Best home design software should be one that puts you first and completes your project on time and within budget. Most importantly, it must be reliable as well as easy to use. In our quest to find the best house design software, we compared all the top products to make this ultimate list of tools for home remodels.
Here are the best home design software that will blow your mind.
Best Overall: SketchUp Pro
With its expansive feature set, advanced 3D modeling tools and online forums having everything from tutorials to discussions, SketchUp Pro is unquestionably the best home design software out there.
SketchUp Pro lets you effortlessly design highly accurate 3D models of homes (and other similar structures), all using simple click-and-release mouse actions. Just choose from one of the many preloaded templates, select a view and you’re ready to go. In addition to 3D models, you can also create plans, elevations, details, title blocks and a lot more, using the “LayOut” tool. It’s also great for making presentation documents, supporting everything from drafting to vector illustrations. The program makes it easy to turn models into animated walkthroughs and flyovers that explain every detail.
You can also add elements such as line work, textures and shadows to 2D documents. Then there are the dimensioning tools, which snap to the edges of models and allow you to quickly set format, scale and precision level of displayed measurements. From architects and builders to engineers and urban planners, SketchUp can be used by everyone. The created design documents can be exported as PDFs, images and CAD files.
One of the most impressive features of SketchUp Pro is 3D Warehouse, a huge library of free 3D models. You can choose from a vast array of 3D objects, and use them in your home’s design.
Best for DIY Home Enthusiasts: Home Designer Professional
Buy on Homedesignersoftware.com
Don’t want to bother hiring an architect and would rather design your perfect home yourself? Look no further than Home Designer Pro, the best thing for DIY home enthusiasts.
Coming from the stable of Chief Architect, Home Designer Pro offers a truckload of tools for interior design, remodeling, outdoor living and cost estimation. These have commonly accepted defaults for most building practices, and thus make creating your own project a cakewalk. Whether you want to create a single room or an entire house, Home Designer Pro can do it all. It lets you add cabinets, place furniture and even paint walls.
The software has an extensive library of 3D architecture objects that can be added to designs. You can rotate symbols in different planes, and choose to have the CAD block refresh automatically as objects are modified. It’s possible to set heights by absolute or relative positions, and the program lets you reference adjacent floors for designing multi-tiered decks. You can customize room labels, edit multiple elements (e.g. all cabinets) together with one command, as well as create architectural blocks that can be moved as one and stored in the library. Other features include the ability to rotate and reverse plans, custom watermarks, live layout views and labeled callouts.
Home Designer Pro lets you backup the entire plan for easy sharing, set sun and shadow controls, record walkthroughs and more. There is a lot of CAD functionality thrown into the mix, too.Home Designer Pro (2021) Review
Best for Ease Of Use: Sweet Home 3D
Most of the home design programs are quite complicated and have a bit of a learning curve. That said, there are some that are fairly easy to use like Sweet Home 3D and it’s free.
Using Sweet Home 3D, you can create straight, round or sloping walls with precise dimensions, with just your mouse and keyboard. The software lets you insert doors and windows in walls by simply dragging them in the plan. You can add furniture to your model using an extensive, searchable catalog, which is organized by categories such as kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. For each added element (e.g. wall, floor), it’s possible to change the color, texture, size, thickness, location and orientation.
While designing the home in 3D, you can simultaneously view it in 3D from an aerial point of view, or navigate from a virtual visitor point of view. Sweet Home 3D lets you annotate the plan with room areas, dimension lines, texts and arrows. The program can even create photorealistic images and videos with its ability to customize the lights. You can import existing home blueprints to add upon them, and export created designs as PDFs and vector images.
The features of Sweet Home 3D can be enhanced using a variety of plug-ins. The program runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Solaris.Sweet Home 3D Review
BEST OVERALLVirtual Architect Ultimate Home Design with Landscaping and Decks 9.0
We chose Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design as our best overall because of the wizard-driven technology that lets you do everything from redesigning your bathroom to building your dream home from the ground up, all with just a click of the mouse. Add in the ability to use your own actual photos and the software’s landscape and deck design, and it has everything a weekend warrior or DIYer could want to help visualize their home renovation project.Pros
- Wizard-driven interface provides fast results
- Upload digital photos to help plan any room makeover
- Provides technical support and tutorial videos
Cons
- Pricier than some of its competitors
- May find there is a learning curve when you first begin
- You have to pay for phone support
Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design with Landscaping and Decks 9.0 is a product developed by Nova Development. The company was founded in 1984 and is considered one of the largest publishers in the United States for software products created exclusively for consumers and small businesses. Nova Development provides products for both Windows and Apple products.
Although Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design is a little pricier than some of its competitors, you get a lot of extra features for the cost, including a massive library with thousands of 3D graphics to help you visualize and plan your living space. You can even upload your own digital photos to use as a backdrop for your ongoing project. This version also includes Landscape and Decks, which means you can use it for both indoor and outdoor designs.
One of the best things we like about Virtual Architect Ultimate is that it is wizard-driven. This means it allows you to work on your projects both smoothly and quickly, even if you have no design experience. All you have to do is point and click. The wizards do the rest.
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design with Landscaping and Decks 9.0 | $99.99 |
BEST FOR MACTurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe Mac 2021
While some of the software on this list is cloud-based, meaning you do not install it directly on your computer but instead access it remotely from virtually any device, other options are software programs you purchase outright, often in either Mac or PC versions. We chose TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe Mac 2021 as best for Mac because it is the most intuitive, easy to use, and feature-rich of all the software we reviewed that has versions designed specifically for the Mac operating system.
It is a good option for beginners, too, because it has more user-friendly tools like QuickStart™ that simplify creating custom home designs. We also love that it has an automatic cost estimator and interior/exterior lighting simulations.Pros
- Allows you to scan and trace your own floor plans
- Provides automatic room cost adjustments
- Building Green Tips provide eco-friendly advice as you design
Cons
- Limited kitchen design tools
- No kitchen wizard
TurboFloorPlan was created by the TurboCad Design group, which is part of IMSI/Design. The company is considered the global leader in retail CAD (Computer Aided Design) and was founded in 1988. When it comes to home design software for professionals, this is the company to which many architects and designers turn.
Although TurboCad has a variety of products for professionals, it also provides more affordable products, such as TurboFloorPlan for Mac lovers and homeowners who simply want to create plans for remodeling or redecorating with no experience required. On the Mac, the software is unlike normal CAD products; it’s more intuitive and user-friendly.
TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe Mac 2021 allows you to drag and drop thousands of symbols as you create and provides precise auto-dimensions for 2D/3D design. The program’s estimator provides a way for you to keep a running tally of prices and square footage in real-time as you draw. It can provide the cost for separate rooms, landscaping, or the entire house. It also provides eco-friendly advice as you design.
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe Mac 2019 | $99.99 |
BEST OPTION FOR EASY USE RoomSketcher
We selected RoomSketcher as our best option for easy use because it takes almost no effort to get started. Once you are on the website, choose what you want to do from the menu and you are ready to begin. Instructions are simple to understand, and you can quickly create images of your ideas.Pros
- Interactive life-like 3D walkthroughs
- Real floor plans
- Plans are drawn to scale
Cons
- Images do not look like real-life photos, but quality is not bad
- Free to use, but you have to pay for additional features, such as 3D floor plans
- Yearly subscription for RoomSketcher VIP and Pro
RoomSketcher was founded in 2007. The company began as a spinoff from a company that created 3D visualizations for the sub-sea oil industry. RoomSketcher is privately held and is backed by venture firm Viking Ventures and the holding company Torrey Pines AS.
Since RoomSketcher’s home design projects live in the cloud, you can sync the program across different devices and use it anytime, anywhere, even offline. Users can create their own floor plans, design rooms, and see their creations in 3D, 2D, and 360 views. It has an extensive library of furniture options and an impressive number of plant images you can use. The program even allows you to create a second floor by “cloning” your first floor and using the same outline when you start your second level. Everything saves for future use in folders, so you can come back to your projects whenever you want.
RoomSketcher allows you to start designing right away, but you’ll have to pay if you want additional features such as 3D floor plans, 360 viewing, or real floor plans. Getting set up is easy, and within minutes you can start designing and creating.
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| RoomSketcher | Free |
| RoomSketcher VIP | $49 per year |
| RoomSketcher Pro | $99 per year |
BEST MOBILE OPTIONHomestyler
There are quite a few home design apps you can use on your phone, but they often have a “cartoonish” appearance to them when you look at the finished product. We chose Homestyler as our best mobile option because the designs actually look realistic, plus they allow you to create home plans and blueprints quickly and easily.Pros
- Free to use
- Tutorial videos to help you learn
- Post your images on Instagram for feedback
Cons
- Program does not run at maximum efficiency on desktop unless you use Chrome
- Limits on the amount of uploads you can do for 3D/2D models
- If you want to view your projects with 4K resolution, you have to pay for it separately
Homestyler is owned by the Alibaba Group and Easyhome New Retail Group. The original prototype for Homestyler was part of a project called Dragonfly and was developed by Autodesk in 2009.
The software was initially created for the real estate and design industry. Available on both mobile devices and desktops, we like that Homestyler’s plans look realistic when you create them on the app, and you can take a photo of an actual physical space and then add 3D models of real furniture to design your room. You can also build floor plans, second floors, and even swimming pools.
Homestyler is extremely easy to use; once you have downloaded your app and registered, you are ready to get started. Create a blueprint of your dream home or upload photos of the living space you want to design, then simply choose and click on the furniture items you want to use to decorate your room.
Homestyler is currently free to use, with Pro and Master options costing about $20 and $40 per month. The Pro and Master plans allow users to increase their upload limits for 3D and 2D models, remove the watermark from their images, and have access to the render editor without having to pay for it each time as you do with the free version.
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Homestyler | Free |
| Homestyler Pro | $20/month |
| Homestyler Master | $40/month |
BEST FOR LANDSCAPING DESIGNLands Design
If you want to design a landscape for your home, Lands Design is as real as it gets. We like that you can try for free what the professional landscapers use, and plans are available in both 2D and 3D in your trial subscription.Pros
- Extensive plant database
- Easy to download and get started
- Choose between four plant representations: elevations, conceptual, detailed, and realistic
Cons
- Free version only applicable for first 90 days
- Training available, but uses actual CAD tools, so expect learning curve
- Requires Rhino software (downloadable on site)
Lands Design was created by Asuni CAD in 1993. It is a landscaping software designed for professionals in the landscaping industry. Although the professional version has a hefty subscription price, individuals can try it for free for 90 days.
Lands Design allows you to turn your 2D layout into a 3D design for visualization, or you can create a 2D version from a 3D version, and add plant photos, dimensions, and tags. What really makes Lands Design our top choice as best for landscaping design, however, is that the software has an extensive plant database in both 2D and 3D. It has over 1,800 species you can use to create designs based on soil type, wind resistance, and fruitification.
The program allows you to choose one of four plan representations; select from elevations, conceptual, detailed, and realistic. You can also add elements such as irrigation and hardscapes. Since the software supports other platforms, you can import or export from other libraries on the internet when they are compatible and easily integrate them into your design plans.
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Lands Design | Free for 90 days |
| Lands Design (for individual and business) | $795 |
Conclusion
The best software for home remodeling is software that allows you to easily and quickly design and decorate your home. It should give you the ability to create 3D models of the house, draw virtual pictures of your home, and test what happens when you make changes to your plans.