Free nesting software for laser and plasma: what you really get

The free options side by side

Your controller's own nest

If your laser runs CypCut, you already have a free nester. Its v6.5 manual caps it at 50 part types and 20 sheets, with array as the only strategy, and it runs on the machine's PC — so nesting stops the machine's operator, not the office. For a few repeat parts it is enough. When the jobs are mixed, see Zorocut vs CypCut nesting.

Deepnest: free, open, and rough at the edges

Deepnest is the true-shape nester many hobby and plasma users try first. The original project is unmaintained and its DXF import has failed since March 2025; the community fork deepnest-next is MIT-licensed except deepnest.js, which is GPLv3. Its open issues cover what a job shop notices: part-in-part fails (#170), there is no edge margin (#167), curves are approximated as segments (#66, #160). It has no quote and no remnants. The full table is on Zorocut vs Deepnest.

Browser free tiers

• Lapas Free: unlimited nesting, no parts limit, sheet inventory and remnants, 5 project exports a month; the quote is a PDF report. Pro is $49 a month.
• NestorCut Free: 10 nestings a month and up to 2 sheets a job, with DXF, SVG and ZIP export; no quote. On Free the nesting runs on your device; paid plans compute on the server by default.
• SheetDXF Free: cut length, pierces, feed tables for 4–12 kW and an unbranded PDF quote, with no cap stated — but no nesting on the free plan.

What Zorocut Free includes

• Unlimited nesting and preview on your own parts: true-shape, part-in-part, rotation rules, mirrored pairs.
• The pre-cut check and DXF cleanup: open contours, duplicate lines, units, tiny features.
• 10 DXF exports or quote PDFs a month, on one machine. No card, no time limit.
• The desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, and the free online nester in the browser; nesting runs on your computer either way.

Not on Free: the cut-time and cost report, branded quote PDFs, the remnant library, the job list and your own speed tables. Cutter, at €19 a month or €190 a year excluding VAT, removes the export limit; new accounts get 14 days of Shop first, then fall back to Free. All prices are on the pricing page.

Which free option to pick

• A few repeat parts on a CypCut laser: the built-in nest.
• No limits at all and you can live with open issues: Deepnest.
• A price before you nest, without nesting: SheetDXF Free.
• True-shape nesting with a price per part and controller-ready DXF, up to 10 exports a month: Zorocut Free.