Best interior design software of 2024
We reviewed all the best interior design software and apps, and these are the stand-out tools for creating unique and memorable indoor spaces.
My team and I have extensively tested the full range of design software, including the best architecture software and best landscape design software. So, we understand how important it is to find an app or browser-based tool that helps you bring your ideas to life on the screen.
In my experience, Floorplanner is the best interior design software for most people. It’s available free in your browser, and makes designing interiors feel fun and intuitive. I’ve rounded up our full list below, though, including top recommendations for architects, those using iOS and Android devices, and anyone looking for the right tools for designing rooms, houses, and buildings in 2D and 3D, using photorealistic assets and textures.
The best interior design software of 2024 in full:
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Below you’ll find full write-ups for each of the entries on our best interior design software list. We’ve tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.
The best interior design software overall
Floorplanner is an online interior design app for individuals and companies, letting you redesign everything from a single room to an entire floor, or even a whole building. You can also plan out how your furniture will fit in your new home.
This is a web-based home interior design tool, so you can achieve dazzling designs through the browser. There’s also online collaboration for editing and presenting projects in the cloud.
In our hands-on review, we found working in Floorplanner was fluid and simple, and best of all, if your needs are modest, using the program is free.
That makes it ideal for amateur designers or those learning the art of interior design. If you find the free account too limiting, there are several subscription options available to you. Business pricing starts at $59 a month, and go up to $599. Individual pricing ranges from $5 to $29. These come with a set number of credits which you can use to unlock extra features. You can purchase additional credits, even with the free account, although the more expensive your subscription, the cheaper those extra credits will be.
It’s all browser-based designing however, so you’ll need to be constantly connected to the internet. There is an Android app available, but this is designed for presenting designs created on the website.
Read our full Floorplanner review.
The best interior design software for architects
Home Designer Suite delivers professional-style interior design software – which makes it powerful but also increases the learning curve. It’s not too steep as to be unnavigable, although it might overwhelm first-timers. Stick with it.
If you’re looking for meticulous planning, precise editing, the ability to customise your tools, and more, right down to the material required for specific jobs, this is the best interior design software for you.
We praised the home design software in our review for its “highly detailed customisation options while at the same time, automating many processes to ease the creation process. It’s a great balance that help you create detailed environments quickly and easily.”
The interior design program is very full featured. You have full control over pretty much everything, including landscaping your dream garden. Despite its apparent complexity, there are many automatic tools that do a lot of the work for you, enabling you to focus on the details, to turn a design into a house.
Available for both Mac and Windows, you have in your digital hands everything you need to build the home of your dreams. You can only access this software via a subscription, which is cheaper if you pay yearly. Chief Architect offer you a 2-weeks money-back guarantee should you wish to try it out. Another option is to opt for the trial version which you can use as long as you want, but some crucial features are disabled, such as being able to save, print, export your project, and create virtual tours.
Read our full Chief Architect Home Designer Suite review.
The best interior design software for beginners
DreamPlan is the best home design software if you want powerful tools and simplicity of use.
The interior design program, available for Windows and Mac, helps you create buildings on multiple levels, furnish them with a library of 3D models, and customise homes inside and out. Yes, that even includes landscape design.
In our full review, we really liked the fact the software is designed to make it really easy to create unique spaces, even if you’re a beginner.
Trace Mode will be especially handy for those with existing floorplans. These can be imported into the home design software and turned into a 3D model.
DreamPlan features commercial and home licensing options – currently discounted to $30 and $25 for a full licence respectively. If you prefer subscriptions, you can grab a commercial one for $2.21 per month. DreamPlan has a powerful enough toolset to use on a professional basis, but is intuitive enough for beginners.
For those just starting out with the best interior design software, the built-in video tutorials help you understand the inner workings of the app – just look for the subtle blue camera icon.
Read our full DreamPlan review.
The best interior design software online
WHile Floorplanner has proven excellent in our tests for online interior design, HomeByMe is still one of the best interior design apps for when the ideas are racing. It’s browser-based – even mobile browsers are supported – and has Android and iOS apps, so you can map out thoughts for your home whenever and wherever inspiration strikes.
Since the interior design tool is cloud-only, you’ll need to stay connected to use it. During our time with the home design software, we were impressed that “HomeByMe offers a very affordable service with a myriad of options. We particularly appreciated the fact that the free plan doesn’t appear to limit your design options, and lets you work on up to three different projects.”
However, we were less impressed with the time it took to render low-res images. Worse, we found the free account pastes a giant watermark all across the image, rendering the effect pointless. HD images are rendered in minutes, and don’t have that watermark.
The platform offers various options: a free service, two subscription packages, and packs, which allow you to purchase additional hi-res, or 360˚ images, or the ability to work with additional projects. This should give you enough flexibility, even increasing the capabilities of the ‘free’ plan.
The limit on the number of HD photorealistic images (1920x1080px) is somewhat compensated by offering an unlimited number of lower quality ones (640x360px). You can also place real-world, branded products in your rooms for extra realism. HomeByMe has a lot to offer. If you’re not too fussed about those images, you can explore and create very complex designs with ease.
Read our full HomeByMe review.
The best interior design software for iOS & Android
MagicPlan is one of the best interior software kits for busy creatives and contractors.
When we reviewed the home design app, we liked its “easy to use features, an interesting AR option, and an original way of generating estimates for work needed to be done. The monthly subscriptions could pay for themselves if designing if your business, and it also offers you two free projects for casual users to explore as well.”
Just like HomeByMe, MagicPlan lets you build designs from your browser, or within the Android and iOS apps. The free solution not only lets you design two projects, it also grants you access to nearly all of MagicPlans’ available tools. The subscription plans limit those features, unlocking more of them the higher your chosen tier.
You’ll find three tools in one: Sketch, Report, and Estimate. Essentially, tiered subscription packages that offer additional features.
Sketch lets you create interior designs – and, for home users, that’s likely enough. Professional designers will appreciate the inclusion of reporting and estimating tools. Enterprise licensing is also available.
One of the best interior design software tools here is the AR-enabled ‘Scan with Camera’. This lets you scan and measure the room you’re in – although we suspect this augmented reality feature would function a lot better in an unfurnished space.
Read our full MagicPlan review.
Best interior design software: FAQs
What is interior design software?
Interior design software or home design software helps you visualize a space, allowing you to experiment with decor, design, furniture, and more. It’s also an excellent tool for demonstrating design concepts and sharing ideas with clients, colleagues, and friends. Many of them are designed with simplicity in mind – you’ll find the top tools are delightfully intuitive to use.
Beyond stunning aesthetics, these roomplanner apps also offer advantages for designers and real estate professionals in a real-world environment. The best software for interior design can now create an accurate model of your space simply by scanning the room with a camera or phone.
While there are professional home interior design programs, most room planner apps won’t let you professionally draw up the sort of plans that will pass a local authority inspection. Think of them as a sort of home-centered mock-up sites – blank canvases to sketch out ideas, share thoughts and collaborate online, or experiment with new forms and designs.
How to choose the best interior design software for you
When selecting which interior design software is best for you, start by assessing your needs. If you’re designing the layout and decor of your own home or making simple edits to an existing file, free interior design software and browser-based programs will likely meet all your needs.
The best design software for interior designers and more demanding enthusiasts typically offer advanced features, like you’ll find in programs and apps like MagicPlan and Chief Architect. Time and cost-savings mean the software will pay for itself. However, the easy user interface of both make them a good choice for beginners looking to develop their skills.
For prototyping and product design, check the specs, because some 3D home decor software is compatible with the best 3D printers.
Time is a considerable factor. Even some of the best interior design software takes a long time to render concepts, especially when using photorealistic images. It’s a natural price to pay for high-resolution 3D designs. For some, speed may trump quality.
Check the system requirements for the software In certain cases, highly professional interior design computer programs require high-performance computers. In this case, you may need a machine comparable to the best laptops for architecture students or the best laptops for engineering students. These are build to smoothly run complex CAD designs.
Check the price (and pricing model), too. Some options, like HomeByMe, offer free, paid-for, and subscription versions of its home design software. Others offer only one pricing model, so choose the one that best suits your creative budget.
How we test the best interior design software
We’ve tested a massive range of creative apps, including the best digital art and drawing software and the best graphic design software. But whether we’re testing out the top tools for 3D design or the best software for interior decorating, we follow the same fair and rigorous review process.
When testing the best interior design software for homes, we’re looking to see how easy the experience is, how powerful the tools are, and how well the software performs. Designing in 3D can often take its toll on computers, after all.
Asset library sizes are a factor — interior design tools should make your creative ideas a reality, not just a loose approximation. We’re also reviewing these design apps based on use. Unlike consumer software, professional-grade tools offer more advanced features, but might also have steeper learning curves and more expensive pricing models. So, we assessed how well the interior design program delivers for its intended market – whether they’re professionals or personal users.
Essentially, when we test the very best interior design software for ourselves, we expect to see it work for its intended audience — whether they’re professional interior designers or creative enthusiasts.
During our tests across the best home design software tools, we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, whether as a download or online service. We then tested each app using a handful of files to see how the software for interior design could be used for creating indoor spaces from scratch, bearing in mind issues such as ease-of-use, professional viability, and performance.
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