CutCraft and Aspire

The short version

Which one fits you today

Aspire is the safer choice if

you need software that is finished, supported and used by a large community of makers;
you want Vectric's clipart library, video tutorials and help from the vendor;
you rely on gadgets, the laser module or the Advanced Machining Module (cabinet cut lists, drill banks, part labels);
you want to draw and edit directly in the 3D view, which Aspire 12 and 12.5 added.

CutCraft is worth a try if

you run Linux or macOS, which Aspire does not support (it runs on Windows, and on Macs only through Parallels with limited support);
you want to read and change the source, or follow the work on GitHub;
you are happy to use alpha software and report what goes wrong (there is a Report a Bug button on every right-click menu);
you already have .vtdb tool libraries or Fusion 360 .tools files and want to reuse them.

The basics

What each one is

Vectric Aspire 12.5

Maker: Vectric Ltd, a commercial company
Runs on: Windows 7 to 11
Status: Mature; in its 12th major version
License: Paid, closed source; free trial
Help: Vendor support, manual, tutorials, forum
Job files: .crv3d

CutCraft 0.4.3

Maker: An independent hobby project
Runs on: Linux, Windows, macOS
Status: Early alpha; about 2,200 automated tests, much of it not yet tried by hand
License: Free download; source public on GitHub. No open-source license has been chosen yet.
Help: The README and GitHub issues; no tutorials yet
Job files: .ccjob (reads vectors from .crv3d)

Feature by feature

The full comparison

Each row is a feature Aspire has, or one CutCraft adds. The status says how CutCraft compares, and the note says what is missing or different.

Feature	Aspire 12.5	CutCraft 0.4.3	Status	What's different

How this was put together

Reading the statuses

MatchesCutCraft does what Aspire's documentation describes. Some behaviour was worked out from the docs rather than seen in Aspire, so details can differ.

PartlyThe feature exists, but pieces are missing. The note says which.

MissingAspire has it and CutCraft does not yet.

Not plannedLeft out on purpose, for now.

CutCraft extraSomething CutCraft adds. We found no equivalent in Aspire's public documentation, which doesn't prove Aspire lacks it.

CutCraft's side comes from its own tool inventory and roadmap in the repository. Aspire's side comes only from Vectric's public website, help pages and the free trial. If you spot a mistake on either side, open an issue.