← all parity reports
Mechanical
Kerf vs Mastercam
The most-used CAM on the shop floor — compared honestly against MIT open-core.
13/13in Kerf today
11/13in Mastercam (included)
0behind a paid tier
2026-06-05last reviewed
Grouped by discipline (D1–D14), same as Kerf's own capability list. Click a section to expand it.
D1 Geometry & core CAD
D5 Aero / marine / space
| Capability | Kerf | Mastercam |
|---|---|---|
| 2D / 3D milling toolpaths (contour/pocket/face/drill) |
yes
packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/routes.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| High-speed adaptive roughing (trochoidal) |
yes
packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/adaptive.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| 5-axis simultaneous + 3+2 indexed |
yes
packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/five_axis/
|
yes source ↗ |
| Mill-turn / multi-task lathe |
yes
packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/turning_cycles.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Post-processor library (Fanuc/Heidenhain/Siemens) |
yes
packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/five_axis/
|
yes source ↗ |
| Cutter radius compensation (G41/G42) |
yes
packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/cutter_comp.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Wire EDM programming |
yes
packages/kerf-mold/src/kerf_mold/wire_edm.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Feeds & speeds + tool-life |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/cuttingtool/tool_life.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Nesting (sheet / plate part layout) |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/nesting/
|
yes source ↗ |
| Machine simulation (full machine-component collision) |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/clash/detect.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Toolpath verify / material-removal backplot |
yes
packages/kerf-cam/src/kerf_cam/worker.py
|
yes source ↗ |
- yes shipped
- partial works with limits
- paid tier present, but behind an add-on or meter
- no not available
Corrections welcome. These rows are read off published documentation on the date shown and go stale as products ship. If a row is wrong, open an issue — the source file is public/compare/mastercam.md and every claim in it carries a link.