LightBurn vs. xTool Creative Space (Now xTool Studio): Which Software Do You Need?

The software question usually comes up after people have chosen a machine, when it should come up before. A laser that only runs its maker’s app is easier to start with but harder to leave; a LightBurn-compatible machine gives you one tool that works across brands. This guide compares the two options xTool owners most often weigh, using maker documentation and our comparison data. We haven’t run a hands-on software test.

First, the name: Creative Space is now xTool Studio

xTool Creative Space (XCS) was xTool’s free design-and-control app for years. xTool has replaced it with xTool Studio. According to xTool’s support center, the final XCS version was 2.7 in June 2025, new devices and features go only into Studio, and the P3, F2 and F2 Ultra are supported only in Studio. Studio and XCS install separately, so updating doesn’t delete XCS, and xTool provides a guide for migrating material parameters. Our data lists software as “xTool Creative Space / xTool Studio” for older machines like the S1 and P2S, which ran XCS at launch.

Everything below about xTool’s software applies to Studio.

Which machines support which

How xTool’s LightBurn support stands. LightBurn 2.2 added an xTool device type. Its support table (dated October 6, 2026) lists the S1, F1, F1 Ultra and P2S as supported, and the F2, F2 Ultra, F2 Ultra Single and P2 as “functional, but needs further testing”. It lists the P3, M1, M1 Ultra and M2 as unsupported. The F1 Ultra needs current xTool firmware (40.52.016.05 or higher for the Class 4 model, 40.53.007.05 or higher for the Class 1 model). xTool’s F2 FAQ, updated October 12, 2026, answers “Yes” to LightBurn, and both companies call F2 support preliminary. LightBurn also says xTool’s built-in cameras aren’t supported yet, so camera placement stays an xTool Studio feature. Our advice: if LightBurn is a must, buy a machine with long-established support (the S1, P2S or any Creality), and treat F-series support as a bonus that’s still maturing.

What each costs

xTool Studio: free with xTool machines. Its AI design tools use paid credits, but the core design and machine-control features don’t.

Other maker apps: Falcon Design Space, Atomstack’s app, LaserBurn and LaserGRBL are free.

LightBurn, per its pricing page:

Both licenses are perpetual: when the update year ends, the version you have keeps working. Upgrading Core to Pro later costs $100. LightBurn offers a free trial from its download page.

Which license fits our machines? The Creality Falcons, Atomstack and Longer are GCode diodes, so Core. The ComMarker B4 runs EZCAD2, a galvo controller, so Pro; our data notes its LightBurn galvo license is sold separately. The K40+ ships with LaserGRBL, which suggests a GRBL controller and Core, but confirm with OMTech. For xTool and LaserPecker machines, check LightBurn’s hardware compatibility matrix before buying a license.

Glowforge is different: the Aura needs Glowforge’s cloud and Wi-Fi to run, and Reviewed put its Premium subscription, which unlocks the best of the design catalog, at $239 a year. Glowforge’s late-2025 restructuring through an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors, after which its co-founders bought back the assets, makes a cloud-tethered workflow a bigger bet than a local app.

How the workflows differ

xTool Studio: built around the hardware

Studio’s strength is that it knows the machine. On camera-equipped xTool lasers you see the bed, drag the design onto the blank and frame it. xTool lists batch fill for runs of personalized pieces, smart nesting, rotary and result previews, a material library with parameter presets, more than 10,000 templates and AI image tools. It runs on Windows and macOS and works with mobile devices, and xTool says one computer can control several xTool devices.

Machine-specific features stay in Studio. Per xTool, LightBurn on the S1 handles focusing, framing and the RA2 Pro rotary but not curved-surface mode or material thickness measurement. On the P2S, LightBurn works without camera or autofocus support in our data. For a camera-first beginner on an M2, Studio is the whole point.

LightBurn: one program, more control

LightBurn’s strength is depth and portability. It’s a full design suite (vector editing, image tracing, boolean tools, offsets, variable text for serial numbers or names), plus job tools like kerf offset, 10 image-engraving modes and GCode customization. It supports controllers from many brands, so a shop with a Creality diode and a ComMarker fiber can use one program and one file library. It runs locally on your computer.

The trade-offs: it costs money, it has a steeper learning curve, and on machines with cameras and autofocus from xTool, you lose some of those conveniences.

Who should use which

• First laser, camera-guided, mostly gifts and crafts: use the maker’s free app. xTool Studio on an M2 or Falcon Design Space on a Falcon is enough to learn on. See best laser engraver for beginners.
• You already know LightBurn, or own two brands: buy a LightBurn-compatible machine. The S1 40W and P2S give you xTool hardware with a LightBurn escape hatch; the Falcon A1 Pro (about $1,099) runs on a $99 Core license.
• Small business doing serial numbers and batch jobs: both work. Studio’s batch fill suits camera-placed runs on xTool machines; LightBurn’s variable text and nesting suit mixed-brand shops. See best laser engraver for small business.
• Fiber metal marking: EZCAD is clunky, and LightBurn Pro is the common upgrade for machines like the ComMarker B4.
• You want a guaranteed future: prefer local software (Studio’s desktop app, LightBurn or a maker app) over a cloud-only workflow.

Bottom line

Start with the free maker software. xTool Studio is a good app built around xTool’s cameras, and it’s the only option on the M2 and P3, and the only way to use xTool’s cameras on any machine. Pay for LightBurn when you need one program across machines, more control over cuts and text, or a workflow that isn’t tied to one brand, and in that case buy hardware with established LightBurn support. Prices for machines change often, so check today’s price, but the $99 or $199 LightBurn license is a one-time cost.