Wood · Cutting
Cut list and panel cutting software: what the free and paid programs publish
What each program says about itself, side by side. The programs people look for when they search for a cut list optimizer, with what their own websites publish: the price, whether it runs in the browser or has to be installed, what the free version allows, and whether it handles offcuts, grain and edge banding. Each row carries the page it was read on and the date.
The programs side by side
| Program | Price as published | Where it runs | Free version | Offcuts | Grain | Edge banding | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SyntaxFlow | Free to work out the plan; Pro €29 once | Browser, nothing to install | Yes: the plan, edge banding, cost and link, with no limit of parts. Pro adds every label (12 free), 50 saved jobs (1 free) and the sheet library | Marks the offcuts worth keeping; does not start from offcuts you already have | Yes | Yes, metres per part | syntaxflow.io/pricing |
| CorteCloud | Not published; free account | Online: browser or app | Free account; limits not published | Not published | Not published | Yes: edge banding in the parts list | cortecloud.com.br read 12 Nov 2026 |
| Corte Certo 2D | Standard €850 a year; Plus €1,900 | Not published on the product page; a separate web version exists (Corte Certo Web) | A version to try before buying; limits not published | Yes: offcuts registered and used | Yes | Yes | cortecerto.com/produto/corte-certo-standard, cortecerto.com read 12 Nov 2026 |
| CutList Optimizer | 4.90 one payment for 3 days with no limit; subscription without a price on its page | On its own web page | Limits not published | Not published | Yes (horizontal, vertical or none) | Yes | cutlistoptimizer.com read 12 Nov 2026 |
| CutList Plus | Silver $89, Gold $249, Platinum $499; one-time cost | Windows 7, 8 and 10 | Trial download; limits not published | Not published | Not published | Yes, in Gold and Platinum | cutlistplus.com read 12 Nov 2026 |
| Cutting Optimization Pro | €55 one licence, for ever (the version bought), before VAT | Windows | Not published; it asks to try before buying | Yes: useful waste goes to the inventory | Yes: a part may turn or stay fixed | Yes | optimalprograms.com/cutting-optimization read 12 Nov 2026 |
| MaxCut | Community free; Business $20 a month or $200 a year per device, before VAT | PC / Windows | Community: limited library, basic cut list | Not published | Not published | Yes (edging in labels and costing) | maxcutsoftware.com/pricing, maxcutsoftware.com read 12 Nov 2026 |
| optiCutter | Free; Standard €9 a month or €90 a year; Professional €19 a month or €190 a year | Browser, no installation | Yes: 5 stocks, 20 sizes, 500 parts | Not published | Not published | Not published | opticutter.com read 12 Nov 2026 |
Each row is what that company publishes on its own website, read on 12 November 2026. «Not published» means the site does not say it, not that the program cannot do it. Prices are as published, in the currency and with the taxes each site states, and they change: check the source before buying. Our own row says what the tool does today.
What to look at before choosing
- Where it runs. A browser tool works on the phone at the saw; a Windows program needs a PC and a licence per computer.
- What the free version leaves out. A limit of parts or sheets, a limit of days, or labels and saved jobs: the table says what each publishes.
- Grain and edge banding. For melamine and veneered boards, parts that must not turn and the metres of tape are part of the order.
If you are looking for a free one
The SyntaxFlow optimizer works out the plan, the sheets, the edge banding and the cost for free, with no limit of parts and no sign-up; what Pro adds is on the pricing page. Several programs in the table publish a free version with limits: the table says which ones and how far. Open the optimizer · What Pro adds and what it costs
Questions people ask
- Is there free cut list software?
- Yes. The SyntaxFlow optimizer works out the plan, the sheets, the edge banding and the cost for free in the browser, with no limit of parts and no sign-up. Several programs in the table publish a free version with limits, each with its own.
- Does cut list software have to be installed?
- Not always. Some run in the browser, on a computer or a phone; others are Windows programs with a licence per computer. The table says what each one publishes.
- Which programs handle grain and edge banding?
- The table says, program by program, what each website publishes about grain and edge banding; where a site says nothing, the table says «Not published».