EZCAD alternative for galvo lasers

If you want a mature one-time purchase, LightBurn Pro drives EZCad2, EZCad3 and BSL boards from version 2.1. If you want free and do not mind a technical setup, MeerK40t drives EZCAD2 boards, and Balor is a command-line option for JCZ LMCV4 boards. If you want to run the galvo from a Mac, Windows or Linux and keep design, photo preparation and camera placement in one app, Vextrify drives JCZ/EZCAD2, EZCad3 and SEA-LASER/BSL boards. Find out which board is in your machine first: that decides everything else.

• One-time licence → LightBurn Pro
• Free, EZCAD2 boards → MeerK40t
• Free, command line, LMCV4 → Balor
• Mac, Windows, Linux with photo prep → Vextrify

JCZ states that EZCAD2 2.14.11 is the last version, with new functions going only into EZCAD3. EZCAD3 works only with DLC series controllers, so moving from an LMC board means changing the controller and its wiring. It needs 64-bit Windows and is protected by a licence plus dongle. EZCAD also leaves design work and photo preparation to other programs, so a job often passes through several tools first.

• EZCAD2 is at its final version
• EZCAD3 needs a DLC controller, not an LMC board
• Windows only, EZCAD3 with licence and dongle

Checked 9 November 2026. LightBurn price from its EU store on 3 November 2026.

• EZCAD2 — LMC boards, Windows, came with the machine
• EZCAD3 — DLC boards, 64-bit Windows, licence and dongle
• LightBurn Pro — EZCad2, EZCad3, BSL; Windows and macOS; €214.95 once
• MeerK40t — EZCAD2 boards; Windows, macOS, Linux; free, maintenance mode
• Balor — JCZ LMCV4; command line; free
• Vextrify — JCZ/EZCAD2, EZCad3, SEA-LASER/BSL; macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows, Linux; subscription

LightBurn Pro is the most established alternative. Its driver in version 2.1 or newer covers both EZCad2 and EZCad3 boards, and BSL boards are handled separately. It is a one-time licence for up to three computers with a year of updates. A Core licence is not enough: galvo control needs Pro.

• EZCad2 and EZCad3 from version 2.1
• BSL boards too
• Pro licence required, not Core

MeerK40t is a free, open-source controller for Windows, macOS and Linux with a driver for EZCAD2 galvo boards. Its maintainers describe it as being in maintenance mode, and it expects more technical setup. Balor is a free command-line tool, reverse-engineered for the JCZ LMCV4-FIBER-M controller. It supports only a subset of G-code and SVG and is aimed at people comfortable with a terminal.

• MeerK40t: free, graphical, maintenance mode
• Balor: free, command line, narrow format support

Vextrify's desktop app connects directly to JCZ/EZCAD2 (BJJCZ LMC), EZCad3 and SEA-LASER/BSL boards and runs the job live on macOS (Apple Silicon), Windows and Linux. Layout, photo preparation with material profiles, vector tools and calibrated camera placement are in the same project, and each machine gets its own tab with its own profile. If your work depends on a function specific to EZCAD on your machine, keep EZCAD available and check that function before you switch.

• Drives JCZ/EZCAD2, EZCad3 and SEA-LASER/BSL
• macOS, Windows and Linux
• Design, photo prep and camera placement in one project