Best Free Nesting Software in 2026: 10 True-Shape Tools Compared

The best free true-shape nesting software depends on how you work: deepnest-next (the maintained Deepnest fork) for a free desktop app, sparrow studio for free open-source nesting on a strip or roll in the browser, LightBurn's True Nest if you already pay for LightBurn Pro, and EZNESTING for nesting DXF parts on sheets or rolls in the browser alongside a regular cut list.

Disclosure: we make EZNESTING. Everything below about other tools was checked on their own sites and repositories on October 23, 2026; claims we couldn't confirm are left out.

SmartCAD also has a free online nesting tool (strip only, runs locally). Many older lists still recommend the original Deepnest, which hasn't been updated since August 2018; use the deepnest-next fork instead.

deepnest-next. The community fork of Deepnest is the one to download today: the original Deepnest's last commit was in August 2018, and the fork's maintainers warn against the old download sites. deepnest-next runs on Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux. You set the number of rotation steps (1 to 32), the space between parts and the curve tolerance, and it can merge common lines. It exports SVG, DXF, PLT, JSON and G-code. Its README lists native DXF import "without online conversion" as an upcoming feature, so check how your DXF files come in before relying on it. Deepnest is also known for nesting small parts inside the holes of larger ones.

SVGnest. The browser original that Deepnest grew from. It runs locally in your browser and supports rotations, spacing and parts in holes, but it reads SVG only (text must be converted to outlines first) and its code hasn't changed since April 2019.

sparrow studio. A free browser app built on sparrow, the open-source nesting algorithm from KU Leuven that currently leads the academic benchmarks. No account, nothing uploaded, SVG and DXF in and out, with allowed rotations and clearance settings. It packs onto a strip of fixed width (ideal for rolls), not onto a stack of fixed-size sheets, and it keeps holes but doesn't place parts inside them. EZNESTING's true-shape engine uses the same sparrow algorithm.

EZNESTING started as a cut list optimizer for rectangular parts and added true-shape nesting in October 2026. It runs in the browser, and the nesting runs on your own computer.

• DXF import that copes with real CAD files: lines, arcs, polylines with arcs, ellipses, splines (including rational ones) and blocks; outlines drawn in pieces are joined; notches and holes stay with their part; text inside a part names it; several files at once.
• Sheets and rolls: nest onto fixed sheets (one or many), or onto roll stock with an optional length, reporting the length used and the yield on that length.
• Rotation choices: 90°, 45° or 15° steps or any angle, per job or per part, with grain-locked parts kept to half turns.
• Parts in holes: small parts go inside the cut-outs of bigger ones (washers in a flange, a gasket inside a ring), and ride along when the big part is nested.
• Mixed jobs: rectangles from a parts list or spreadsheet nest alongside the shapes.
• Grain: grain-locked parts only turn half turns, never across the grain.
• Output: DXF with outlines and holes on one layer and notches on another, SVG for laser software (cut and notch lines in separate colours), a printable PDF, CSV and Excel.
• Keep improving: search longer and keep the result only if it's better.

Where it falls short: it never mirrors parts, its parts-in-holes fill is greedy rather than exhaustive, it doesn't merge common lines, and it doesn't generate toolpaths. The free plan covers up to 5 part sizes and 3 stock sizes per job.

On our test jobs, true-shape nesting fit 35 round, arch-top and hex signs on one 4×8 where bounding-box nesting needed two, and cut the length of a 54" roll used for curved upholstery panels from 192.4" to 150.6". Details are in what is true-shape nesting.

• LightBurn. Quick Nest (Core and Pro) nests by bounding box. True Nest, which nests by the real outline, is a Pro feature in the LightBurn 2.2 early-access releases (RC-3 posted September 30, 2026). Pro is $199 as a perpetual licence with a year of updates; Core is $99. Core users can trial Pro for two weeks. LightBurn's older "Nest Selected" sends shapes to SVGnest.com.
• Vectric. True-shape nesting is in VCarve Pro and Aspire, not VCarve Desktop.
• Inkscape. No built-in nesting; it's an open feature request.

If you already pay for one of these, try its nesting first. If you don't, buying one just for nesting costs more than the free options above.

These are commercial services with a free allowance. All of them nest by true shape.

• Lapas: free plan with unlimited nesting and 5 project exports a month; Pro is $49/month ($39 billed yearly). Imports DXF, DWG, SVG, PDF, AI and LightBurn files; exports DXF and a PDF report.
• NestorCut: free for 10 nestings a month with up to 2 sheets per job; €19 or €39 a month for more. Account required; parts in holes, allowed rotations and grain lock; one DXF per sheet. Cloud projects are deleted after 24 hours.
• GoNesting: 5 free runs, then $7/month. Google sign-in, DXF files uploaded (ASCII DXF up to 20 MB). Parts in holes, rotation choices (360° on Pro), gap and edge-margin settings.
• CutPlan: free for 30 calculations and 5 exports a month (up to 150 parts, watermarked PDF); Pro is $29/month and is required for DXF export. Handles rolls with selvedge and seam allowances.
• NestMaxx: free with no signup; DXF and SVG in, DXF R12 and SVG out, fixed, free or grain-locked rotation.

Paid-only for comparison: MyNesting is $49/month (or a $25 day pass) after a 7-day trial that bills automatically unless cancelled.

1. Check your files. If your parts come from CAD as DXF with splines or blocks, test the import first: wrong scale and missing curves are the most common complaints about free nesters.
2. Sheets or roll? Rolls need a tool that minimises length on a fixed width (sparrow studio, EZNESTING, CutPlan). Sheets need one that fills fixed-size sheets.
3. Do you need parts in holes? If you cut gaskets, flanges or rings, choose a tool that nests inside cut-outs.
4. Count the exports. Several free tiers limit exports, not nesting. A nest you can't export to your machine isn't free.
5. Uploads. Some services process files on their servers. If your patterns are confidential, prefer a tool that runs locally (deepnest-next, SVGnest, sparrow studio, EZNESTING).