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Monport GP 40W CO2 vs Glowforge Basic — Which Should You Buy?

Side-by-side specs, settings, and decision guide. Both have community-tested settings for 38 shared materials.

Monport GP 40W CO2 vs Glowforge Basic: $3,995 — prices as of 2026, check retailer for current pricing.

Where to buy

Buy the Glowforge Basic — check current price & availability

Buy on Amazon →

Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Which one should you buy?

Pick the Monport GP 40W CO2 if you want: native LightBurn support (industry-standard).

Pick the Glowforge Basic if you want: more cutting power (45W vs 40W).

Monport GP 40W CO2

Power
40W
Laser Type
co2
Software
LightBurn

Glowforge Basic

Price
$3,995
Power
45W
Laser Type
co2
Software
Glowforge App
Buy Glowforge Basic →
59 settings for Monport GP 40W CO2142 settings for Glowforge Basic

Settings Comparison

Material · OperationMonport GP 40W CO2Glowforge Basic
2mm Basswood Plywoodcut—25 mm/s · 35% · air assist
3mm Baltic Birch Plywoodcut22 mm/s · 78% · 2× passes · air assist20 mm/s · 100% · air assist
3mm Basswood Plywoodcut25 mm/s · 75% · 2× passes · air assist300 glowforge_units · 100%
3mm Black Acryliccut—20 mm/s · 60–70% · air assist
3mm Clear Acryliccut20 mm/s · 72% · 2× passes · air assist500 glowforge_units · 100%
3mm MDFcut22 mm/s · 80% · 2× passes · air assist28 mm/s · 65–75% · air assist
3mm Tinted Acryliccut—18 mm/s · 60% · air assist
3mm Walnut Plywoodcut—18 mm/s · 100% · air assist
5mm Plywoodcut—9 mm/s · 60% · 2× passes · air assist
6mm Clear Acryliccut—6 mm/s · 72% · 2× passes · air assist
6mm MDFcut—10 mm/s · 100% · air assist
9mm Birch Plywoodcut—3 mm/s · 78% · 3× passes · air assist
Acrylic Feltcut55 mm/s · 28%55 mm/s · 28%
Alder 3mmcut—20 mm/s · 55%
Bamboo 3mmcut18 mm/s · 68% · air assist20 mm/s · 55%
Bamboocut20 mm/s · 82% · 2× passes · air assist120 mm/min · 100% · air assist
Basswoodcut25 mm/s · 72% · 2× passes · air assist25 mm/s · 55–70% · air assist
Cardboard (corrugated, ~3–4mm)cut—85 mm/s · 42%
Cardboardcut30 mm/s · 35%180 mm/s · 35%
Cardstock 300gsmcut85 mm/s · 18%70 mm/s · 12%
Cardstock (80–110 lb / ~220–300 gsm)cut—110 mm/s · 18%
Cardstockcut600 mm/min · 20%250 mm/s · 15%
Cedar 3mmcut—20 mm/s · 54%
Cherry 3mmcut—16 mm/s · 62%
Chipboard 2mmcut28 mm/s · 58% · air assist28 mm/s · 30%
Copy Paper 80gsmcut100 mm/s · 12%100 mm/s · 12%
Cork 3mmcut28 mm/s · 35% · air assist28 mm/s · 35% · air assist
Cork Sheet 3mmcut—22 mm/s · 40% · air assist
Corkcut—800 mm/min · 70–85% · 2× passes
Corrugated Cardboardcut35 mm/s · 45%35 mm/s · 45%
Cotton Fabriccut15 mm/s · 45–50% · air assist45 mm/s · 20%
Craft Felt 3mmcut—40 mm/s · 18%
Denim Fabriccut17 mm/s · 50–55% · air assist40 mm/s · 25%
EVA Foam 3mmcut—35 mm/s · 22%
EVA Foam 6mmcut45 mm/s · 32%45 mm/s · 32%
Faux Leathercut35 mm/s · 45% · air assist35 mm/s · 45% · air assist
Foam Board 5mmcut42 mm/s · 35%42 mm/s · 35%
Foamcut—55 mm/s · 14%
Genuine Leather (Veg-Tan, ~3mm)cut28 mm/s · 45–55% · air assist28 mm/s · 45–55% · air assist
Genuine Leathercut—8 mm/s · 60–65% · air assist
HTV Vinylcut90 mm/s · 12%90 mm/s · 12%
Kraft Papercut—280 mm/s · 12%
Leathercut—9 mm/s · 80–85% · air assist
Maplecut12 mm/s · 65–75%12 mm/s · 65–75%
Mylar Stencil 7.5milcut68 mm/s · 18%68 mm/s · 18%
Oak 3mmcut—14 mm/s · 70%
Papercut—300 mm/s · 10%
Pine 3mmcut—18 mm/s · 60%
Plywoodcut20 mm/s · 80% · 2× passes · air assist22 mm/s · 60–70% · air assist
Rubber Stamp Blankcut11 mm/s · 60–65% · air assist11 mm/s · 60–65% · air assist
Walnutcut12 mm/s · 65–75%12 mm/s · 65–75%
Washi Tapecut—160 mm/s · 7%
2mm Basswood Plywoodengrave—380 mm/s · 11%
3mm Baltic Birch Plywoodengrave—300 mm/s · 25–30%
3mm Basswood Plywoodengrave—1000 glowforge_units · 75%
3mm Black Acrylicengrave—350 mm/s · 18–25%
3mm Clear Acrylic (Cast)engrave420 mm/min440 mm/min
3mm Clear Acrylicengrave—1000 glowforge_units · 40%
3mm Maple Plywoodengrave390 mm/min400 mm/min
3mm MDFengrave—450 mm/s · 20–28%
3mm Mirrored Acrylicengrave400 mm/min420 mm/min
3mm Tinted Acrylicengrave—140 mm/s · 20%
3mm Walnut Plywoodengrave—250 mm/s · 25–30%
5mm Plywoodengrave—140 mm/s · 20%
6mm Clear Acrylicengrave—120 mm/s · 22%
6mm MDFengrave—150 mm/s · 25–30%
9mm Birch Plywoodengrave—100 mm/s · 24%
Acrylic Feltengrave500 mm/s · 5–10%500 mm/s · 5–10%
Anodized Aluminumengrave800 mm/s · 25% · 30× passes · air assist300 mm/s · 40%
Bamboo 3mmengrave250 mm/s · 15–20%290 mm/s · 18%
Bambooengrave—350 mm/s · 30%
Basswoodengrave—400 mm/s · 22–30%
Cardboardengrave—500 mm/s · 5–10%
Cardstock 300gsmengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%500 mm/s · 5–8%
Cardstockengrave—400 mm/s · 8%
Ceramic Tileengrave—180 mm/s · 65%
Cherry 3mmengrave—270 mm/s · 22%
Chipboard 2mmengrave400 mm/s · 15–20%400 mm/s · 15–20%
Coated / Powder Coated Steelengrave—300 mm/min · 48%
Copy Paper 80gsmengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%500 mm/s · 5–8%
Cork 3mmengrave400 mm/s · 5–10%400 mm/s · 5–10%
Cork Sheet 3mmengrave—280 mm/s · 14%
Corkengrave—4000 mm/min · 35–45%
Corrugated Cardboardengrave500 mm/s · 10–15%500 mm/s · 10–15%
Cotton Fabricengrave280 mm/s · 16%280 mm/s · 16%
Denim Fabricengrave300 mm/s · 18%300 mm/s · 18%
EVA Foam 6mmengrave500 mm/s · 5–10%500 mm/s · 5–10%
Faux Leatherengrave500 mm/s · 10–15%500 mm/s · 10–15%
Foam Board 5mmengrave500 mm/s · 5–10%500 mm/s · 5–10%
Genuine Leather (Veg-Tan, ~3mm)engrave300 mm/s · 14–20% · air assist300 mm/s · 14–20% · air assist
Genuine Leatherengrave500 mm/s · 20% · 25× passes · air assist150 mm/s · 22%
Glassengrave350 mm/s · 10–14%220 mm/s · 22%
HTV Vinylengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%500 mm/s · 5–8%
Kraft Paperengrave—500 mm/s · 5–8%
Leatherengrave450 mm/s · 22% · 28× passes · air assist170 mm/s · 30% · air assist
Mapleengrave250 mm/s · 20–25%250 mm/s · 20–25%
Marble Tileengrave80 mm/s · 55%210 mm/s · 35%
Mylar Stencil 7.5milengrave500 mm/s · 5–8%500 mm/s · 5–8%
Oak 3mmengrave—260 mm/s · 22%
Paperengrave—500 mm/s · 5–8%
Photopolymer Stamp Blankengrave—120 mm/s · 45%
Pine 3mmengrave—270 mm/s · 20%
Plywoodengrave—450 mm/s · 22–30%
Powder Coated Steelengrave—300 mm/min · 48%
Rubber Stamp Blankengrave200 mm/s · 22%200 mm/s · 22%
Slate (coaster)engrave350 mm/s · 15–22%150 mm/s · 27–32%
Slateengrave500 mm/s · 35% · 40× passes · air assist130 mm/s · 80%
Spray Painted Metalengrave—350 mm/min · 45%
Stainless Steelengrave200 mm/s · 65%200 mm/s · 65%
Walnutengrave250 mm/s · 20–25%250 mm/s · 20–25%
Stainless Steelmark—170 mm/s · 75%
All Monport GP 40W CO2 settings →All Glowforge Basic settings →

Ready to buy the Glowforge Basic?

Buy on Amazon →

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, the Monport GP 40W CO2 or Glowforge Basic?

It depends on your use case. Monport GP 40W CO2 is 40W co2. Glowforge Basic is 45W co2. See the decision guide and side-by-side specs above.

What materials can both the Monport GP 40W CO2 and Glowforge Basic cut or engrave?

Both machines have community-tested settings for 38 shared materials. The settings table above lists every material with side-by-side speed, power, passes, and air assist values for direct comparison.

Is the Monport GP 40W CO2 or Glowforge Basic compatible with LightBurn?

The Monport GP 40W CO2 works natively with LightBurn. The Glowforge Basic uses Glowforge App. LightBurn compatibility may be possible via a community device profile but is not officially supported.

Is the Glowforge Basic (45W) much faster than the Monport GP 40W CO2 (40W)?

Higher wattage typically means faster cutting and the ability to cut thicker material in fewer passes. The Glowforge Basic (45W) cuts thicker material in single passes and engraves at higher speeds than the Monport GP 40W CO2 (40W). For raster engraving the difference is smaller because surface engraving is limited by mechanical scan speed.

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Settings are community-contributed and may not reflect your exact machine configuration or material batch. Always test on scrap first. Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What Makers Say

★★★★★5.0· 6 reviews
View all on Etsy →
★★★★★

"Used it with a Glowforge — engraved beautifully with no changes. I will be purchasing more digital downloads from this shop."

— Anna

★★★★★

"I was struggling with lining up my NFC business cards. I was able to not only line them up much better but also do multiple cards at once — making that job so much easier."

— Camp

★★★★★

"Excellent quality and design. Cut clean and neat!"

— LYNN

★★★★★

"Great jigs. Appreciate the time saved not having to build this from scratch!"

— Bruce

★★★★★

"Excellent quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded."

— Michael

★★★★★

"This template made my slate coasters so much easier. 4×4 coasters from Michaels drop in easily and are easy to remove. Def worth it."

— chris

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