Mechanical

Kerf vs Mastercam

The most-used CAM on the shop floor — compared honestly against MIT open-core.

13/13in Kerf today

11/13in Mastercam (included)

0behind a paid tier

2026-06-05last reviewed

Capability	Kerf	Mastercam
2D / 3D milling toolpaths (contour/pocket/face/drill)D5	yes `packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/routes.py`	yes source ↗
High-speed adaptive roughing (trochoidal)D5	yes `packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/adaptive.py`	yes source ↗
5-axis simultaneous + 3+2 indexedD5	yes `packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/five_axis/`	yes source ↗
Mill-turn / multi-task latheD5	yes `packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/turning_cycles.py`	yes source ↗
Post-processor library (Fanuc/Heidenhain/Siemens)D5	yes `packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/five_axis/`	yes source ↗
Cutter radius compensation (G41/G42)D5	yes `packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/cutter_comp.py`	yes source ↗
Wire EDM programmingD5	yes `packages/kerf-mold/src/kerf_mold/wire_edm.py`	yes source ↗
Feeds & speeds + tool-lifeD5	yes `packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/cuttingtool/tool_life.py`	yes source ↗
Nesting (sheet / plate part layout)D5	yes `packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/nesting/`	yes source ↗
Machine simulation (full machine-component collision)D5	yes `packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/clash/detect.py`	yes source ↗
Toolpath verify / material-removal backplotD5	yes `packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/worker.py`	yes source ↗
Open-source core / scripting APID1	yes `packages/kerf-sdk/src/kerf/`	no source ↗
Chat-native / LLM-driven programmingD1	yes `src/components/ChatPanel.jsx`	no source ↗

yes shipped
partial works with limits
paid tier present, but behind an add-on or meter
no not available

Corrections welcome. These rows are read off published documentation on the date shown and go stale as products ship. If a row is wrong, open an issue — the source file is public/compare/mastercam.md and every claim in it carries a link.