GCarveA free VCarve alternative that runs in your browser
VCarve is a good, popular program for CNC routers, sold as a paid Windows licence. GCarve does the same everyday router work, costs nothing, runs on any device with a web browser, and adds things VCarve doesn't do: variables and constraints, a built-in database of bits and machines, and a chip-load meter that shows how hard you're pushing every bit.
Open GCarve free Request an invite
Side by side
| Feature | GCarve | VCarve |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; optional Pro for more cloud projects and the desktop apps | Paid licence (Desktop or Pro) |
| Where it runs | Any web browser: Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook, iPad. Desktop apps coming, including Windows 7 and Linux | Windows desktop |
| Variables & constraints | Yes: named sizes and math in any field, linked shapes, driven dimensions; change one value and the design and toolpaths follow | No: dimensions are fixed values |
| Bits | 4,273 bits from 15 makers built in (Whiteside, Amana, Onsrud, Vortex, Freud, CMT…) with the makers' chip loads; imports your Vectric .vtdb | Tool database; maker libraries downloaded and imported separately |
| Machines | 333 machines with spindle speed range, feed limits, travel and tool changer; suggested feeds stay inside them and export warns past them | Machine configurations from makers |
| How hard you push the bit | Live chip-load meter from "rubs and burns" to "breaks the bit" for your material, bit and machine | Feeds and speeds stored per tool |
| Toolpaths | Profile (tabs, ramps), pocket, drill, bore, V-carve (true medial axis), inlay, flute, 3D relief from STL | Profile, pocket, drill, V-carve, inlay, fluting, 3D from models |
| Post-processors | 47 built in; upload your Vectric .pp and it just works | Vectric posts |
| Projects | In your account, on every device; local files too | Local files |
| Safety | Every export checked (rapids in material, spoilboard, off the board, spindle left on); one-click air-cut test | Preview and simulation |
Switching from VCarve
- Bring your post. In GCarve, Posts ▸ Upload your Vectric
.ppfile. Your G-code keeps the dialect your machine already runs. - Bring your bits. Tool Library ▸ Import your Vectric
.vtdb, or add bits by maker and part number from the built-in database. - Bring your art. Import the SVG or DXF files you already use.
- Pick your machine in Board settings so feeds stay inside its limits.
- Run an air cut (File ▸ Export Air-Cut Test) on the first job, then cut.
Who GCarve is for
Hobby and professional router shops on CAMaster/WinCNC, Shapeoko, X-Carve, Onefinity, LongMill, Avid, Laguna, ShopBot, Mach3/4, LinuxCNC, Masso, Centroid and other G-code machines, especially anyone on a Mac, a Chromebook or more than one computer.
Questions
Is it really free? Yes, the whole app in your browser. Pro is optional.
Will my files from VCarve open? GCarve reads SVG and DXF and your Vectric posts and tool database. Vectric's own project files (.crv) are a closed format: export your vectors as SVG or DXF from VCarve.
Is GCarve made by Vectric? No. GCarve is independent.
Comparison based on Vectric's published documentation as of October 2026; tell us if something has changed via support.