CutList Optimizer Alternatives: Six Options Compared

CutList Optimizer is the best-known tool in this category, and its Android app has over a million installs on Google Play. People still leave it, and the reasons are usually one of these:

• The daily limit and ads on the free tier. The paid plans start at $15/month, which is a lot for a hobbyist with three projects a year. The $4.90 three-day pass covers a single project.
• No linear cutting in the web app. If you also cut lumber, pipe or extrusion to length, you need a second tool.
• No DXF export. The web app exports CSV, PDF and an image. That's fine for a table saw, but a CNC router needs a drawing.
• You'd rather it ran on your own computer. That points to OpenCutList (if you design in SketchUp) or a Windows desktop app.

EZNESTING (our tool) runs in any browser with no signup. It does sheet (2D) and linear (1D) cutting in one project, with kerf, grain direction and edge banding. Free gives you unlimited optimizations and up to 5 part sizes and 3 stock sizes per job, with PDF, CSV, Excel and DXF export included. Pro is $7.99/month or $79.99/year. Where it falls short: it isn't a true-shape nester for laser or plasma work, and it has no phone app. The free plan also has daily and per-job limits, so bigger jobs need Pro.

optiCutter is browser-based and does sheet, roll and length cutting. Its free tier is generous on size (5 stock sizes, 20 part sizes, 500 parts) and includes DXF export. Paid plans are €9 and €19 a month. If your jobs fit its free limits, it's hard to beat on price.

Cutlist Evolution is a browser app (plus an iOS app) with 1D and 2D modes. The free tier allows 40 parts with unlimited stock. DXF, SVG and PTX export come with its top Expert plan.

CutOptim does panel, linear and wood modes in the browser. A free account includes DXF and SVG export, but only 3 optimizations a month. It also sells pay-as-you-go packs (10 runs for €6.90), which suits occasional use.

OpenCutList is free and open source, but it lives inside SketchUp (desktop versions 2017 and later, on Windows and Mac). If you already model your furniture in SketchUp, it builds the cut list straight from the model. That's something no standalone optimizer can do. If you don't use SketchUp, it isn't an option.

MaxCut is a Windows desktop app aimed at cabinet shops, with job costing, labels and a parts library. The Community Edition is free. Business is $20/month or $200/year per device. MaxCut says it is not available for Mac, and its own FAQ says it is built for rectangular parts.

• You work from a phone. It has a full Android app with over a million installs. Most alternatives here are browser-only.
• You only cut rectangular sheet goods, and it already works for you. Switching costs time, and its layouts are good.
• You need it for one weekend. The $4.90 three-day pass is cheaper than a month of almost anything else.

The fairest test is the same cut list in two tools. Run your last job in each and compare the sheet count and the layout you'd actually want to cut.

The calculator at the top of this page is pre-filled with the 3/4" parts for two frameless 24" base cabinets: 4 sides, 2 bottoms, 4 stretchers, 2 toe kicks and 2 shelves. With a ⅛" kerf on 4×8 sheets, it comes out at 2 sheets, 64.8% yield. The first sheet is 92% full, and most of the second is left over for the next job.

Put the same 14 parts into CutList Optimizer or any tool in the table and compare. If a tool gets you onto fewer sheets on your real jobs, use that one.