What Are the Best CNC Softwares?

One of the most common questions we get from makers interested in CNC milling is the following : which CNC software should I use?  Before diving into software recommendations, this guide will walk you through the following sections.

Let's start by understanding the different types of softwares at play.

There are 3 different types of software that are used in the process of milling:

• CAD Software (Computer Aided Design)
• CAM Software (Computer Aided Manufacturing)
• Machine Control Software

While there are three categories of software, a single tool (e.g. Autodesk Fusion 360) can sometimes offer a combination of a couple of them, which makes them even more complex to understand.

1. CAD softwares

Simply put, CAD is the software you're going to use to design your parts. You're going to go from sketches (drawings in 2D) to objects in 3D.

If you're comfortable with 2D drawing software like Illustrator or Inkscape, you can start from there, and import *.dxf files into your CAD software. 

If you're not, you can directly learn to do 2D sketches on the CAD software you're going to pick.

2. CAM softwares

This is the software that allows you to generate machine instructions (G-code) to manufacture your object. It always goes like this:

1. you define the size of the raw material you’re going to mill;
2. you position your 3D design in it, and;
3. you select milling operations to get the desired result.

Often, CAD and CAM software goes together as one solution. But you can also decide to separate the two, for example, if you're already familiar with a CAD software that doesn't have CAM capabilities.

Let's have a look at the last type of software, then discuss the existing solutions out there.

3. CNC machine control softwares

This last type of software is simply the interface you're going to have to control your machine. Most desktop CNC machines don't come with an onboarded computer, so it's a software you may install on your laptop to connect it to your machine.

When it comes to machine control software for CNC desktop machines, some of the big names include Mach3, LinuxCNC and GRBL/USG. Before diving deeper into the pros and cons of each software, we need to understand how a CNC milling machine is controlled. The electronics that control a CNC are basically composed like this:

• Each axis is controlled by one or two motors;
• Each motor gets its instructions from a driver;
• A central controller sends instructions to the different drivers, based on the information it gets from a control software;
• A control software, which is directly connected to the controller with a transfer protocol (usually Serial (i.e. USB) or Parallel (i.e. DB25)). 

The criteria to decide the best software for your usage should be: 

• your budget,
• the existing community of the software
• the nature of what you want to mill. 

For versatile usage in wood, metal, foams or plastics, here are the most used software:

Autodesk Fusion (previously Fusion360) (CAD + CAM)

For more information on how best to generate G-Code from Autodesk Fusion 360, see our full video tutorial playlist on youtube.

FreeCAD (CAD + CAM)

For more information on how best to generate G-Code from FreeCAD and use it on your CNC machine, see our dedicated tutorial.

VCarve (CAD + CAM)

For more information on how best to generate G-Code from VCarve and use it on your CNC machine, see our dedicated tutorial.

SketchUp (CAD + CAM)

To find out how to generate your own G-Code from SketchUp, follow our comprehensive tutorial on the subject.

SolidWorks (CAD + CAM)

CorelDRAW + CamDRAW (Vector + CAM)

For more information on how best to generate G-Code from CorelDRAW and use it on your CNC machine, see our dedicated tutorial.

Carveco (CAD + CAM)

For more information on how best to generate G-Code from Carveco and use it on your CNC machine, see our dedicated tutorial.

Once you've mastered CAD and CAM software to design your parts and prepare your G-code for milling, you need to familiarize yourself with a CNC control software for your machine.

There are a lot of different software out there. Some are free or open-source, while others are linked to a specific control board or to a specific machine brand. It may be hard to make a choice, so here is our comparison of the most used CNC control softwares and why we've decided to implement PlanetCNC on Mekanika's CNC milling machine.

When choosing a CNC control software, pay attention to the following:

• The intuitiveness of the user interface;
• The hardware you're using: type of controller + the type of device running the program ;
• The features available (some of them can change your life during milling)
• The transfer protocol ;
• The documentation provided with the software, the activity level of the community, as well as the frequency of software updates;

Let’s start with software that is not linked to a specific brand of machine.

PlanetCNC - Our Favorite CNC Control Software

Let's start with a software we consider to be one of the best options on the market s far:  PlanetCNC.

PlanetCNC, a European brand comes with its own hardware. They have developed a single-board USB controller that allows up to four axes. They offer many nice features out-of-the-box, like automatic tool length measure or tool change, jump to line, override feed rate, and support all compensation methods for common milling operations, as well as 3D milling. 

The software runs on Windows, Linux or Mac and is compatible to almost all CAM programs on the market and can import a vast variety of files like Gerber, PLT/HPGL, DXF or NC files.

Why we chose PlanetCNC for Mekanika 

When we started designing the Mekanika CNC machine, we tested several controllers and software and PlanetCNC came on top in terms of software stability and robustness of electronic components. 

Plus, it runs perfectly on a Raspberry Pi 4, which allowed us to create a standalone electronic enclosure without any need to use an external computer.

Mach3 – The most popular

Mach3 is without any doubt the most used software on the desktop CNC market so far.

Mach3 is a control software compatible with many hardware solutions and has positioned itself as the market leader for desktop CNC control software. Its success is mainly historical, as it came in at a time when its interface was a lot more user-friendly than what existed on the market so far.

LinuxCNC - Free open-source CNC software

The "father" of all low-end CNC software, created in 1993, is a free open-source Linux software. Most further control software have based their original code on the LinuxCNC project.

The project benefits from a huge open-source community that has developed several versions of the software and has contributed to the fact that it's still the second most used CNC control software today.

GRBL + USG

Technically speaking, GRBL is a firmware which enables motion control for CNC machines, but it doesn't come with a user interface. It is actually an open-source software that allows microcontrollers like Arduino to receive G-code from a computer, through USB transfer.

It is usually combined with a G-code sender software that allows the user to transfer G-code to the Arduino. One open-source software has been sailing through the multitude of available software : the Universal G-code Sender, however most of the proprietary software from companies Inventables or Shapeoko are running on GRBL as well.

Recently, two new branches of the GRBL code emerged: grblHAL and fluidCNC, both taking advantage of the far more superior computing power of 32-bit microcontrollers (instead of the 8-bit Arduino). These are both promising projects that we are closely watching!

Let’s continue with control software developed by CNC machine companies.

They all developed their solution on top of 8-bit GRBL.

Easel CNC Software from Inventables

Easel is the software developed by its mother company: Inventables, which developed the X-carve CNC machines. It comes as a free version or as a Pro version for 24$ / month. 

The main purpose of Easel is to simplify the life of its user by integrating CAD/CAM and control into a single software that generates more or less all the machine operations. It also simplifies the machine setup process, automatically doing all the positioning procedures of the machine when you launch a job. 

Easel CNC control software from Inventables

Carbide Motion

Carbide – the parent company of Shapeoko CNC’s - has developed a similar approach as Easel, but in the more traditional form of two software: Carbide Create to design, and Carbide Motion to control the machine. 

Carbide Motion has a very sober interface that cuts all the unnecessary options on a CNC machine to help you focus on the main features.

Carbide 3D CNC software

Onefinity

Onefinity is built on top of Buildbotics, an open-source controller that runs its own control software. Like the two previous software, Onefinity is a very sober interface that cuts all the unnecessary options on a CNC machine to help you focus on the main features.

OneFinity Elite CNC software 

In 2023, Onefinity launched their Elite models together with Masso, finally offering a proper interface for their users. 

Masso is well known for their CNC controller and Onefinity has embedded its G3 model, a combined controller with a touch screen on their machine.