Deepnest Alternative in 2026: The Real State of the Project
If you nest parts without paying for a license, you have run into Deepnest. For years it was the default answer to “which free nesting software”. Today the question we hear is the opposite one: can you still rely on it?
Here is what the public sources say, checked on GitHub as we write this. No opinions, just dates.
What GitHub says about the original Deepnest
The Jack000/Deepnest repository:
- Last commit: July 7, 2020. Nothing since.
- No releases published on GitHub. Downloads go through the deepnest.io website, which still answers.
- 184 open issues, with no active maintainer working through them.
The project is not officially marked “archived”, but in practice it has been frozen for six years. The site and the binaries still exist, so you can install and use it. The catch is simple: when something breaks, there is nobody on the other side.
The fork that picked up the torch
Good news: the community did not walk away. The deepnest-next project took over the code and is actively developing it:
- Last commit: July 28, 2026. Development is ongoing.
- Last published version: v1.5.6, May 2025. The code moves faster than the releases.
- New nesting engine, with the speed-critical parts rewritten in C.
Two things to know before adopting it. DXF support still goes through a conversion step: the fork’s own README says so, and native DXF support “without online conversion” is listed among their upcoming changes. In other words, today a DXF file has to pass through a server to be processed. Then there is the format: it is a desktop application to install, on Windows, Mac or Linux. Nothing runs in the browser.
What this actually means for your shop
If you have a Deepnest install that works for your usual jobs, keep it. A free tool that does the job is still a good tool, and nobody is going to force you to switch.
The limits show up in three specific cases.
First, sensitive files. Having DXFs converted on a remote server means your drawings leave your machine. For subcontracted parts under a confidentiality clause, that is a real problem.
Second, bugs. With the original project frozen, known crashes stay known crashes. The fork does fix things, but its last release is over a year old: if you hit a bug that is fixed in the code but not released yet, you compile it yourself.
Third, the modern workflow: multiple sheets, comparing layouts, recovering reusable offcuts. Those are daily shop needs that neither the original nor the fork covers natively today.
The comparison, plainly stated
| Deepnest (original) | deepnest-next (fork) | NestorCut | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free | Free up to 10 nestings/month, then 19 €/month |
| Maintenance | Frozen since July 2020 | Active development, last release May 2025 | Maintained continuously |
| DXF import | Conversion through a server | Conversion through a server (native in the works) | Native, in your browser |
| Files stay on your machine | No, not for DXF | No, not for DXF | Yes in local mode: nothing leaves your machine |
| Install | Desktop app | Desktop app | None, runs in the browser |
| Multi-sheet and offcuts | No | No | Yes |
If Deepnest is enough for you, stay on it. It is free, it is honest, and it runs.
If you need your DXFs to stay on your machine, to work across several sheets, or to compare a few layouts before you start cutting, that is where NestorCut comes in. It is our tool, and we say so. The free plan lets you test it on your real files, no credit card, and the compute runs in your browser.