LaserWeb
The open-source, genuinely cross-platform CAM and machine controller for hobby lasers and CNC. When you won't pay for LightBurn and won't be tied to a Windows-only app, LaserWeb is the answer that runs everywhere — including macOS.
LaserWeb4 turns vector and raster art into G-code and sends it to your machine, all from a browser or an Electron app on any desktop OS. It is the open, no-cost option for GRBL/Smoothieware lasers and light CNC — less polished than LightBurn and fiddlier to set up, but free, hackable and the only mainstream choice that treats macOS as a first-class citizen.
What it is
LaserWeb (current generation: LaserWeb4) is open-source CAM plus machine control for diode and CO₂ lasers and small CNC routers. You import SVG, DXF or bitmap art, set cut, engrave and raster operations per layer, generate G-code, then stream it directly to the controller over USB serial. It runs as a Node-based server with a browser front end, or packaged as a desktop Electron app, so the same tool works on macOS, Linux and Windows without a native rewrite.
Under the hood it speaks the common open firmwares — GRBL, Smoothieware and Marlin — which is what most DIY and kit machines run. Because both the CAM and the sender live in one open-source project, you are not stitching together a commercial design app and a separate streamer; the whole path from drawing to dispatched G-code is one codebase you can read and modify.
Where it wins
- Free and open. No licence, no seat, no activation. The source is on GitHub, so you can audit it, fork it or fix it yourself.
- Truly cross-platform — including macOS. The browser/Electron architecture means it is not a Windows-only tool. For Mac and Linux makers, that alone makes it a default candidate where LaserGRBL simply isn't an option.
- Laser and CNC in one. It handles raster engraving, vector cutting and basic CNC milling toolpaths, so a single install covers more than just a laser.
- Broad open-firmware support. GRBL and Smoothieware coverage matches the controllers in most DIY laser builds, with Marlin for printer-derived machines.
- Integrated CAM plus control. Design intent and machine streaming live together, so there is no separate sender to configure or babysit.
Where it still hurts
- Less polished than LightBurn. The UI and workflow are rougher; common tasks that are one click in LightBurn can take more fiddling here.
- Uneven maintenance. Project activity has varied over the years, with quieter and busier periods. Treat it as a capable community tool rather than something with a guaranteed release cadence, and check the repository for current status before committing.
- Setup is fiddlier. Standing up the server, getting serial permissions right and tuning machine profiles takes more effort than installing a single signed desktop app. Expect to spend time in config before your first clean cut.
- Documentation gaps. Guidance is scattered across the wiki, forums and issues, so troubleshooting can mean digging.
The AI angle
LaserWeb's most practical "smart" features are in raster handling — dithering and halftone modes that turn photographs and greyscale images into laser-friendly engraving patterns, which is where most of the perceptual work in laser engraving actually happens. More interesting for an AI workflow is that the entire pipeline is open and script-shaped: art in, G-code out, all in code you can call. That makes it a sensible target for generated or programmatically produced designs — an agent can emit SVG, hand it to an open CAM path, and inspect the resulting toolpath, without a closed desktop app in the loop. For a more research-oriented open stack, MeerK40t is worth a look alongside it.
How it fits
LaserWeb is the open answer when the two obvious alternatives don't suit you: you won't pay for LightBurn, and you can't or won't use the Windows-only LaserGRBL. If you are on macOS or Linux, run a GRBL or Smoothieware machine, and value an open, hackable toolchain over a glossy commercial one, this is the natural pick. If you mostly want the smoothest possible day-to-day experience and don't mind paying, LightBurn is still the more polished tool — LaserWeb wins on openness, breadth and platform reach, not on finish.
Start here
- Source and releases: github.com/LaserWeb/LaserWeb4 — start from the README and check recent activity before installing.
- Project organisation and related repos: github.com/LaserWeb.
- For the underlying serial/CNC tooling that the wider ecosystem draws on, see github.com/cncjs/cncjs.
- Have your machine's firmware (GRBL, Smoothieware or Marlin) and a working machine profile to hand before your first run.