Electronics design engineers BOM sourcing and procurement PCB designers in Altium tools Startups comparing distributor stock and price

Who is Octopart not for?

Buyers needing authorized-distributors-only results Non-electronics parts sourcing Teams wanting enterprise security documentation Users needing free API access

shouldiuse.io

Octopart Review

Worth it

Should I use Octopart?

Electronic components search engine - octopart.com

Analyzed October 12, 2026 · 4 days ago

Buy if you source electronic components: it is free, proven, and indexes 95M+ parts across distributors. Skip it if you need authorized-distributor-only results, free API access, or non-electronics sourcing.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 25+ public sources; many snippets truncated, so rating numbers unavailable.

Ratings

Value for money
Ease of use
Feature depth
Support qualityNo support evidence found
Security posture

Pricing

Free

Web search and BOM tool

ModelNot disclosed

Monthly feesNot disclosed

HardwareNot disclosed

Free tierYes

Octopart APIPaid; ~$25/month historically (2019)

Best for

Electronics design engineers
BOM sourcing and procurement
PCB designers in Altium tools
Startups comparing distributor stock and price

Not for

Buyers needing authorized-distributors-only results
Non-electronics parts sourcing
Teams wanting enterprise security documentation
Users needing free API access

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Non-authorized brokers show up in results; counterfeit risk if you don't filter

medium

API is paid; historically ~$25/month (2019 blog, verify current rates)

medium

Commercial/heavy use likely needs paid API tiers with usage limits

low

No dedicated security page; rely on parent Altium's disclosures

Pros

Core search engine is completely free
Indexes 95M+ parts across distributors
BOM tool sources entire bill of materials in seconds
18+ years of history; Altium-owned with disclosure program
Tracks lead times, spec updates, and alternative parts data

Cons

Non-authorized distributors appear in results; buyer beware
API is paid; only web search is free
No standalone security page found on site
Some engineers publicly distrust it
Deep Altium integration biases toward Altium 365 ecosystem

Sources & method

Analyzed October 12, 2026 - 9 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x2review x3security x1news x3

Key stats

Value for money: 5/5
Rating
Free
Starting price
9
Sources
October 12, 2026
Analyzed

Value for money: 5/5. Core search completely free
Ease of use: 4/5. Default tool in engineer sourcing threads
Feature depth: 4/5. BOM tool, filters, lead times, alternatives, API
Support quality. No support evidence found
Security posture: 3/5. Parent runs CNA; no product security page

95M+ Parts indexed Per Altium
Yes Free tier Web search and BOM tool
18+ years Operating since Altium-owned since 2015
1,837 Manufacturers listed Per Octopart site

Pricing

Web search and BOM tool

Free

Part search across distributors
BOM matching tool
Datasheets and spec data

Octopart API

Paid; ~$25/month historically (2019)

Programmatic part data access
Usage limits apply

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Engineers treat it as a default parts-search tool, but some complain about non-authorized distributor listings and trust of the data.

“Octopart is not Your friend.”

EEVblog forum thread

Alternatives

Compare Octopart with each alternative.

Findchips
Strong Octopart rival for distributor price and stock search
Octopart vs Findchips
Cofactr
Sourcing and logistics platform aimed at hardware teams
Octopart vs Cofactr
CircuitSherpa
Part pricing and BOM alternative
Octopart vs CircuitSherpa

Easybom / DigiPart
Other parts search engines worth comparing
Octopart vs Easybom / DigiPart

Full analysis

Based on 25+ public sources; many snippets truncated, so rating numbers unavailable.

Free, 18-year-old parts search across 95M+ components. Essential for electronics sourcing; beware broker listings and paid API.

Methodology

Based on 25+ public sources; many snippets truncated, so rating numbers unavailable.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

Octopart official siteoctopart.com
official
Octopart Pricing — G2g2.com
review
Non-authorized distributors on Octopart — Redditreddit.com
review
Octopart API Pricing Schemepcbisolation.com
news
Altium acquires Octopartcrunchbase.com
news
Source Your Entire BOM in Secondsresources.altium.com
official
Octopart vs Findchips vs Easybom vs DigiPartaichiplink.com
news
Octopart is not Your friend — EEVblogeevblog.com
review
Altium CNA statuspentestreports.com
security

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Octopart Review

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