LightBurn review 2025: Is it really better laser cutting software?

The creators of LightBurn promise a powerful, intuitive, and complete solution for controlling your laser machine. But how good is this software really in practice? At Lasersheets, we use various machines daily and have extensively tested LightBurn. In this review, we share our honest findings: what works well, what are the pitfalls, and for whom is this software worth the investment?

What is LightBurn?

LightBurn is software that you use to control your laser cutter and send designs to your machine. It's an alternative to the standard software often supplied, such as LaserCAD, RDWorks, or EZCad. LightBurn promises to be better than all these packages, and we have tested this extensively. In this review, you can read what we think of it.

Why standard laser software often falls short

Software like LaserCAD and RDWorks works fine for the basics: opening a drawing, entering settings, and sending your file to the laser. But as soon as you want to use advanced functions, you quickly run into limitations. Although functions like join lines, offsets, and arrays are present, in practice, they often work awkwardly or cause errors. The unclear translations don't make it any easier.

For beginners with simple projects, standard software works fine. But as soon as you laser more often and want to get more out of your machine, LightBurn offers a much more powerful alternative.

LightBurn compatibility with lasers

LightBurn is compatible with multiple brands of laser machines. If your laser works with a Ruida, Trocen, or TopWisdom controller, or a GCode-based controller, then LightBurn can work with it.

In practice, these include:

• Virtually all Chinese lasers (Gweike, Vevor, and various unbranded machines)
• Most diode lasers (Xtool, Sculpfun, Ortur, Omtech, FLUX, Creality, and others)
• Galvo lasers that work with EZCad (CO2, UV, and Fiber lasers)
• BRM lasers
• LionLaser machines
• MetaQuip lasers
• LaserPecker
• And many more

LightBurn is not compatible with:

• Trotec
• Universal laser
• Epilog
• GlowForge

Versions are available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Cost of LightBurn

LightBurn is not free. You purchase a one-time license per machine that remains valid indefinitely. Do you have a Gcode-based controller like most diode lasers? Then you can use the Core license for €103.95. In all other cases, you need a Pro license for €208.95. (prices as of July 2025).

You can use LightBurn for free for 30 days to test if it's compatible with your laser and if you find it worth the money for your production.

How did we test LightBurn?

Lasersheets also has its own laser service, Snijlab. Snijlab has been a well-known name in the Netherlands for 15 years; here, we cut dozens of projects for customers daily. We use four SPOTminis (custom machines with Trocen controllers), an AEON laser, two Galvos, and an Xtool diode laser.

For our production process, the right software is crucial. It not only determines our efficiency but also how quickly we can find the correct settings for each material. Before we (spoiler alert) fully switched to LightBurn, we first researched its features and ran a trial period. That was a success. Subsequently, we trained the entire team in using LightBurn.

We have therefore extensively tested LightBurn on various machines, in a professional production setting. Since switching, we have been working with this software with great pleasure daily. We have even uninstalled the LaserCAD and EZCad software from our machines.

Although we are positive on almost all points, there are a few areas for attention. Read on to discover what we believe makes LightBurn so good, and where there is still room for improvement.

Design and CAD functions

LightBurn is not primarily intended as design software. Usually, you design in CAD software such as Illustrator, CorelDraw, Autodesk Fusion360, SolidWorks, or similar programs. Then you export your files and open them in LightBurn. There, you set the speed and power of your laser and send your file to the machine.

All laser software has drawing functions, but usually, they are so limited that they are practically unusable. LightBurn is genuinely better in this regard. It includes:

• Snap to object and snap to grid
• Guidelines
• Auto join and break apart function for vectors
• Node editor
• Tabs
• Smart boolean functions

There are also several laser-specific tools that make the work easier. For example, you can intelligently scale slot joints, vectorize bitmaps, and even nest in various ways to save material. We found all these features powerful and a pleasure to work with, unlike comparable features in LaserCAD that work poorly or have flaws.

Material library

Our favorite feature is the settings library. You can save multiple settings per material for cutting and engraving. The next time you need that setting, you can load it with one click.

As far as we're concerned, there could be a bit more structure in the input fields. For example, we miss fields for the type of operation (cutting or engraving), the application, air pressure, and notes. You can currently put this in the description field, but everyone might fill that in differently. If you work with multiple people in the same library, it's useful to make agreements here to avoid it becoming a mess.

We do it as follows:

• Material name: material name
• Thickness: on for cut settings, off for engraving settings
• Title: leave blank
• Description: operation type - application - air pressure - notes

Tip: if you use multiple lenses, create a separate library per lens. If you change the lens in your machine, you also load the other library in LightBurn. That is clearer than having everything mixed together.

Tip: in addition to a material library, there is also an artwork library. Save all vector files you use often here for super-fast access.

Kerf offset in layer settings

If you want parts to fit precisely, you need to compensate for the kerf width. But this must be in the right direction: inwards for holes and outwards for contours. In many software, you can do this by clicking on each shape and creating an offset, but that's a lot of work. Moreover, the offset varies per material.

The solution in LightBurn is much better. In the Layer settings of your material, you specify the kerf offset, and LightBurn does the rest. Not only is this less work, but it's also directly saved in your material library. So, the next time you use the material, everything happens automatically.

Tip: want to easily determine your kerf width? Then use this tool: Kerf Offset test

Sublayers

Some engravings or workpieces require multiple operations. For example, a fill engraving gets sharper edges if you add a line engraving along the contours. A layer in LightBurn can be extended with sublayers. These are additional operations under one layer/color in your drawing. This way, you can manage and save complex operations in an organized manner.

Keyboard shortcuts

If you really want to work efficiently, you need to learn shortcuts. Our favorite hotkey: ] and [ to rotate a selected object 90 degrees!

Camera alignment

Does your laser not have a camera? Then you're missing out! Fortunately, you can use any USB webcam in LightBurn. You attach the camera to your lid so it can take a photo of your entire work area. Then you use the camera calibration wizard (Camera alignment) to align the image with your work area in LightBurn.

Now you can use all the handy features a camera offers you:

• Aligning engravings on objects in your laser
• Aligning cuts on scrap pieces
• Precisely cutting printed materials
• Saving interrupted and shifted cuts

Below you see an example of the Camera alignment screen.

Trace Image

For laser cutting, you need vector files; pixel files must first be converted. No matter how experienced you are in CAD, it often remains a hurdle if you want to 'quickly' make something fun, or if you simply want to laser-cut a specific artwork. LightBurn has a built-in tracing function that can convert bitmaps to vectors. This function works well and can compete with Illustrator or Vectorizer.ai. It's convenient that it's directly built-in and that you don't pay extra for it.

Tip: Watch this explanation on YouTube about converting a pixel image to a vector file in LightBurn

Docking and Nesting

The Docking tool slides selected objects left, right, up, or down, to the edge of the workspace or until they touch another object. Docking brings objects together or moves them together, maintaining their relative distance. This is a useful tool for efficient use of space and material.

LightBurn does not have a built-in nesting function, but you can create an SVG with Nest Selected, upload it to svgNest.com, and then re-import it.

Slot resizing

This function truly feels like pure magic. Do you have a design with slots (finger joints), but want to use a different material? Normally, you would have to manually adjust all the slots to the new sheet thickness. With the slot resizing function, that's no longer necessary! You can adjust all slots in a drawing at once.

Documentation

Last but not least: the LightBurn docs are a treasure trove of information for laser owners. Not only do they clearly explain how the software works in their documentation, but you'll also find a lot of information on settings, troubleshooting, and useful tricks. Clearly written, with good images and videos.

Tip: check out LightBurn's YouTube channel

Conclusion

So, what do we think of LightBurn? You've probably already noticed: we are enthusiastic. All basic functions are well-thought-out and well-executed. It's clearly made by people who laser a lot themselves and want a good tool.

The material library alone is worth the upgrade, in our opinion. There are so many useful features that you'll quickly save time and get better results from your laser. The downside is that it costs money and doesn't work on all machines, such as Trotec and Universal. But if you have a compatible laser, we say: definitely try out the free trial.