Deepnest is a free, open-source part-nesting tool for Mac that automatically arranges flat shapes onto sheets of material, minimising waste before you send a job to a CNC router, laser cutter, or plasma table.
What is Deepnest?
Deepnest is a desktop application that solves the "bin-packing" problem for fabricators: given a pile of irregular SVG or DXF shapes and a fixed sheet size, it figures out the tightest possible arrangement so you cut less scrap and spend less on material. It runs locally on your Mac, processes entirely offline, and hands back a ready-to-cut layout you can export straight to your machine's control software.
The project grew out of research into genetic-algorithm nesting and was open-sourced specifically because commercial nesting software tends to cost hundreds of dollars a year — money that prototype shops and maker-space regulars shouldn't have to spend on a single utility.
What does Deepnest do best?
Deepnest shines at dense, irregular nesting — the kind of job where a human manually arranging parts in Illustrator would waste 30 percent of a sheet without even realising it. Drop in a batch of SVG outlines, set your sheet dimensions and the kerf width your cutter leaves behind, hit Start, and watch the algorithm shuffle and rotate pieces in real time. It keeps improving the layout the longer you let it run, so you can trade computation time for tighter packing.
- Multi-sheet support: if your parts don't fit one sheet, Deepnest spills onto additional sheets automatically.
- Kerf compensation: specify your cutter's blade or beam width and the nesting accounts for it in every gap calculation.
- Rotation granularity: lock parts to 90-degree increments or allow free rotation — useful when grain direction matters for wood jobs.
- SVG and DXF import/export: the two formats that CNC workflows actually use, nothing proprietary in between.
- Background processing: the algorithm runs asynchronously, so you can inspect intermediate results without stopping the search.
Is Deepnest free?
Yes — Deepnest is completely free to download and use, with no trial limits, no seat licences, and no subscription. The source code is published on GitHub under an open-source licence, which means it's also auditable and forkable. The trade-off is that it's a community-maintained project: there's no commercial support tier, and development can be sporadic. For a hobbyist or a small shop running occasional jobs, though, the price-to-utility ratio is hard to beat.
Who should use Deepnest?
Deepnest is a natural fit for anyone who regularly drives a laser cutter, CNC router, or plasma table and wants to stop guessing at part placement. Maker-space members cutting plywood prototypes, small-batch jewellery designers working in sheet brass, and sign shops optimising acrylic runs all benefit from even modest material savings — and Deepnest can squeeze out 15–25 percent less waste on a typical irregular job compared to manual arrangement.
Where it's less suited: production environments that need certified nesting reports, integration with MES systems, or guaranteed repeatability across operator machines. Commercial alternatives like Deepnest's paid cousins (OptiNest, FastNest, or the nesting modules baked into Fusion 360 and VCarve) offer more polish, better support, and audit trails. If you're cutting one-offs or running a side hustle, those are overkill; if you're quoting contracts, they're worth the cost.
How does Deepnest compare to commercial nesting software?
Compared to something like the nesting add-on in Vectric VCarve or the sheet-metal nesting tools inside Fusion 360, Deepnest is narrower but surprisingly competitive on pure packing efficiency. Commercial tools win on workflow integration — they live inside the CAM environment, talk to tool libraries, and produce machine-ready G-code in one step. Deepnest is a standalone step: import shapes, export a nested SVG, then open that in your CAM tool of choice. That extra handoff is a real friction point in a production environment.
On raw nesting quality for irregular shapes, the genetic algorithm Deepnest uses holds its own against tools costing several hundred dollars annually. For a shop that only needs nesting a few times a week and is happy to tolerate that extra file-transfer step, it's a very compelling free alternative.
What are the best Deepnest alternatives?
If you outgrow Deepnest, the next step depends on where you work. SVGnest is Deepnest's direct ancestor — browser-based, no install, fine for light use. Nestpy is a Python library for developers who want to embed nesting into their own toolchains. On the commercial side, OptiNest and True Shape Nesting (built into various CAM suites) are the go-to options for production shops. Vectric VCarve Pro includes a capable nesting module if you're already in that ecosystem.
