A home design software allows you to create the design and structure of your home in 2D or 3D. It lets you visualize the final product and streamlines the process, helping you save time and money.
Best Home Design Software
With numerous home design software options on the market, it can be overwhelming to pick the right one. To help you choose, here’s a list of the best home design software programs worth checking out.
1. Homestyler
Homestyler is an app with both mobile and web versions. Despite being free for use, it has professional-looking renderings and a user-friendly interface.
Homestyler gives you video tutorials and template options when you initially launch the app. This comes in handy for first-time users who might find home design apps daunting. With its simple drag-and-drop mechanism, you can build your blueprint and floor plans from scratch. Adding your personal design is just as easy with its extensive catalog of materials and branded furniture.
Homestyler lets you design your actual home. Simply take a photo of your space, upload it, and add décor any way you want. Your rendering options range from standard to Ultra HD.
✅ PROS:
- Community-based
- Lets you share renders on social media
- Uses 3D versions of real furniture brands
⛔️ CONS:
- A little laggy
- 4K and video rendering are only available in paid plans
2. Space Designer 3D
Space Designer 3D is a web-based app that uses Cloud storage. With just your browser and an internet connection, you can easily access your project through the website portal anytime and anywhere.
One of the features that make Space Designer 3D stand out is its Smart Wall technology. It helps you create and connect your walls. Once they’re connected, a floor is automatically shown, along with its dimensions.
The app also calculates costs, product sizes, and the number of materials needed to construct your project in real life. It takes away the burden of the technical stuff and lets you focus on being creative.
Another powerful feature is its customizability. You can change the texture, color, material, and size of the furniture, walls, and floors. For a custom catalog, you can make your own artwork using the best graphic design software and import that into your project. Other features such as 3D real-time editing, VR compatibility, and accurate simulation of natural light give you a better vision of your design’s finished look.
✅ PROS:
- Easy to learn and use
- Offers tutorial materials
- Generates photorealistic renderings
- Strong customer service
⛔️ CONS:
- Furniture is limited to American and European styles
- No 4K rendering for the basic plan
3. TurboFloorPlan
Created by the same company that made TurboCAD, TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape boasts a stable and smooth performance compared to other programs at a cheaper price point.
This home design software has a clean interface. It’s easy to create complex designs thanks to its simple yet powerful tools. You can make house plans that include various construction details such as electrical wirings, HVAC, foundations, and plumbing. Additionally, the program comes with a Build Green feature, which gives you eco-friendly options for designing your home.
We like that TurboFloorPlan is equally geared for designing landscapes. It has IntelliDeck, an intuitive tool that makes designing the most complex decks a breeze. It also has an extensive collection of 3,800 plants that you can add to your project. To insert your favorite plant and expand the database, you can upload photos using the Plant Importer.
✅ PROS:
- Estimates building costs
- Includes templates for deck and patio
- Simulates both indoor and outdoor lighting
⛔️ CONS:
- Limited tools for kitchens
- Free trial for 15 days only
4. Sweet Home 3D
Sweet Home 3D is a free home design software that appeals to beginners because of its ease of use. While it’s straightforward, it offers enough features for simple customization as you design buildings using just your mouse or keyboard.
Doors, windows, and furniture can be added through simple drag-and-drop. You can customize the texture, color, dimensions, orientation, and location of these elements.
Sweet Home 3D also has a furniture library that’s regularly updated. It currently offers around 1,500 3D models for its users. The furniture models are categorized, making it convenient to find appropriate ones for each part of the house.
Once you’re done designing, feel free to have a virtual walkthrough of your interiors. The app's ability to replicate artificial and natural lighting can give you an idea of whether your design scheme needs further tweaking. When paired with the best drawing software, you can even export your finished projects as black and white floor plans.
✅ PROS:
- Low system requirements
- Imports site blueprints
- Generates photorealistic images
⛔️ CONS:
- Limited landscaping tools
- Relatively small object library
5. SketchUp Pro
SketchUp Pro is one of the more popular home design software programs around, as it’s packed with powerful features that cater to most designing needs.
It’s hard to go wrong with SketchUp Pro. Performance-wise, it’s smooth, stable, and functional. Its simple toolset, combined with intuitive features, makes 3D modeling and layouting quick, convenient, and precise. Although it’s widely used by the pros, the app has a relatively low learning curve. SketchUp offers resources like YouTube videos, forums, a learning portal, and training from experts to help you use the app with ease.
Another impressive feature of this home design software is its 3D Warehouse, an immense collection of free 3D objects. It equips you with more than enough material to create your dream home.
SketchUp Pro allows you to view your project using virtual walkthroughs. This gives you a better grasp of what changes you need to make and saves you time by letting you apply those changes quickly.
✅ PROS:
- Highly detailed objects
- Customizable user interface
- Extensive object library
⛔️ CONS:
- Pricey
- Tricky to create complex models and organic shapes
Finding the Best Home Design Software
When searching for the best home design software, consider asking yourself the following:
What will I use it for?
Do you want to play around with interior design? Is it for professional use? Or do you have specific tasks that you want your app to perform?
Some apps are best for casual use, while others are geared to meet the high demands of professional work. The latter tends to be pricier. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to try free apps first to familiarize yourself with home design software.
What device/s will I use?
Some apps aren't available for smartphones. If you want to work on design projects using your phone, consider Homestyler and other similar apps.
You should also make sure that your device is powerful enough to handle the software you want to get. If you’re planning to go for a cloud-based app, your internet connection should be fast and stable. Moreover, carefully review the specs required to make sure that your app will run smoothly on your device.
What’s my learning curve?
Are you willing to spend extra time learning how the software works? It’s important to note that some have a steep learning curve. This can be quite overwhelming at the start, so go for simpler programs if you just want to use the basic tools.
The best home design software differs for everyone. Since each software has varying functions and requirements, the best one will depend on your needs, the device you have, and your learning curve.