OptiCutter is a clean Czech-built cut list optimizer that has been a popular web pick for years. The algorithm is fine, the UI is cleaner than CutListOptimizer.com, and 1D linear-cut mode is built in. We are not here to bury it.
The reason people search for an OptiCutter alternative is almost always the same: the free tier caps parts and stock sheets aggressively. A real cabinet job blows through the limit, and the upgrade path is recurring subscription pricing ($19-49/year) with feature gating that pushes you toward the higher tier. This is an honest, head-to-head comparison of the four most-shortlisted alternatives in 2026: CutListCalc, CutListOptimizer, MaxCut and CutList Plus.
TL;DR - which alternative fits which shop
- Free web tool with no part limits, modern UI, mobile-friendly: CutListCalc (this site)
- Free web tool with a legacy track record, fine with dated UI: CutListOptimizer.com
- Cabinet shop on Windows, daily volume, grain + edgebanding: MaxCut
- US hobbyist who wants Windows desktop + one-time payment: CutList Plus
- OptiCutter pricing actually fits your usage: stick with OptiCutter
The rest of the article goes deep on each.
Master comparison table
| Feature | OptiCutter | CutListCalc | CutListOptimizer | MaxCut | CutList Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Web | Web (responsive) | Web + Android | Windows desktop | Windows desktop |
| Free tier | Yes, with strict part limits | Yes, full features | Yes, with cooldown | Yes (Lite, capable) | Trial only |
| Free-tier part cap | Limited (around 30 parts) | None during early access | None, but cooldowns | Generous | None (trial limited) |
| Paid pricing | $19-49/year | Free during early access | ~$10/year | ~$50-150 once | $99-320 once |
| Recurring? | Yes | N/A | Yes | No | No |
| Mobile experience | OK | Fully responsive | Cramped | None | None |
| Storage | Account | Account + cloud | Browser cookies | Local file | Local file |
| Project templates | Few | Many (kitchen, shelves, workbench, more) | None | Yes | Yes (Cabinet) |
| Grain direction | No | On roadmap | No | Yes | Yes |
| Edgebanding | No | No | No | Yes | Yes (Cabinet) |
| 1D linear stock | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| PDF export | Basic | Color-coded by part | Basic | Detailed | Detailed |
The rest of the article unpacks each row.
Why people leave OptiCutter
Three reasons come up most often in woodworking forums:
- Hit the free-tier limit on the second project. OptiCutter caps parts and stock sheets per job. A realistic kitchen cabinet job blows through it. You either pay or split the job artificially.
- Pricing structure feels nickel-and-dime. Features are gated across Personal, Pro, and Business tiers in ways that push you toward the higher plan. $49/year recurring forever becomes the realistic price for regular shop use.
- No project templates worth the name. OptiCutter has a few presets, but nothing close to a real kitchen cabinet, garage shelves, workbench, or closet organizer starter. Every project starts cold.
If those three reasons do not apply to you, OptiCutter is a perfectly reasonable tool. If any apply, the alternatives below are real options.
CutListCalc
That is us. Honest positioning since this is our blog:
- Modern web app, fully responsive, designed for the workshop phone
- Free across the board during early access - no part limits, no stock-sheet limits, no cooldown, no card
- Project templates: kitchen cabinet, bookshelf, garage shelves, workbench, floating shelves, closet organizer, dresser, cornhole board
- 2D sheet optimizer AND 1D linear cut mode in the same tool (OptiCutter has this too)
- Color-coded PDF export, kerf shown, by-part highlighting
- Account + cloud save so projects survive across devices and browser clears
- First Fit Decreasing algorithm with rotation, guillotine-cut constrained
Where CutListCalc wins over OptiCutter
- No part limits. Realistic 100+ part cabinet jobs run on the free tier.
- More project templates. OptiCutter has a few, CutListCalc has eight pre-built (kitchen cabinet, bookshelf, garage shelves, workbench, floating shelves, closet organizer, dresser, cornhole board) and the list is growing.
- No recurring fee. Free during early access, no $19-49/year forever.
- Color-coded PDFs. OptiCutter exports plain layouts. CutListCalc highlights parts by type so a helper at the saw can match the cut to the part.
- Fully responsive on phones. OptiCutter renders on mobile but is not tuned for shop use.
Where OptiCutter still wins
- More mature. OptiCutter has been around longer. Fewer rough edges.
- Stable pricing. Recurring is recurring, but you know what you are signing up for. CutListCalc will eventually monetize - core stays free, but pricing for advanced features is undefined.
Open CutListCalc - free, no signup needed for the first optimization.
CutListOptimizer
CutListOptimizer.com is the legacy free web cut list calculator. Around since roughly 2015. If you have ever searched "free cut list calculator" you ended up here at some point.
What it does well vs OptiCutter
- Free for basic use without strict part limits (cooldowns instead).
- Android app. Native install, works offline, decent for shop use.
- Long track record. A decade of patches.
Where it falls short vs OptiCutter
- 2015-era Angular interface. OptiCutter looks like a modern Bootstrap app; CutListOptimizer looks like the 2015 web.
- Browser-cookie storage. No account, no sync, no export of your project list. Clear cookies, switch device, your jobs are gone.
- No 1D linear stock mode. OptiCutter has this; CutListOptimizer does not.
- Premium subscription complaints. Multiple users report charges that do not unlock features, slow support, and difficulty cancelling. Consistent enough across Reddit and Facebook groups to flag.
Pricing (2026)
- Free tier with cooldowns
- Premium: ~$10/year (with the support concerns noted above)
Verdict. Free fallback if your jobs are simple sheet-goods and you do not mind the dated UI. Loses to OptiCutter on UI quality, loses to CutListCalc on UI, templates, and storage.
MaxCut
MaxCut is a Windows desktop application from a small South African team. The serious tool in the lineup - what cabinet shops reach for daily.
What it does well vs OptiCutter
- Grain direction logic. None of the web tools have this. MaxCut tracks grain across parts in an assembly.
- Edgebanding. Tracks edgebanding per part edge, costs it into the project, prints it on the cutting sheet.
- Real desktop power. Handles 500+ part jobs without choking. Web tools start to lag past ~200 parts.
- One-time payment. MaxCut Pro at ~$50-150 once beats OptiCutter Pro at $49/year recurring forever within three years.
- Generous free tier. MaxCut Lite is more capable than many paid web tools.
Where it falls short vs OptiCutter
- Windows-only. No Mac, no Linux, no web. If you are on macOS you are running it under Parallels.
- No cloud or mobile. Project files live on the hard drive. Sharing means email or print.
- Learning curve. More features means more buttons. First hour with MaxCut is harder than first hour with any web tool.
Pricing (2026)
- MaxCut Lite: free, capable
- MaxCut Pro: ~$50-150 one-time
Verdict. The right answer for cabinet shops doing volume on Windows. The grain direction and edgebanding are worth the switch from OptiCutter if you cut hardwood or melamine for production. Wrong fit if you wanted a web tool in the first place - MaxCut is desktop-only.
CutList Plus
CutList Plus from CW Solutions is a Windows desktop application in development since the late 1990s.
What it does well vs OptiCutter
- Strong reputation in US woodworking forums. Twenty-plus years of word-of-mouth.
- Lifetime ownership. One-time payment, no subscription.
- Cabinet edition. Face frames, drawer boxes, hardware, edgebanding.
- Detailed printed reports formatted for shop printing.
- Runs entirely offline.
Where it falls short vs OptiCutter
- Windows-only. Same constraint as MaxCut. No Mac/Linux/web/mobile.
- Aging interface. Functional but rooted in an earlier Windows era.
- Pricing tiers confuse. Hobbyist, Silver, Gold, Platinum, plus Cabinet variants.
Pricing (2026)
- CutList Plus Hobbyist: ~$99 one-time
- CutList Plus Silver: ~$179 one-time
- CutList Plus Gold: ~$249 one-time
- CutList Plus Platinum (Cabinet): ~$320 one-time
Verdict. Right answer for a US hobbyist who wants Windows desktop, one-time payment, prefers offline software. Wrong fit if you specifically wanted a web tool when you started using OptiCutter.
How CutListCalc compares directly to OptiCutter
The most-asked head-to-head for someone considering the switch:
| Feature | OptiCutter | CutListCalc |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Modern Bootstrap-era | Modern, single-screen |
| Mobile | Renders, not tuned | Fully responsive |
| Free tier | Limited parts and sheets | Full features, no part limits |
| Paid pricing | $19-49/year recurring | Free during early access |
| Storage | Account | Account + cloud |
| Algorithm | 2D bin-pack with rotation | First Fit Decreasing with rotation, guillotine-aware |
| 1D linear stock | Yes | Yes |
| Project templates | Few | Eight built-in, more added |
| PDF export | Basic | Color-coded by part, kerf shown |
| Unit toggle | Yes | mm / inch instant toggle |
| Account required | Yes (for save) | Optional for first optimization |
| Materials | Sheet goods | Plywood, MDF, melamine, OSB, particleboard, hardwood plywood, acrylic, glass, sheet metal, lumber |
| Grain direction | No | On roadmap |
| Edgebanding | No | No |
Honest caveat. OptiCutter is more mature. Six months in, not several years. Specific edge cases (unusual sheet sizes, exotic kerfs, very large jobs) have hit OptiCutter more times than CutListCalc. We patch fast on user reports but the maturity gap is real.
Algorithm differences (briefly)
Both OptiCutter and CutListCalc use a variant of First Fit Decreasing: sort parts by size, place each into the first bin (sheet) where it fits, try rotation. CutListOptimizer uses the same general approach.
Two practical things to know about CutListCalc:
Guillotine cuts enforced by default. Every cut goes edge to edge through the sheet - the way a panel saw or table saw actually works. OptiCutter does not always enforce this; the resulting layout can be slightly tighter on paper but harder to cut on real equipment.
Kerf accounting visible. Kerf is configurable per project, and the consumed-by-kerf area is shown in the PDF for sanity checks - useful when you change blade and want to see the impact on the layout.
For CNC where guillotine is not a constraint, this difference does not matter. For table saw or panel saw work, it does.
Pricing reality across all five
| Tool | Free tier | Paid | Recurring? |
|---|---|---|---|
| OptiCutter | Yes, with strict part limits | $19-49/year | Yes |
| CutListCalc | Yes, full features | Free during early access | N/A |
| CutListOptimizer | Yes, with cooldown | ~$10/year | Yes |
| MaxCut | Yes (Lite, capable) | ~$50-150 once | No (one-time) |
| CutList Plus | Trial only | $99-320 once | No (one-time) |
Two takeaways:
- Recurring vs one-time: OptiCutter Pro at $49/year is the most expensive option past year three. MaxCut Pro one-time and CutListCalc free are cheaper over a 3-year horizon.
- Free tiers that actually work: CutListCalc (no limits during early access), MaxCut Lite (capable, Windows-only), and CutListOptimizer (with cooldowns) all let you do real work for free. OptiCutter free works for very small jobs only.
Migrate from OptiCutter to CutListCalc
OptiCutter projects are stored in your account. There is no automated export to CutListCalc, but the practical migration is fast:
- Open OptiCutter and copy your stock sheet sizes and parts list
- Open CutListCalc and pick a project template close to your job or start blank
- Paste in stock and parts, run the optimizer
- Save the project to your free CutListCalc account - subsequent edits sync across devices
For typical cabinet jobs that is a 10-15 minute task per project. Once saved you have it in your account permanently and can edit from any device.
Who should use CutListCalc
- You hit the OptiCutter free-tier limit on real jobs
- You do not want a recurring subscription
- You want more project templates than OptiCutter offers
- You optimize from a phone in the shop and want a properly responsive UI
- You cut plywood, MDF, melamine, OSB, particleboard, or lumber and grain direction is not a hard requirement today
- You want a color-coded PDF to hand to a helper
Who should stay on OptiCutter
- Your jobs fit comfortably under the free-tier limits
- You are already on a Personal or Pro plan and happy with it
- You value maturity over feature parity
- You do not need project templates
No single tool is right for every shop. Pick the one that matches how you actually cut.
FAQ
What is the best free OptiCutter alternative in 2026?
CutListCalc - free during early access with no part limits, no stock-sheet limits, no cooldown. CutListOptimizer.com is also free but with cooldowns between optimizations and a dated UI. MaxCut Lite is free and very capable but Windows-only.
Is OptiCutter really limited on the free plan?
Yes. OptiCutter free caps the number of parts and stock sheets per job. The exact limit changes over time but is in the range of ~30 parts. Real cabinet projects typically exceed it. You either pay $19-49/year or split your job into multiple optimizations.
Can I use OptiCutter offline?
No. OptiCutter is a web-only tool. If offline is a hard requirement, MaxCut, CutList Plus, or the CutListOptimizer Android app are the existing options.
Does CutListCalc have a 1D linear cut mode like OptiCutter?
Yes. CutListCalc has a dedicated linear cut calculator for lumber, trim, pipe, steel bar, and any 1D stock. Same input flow as the 2D optimizer.
Is CutListCalc really free?
Yes. The 2D optimizer, 1D linear cut mode, PDF export, project save, project templates, and account sync are all free during early access. Paid features (advanced templates, team workspace) will be added later, but the core cut list calculator stays free.
What sheet materials does CutListCalc support?
Plywood, MDF, melamine, OSB, particleboard, hardwood plywood, acrylic, glass, and sheet metal. Anything rectangular. For 1D linear stock there is a separate linear cut calculator mode.
Does CutListCalc support grain direction?
Not yet. Grain direction logic is on the roadmap but not shipped. For face-grain hardwood production work where grain matching is required, MaxCut Pro or CutList Plus Cabinet are the tools that have it today.
How does CutListCalc handle the OptiCutter part-limit problem?
CutListCalc has no part limits during early access. A 100-part cabinet job, a 200-part shop fitout, a 500-part production run all use the same free tool. The limit is browser memory in practice, not a paywall.
Can I import OptiCutter projects?
Not automatically. OptiCutter stores projects in your account on their server, not in a format we can read. Practical migration is to copy stock sheets and parts manually into CutListCalc, save once, and continue from your CutListCalc account.
Is there a phone app for CutListCalc?
Not yet. The web app is fully responsive and tested on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Most users open the cutting diagram PDF on a phone in the shop. A native app is on the roadmap but not yet built.
Try CutListCalc
Free, no signup needed for a single optimization. Enter your stock sheets, add parts, click optimize, download the color-coded PDF.
If you are coming from OptiCutter, we would genuinely like the comparison: what is missing, what is better, what feels off. Email or use the feedback form on the pricing page. The roadmap is built from user feedback - the templates library and 1D mode both came from user requests.