Comparison

CutArc Connect vs Calculate CNC

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CutArc Connect

Easily capture sketches, templates, or existing parts and convert them into cut files for CNC plasma cutting. Generate custom signs with stencil fonts or AI-powered text descriptions. Access essential cut charts and a design library on the go.

Highlights
  • Scan sketches and parts into cut files
  • Automatic edge detection and correction
  • Create custom signs with stencil fonts
  • AI-generated vector art from text
  • Shop reference charts for materials
  • Browse and save designs from a library
Features
Read full description

Draw a part on paper. Scan it with your phone. Open it in CutArc, ready to cut. CutArc Connect is the pocket companion to CutArc, the browser-based CAD/CAM for CNC plasma cutting. It puts the two things a fabricator actually needs on the shop floor — capturing real-world shapes and quick reference — right in your pocket, with everything synced to your CutArc account. SCAN ANYTHING INTO A CUT FILE — Point the scanner at a sketch, a template, or a part lying on the bench. Automatic edge detection, perspective correction, and shadow removal turn a phone photo into clean vector geometry — then trace it on-device or with CutArc's cloud tracer and save it straight to your projects. TYPE A SIGN — Pick a stencil font, type a name, and preview a cut-ready sign design in seconds. Made for the "can you cut me one with my name on it?" moment. DESCRIBE IT, GET GEOMETRY — AI design generation turns a text description into plasma-ready vector art. Free accounts include weekly generations. YOUR SHOP'S REFERENCE CARD — Cut charts for common materials and thicknesses — amperage, feed rate, kerf — without walking back to the office computer. ONE ACCOUNT, EVERY SCREEN — Everything you capture or design on your phone appears in your CutArc projects, ready to open in the web designer or the CutArc desktop app for nesting, kerf compensation, and G-code. Sign in with Apple, Google, or email — or create a free account right in the app. BROWSE THE DESIGN LIBRARY — Ready-to-cut designs, searchable by category, saved to your projects in a tap. CutArc supports 12+ plasma table controllers including Mach3, LinuxCNC, GRBL, Langmuir FireControl, and Hypertherm — design on your phone, cut from your table.

About

Calculate CNC

Features
Read full description

Calculate CNC is the machinist's shop-floor toolkit, and the only one that turns a part you sketch into real lathe G-code. THE PROGRAM PROTOTYPER Sketch a turned profile right on your phone. OD, ID, grooves, tapers, fillets, and Calculate CNC posts out Fanuc G-code you can take straight to the control. Lay in roughing and finishing passes, facing, grooving and drilling, preview the profile, and export the program. No CAM seat, no desktop, no $2,000 software. Just your phone on the bench. Then back it up with 40+ calculators and reference charts. Every formula and chart is checked against published standards (ASME, ISO, ANSI, Machinery's Handbook), so you can trust the number, then verify before you cut. Works fully offline. No account, no sign-up, no ads, no tracking. THREADING • UN thread 3-wire measurement and pitch-diameter limits (ASME B1.1, classes 1A/2A/3A) • Metric M-profile 3-wire measurement and limits (ISO 965, 4g6g/6g/6h) • Stub Acme external thread, class 2G (ASME B1.8) • Tap drill by percentage of thread, with nearest standard drill • Single-point threading infeed (29.5°/30° compound) LATHE • Taper: angle, taper per foot, tailstock offset • Cut time, knurl tracking, parts per bar • Insert decoder — type an ISO/ANSI designation (DNMG, CNMG, WNMG…) and see the insert drawn to scale • Boring-bar tool clearance visualizer MILLING & DRILLING • Speeds and feeds: RPM and feed from SFM and chip load • Bolt circle and bolt-line hole coordinates • Drill point depth, countersink and center-drill depth, countersink for flat-head screws CNC & GEOMETRY • Chip thinning (HSM), G02/G03 arc centers (I/J) • Triangle solver, fillet/radius, circle segment, polar ↔ rectangular • True position with MMC bonus, sine bar, spur gear, dovetail measurement SHOP MATH & CHARTS • Unit converter, surface speed, surface finish, material weight, box packing • Drill chart, inch and metric tap charts, NPT pipe taps • Socket head cap screws, center drills, flat-head screws • ISO fits & tolerances (ISO 286), G & M code reference, GD&T reference • Scientific calculator Many tools include a live diagram so you can see the setup, not just the number. SUBSCRIPTION Calculate CNC Premium — $4.99/month, auto-renewable. Unlocks the Program Prototyper and every calculator. The reference charts stay free, always. • Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. • The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Manage or cancel any time in your App Store account settings. • Privacy Policy: https://app.calculatecnc.me/privacy/ • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Calculate CNC is a reference aid and is not a substitute for engineering standards, gages, or your own judgment. Always confirm critical dimensions against the controlling standard or a calibrated gage before machining. Found a discrepancy? Email support@executable.lol Accuracy reports are welcome.

Screenshots

CutArc Connect4 screens
Calculate CNC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CutArc Connect at none against Calculate CNC's 1. Calculate CNC's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.2). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Calculate CNC sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. CutArc Connect asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
CutArc Connect versus Calculate CNC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCutArc ConnectCalculate CNC
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.215.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert SivonenJEFFREY KYLE THOMPSON

In-app purchases

None

CutArc Connect

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Calculate CNC

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month

Questions

Is CutArc Connect free?
CutArc Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Calculate CNC free?
Calculate CNC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CutArc Connect or Calculate CNC have ads?
Neither CutArc Connect nor Calculate CNC shows ads.

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