A free OptiCutter alternative with no part limit

Quick verdict

Side by side

The table only lists the points that matter for this comparison. Cells are kept short on purpose. The wider feature matrix across the main tools is on the best free cut list optimizers page.

Based on each vendor's own website, checked September 2026. Plans and limits change; check the vendor's current pricing page.

Where OptiCutter is better

An API and an Enterprise plan. OptiCutter can be called from your own software: the Enterprise API plan costs €99 per month and includes 5,000 API requests. If you want cutting optimization inside an order system, a web shop or a production tool, that is the deciding feature. cutlistlab has no API.

Roll material. Next to sheets and bars, OptiCutter optimizes roll material. cutlistlab only handles sheets (2D) and bars, boards, battens and profiles (1D).

Material groups, priorities and custom text fields. OptiCutter lets you group materials, give parts or stock a priority and attach your own text fields to parts. cutlistlab has a material and thickness per part and a quantity, grain and edge banding, but no grouping, priority or custom fields.

XLS export. OptiCutter exports PDF, XLS, CSV and DXF, and printable reports, all included in the free plan. cutlistlab exports PDF, PNG, SVG, DXF, a CSV cut list and labels, but not XLS. If your paperwork lives in Excel, the XLS export is a small but real convenience.

A generous free plan for small jobs. Up to 5 stocks, 20 different part sizes and 500 parts, with the exports included, covers many one-off projects. That is more than some comparison pages suggest.

Established and multilingual. OptiCutter is a long-running web tool from Devtica s.r.o. in Slovakia with an interface in 11 languages, and its documentation says you can create as many projects as you need.

Where cutlistlab fits better

No limits, no plan to pick. The whole optimizer is free: no part limit, no stock limit, no daily calculation cap, no watermark and no paywall. You do not need an account. The optional free account only adds saving on the server and syncing projects and offcut stock across devices.

A cabinet designer that feeds the cutting plan. Pick a bookcase, cabinet with doors, wardrobe, drawer unit, TV unit, kitchen base or wall cabinet, wall or bathroom cabinet, room divider or an attic cabinet with a sloped side. Set the sizes, choose back panel, plinth and shelves, check the front, side and 3D view with the exploded-view slider, and the parts update live in the cutting plan. OptiCutter starts from a parts list you already have.

Offcuts as stock. Usable leftovers from one project are kept as stock and used before a new sheet in the next one ("Use my offcuts"). This works for sheets and for linear stock, and it syncs with the optional account. On OptiCutter's site we found no offcut library that carries over between projects.

Store sheet sizes with prices. cutlistlab has a library of real store sheet sizes with prices for 41 country markets (for example Home Depot, Lowe's and Menards in the US, Gamma, Praxis and Hornbach in the Netherlands, OBI, Bauhaus and Hornbach in Germany), so the lowest-cost goal works with what you can actually buy. Your own sizes and prices can be entered too.

Calculation on your own device. The optimization runs locally in the browser, in a background worker. Nothing about your project has to leave your device unless you choose the account and sync. OptiCutter calculates on its servers, which is the flip side of its API.

CNC mode and DXF for both. Both tools export DXF. cutlistlab additionally has a CNC mode with tighter non-guillotine nesting for a CNC router, while the default layout keeps to straight, guillotine-style cuts that a circular saw or track saw can make.

At the saw. The layout drawing has numbered parts and a numbered cutting order, and the full-screen "Cut along" mode walks through the cuts step by step on a phone. Labels print grouped per sheet.

Pricing and free plan

OptiCutter has a free plan and three paid plans. The free plan allows up to 5 different stocks, 20 different part sizes and 500 parts in total, and includes the PDF, XLS, CSV and DXF exports and printable reports. Standard costs €9 per month or €90 per year and raises the limits to 10 stocks, 100 part sizes and 1,000 parts. Professional costs €19 per month or €190 per year with no limits. The Enterprise API plan costs €99 per month and includes 5,000 API requests. The number of projects is not limited on any plan; the free-plan limits apply to the stocks, part sizes and parts within a cutting plan.

cutlistlab has one plan and it is free: the whole optimizer, 1D and 2D, with no part limit, no stock limit, no daily cap, no watermark and no paid tier. An account is optional and also free; it adds server-side saving and sync across devices. Without an account everything stays in your browser, with a project file export and a share link as backup options.

Pricing and limits checked: September 2026. Plans and limits change; check the vendor's current plan details.

Workflow comparison

If you need cutting optimization inside your own software

OptiCutter, with the Enterprise API plan. cutlistlab has no API and no plan that would add one. This is the clearest case for OptiCutter.

If you cut roll material or run a production workflow

OptiCutter. Roll material, material groups, priorities, custom text fields, XLS export and grouping cutting plans into projects are made for a workflow with recurring jobs and paperwork. cutlistlab stops at the cutting plan, the labels and a shopping list.

If you have a spreadsheet with 80 parts

Either tool takes a pasted list. In cutlistlab you paste from Excel or CSV and calculate, with no count to watch. In OptiCutter's free plan, 80 parts is well within the 500-part total, but if the list has more than 20 different part sizes or more than 5 stock types you need the Standard plan.

If you are standing next to the saw with your phone

cutlistlab. It is mobile-first, the "Cut along" mode shows one cut at a time, and the offcuts you end up with can be saved as stock on the spot. OptiCutter also runs in a phone browser, but its extras are aimed at the desk rather than the saw.

If you build a cabinet once every few months

cutlistlab. Pick a cabinet type or type your parts, choose a sheet from the store library, check the offcuts left from last time, and print the plan. There is no plan to renew for something you use a few times a year. OptiCutter's free plan may well cover the same job, as long as it stays under 20 distinct part sizes.

If you cut battens, profiles or boards to length

Both. OptiCutter and cutlistlab each support 1D linear optimization with kerf and trim settings. cutlistlab also keeps usable leftover lengths as offcut stock for later projects.

Who should choose which?

• Developer or business that needs an optimization API: OptiCutter Enterprise.
• Shop that cuts roll material or wants XLS reports and material groups: OptiCutter Standard or Professional.
• Occasional user with a small parts list who already knows OptiCutter: OptiCutter free plan; it does the job.
• Maker or DIYer who wants a free optimizer with no limits and no account: cutlistlab.
• Someone who wants to design a cabinet and cut it from the same tool, and keep the offcuts: cutlistlab.
• Anyone who wants the calculation to stay on their own device: cutlistlab.

Frequently asked questions

Sources checked. Competitor information checked against the vendor's official website in September 2026: opticutter.com, opticutter.com/public/doc/projects (features, free plan limits and prices). cutlistlab features are taken from the current application.

Product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. cutlistlab is not affiliated with the products compared here.