This guide is for dental technicians, lab owners and the IT people who support them, and for anyone who searched for “dental lab software free”. The short answer: the design software a lab runs on, such as exocad DentalCAD, 3Shape Dental System and Dental Wings DWOS, is commercial, and no free full version exists. What a lab can run without buying a licence are the tools around the CAD seat: case portals that bring in scans from clinics, viewers for checking STL files, and the print preparation software bundled with most dental printers. Free lab management or billing software is the one category where we could not verify a single dental-specific package. Not tested yet: the facts below come from the developers’ own pages, checked on 21 October 2026, and from our verified program pages.
The short list
| Program | Lab task | Licence | Platforms | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3Shape Communicate | Receiving TRIOS and Dental System cases | Free account | Web browser, iOS, Android | Active; TRIOS up to Unite 23.1 |
| Medit Link | Cases and orders from Medit scanner clients | Shareware (conditionally free) | Windows, macOS, web | Active; 3.4.12, June 2026 |
| exocad webview | Opening STL, OBJ, PLY and DentalCAD exports | Free | Web browser, Windows, iOS, Android | Active; iOS 1.6.22, September 2026 |
| Formlabs PreForm | Preparing prints on Formlabs printers | Free | Windows, macOS | Active; 3.63.1, September 2026 |
| PrusaSlicer | Slicing for filament and supported resin printers | Free, open source (AGPL-3.0) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Active; 2.9.6, June 2026 |
| CHITUBOX | Slicing for most desktop resin printers | Shareware (conditionally free) | Windows, macOS | Active; 1.3.1, August 2026 |
| Lychee Slicer | Slicing for resin and filament printers | Shareware (conditionally free) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Active; 8.0.0, September 2026 |
| 3Shape Dental System | Full lab CAD | Commercial, demo on request | Windows | Active; Dental System 2025 |
| Dental Wings DWOS | Open lab CAD/CAM with a trial installer | Shareware (conditionally free) | Windows | Last release 2023.2.1 |
Receiving cases from clinics: portals and scanner platforms
3Shape Communicate is the web portal and mobile app for sharing scans and case information between a TRIOS clinic and a lab. Any lab can open a free 3Shape Account and receive cases in a browser; 3Shape states on its Communicate page that the portal is HIPAA and GDPR compliant. Two limits matter. Communicate is not a desktop program, so a “Communicate installer” from a third-party site is not official. And 3Shape assigns Communicate to TRIOS customers up to Unite 23.1 and to Dental System labs; clinics on Unite 24.1 and newer collaborate through Unite Cloud. Our Communicate guide walks through logging in and sharing a case.
Medit Link plays the same role for clinics scanning with Medit. The official page describes it as a platform for clinics and labs with order tracking, patient and case management from any PC in the web version, and shared 3D data in one dashboard. The account and the 2 GB cloud tier are free; larger storage plans and some Medit apps are paid, which is why we list it as shareware (conditionally free). The 3Shape Unite version your clinics run decides whether their cases arrive via Communicate or Unite Cloud.
Checking scans and designs: free viewers
exocad webview is the free viewer from exocad: the App Store listing describes it as free to use without registration, and it opens STL, OBJ and PLY files, WRL, OFF and XYZ variants, ZIP archives, exported DentalCAD HTML files and zipped DentalCAD project folders. It recognises annotations made in DentalCAD and opens scenes sent as a dentalshare link, which is how exocad labs show a design to a clinic that owns no CAD. It runs in the browser and as apps for Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android. For other free STL viewers and a format comparison, see Free STL Viewers for Dental Scans and Models and the free dental CAD viewers hub.
Designing restorations: where “free” stops
3Shape Dental System is described by 3Shape as in-lab design software sold through its partner network; the product page offers a demo and a quote, not a download, and the current release is labelled Dental System 2025. exocad DentalCAD is likewise commercial, sold through resellers, and the only legitimate no-cost routes are reseller demonstrations and student licences in some regions. Copies advertised as “exocad free download” are pirated; we explain the details in exocad DentalCAD Free Download: What Is Actually Free and compare the two systems in exocad vs 3Shape.
Dental Wings DWOS is the one lab CAD you can install and try without a reseller visit. The downloads page at dentalwings.com still lists DWOS 2023.2.1 as the current release and offers a trial version with a demo installation guide. The caveat is age: the latest release dates from 2023 and the products page points visitors to Straumann Group Digital Solutions, so confirm with a Straumann distributor that DWOS is still sold and supported in your country.
Preparing prints: free slicers and build software
Model and splint printing is where a lab can genuinely run on free software. Formlabs PreForm is, in Formlabs’ words, offered totally for free with no licences, annual fees or installation limits. It orients, supports and lays out parts for Formlabs SLA and SLS printers on Windows 10 (64-bit, 1809 or later) and macOS 13 or later, with a native Apple silicon build since September 2026. It prints only to Formlabs machines. Asiga Composer is the same arrangement for Asiga printers, free to Asiga customers with unlimited installs, behind the customer login.
For printers without vendor software, PrusaSlicer is free and open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence, with no account required; the current stable release is 2.9.6 from June 2026. Its SLA mode covers the Prusa SL1/SL1S and several Anycubic Photon models; it has no dental features of its own. CHITUBOX and Lychee Slicer each have a free tier beside paid ones: CHITUBOX Basic covers supports, orientation, hollowing and slicing for most desktop resin printers, while CHITUBOX Dental is a paid mode; Lychee Lite covers the essentials with ads on export, and auto-supports and voxel hollowing sit in the paid Plus edition. We compared them for dental use in Best Slicers for Dental Resin 3D Printing.
Build preparation for industrial printers is a different budget line: Autodesk Netfabb and Materialise Magics offer trials, not free editions.
Lab management and billing: no verified free option
The searches “dental lab management software free” and “dental lab billing software free” are common, and the honest answer is that we have not found a dental-lab-specific management or invoicing package with a free edition on any official site. The portals above cover part of the job: Communicate and Medit Link track incoming orders, due dates and messages with each clinic. They do not produce invoices, statements, remake reports or payroll. A small lab has two realistic paths: portal order tracking plus general accounting software, or a commercial lab management system. We will add a lab management entry to this catalogue only when a free edition can be confirmed.
Limitations
- Not tested yet by us: licences, versions and platforms were read from the developers’ pages on the date given.
- Free portals depend on the clinic’s scanner: a lab receiving from TRIOS, Medit and iTero clinics will run three portals, not one.
- Availability is regional. 3Shape and Straumann sell through partners, and some products are not offered in every country.
How to choose
- Start with your clinics’ scanners. Open the free portal for each: 3Shape Communicate or Unite Cloud for TRIOS, Medit Link for Medit.
- Standardise one viewer. exocad webview opens the common mesh formats and DentalCAD exports on every device.
- Use the slicer that came with your printer. PreForm or Asiga Composer for those brands; PrusaSlicer, CHITUBOX Basic or Lychee Lite for others.
- Budget for CAD. Book demos of Dental System and DentalCAD through partners; the DWOS trial suits labs that accept an older release.
- Keep management simple until you can pay for it. A lab management system is a purchase, not a download.
FAQ
Is there free dental lab management software?
Not that we could verify. Portals such as 3Shape Communicate and Medit Link track orders for free, but invoicing and remake reports come from paid lab management systems or general accounting software.
Is there free dental lab billing software?
No dental-lab-specific billing program with a free edition appeared on any official site we checked.
What software do dental labs use?
A design system such as exocad DentalCAD, 3Shape Dental System or Dental Wings DWOS; a portal for each scanner brand their clinics use; a viewer such as exocad webview; and the slicer supplied with each printer.
Is exocad free for dental labs?
No. DentalCAD is sold through resellers. The free exocad products are exocad webview for viewing and dentalshare links for sharing a case.
Can a lab use 3Shape Communicate without owning Dental System?
Yes. A free 3Shape Account is enough to receive cases in a browser from TRIOS clinics on Unite 23.1 or earlier. Clinics on Unite 24.1 and newer share through Unite Cloud instead.
Last updated: 21 October 2026 · Dents-Soft editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation; none of the tools listed here should be treated as a certified medical device unless its vendor says so.
