- Interior Design Software For Mac
- Interior Design Apps For Mac
- Best Interior Design App Free
- Best Professional Interior Design Software
Why use Mac home design software?
Mac home design software has all the tools you need to put your dream home down on paper, whether you want to build a brand-new house or renovate your existing one. This type of software can help you make detailed digital models of major landscaping projects and home remodels, and it lets you see how different wall coverings and upholstery look in new settings. You can arrange and rearrange furniture in your digital plan without breaking a sweat physically by moving the items around your home – just click and drag each piece to a new location to get a feel for what looks best.
The best home design software for Mac computers has a wealth of features, design tools, and customizable objects and materials to help you create your 3D floor model.
Punch Home Design Studio Complete is our Bronze Award winner for the best home and interior design software for Macs. These home and interior design programs work just as well as home design programs for Windows operating systems. The same tools and utilities are there and the functions are similar. Best interior design software 2018 programs for windows mac the best interior design software of 2018 we’ve been reviewing interior design software for eight years this year we devoted over 120 hours to testing and considered more than a dozen programs amazon interior design 4th edition for one two semester introductory courses in interior.
Best home design software overall
Home designer architectural
A great interior design software for beginners and veterans
Simple design
Virtual camera has a learning curve
Home Designer Architectural is a good program for beginner and veteran designers alike. Arguably the best feature for both groups is the Plan Assistant tool. It provides thousands of preprogrammed floor plans as a jumping-off point for your home design. It also contains a library of customizable house plans, another great way to get started. You also have the option to start a design from scratch or import scanned floor plans into the application.
The automatic roofing tool makes easy work of choosing the roof style for your design. The program automatically calculates and displays all your dimensions while your design is in progress. The program also calculates the materials needed to construct your design and gives you an estimate of the cost.
Walls, roofs and floor plans are just the beginning when designing a home. You can use this program’s pre-programmed library of 8,000 objects to populate your home design with everything from doors, windows and cabinets to furniture, appliances, fixtures and more. If you want something in your dream home, there’s a high likelihood this application has it.
Read the full review here: Home Designer Architectural
Best home and interior software for value
Home designer suite
A home designer software that offers a great value for price and content
Free hand drawing tool
If you want to design your fantasy home but don’t have a lot of cash, you can pick up this program for less than $100. It’s a great deal considering other programs we reviewed can cost twice that. There are programs that cost as little as $15, but there’s not much to them. This program is both affordable and gives you the tools to make an effective design.
Home Designer Suite comes with much of what’s included in Home Designer Architectural, such as a wide-ranging library of home objects. It’s not as comprehensive, but with 6,500 objects to choose from, you should be able to find what you’re looking for. You also get the cost estimator, so you’ll have a good idea how much it would cost to build your design.
One of the most useful tools in this home design software for Mac is the virtual walk-through. This allows you to plot a path through your home, and the computer will show you, in 3D, what your design will look like. This is a great way to see exactly what you can expect and provides a better idea where you can make improvements.
Read the full review here: Home Designer Suite
Best home design software for beginners
Punch home design studio complete
A great interior design software for beginners
Excellent landscape templates
Simple for beginners
Great customer service
Although the two previously mentioned products are simple to use and learn, Punch Home Design Studio Complete scored the highest in our ease-of-use tests. So, if you’re a greenhorn, this is a great program to start with. You can begin your design by choosing one of the sample room templates, complete with appliances and furniture, then customize it until it’s exactly what you want.
You can choose to start from scratch with the QuickStart tool, which allows you to drag and drop rooms and snap them together. This saves a lot of time and effort, because you don’t have to design the whole house at once. And it lets you shift your rooms around the house with ease until you figure out the layout that works best.
Punch Home Design Studio Complete comes with a library of 5,000 objects, including appliances and furniture, but far fewer choices than the best programs we reviewed. However, this program has more than 5,000 plants to place in your design. Other high-ranking products offer just 1,500 plant options. You can build custom fireplaces, cabinets, windows and doors. And the tools are all quite intuitive and easy-to-use.
Read the full review here: Punch Home Design Studio Complete
Interior design software: Mac vs Windows
These home and interior design programs work just as well as home design programs for Windows operating systems. The same tools and utilities are there and the functions are similar. In fact, many developers create programs that work on both operating systems.
What type of software do I need?
Home and interior design programs are all encompassing and typically used to creating new homes from the bottom up. However, if you have an existing home you want to update, either inside or outside, there are programs that are less cumbersome and have just the tools you need for a fraction of the cost of full Mac home design suites.
Interior design software focuses on the decorative aspects of your home. You can use it to simply change the curtains and rearrange the furniture or for a project as extreme as knocking out a wall and creating a more open floor plan.
If your only focus is updating your home kitchen, there are specific program dedicated to this type of project. Kitchen design software has advanced tools for creating custom cabinets and plumbing lines.
Why Trust Us?
We spent more than 160 hours using 12 home design programs to help you decide which is the best for you. We designed dozens of homes and hundreds of rooms. We carefully combed through all tools, and every program was subjected to a series of tests to measure utility, versatility, ease and user experience. Personal experience was also calculated into the scores. We took meticulous notes during our testing phase recording likes and dislikes. These were all weighed in reaching a final verdict for each product.
Every Mac home designer application we reviewed was either provided by the manufacturer or bought outright. Furthermore, the manufacturers were not provided with our testing methodologies, nor had any influence in our evaluations.
We also reached out to professional designers and asked their opinions about casual users designing plans. Trevor Broughton, lead designer of Mountain West Architecture, expressed some concerns about DIYers' abilities to make workable plans. “My biggest concern with anything brought to me is it scalable and accurate,” Broughton said, but he added that the products we reviewed can help.
“Consumer grade software could allow someone to really grasp how much space is absorbed by each architectural element,” Broughton said, while still cautioning that users need to understand how plans come together before trying to bring them into the real world. “From a bathroom to a stairwell, people struggle to understand the square footage required to make these elements function properly in any given plan,” Broughton said.
What to Look For
Home and interior design software has three main functions that we looked at closely during our review: construction design, interior decorating and landscape planning. Here is what we found helpful while using these programs.
Home and floor plan design
One of the main reasons to use a home design program is to create 2D floor plans that can easily be converted into blueprints. These plans include marks for windows and doors as well as separate levels with their own measurements.
Photo import features are really useful because they allow you to open one or more pictures of a home you like and save them to use as inspiration while constructing your own plans. These can be images you find online or pictures you snap with your camera when you see a home you like.
You can also use this feature to upload floor plans or copies of your current home’s blueprints. Programs like Live Home 3D include a tracer tool you can use to copy the images’ lines while the software automatically creates both a 2D image, or blueprint, and a 3D image to help you visualize how the two concepts mesh together. If you open a blueprint of your home in the program, the trace feature can help you attach a room addition that scales nicely to your existing home.
A cost estimator is another valuable tool. As you design your home, it provides you with a list of materials and the average cost of each, along with an estimation of the total project cost so you have an idea of what kind of funding you need to secure. Not all the programs in our review have this feature, but Punch Home Studio Design is one that does.
Other features we looked at closely while testing Mac home design software are roof wizards and electrical- and plumbing-planning tools. Most of the programs we tested included some variation of these tools, though some included extra feature that gave them an advantage over the rest.
For example, all the program we reviewed, except for Interiors Pro, have tools to place a roof over your home. However, most of the apps create a standard-looking gable roof over the entire structure. You must then use a cutaway tool to remove sections of the roof that overhang too much because of odd extensions, such as a garage, that aren’t exactly square with the rest of the house. Additional steps are required for more elaborate roof designs or to fuse several roofs over different home sections. Live Home 3D has a smart perimeter tool that instinctively knows if your home design has several different sections and places a perfect roof over your home so you don’t have to take extra steps to make it look perfect.
Electrical and plumbing planning tools also vary by program. Each interior Mac program we reviewed includes fixtures such as outlets, bathtubs, hanging lights and faucets. While this is helpful, especially when designing your home’s decor, more advanced tools let you indicate exactly where to place pipes or run electrical wires. If you are only using design software for interior decor updates, these advanced planning tools are not necessary. However, they are important if you need to make changes to a room, such as a bathroom or kitchen, where it may be necessary to move pipes and electrical wiring.
Interior and room design
Some interior design tools are used for structural changes – for example, when you want to open a room by knocking out a wall or to add or update stairs. However, most are fun tools that allow you to add custom-designed kitchen cabinets, textured walls or tiled hallways.
The object library houses 3D furniture and décor items you can set up to visualize what your new rooms will look like decorated in the latest craftsman, vintage or sleek stylings before you head out to the store. We really liked the object-placement and editing tools in MyFourWalls. They were the easiest to use and the most intuitive. With this software, you don’t have to highlight an object and then choose a resizing or rotating tool from the dashboard. Instead, you can grab the object, edit and rotate it freely in one step.
Each app comes with a set number of objects in its library, but you can add additional programs to increase it to an unlimited number of items. Most of these objects are found through Google’s SketchUp and the Trimble 3D Warehouse programs. In these third-party databases, you simply download and save an object file to your desktop, then import it using the home design software’s import feature. We note which home design software accepts objects from which database. Most only work with images from one or the other, though Home Designer Architectural is compatible with both.
Landscape and garden design
Landscape tools help you design the gardens and lawn surrounding your home. Look for a program that has a plant encyclopedia. This tool lists plants that thrive in your specific growing area to ensure you have a beautiful, healthy yard all year long. It is important to note that while each of the programs we reviewed has some plant objects available, not all of them are outdoor plants. You can always increase the plant object library by uploading additional items from various third-party object databases and creating an outdoor plant list.
Price of landscaping software
The best home and interior design software for Mac can cost as much as $200. And if you’re going to use the application regularly, we recommend getting the best product you can afford. However, if you’re planning on tooling around with a design from time-to-time or simply want to see what your dream home may look like, you don’t have to go with the top-of-the-line software. The cheapest program we reviewed, MyFourWalls, costs less than $30 and has a surprisingly large feature set for the price. If your ambitions are small, it may fit your needs.
We found that it took a long time to download the Mac design programs we tested because they contain thousands of objects and components. Some programs took only a couple of hours, while others took five or more. Once installed, though, there weren’t any issues with lag or function during testing.
Saving and sharing your designs
As you look at floor plan software for your Mac computer, you should try to find one that is easy to use but also renders your designs in a format you can share with professionals. Architects and contractors typically use professional Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs that create official blueprints. These blueprints are used to secure permits and licenses and also serve as the official instructions for building your dream home. The best 3D floor plan software for Mac computers lets you have fun creating designs and shows a good visual representation of what your dream home will look like as well as creates a 2D design that includes measurements for contractors to refer to.
Something to be aware of when choosing a program is the file types the finished designs can be saved as, especially if you intend to export and share your ideas with an architect, general contractor or interior decorator. Professional software is compatible with only a few types of files, and even then, it depends on the program. If you know the format your builder uses, you can look at our comparison chart to ensure the program you purchase creates a compatible file. Typically, CAD software accept DXF and DWG file formats.
Our final thoughts
Don’t let your lack of interior design experience keep you from undertaking a remodeling project. Even with minimal experience, you can plan kitchen renovations, bathroom makeovers, bedroom refreshes and color-scheme changes throughout your home using one of the packages we reviewed. You can even design landscapes, potentially changing the look and feel of your outdoor space and the exterior of your house. Using one of these programs, you can turn your digital designs into reality.
Contributing Reviewers: Renee Shipley, Noel Case, Linda Thompson, Danny Chadwick
Related Product Reviews
Interior design software can help you, whatever project you have planned, whether it is planning your dream kitchen or building an extension for so you can have that home library that you've always wanted. The best interior design software will help you translate your vision into reality.
Editor's Choice: Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design
This program has all the tools we looked for, but so do several others – the difference is in how it executes them. Virtual Architect Ultimate is intuitive, smooth and easy enough for anyone to master.
Interior design software is one of those funny areas where there is a lack of product knowledge and this means that it is extremely hard to make an informed buying choice. In this guide we will break down all the relevant feature of this software, explaining what they do and why. We will also identify programs that are easy to use - and you don't need to be an architect to understand or use to a high degree.
Our reviewers have spent more than 120 hours evaluating and trying to determine what features when into creating a great interior design software. As we tested these programs, we considered which tools they include, how well their features work and how easy they are to use.
Thanks to its intuitive interface, vast object library and impressive toolset, Virtual Architect Ultimate is the best interior design application. This program not only allows you to build, furnish and decorate a room but it also allows you to build custom items like cabinets, fireplaces, windows, stairs and more. This gives your vision a realistic depth that other interior design software lacks.
In addition, you can import photos to use as a basis for your design. If you don’t know where to begin, you can customize one of Virtual Architect Ultimate’s sample plans to fit your liking.
Best OverallVirtual Architect Ultimate
This program has all the tools we looked for, but so do several others – the difference is in how it executes them. Virtual Architect Ultimate is intuitive, smooth and easy enough for anyone to master.
Best ValueTurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe
If you don’t need lots of advanced features, TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe is worth considering. It has all the essentials and costs a fraction of our top pick’s price.
Best for MacHome Designer Interiors
Very few interior design programs work on Mac computers. Of those that do, Home Design Interiors is the best because it includes all the tools found in our top pick.
Product | Price | Overall Rating | Ease of Use | Room Design | Planning & Construction | Help & Support | Ease of Use | Object Library | Import Third-Party Objects | Drag & Drop | Moldings | Window Coverings | Window & Door Designer | Cabinet Designer | Fireplace Designer | Furniture | Textures | Color Blender | Import Photos | Sample Plans | Import Floor Plans | Trace Floor Plan | Curved Walls | Stair Generator | Material List | Cost Estimator | Metric Measurements | DXF or DWG Export Format | Telephone Support | Video Tutorials | Community Forums | FAQs | Live Chat |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virtual Architect Ultimate 8 | View Deal | 4/5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7500+ | SketchUp | A | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | B+ | 11 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | $ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe 2019 | 3.5/5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 2100+ | SketchUp | B | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | B | 45 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | |
Virtual Architect Instant Makeover 2 | View Deal | 4/5 | 4 | 3 | 4.5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | Not Supported | Not Available | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | A+ | 9 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | $ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Punch Interior Design Suite 20 | 4/5 | 4 | 5 | 3.5 | 5 | 4 | 4700+ | SketchUp | B- | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | B | 45 | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
TurboFloorPlan Home and Landscape Pro 2019 | 3.5/5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4700+ | SketchUp | B+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | B | 45 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | |
Punch Home & Landscape Design Premium 20 | 4/5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4700+ | SketchUp | B+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | B | 45 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Home Designer Interiors 2019 | View Deal | 4/5 | 3 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6500+ | SketchUp, Trimble 3D Warehouse | B | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | A+ | 30 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Total 3D Landscape & Deck Premium 12 | View Deal | 2.5/5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 800+ | Not Supported | C | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | C | 1015 | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | X | ✓ | ✖ | ✓ | ✖ |
Punch Home & Landscape Design Essentials 20 | View Deal | 3.5/5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4700+ | SketchUp | B- | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | B | 45 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Total 3D Home Design Deluxe 11 | View Deal | 3.5/5 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 4600+ | Not Supported | C | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | C | 1015 | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✓ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | X | ✓ | ✖ | ✓ | ✖ |
Best Overall
Reasons to Buy
Vast object library with more that 7,500 items.
Cost estimator and material sheets useful when bringing your design to life.
Reasons to Avoid
No Mac version.
Virtual Architect Ultimate 8
The primary reason our reviewers chose Virtual Architect Ultimate as their top pick is it’s extraordinarily easy to learn to use, even if you’ve never used design software before. Its exhaustive array of design tools allow you to drag and drop objects where you want them, import photos and floor plans, and add furniture, plants, appliances, electronics and more.
Its object library contains more than 7,500 items – the largest library of any interior design program we reviewed. In case you can’t find what you’re looking for in Virtual Architect Ultimate’s library, you have a couple options. It is compatible with the SketchUp database, which houses literally thousands more objects, including furniture, lighting, appliances and more. You can also design custom objects yourself. The software has designer tools for things like cabinets, fireplaces, windows and stairs. All in all, it’s one of the most versatile interior design programs we’ve ever reviewed.
In addition, the application has other useful tools, including a cost estimator and a materials list. Together, these two features give you a good idea of what it will take to bring your design from the digital world into the physical world. You can also export your finished designs in DXF and DWG formats, which are used by architects and contractors.
In addition, the application has other useful tools, including a cost estimator and a materials list. Together, these two features give you a good idea of what it will take to bring your design from the digital world into the physical world. You can also export your finished designs in DXF and DWG formats, which are used by architects and contractors.
Best Value
Reasons to Buy
Lets you import photos of real objects into your design.
Reasons to Avoid
Cannot import items from Trimble 3D Warehouse.
Some people don’t need every feature found in the best interior design software. If that’s you, consider TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe.
It’s about $50 less than our top choice and includes many of the same design tools. It has essentials like moldings, window coverings and a preprogrammed object library (4,700+ items) as well as custom designers. They’re not as intuitive or comprehensive as those in other programs we reviewed but still more than enough to meet the needs of most users.
However, you can’t import floor plans made with other professional design programs, trace floor plans, generate material lists, or export your plans in DXF or DWG file formats. Still, while these tools are very useful, they’re not essential to designing a home.
This software is a bit harder to learn to use than the best programs. In our ease of use tests, TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe earned a B grade. It’s by no means impossible for a novice to master, but you should expect a slight learning curve before you can use it to its fullest potential. If you have any problems using the application’s tools, you can always check out its video tutorials.
However, you can’t import floor plans made with other professional design programs, trace floor plans, generate material lists, or export your plans in DXF or DWG file formats. Still, while these tools are very useful, they’re not essential to designing a home.
This software is a bit harder to learn to use than the best programs. In our ease of use tests, TurboFloorPlan Home & Landscape Deluxe earned a B grade. It’s by no means impossible for a novice to master, but you should expect a slight learning curve before you can use it to its fullest potential. If you have any problems using the application’s tools, you can always check out its video tutorials.
Best for Mac
Reasons to Buy
Can import objects from both SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse.
Works on Mac and Windows computers.
Reasons to Avoid
Only nine sample plans.
This program has all the design tools found in our top pick, including fireplace and staircase designers, cost estimators, and material lists.
The biggest difference between the two programs is how easy they are to use. In our testing, Home Design Interiors earned a C+ grade for ease of use. While that isn’t the lowest grade our reviewers gave, it’s certainly in the bottom tier. If you’re a novice designer or have little patience for counterintuitive interfaces, you should look elsewhere.
While the object libraries found in most interior design software are very useful, there will be times when you can’t find what you want. Luckily, Home Design Interiors can use objects from both SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse, which house thousands more items. In fact, it is the only program we reviewed that’s compatible with both services – several applications aren’t compatible with either, and the rest can only draw from SketchUp. So, if you want an exhaustive array of object choices, this is the program you want.
It’s worth noting that this program works on both Windows and Mac computers, something not all the products we reviewed do.
While the object libraries found in most interior design software are very useful, there will be times when you can’t find what you want. Luckily, Home Design Interiors can use objects from both SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse, which house thousands more items. In fact, it is the only program we reviewed that’s compatible with both services – several applications aren’t compatible with either, and the rest can only draw from SketchUp. So, if you want an exhaustive array of object choices, this is the program you want.
It’s worth noting that this program works on both Windows and Mac computers, something not all the products we reviewed do.
Best for Small Projects
Reasons to Buy
Reasons to Avoid
Lacks an object library and can’t import third-party objects
Virtual Architect Instant Makeover 2.0
Virtual Architect Instant Makeover is an excellent choice for quick projects and creating designs just for fun.
It has essential tools, such as window and door designers, and you can import existing floor plans and images into the software. In addition, it has nine sample plans you can use as jumping off points and a cost estimator that can give you an idea of how much it will cost to realize your plans in the real world. However, it’s missing advanced tools such as an object library and third-party object library compatibility. Also, you can’t export your plans as DWX or DWG files, the formats used by professional interior designers.
Most Sample Plans
Interior Design Software For Mac
Reasons to Buy
Reasons to Avoid
Total 3D Home, Landscape & Deck Premium Suite 12
All the interior design programs we reviewed come with a library of sample plans you can use to get ideas or to customize to your liking.
Generally speaking, you can expect an application to have anywhere from 10 to 50 sample plans. However, Total 3D Home Landscape & Deck Premium includes more than 1,000. If you like working with pre-existing plans, this is the program you want. It also has most of the features and tools we looked for, including cabinet, stair and fireplace generators. However, we found it very hard to use, and it isn’t compatible with third-party object libraries such as SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse.
Why Trust Us
Our team of expert reviewers spent more than 120 hours researching, testing, rating and ranking the best interior design software on the market. They evaluated each program’s tools and features and compared them to its competitors’. At the end of our analysis, each application was given an overall score based on its performance.
We also reached out to architects and interior design professionals to get a better understanding of what it takes to make a great design. Gregg Hodson, principal designer at Gregg Hodson Interior Design, told us that he has his drawings produced on AutoCAD and also makes hand-drawn plans. Hodson warned against drawing plans on your own if you don’t have a firm understanding of what you’re doing. In fact, when asked how often he’s received a home-made plan he could work with, he said “never.”
Hodson went on to say that the biggest obstacle for DIYers is they lack professional knowledge, stating, “It’s challenging when people think they know but they don’t.” He also stressed that casual users have to have a creative mind and an intuitive feel space, layering and flow. Additionally, he cautioned against trusting the colors you get from a computer program. According to Hodson, “color on the computer never ever works…there’s no way, we’re not there yet...they haven’t got it to the point where I know I’m looking at the true color.”
The architects at Mountain West Architecture expressed similar sentiments. Lead designer Trevor Broughton told us of amateur produced plans, “My biggest concern with anything brought to me is it's scalable and accurate.” When asked what lay designers should look for in design software, he said they “Need to be able to get up to speed quickly at it. Different people have different abilities. Consumer grade software allows the consumer to get a more solid concept, it lets them work through some of the issues before they come to us. So, we can get a more concise interpretation on our end.”
How We Tested
Our review team considered more than a dozen interior design applications before they decided which programs are the best. They used each program to create a test design, which was made to use each feature and tool to its fullest extent. They noted how each product’s interface works and its workflow as well as considered how intuitive each software is to figure out and use. This all culminated in assigning each product an ease of use grade. For the most part, the programs had shallow learning curves, but some were much harder to use than others. The lowest grade our reviewers gave was a C-, and seven of the 10 products we reviewed received a B or higher.
Interior Design Apps For Mac
As we evaluated each software’s common features, such as photo import tools and drag-and-drop placement, we compared them against their counterparts in other programs. We then assigned a grade based on how well these features work. Again, all the programs scored fairly well, with no application earning lower than a C. We factored the performance of the applications’ non-graded tools into our overall final scores.
What to Look for in the Best Interior Design Software
As we evaluated interior design software, we focused on the following criteria:
Room Design
You need more than four walls, a ceiling and a floor to make a good room design. To be useful, interior design software requires several tools, chief among them an object library. These libraries contain a wealth of common household items for you to place in your design, including couches, televisions, lamps, plants, appliances and more. The bigger the object library the better. However, the best programs can import even more objects from third-party sources like SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse.
You need more than four walls, a ceiling and a floor to make a good room design. To be useful, interior design software requires several tools, chief among them an object library. These libraries contain a wealth of common household items for you to place in your design, including couches, televisions, lamps, plants, appliances and more. The bigger the object library the better. However, the best programs can import even more objects from third-party sources like SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse.
Best Interior Design App Free
If you have a unique item you can’t find anywhere but you still want to include it in your design, look for a program that lets you build objects from the ground up. The best applications include custom designers for things like fireplaces, staircases, windows, cabinets and more.
Planning & Construction
Creating a true-to-life design is very important but even more so is bringing your ideas into the real world. The best interior design programs include tools that import photos and floor plans from other software or even have features that let you scan blueprints and convert them for fine-tuning. Additionally, a good interior design program has sample plans you can use as jumping-off points, in case you don’t know what you want in the beginning. Further, the best programs also include a cost estimator and material list generator, which show you what it will take to actually build your design.
Creating a true-to-life design is very important but even more so is bringing your ideas into the real world. The best interior design programs include tools that import photos and floor plans from other software or even have features that let you scan blueprints and convert them for fine-tuning. Additionally, a good interior design program has sample plans you can use as jumping-off points, in case you don’t know what you want in the beginning. Further, the best programs also include a cost estimator and material list generator, which show you what it will take to actually build your design.
Help & Support
No matter how intuitive manufacturers make interior design software, there will be times when you need help. The best programs have video tutorials you can follow if you get stuck. Additionally, you can also seek technical and customer support via phone, forums, FAQs and live chat. Our favorite products have most or all of these options.
No matter how intuitive manufacturers make interior design software, there will be times when you need help. The best programs have video tutorials you can follow if you get stuck. Additionally, you can also seek technical and customer support via phone, forums, FAQs and live chat. Our favorite products have most or all of these options.
How Much Does Interior Design Software Cost?
The average price of the software we reviewed was about $60. Most of the developers create similar programs with different feature sets, with more advanced versions costing more. Most premium programs cost about $100, and their watered-down versions cost about $50. There are applications that cost as little as $25, but they are barebones and only good for small projects.
The average price of the software we reviewed was about $60. Most of the developers create similar programs with different feature sets, with more advanced versions costing more. Most premium programs cost about $100, and their watered-down versions cost about $50. There are applications that cost as little as $25, but they are barebones and only good for small projects.
Online Interior Design Software
If the software packages we reviewed are a bit much for you, you may want to check out Planner 5D. It’s free and much easier to learn and use than all the interior design programs we reviewed. Even if you only have basic computer skills, you can learn the ins and outs of this basic interior designer in short order.
Best Professional Interior Design Software
The free version provides the bare basics – you can build a floor plan and place doors, windows, electrical outlets and plumbing. It also comes with limited access to its library, which includes 4,000 household objects like furniture and appliances as well as room-specific items for kitchens, bathrooms, patios, garages and more. You get full access to the object library when you purchase one of Planner 5D's upgraded plans, which cost as little as $10 for 30 days of access.
Since this interior designer is made for amateurs, it’s not nearly as powerful or useful as the programs we tested. However, it’s a good starting point to learn the basics without committing too much time or money in a piece of software you may never use to its fullest potential.