CutList Optimizer alternative
CutList Optimizer is a popular web cut list tool with an Android app. CutNest also runs in the browser, needs no account, and adds quoting from the layout. Here is what can be compared from public information, and which suits which workshop.
CutNest and CutList Optimizer side by side
| CutNest | CutList Optimizer | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Any web browser: Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android. Installs as an app | Web browser, and an Android app on Google Play |
| Works offline | Yes, once it has loaded | See their site |
| Account needed | No. Your jobs stay on your computer | See their site |
| Free plan | Jobs up to 50 parts, 1 material, 2 sheet sizes. No time limit | See their site |
| Paid plan | £12 a month or £99 a year, plus VAT, per company. 14 days free | See their site |
| Sheets and bars in one job | Yes (Pro) | See their site |
| Customer quote from the layout | Yes (Pro): material, cutting time, handling and your markup | See their site |
| Says when the sheet count is the minimum | Yes, when it can prove it | See their site |
CutList Optimizer facts are from its own website, checked on 28 October 2026. Prices and plans change, so check there before you decide. If anything here is out of date, email hello@cutnest.co.uk and it will be corrected.
When CutList Optimizer is the better choice
- You want a dedicated Android app from Google Play.
- You already have saved projects there that you want to keep using.
When CutNest is the better choice
- You want a free plan you can use as often as you like: CutNest’s free plan limits only the job size (50 parts), not how many times you calculate.
- You don’t want an account: CutNest keeps your jobs on your own computer.
- You want to quote the customer from the layout, priced from the material and the cutting time.
- You cut sheet metal and bar as well as board. CutNest was made by a fabricator, with grain lock, DXF for the laser (Pro) and bars and sheets in one job.
- You want one price for the whole company.
Try both on the same job
The fairest test is one of your own recent jobs. Put the same parts, sheet size and kerf into both and compare the sheet count, the time it took and what you can do with the result. CutNest needs no account, so it takes a couple of minutes: open the app, or start with the sheet calculator or the inch version.
Questions
Try it on your own job
Free, in your browser, no account. Your cut list stays on your computer.