Hobby CNC CAM

This page is the hobby-CNC slice of CAM & Toolpathing — the CAM tools that real hobbyists actually use on Shapeokos, Sienci LongMills, OneFinitys, X-Carves, Tormach 440s, and DIY builds. The honest answer is that the CNC space has more entrenched paid tools than almost any other in this reference: Vectric, Estlcam, Carveco, MeshCAM, Fusion 360 Pro all dominate, with FOSS picking up the floor (FreeCAD CAM, Kiri:Moto). For toolpath strategies themselves, see the dedicated page; for upstream design see Mechanical CAD and 2D Drafting.

Open-source CAM

• ★ FreeCAD CAM Workbench — open source (LGPL); the FOSS default. 3-axis milling, drilling, basic 4th-axis. Improved a lot post-FreeCAD 1.0. Realistic for parametric mechanical work; less "design vector art and engrave it" oriented than Vectric/Carveco.
• ★ Kiri:Moto — open source (MIT); browser-based, drop-in-an-STL-get-G-code workflow. Great for one-offs and 3D contour jobs. Runs entirely client-side; fastest path from "I have a model" to "I have G-code."
• CAMotics — open source; toolpath simulator, not a CAM tool, but bundled here because you'll want it before you cut. See Toolpath Strategies.
• PyCAM / HeeksCNC — open source; older 2.5D / lathe FOSS CAM tools, mostly historical.
• dxf2gcode / JSCut / MakerCAM — small browser/Python utilities for 2.5D DXF→G-code.

Vendor-bundled / free-tier (closed)

• Carbide Create (Carbide 3D) — closed source, free; designed for Shapeoko / Nomad but works generally for 2.5D pocketing, contour, V-carving. Carbide Create Pro is paid (~$120 lifetime) and adds 3D modeling + toolpaths. Surprisingly capable for the price; the "use what came with the machine" pick for Shapeoko owners.
• Easel (Inventables) — closed source / SaaS, free tier; browser CAM + sender for X-Carve / SO3-class. Easel Pro subscription adds V-carve, advanced toolpaths, fonts.
• OpenBuilds CAM — closed source / SaaS-ish, free; browser tool from OpenBuilds. Pairs with OpenBuilds CONTROL. Works on any GRBL machine.

Personal-use commercial (free for hobby with EULA caveats)

• ★ Fusion 360 Personal — Autodesk; free for non-commercial use with feature gates. The most-used hobby CAM by a wide margin: 2.5D, 3D, drilling, adaptive clearing (high-speed machining), 4-axis indexing, lathe, probe macros. Commercial seat is paid. Licensing is annual-renewal personal-use which Autodesk can revoke; many hobbyists keep a parallel FreeCAD or Estlcam workflow for safety.
• Onshape Free + Kiri:Moto export — combines Onshape parametric CAD (free for public docs) with Kiri:Moto for toolpaths. Fully browser, fully free for hobby.

Hobby CNC paid (the entrenched ones)

• ★ Estlcam — closed source, paid one-time (~€60), generous trial; the beloved hobby CNC CAM. 2.5D and engraving are excellent; basic 3D works; integrates a sender for some controllers. Wood / plastic / soft-aluminum sweet spot. German developer, English UI, very active.
• ★ Vectric VCarve Desktop / Pro — closed source, paid (~$365 Desktop / ~$735 Pro); the woodworking-CNC standard. V-carving, prismatic 3D, sign making, inlays. Cut2D is the cheap entry tier; Aspire ($2k) adds full 3D modeling. If you sell signs or do production sign work, you almost certainly own Vectric.
• ★ Carveco Maker — closed source, subscription (~$15/mo); the one-time-Vectric alternative for sign-shop CAM. Maker is the hobby tier; Carveco Maker+ adds more; full Carveco is industrial. Subscription model is divisive.
• MeshCAM — closed source, paid (~$250); one of very few "STL → G-code" CAMs that just works for 3D shapes (sculpts, terrain, mold cavities). Pairs nicely with Fusion-fatigued users.
• CAMaster Wizard / Carveco Designer — closed source, paid; Carveco's 2D design + tile-based 2.5D CAM bundle.
• DeskProto — closed source, paid; small-shop 3D-rougher and finisher; fewer users than MeshCAM, similar niche.

CAM for plasma & laser (cross-link)

• ★ SheetCAM TNG — closed source, paid (~$140); the plasma / oxy-fuel / waterjet hobby standard. 2D nesting, kerf compensation, lead-ins/outs, THC dwell support. Pairs with Mach3/4, LinuxCNC, FireControl. See Plasma & THC.
• LightBurn — closed source, paid; laser / drag-knife. See CAM & Toolpathing and Laser Design.

Adaptive / high-speed-machining (HSM) tools

• Fusion 360 Adaptive Clearing — the dominant hobby HSM strategy; trochoidal-style toolpaths reduce tool wear and let you push smaller machines harder.
• HSMAdvisor / G-Wizard (paid) — feeds-and-speeds calculators that turn HSM theory into "what RPM and feed should I actually run?" See Tooling & Endmills.
• CamBam — closed source, paid (~$160); older HSM-capable hobby CAM; users prefer Estlcam now but CamBam still has a niche for plugin-driven custom posts.

Post-processors

• Fusion 360 Post Library — Autodesk's huge free catalog of vendor-specific posts (GRBL, Mach3, LinuxCNC, Centroid, PathPilot, Haas, Tormach). Works even with Personal Use.
• FreeCAD post-processors — community .cps files for the same controllers.
• CAMotics post harness — DIY post authoring for niche controllers.

Pick this if…

• Default FOSS, parametric upstream: FreeCAD CAM workbench.
• Drop a model, get G-code, no install: Kiri:Moto.
• You bought a Shapeoko or X-Carve and want zero-cost CAM: the bundled Carbide Create or Easel.
• Hobby CNC router willing to pay €60 once: Estlcam.
• Sign-shop / V-carving / production wood: Vectric VCarve Pro or Carveco Maker.
• 3D shapes from STL with minimum fuss: MeshCAM.
• Most hobby 3D / adaptive / 4-axis work, willing to mind the EULA: Fusion 360 Personal.
• Plasma table: SheetCAM TNG, full stop.