Sometimes free is totally awesome and there are no strings attached. Other times free makes us choose vastly inferior solutions. We spend so much time fighting with the free software that in the end, had we spent just a little bit, we might have come out a lot better. And sometimes free has sneaky hidden costs.

Keep all that in mind as you check out our choices for the best Free CNC Software you can find.

CNCCookbook Free CNC Software

We always provide a free trial for our software. In addition, when we’re introducing new products, we release them for free while in Beta test and don’t charge until we finish the software. Typically you use it for many months if not a year or two when that happens. We don’t believe in shipping software until it is great. In addition to all that, some of our software is filled with a ton of free features even if you never subscribe.

So checkout our free stuff!

G-Wizard Calculator

We do a terrible job advertising it, but most of G-Wizard Calculator is free. Seriously. You sign up for the free trial, and when that ends, even if you don’t purchase, most of the tabs will go right on working for you. There’s a giant treasure trove of useful calculators, utilities, and reference information there including:
Phew! I can hardly keep up with all of it myself. I know there a lifetime subscribers who are still delighted at the new things they discover. And we just keep adding more all the time!
I thought I’d make a quick video showing how it all works:
Simulator
All of this will save you time digging through machinery’s handbook or trying to Google for it. It’s all stuff that I use constantly and you will love having it at your fingertips. So what are you waiting for–give the G-Wizard free Trial a try:
Best Free Cnc Simulator

[ I Savvy, Get Me My Free Trial Now! ]

BTW, you have the choice of buying the software outright (lifetime subscription) or subscribing. Now I hear all the time from hobbyists who don’t think they can afford G-Wizard. First thing is that one year is cheap–not much more than a single cutter costs. But okay, let’s suppose you still think that’s too expensive. The thing is, at the end of that 1 year,Feeds and Speeds keep right on working too.
What’s the catch?
The catch is that once the subscription expires, there’s a spindle power limit equal to 1 horsepower for each year you subscribe. This is perfect for a hobbyist. A small CNC Router may not be able to use more than a 1 horsepower cut–tiny machines just aren’t rigid enough. That means a lifetime of Feeds and Speeds, limited to 1 HP, for just the cost of 1 year of subscription. It’s perfect for the hobbyist trying to save.
And, if you ever get a more powerful machine, just re-subscribe to unlock the limit. No muss, no fuss.
Here you can create the content that will be used within the module.

G-Wizard Editor

Everybody who tries G-Wizard Editor loves it because it’s the first G-Code software whose focus is on simplifying g-code, and it’s also the first to build in Conversational CNC. With conversational CNC, you can work without using CAD. Just answer a few simple questions and GW Editor will write the g-code for you. It’s for all those jobs you were thinking would be faster on a manual machine, and it’s a totally free additional module you get with G-Wizard Editor.

Free DXF Files

[ Get my Free DXF Files Now! ]

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Download our free DXF files and be cutting cool patterns on your CNC Laser, Router, Waterjet, or other machine before you know it.

More Free CNC Software

Downloader Beware: Every now and then a great piece of free software will save you time and money. Just be aware it is a big bad world online, and free software or freeware is a tool used from time to time by those up to no good. CNCCookbook isn’t vouching for any of this software and we don’t necessarily use it ourselves, except our own software of course. It’s just stuff we’ve come across or had recommended to us by readers. Make sure your antivirus program is tuned in and turned on if you decide to download freeware and start using it. Just sayin’!

Best Free CAD Software

Which one of these packages is your pick for the Best Free CAD Software out there?
A9 CADCADhttp://www.a9tech.com/products/a9cad/
BlenderCADhttps://www.blender.org/
DraftsightCADhttps://www.solidworks.com/product/draftsight
eCabinet: CAD for custom cabinet makersCADhttp://www.ecabinetsystems.com/
gCAD3dCADhttp://www.cadcam.co.at/freiter/gCAD3D_en.htm
FreeCADCADhttps://www.freecadweb.org/
Google SketchupCADhttps://sketchup.google.com/
Fusion 360CAD + CAMhttps://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/students-teachers-educators
GraphiteOne CADCADhttps://www.graphiteone-cad.com/
HeeksCADCADhttps://github.com/Heeks/heekscad
MinosCADhttp://www.le-boite.com/minos.htm
nanoCADCADhttps://nanocad.com/
OnShapeCADhttps://www.onshape.com/
Solid Edge Free 2D DraftingCADhttp://www.solidedge.com/free2d/
TinkerCADCADhttps://www.tinkercad.com/
Wings 3DCADhttps://www.wings3d.com/

Free CNC CAM Software

EstlcamCAMhttp://www.estlcam.com/
Free Mill: 3D Milling from the makers of Visual MillCAMhttp://www.mecsoft.com/freemill.shtml
DeskProtoCAMhttps://www.deskproto.com/products/free-ed.php
HSMExpressCAMhttp://www.hsmworks.com/hsmxpress/
Fusion 360CAD + CAMhttps://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/students-teachers-educators
G-SimpleCAMhttps://www.gsimple.eu/
Heeks CAD/CAMCAMhttps://www.heeks.net/

Other Free CNC Software

GCode RipperWrap GCode for 4th Axis or do Engraving on Irregular Surfaces after ProbingSee article link
LinuxCNC / EMC2Free CNC Control Softwarehttps://www.linuxcnc.org/
JedicutCNC Foam Cuttinghttp://www.aeropassion.net/index-en.php
Ace ConverterDXF to G-Codehttp://www.dakeng.com/ace.html
2linc Engraving Software: Light VersionEngraving Softwarehttp://www.2linc.com/cnc_programming_software.htm
DeskEngraveEngraving Softwarehttp://www.deskam.com/download.html
PCB-GCODEG-Code for Eagle PCBhttps://groups.yahoo.com/group/pcb-gcode/
Auto-traceImage or bitmap to g-codehttp://autotrace.sourceforge.net/
Image to G-CodeImage or bitmap to g-codehttp://www.imagetogcode.com/
Scan2CNCImage or bitmap to g-codehttp://www.gravomaster.com/Tristan_Dean/scan2cnc.html
MaxCutNestinghttp://www.maxcut.co.za/

Free CNC Software FAQ

What is CNC Software?

CNC Software is the Digital Tooling used to create programs for CNC Machines. There are many kinds, but CAD and CAM are the most common.

What is the minimum CNC Software for a Beginner?

A beginning CNC’er needs to learn to use CAD Software for creating designs, CAM Software to convert the designs to g-code, and Feeds and Speeds Software to determine the proper cutting feeds and speeds for their CAM software to use.

What is the most popular CAD Software for CNC?

Fusion 360 followed by Solidworks are the most popular CAD Software packages among CNC’ers according to CNCCookbook’s CAD Survey. Fusion 360 is free for non-business users and some small business users.

What is the most popular CAM Software?

Cnc Simulator Pro

Fusion 360 is the most popular CAM Software followed by Vectric/Aspire and Mastercam according to CNCCookbook’s CAM Survey. Fusion 360 is free for non-business users and some small business users.
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