Comparison

ShopCAM vs CNC Maker Assistant

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

Head to head
About

ShopCAM

Features
Read full description

ShopCAM Pro turns your phone into a shop-floor CAM station. Describe the operation, get clean Fanuc-flavor G-code โ€” no PC, no CAD file, no waiting. WHAT IT DOES โ€ข Conversational input: pick the operation, fill in the numbers, generate code โ€ข Covers drilling, peck drilling, milling, boring, tapping, threadmilling, and more โ€ข Fanuc-compatible ISO output โ€” drops straight into Haas, Mazak, Centroid, LinuxCNC, Mach3/4 โ€ข 2D toolpath preview so you can visually verify the path before cutting โ€ข Machine profiles: save your tool offsets, rapid heights, and feed defaults โ€ข Full G-code editor with copy and share FREE TIER Drill and peck drilling operations โ€” full featured, no time limit. SHOPCAM PRO Unlock all operations including milling, boring, tapping, threadmilling, and every future template. Three ways to subscribe: โ€ข Monthly: flexible, cancel any time โ€ข Annual: ~30% savings vs monthly โ€ข Lifetime: one payment, own it forever BUILT FOR THE SHOP FLOOR Works completely offline. No account required. Designed to be usable with one hand while standing at a machine. Always single-block, reduced rapid, and dry-run before cutting. ShopCAM handles the math โ€” you handle the machine. Subscriptions auto-renew until cancelled. Manage in your Apple ID Subscription Settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://doublevision.company/privacy

About

CNC Maker Assistant

Features
Read full description

CNC Maker Assistant is a workshop tool for hobby CNC users โ€” not a chat app. IMPORT & VISUALIZE Import your G-code (.nc, .gcode, .ngc, .tap, .cnc) and see the actual toolpath rendered in 3D, with a 2D top-down mode too. Orbit, pan, and zoom with touch gestures, jump to any CAD-style view (Top/Front/Iso/etc.), or play the program back move-by-move with a scrubber โ€” see exactly what your machine will do before you cut. DETERMINISTIC SAFETY CHECKS Every file is analyzed by real, deterministic logic โ€” not a language model guessing. Rapid moves into stock, dangerously low Z clearance, a missing spindle start: these are found by code, then explained and prioritized by AI. The AI never invents a warning that the analyzer didn't already find. FEED & SPEED CALCULATOR Pick your material, tool diameter, flute count, and machine's max RPM, and get a starting feed rate and spindle speed from real formulas and curated cutting-data tables โ€” aluminum, steel, acrylic, HDPE, wood, and more. The AI explains the "why" behind the numbers; it never calculates them. CNC KNOWLEDGE, GROUNDED Ask questions in a focused chat โ€” tool selection, troubleshooting chatter, G-code reference โ€” and get answers grounded in a curated knowledge base, not generic web search results. BUILT FOR THE WORKSHOP Big touch targets, offline-capable calculators, and a toolpath viewer designed to be legible with gloved hands next to a running machine. Cutting recommendations are conservative starting points to test on your own machine โ€” always verify feeds, speeds, and workholding before running a real job. Free to start: 1 AI-explained G-code import, 5 feed/speed explanations, and 5 chat messages per day. CNC Maker Assistant Pro removes all three daily limits. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ShopCAM4 screens
CNC Maker Assistant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ShopCAM at none against CNC Maker Assistant's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. CNC Maker Assistant sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. ShopCAM asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShopCAM ships an update every 6 days, CNC Maker Assistant weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
ShopCAM versus CNC Maker Assistant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShopCAMCNC Maker Assistant
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days โ€” betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS16.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size3 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDouble Vision USA LLCYakup Ad

In-app purchases

None

ShopCAM

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

CNC Maker Assistant

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Monthly$4.991 Month

Questions

Is ShopCAM free?
ShopCAM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CNC Maker Assistant free?
CNC Maker Assistant is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ShopCAM or CNC Maker Assistant have ads?
Neither ShopCAM nor CNC Maker Assistant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShopCAM or CNC Maker Assistant?
ShopCAM ships an update every 6 days, and CNC Maker Assistant weekly. Most recently, ShopCAM was updated on September 22, 2026 and CNC Maker Assistant on September 11, 2026.

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