cncArtistVCarve for Mac
VCarve for Mac: the Parallels route, and a native alternative
Vectric makes VCarve for Windows only. Here is how Mac users run it, and what cncArtist does differently.
Can you run it on a Mac?
Vectric's programs (Cut2D, VCarve and Aspire) run on Windows. Mac owners usually run them through Parallels Desktop or a similar virtual machine, or with Boot Camp on older Intel Macs. That works for many people, and it is a fair route if you already own the Vectric license and a copy of Windows.
What it costs you is a Windows license and a virtual-machine subscription on top of the software, plus the extra setup and the virtual-machine layer between you and the machine. And it does not run on an iPad or iPhone. Check Vectric's and Parallels' current system requirements before you buy, as they change.
cncArtist is the other route: a native app for Mac, iPad and iPhone, built for hobby and small-shop CNC work.
The numbers
| Software | Price | Model | Native Mac | iPad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cncArtist | $299 | One-time | Yes | Yes |
| VCarve Desktop | $349 | Perpetual | No (Windows) | No |
| VCarve Pro | $699 | Perpetual | No (Windows) | No |
| Aspire | $1,995 | Perpetual | No (Windows) | No |
Prices as listed by their makers in October 2026 and may change. cncArtist is free to download, with your first three jobs free; $299 is the one-time unlock (the App Store price point is $299.99), with a launch price of $249 until 11:59 pm on Thursday, Dec 31, 2026.
What comes across from Vectric
What comes with you
- Vectors from File › Export Vectors, as DXF or SVG, with your layers, arcs and open vectors intact
- PDF, Illustrator and EPS files, and images traced to vectors
- 3D models as STL or OBJ
- Your Vectric tool database (.vtdb), plus Fusion JSON and CSV bit libraries
- Text arrives as outlines, with the holes in letters kept
What doesn't
- Vectric .crv and .crv3d files. The format is closed, so cncArtist cannot open them. It tells you what to export instead
- Saved Vectric toolpaths. You rebuild them in cncArtist from the same vectors and bits
- Windows. cncArtist runs on Mac, iPad and iPhone
DXF import has been tested against files written to match the layout Vectric exports (R12 DXF, no units, one layer per Vectric layer). It has not been tested against a wide range of real exports yet. Open one file you know well first and compare. cncArtist also includes a Switching from Aspire guide that maps familiar tasks to where they live.
What cncArtist does
What VCarve users get
V-carving that goes deeper where the shape is wider, pocket, profile, drill and quick engrave, inlays with a matching plug, text, two-sided jobs, tiling, nesting, and a simulator that plays the cut back in wood and flags problems line by line.
Beyond VCarve
3D pieces and reliefs with roughing and finishing, rotary, a laser post, and posts for 18 controllers across 44 machine presets.
What cncArtist doesn't do yet
- Open Vectric .crv and .crv3d project files
- Import saved Vectric toolpaths
- Run on Windows
- Import Rhino 3DM files
- Rotary output has golden-file tests but has not been cut on a real rotary axis
Machine posts
cncArtist has a post for Shapeoko, Onefinity, LongMill, X-Carve, GRBL machines, Masso, ShopBot, Axiom, Mach, Centroid and more. See all machines. Posts have golden-file tests, which compare output with a saved copy. That is a software test, not a certification on any machine.
Free to download.
$299 once to cut without limits.
Cut 3 jobs free.
Every design tool, every simulation, and G-code for your first three jobs. No card, no time limit.
Once. Everywhere.
Unlimited export on Mac, iPad and iPhone with one purchase. Free 1.x updates. Family Sharing. Commercial use included.
Launch price $249 until 11:59 pm on Thursday, Dec 31, 2026.
No subscription.
Pay once, cut forever. A paid major version every few years, with an owner upgrade price.
VCarve, Aspire, Cut2D and Vectric are trademarks of Vectric Ltd. cncArtist is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Vectric.