What is Mastercam used for?

Mastercam is CAD/CAM software for CNC programming that helps machinists and manufacturers prepare machining jobs and generate toolpaths for production parts. It is a good fit for programming milling and turning jobs, production machining shops, and CNC training in schools and colleges.

How much does Mastercam cost?

Mastercam doesn't publish fixed prices; pricing is quoted on request.

Is Mastercam open source?

No. Mastercam is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Mastercam include FreeCAD.

What are some alternatives to Mastercam?

Mastercam competes with Autodesk Fusion, Siemens NX and PTC Creo. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Mastercam alternatives.

Mastercam: features, pricing and alternatives

About Mastercam

Mastercam is commercial CAD/CAM software used to program CNC machines. Manufacturers use it to prepare machining jobs, generate toolpaths and produce the code that drives milling, turning and other machine tools, with a stated emphasis on production work where precision, speed and reliability matter.

The vendor ships yearly releases, and Mastercam 2027 is the version featured on its site. The ecosystem includes add-ons, third-party add-ons and CNC post processors that adapt toolpaths to specific machines. Support options include technical support, product training, a user forum, educational resources and a customer portal. The site is available in several languages, including French, German, Italian, Polish and Swedish, and regional pages exist for Canada, India, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK and Ireland.

Key features

CNC toolpath programming
CAD geometry preparation for machining
CNC post processors for specific machines
Add-ons and third-party extensions
Annual product releases
Training and educational resources

Good fit for

→Programming milling and turning jobs
→Production machining shops
→CNC training in schools and colleges

Tags: cad-cam; cnc; machining; toolpath; manufacturing; post-processor; proprietary

Mastercam: questions and answers

What is Mastercam used for?: Mastercam is CAD/CAM software for CNC programming that helps machinists and manufacturers prepare machining jobs and generate toolpaths for production parts. It is a good fit for programming milling and turning jobs, production machining shops, and CNC training in schools and colleges.
How much does Mastercam cost?: Mastercam doesn't publish fixed prices; pricing is quoted on request.
Is Mastercam open source?: No. Mastercam is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Mastercam include FreeCAD.
What are some alternatives to Mastercam?: Mastercam competes with Autodesk Fusion, Siemens NX and PTC Creo. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Mastercam alternatives.