Component sourcing runs through a database-powered search with Mouser integration and SnapEDA access to more than 10 million parts. Projects import from Altium, KiCad, Eagle, OrCAD, EasyEDA Pro, Pulsonix, and PADS. DipTrace runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Licensing is perpetual — bought once, with no subscription or maintenance fees — across five editions starting at $75. Technical support is provided to every user, including those on the free edition.

Engineers at leading electronics firms around the globe utilize Quilter for their design needs. Fully compatible with your pre-existing designs and libraries, Quilter ensures that all completed projects are returned in the original file format for easy inspection, modification, and export. To begin, simply design your schematic with your preferred ECAD application, such as Altium or KiCAD, and upload both your schematic and an empty board file. Quilter automatically identifies the relationships between components, allowing you to define any design constraints for your board with ease. We rigorously validate tolerances against top fabrication houses to ensure reliability. Quilter evaluates numerous candidates and confirms that every design meets design rule checks (DRCs). Once you have reviewed the options, you can select your preferred design and download the necessary files for fabrication and testing. Unlike traditional auto routers, Quilter operates more like a human designer, effectively managing all PCB design elements, including the routing of traces, placement of components, board stackup management, and the generation of custom pours. This innovative software makes the entire design process more intuitive and streamlined, enhancing productivity for engineers.