JetCad3 aims to bring the depth of expensive CAD/CAM software within reach of small shops and serious garage builders—without the enterprise tax. Start free with a jetcad.io account — the full feature set on metered hobby hours — and upgrade only when you need unlimited time.
Create a free jetcad.io account and get the full Drafting + Full CAM feature set — metered hobby hours instead of feature limits.
No credit card. Not a trial — free forever. No internet? Free/Hobby also works without an account — limited to 1 component, 5 sketches, and 500-line G-code posts.
Create Free AccountFull-featured 2D/3D parametric CAD, plus eCAD — schematic capture with a real circuit simulator behind it. Everything you need to design and export parts.
Everything in Drafting, plus plasma, oxyfuel and laser sheet CAM. Already on SheetCAM or Fusion 360? AI converts your existing post processors automatically.
Everything in Plasma, Oxyfuel & Laser, plus Router and Mill CAM now. Lathe/turning toolpaths are next on this tier.
Not a fan of subscriptions? Neither are we. The JetCad3 Lifetime Unlimited License is a one-time purchase: a hardware key that unlocks the entire suite for good. No monthly bill, no expiration — just plug it in and own it.
The hardware is the license — there's no cloud backup or replacement program for a lost, stolen, or destroyed key. Keep it safe.
A free jetcad.io account is the Free/Hobby tier — the full feature set, metered at 1 hr/day and 5 hr/week of active use (2× on evenings & weekends). No account? The app still works offline: Design unlimited, Drafting and CAM with hobby limits. Paid plans include a 30-day free trial; credit card required to activate the trial. License via desktop sign-in online, or an offline license key for air-gapped installs. Your files are standard formats saved locally and are always yours.
Every plan — including Free — feature by feature.
Free is the full Full CAM feature set with a usage meter instead of feature limits: 1 hr/day · 5 hr/week of active use, 2× on evenings & weekends.
The questions machinists actually ask.
Create a free jetcad.io account and sign in from the desktop app — that's it. Any jetcad.io account without a paid plan is automatically on the Free/Hobby tier; there's nothing to activate. You get the full Drafting + Full CAM feature set — no feature caps — metered at 1 hour per day and 5 hours per week of active use. No credit card, and it never expires.
Only active CAD/CAM time. The clock runs while you're actually working — sketching, modeling, generating toolpaths — and pauses automatically after a few minutes of inactivity, so thinking time and lunch breaks are free. The Design workspace and machine control (GcodePilot) never count: both are never metered and never locked, even when your CAD/CAM time is used up.
Daily time resets at midnight in your local timezone; weekly time resets Monday at midnight, also local. The app shows a live meter with a countdown to your next reset and warns you before time runs out — with autosave, your work is never lost.
On weekday evenings (7pm to midnight) and all weekend, your time burns at half rate — an hour at the screen only uses 30 minutes of your meter. That effectively doubles your free hours exactly when hobby time actually happens.
JetCad3 still works completely offline with no account, no login, and no credit card. The Design workspace stays unlimited; Drafting and CAM run with hobby limits (1 component, 5 sketches, and G-code posts up to 500 lines). Sign in any time to switch to the metered, full-featured free tier.
The 30-day trial unlocks a paid plan — full features with no usage meter — and requires a credit card to start. The free tier is metered but free forever, with no card. Most people start on the free tier and take the trial when a project needs unmetered time.
Yes — 30 days, full-featured. A credit card is required to activate the trial (to prevent abuse). You are not charged until the trial period ends; if you cancel before then, you will not be charged.
You can activate and stay licensed in two ways: sign in from the JetCad3 desktop app when you have internet, or use an offline license key on an air-gapped machine. For offline use, paste your long license key manually, or save the key file to a portable drive (for example USB) and select it from the desktop app—no sign-in required on that machine once the key is in place.
Nothing changes for files you already saved. JetCad3 keeps your work on your machine; it is not stored in our cloud. Your documents remain yours regardless of subscription status.
Plasma, oxyfuel and laser CAM are available today on the Drafting + Plasma, Oxyfuel & Laser tier ($40/mo). Router CAM is available now on Drafting + Full CAM ($60/mo). 3-axis mill and lathe/turning CAM are still in active development on the Full CAM tier—existing Full CAM subscribers will get those workspaces as they ship.
Day-to-day CAD/CAM work does not require internet. If you are online, you can sign in from the desktop app to activate or refresh licensing. If you are air-gapped, use an offline license key instead (paste the key or select a key file from removable media). JetCad3 does not sync your part files to the cloud or phone home with your geometry.
Neither. It's a single self-contained executable. Put it anywhere — a USB drive, your desktop, a network share — and double-click. No installer, no admin prompt, no IT department involved.
Yes. Your subscription covers all machines you personally use. Activate each install by signing in online or with an offline license key, as on your first machine. If you need to move to a new machine, deactivate the old one from your account dashboard.
Free forever with a jetcad.io account — or go unmetered with a 30-day trial. Works on every machine in your shop.