17 free interior design apps to try
Planning, budgeting, moodboarding, and the like are essential to any home renovation project (whether you're planning an extension, new kitchen or bathroom, or finally getting around to landscaping the garden). Designing your dream space doesn't have to be daunting either, thanks to plenty of professional home and interior design apps that are readily available, user-friendly, affordable, and, in many cases, free.
'Using a room planner or design app is the most accurate way of fleshing out your ideas visually,' says Cory Powell from DBS Bathrooms. It gives you the confidence and time to design your own space, play around with the layout and colour schemes, visualise what your home will look like after renovating it, or just connect with professionals.
'Interior design apps have evolved significantly over the years to help us make decisions and improve the look of our homes and, while a lot of these are free, a number of them will suggest in-app subscriptions in exchange for extra features,' says House Beautiful's tech expert Lucy Hedges. 'These are worth looking into if it makes sense for your personal projects, or to at least take advantage of the free trials to find out if they work for you. But in most cases, it’s likely you can get along just fine without dipping your hand in your pocket.'
Here's our pick of some of the best interior design apps. Dreaming up a new home has never been more fun...
1. SketchUp
SketchUp is the most comprehensive free 3D design software you’ll find on the web, says Cory. This powerful home design tool is immersive enough to make it seem like you are moving through your future home, while being flexible enough to make it feel as if you’re working with pen and paper.
The free version is perfect for hobbyists and you can design your projects online in the browser. The pro version is more suited to professionals in architecture, construction, engineering and commercial interior design.
Whether you’re building an extension for your home, a treehouse, or conceptualising your debut on Grand Designs, the thoroughness of this software will help you bring every aspect of your design to life.
2. Planner 5D
According to Cory, Planner 5D is the best-looking home design tool. Like the free version of Sketch Up, this tool is immersive, which means you are able to explore your design with your feet virtually on the ground.
With Planner 5D you’ll be able to start from scratch or use a template which is perfect for throwing together a quick floor plan if you don’t have the time or don’t want to make a complex design. And it works on iOS, which means you can create plans on your phone or iPad while you’re on the move.
Getting started couldn’t be easier either. Start by adjusting the floor shape, size, materials and colours. Then add furniture and accessories, switch to 3D and add windows and doors. Add a second floor if you want to, and then the roof. The only downside, Cory says, is that if you want to use the in-app furniture, it can get expensive for anything other than the most basic beds, chairs or sofas.
All aspects of the design can be changed in terms of colour and texture and, when you’re ready to share your plans, it can be printed in a photorealistic format.
A recent addition as part of the Planner 5D PRO feature is Moodboards, helping to bring design concepts to life through real-time sharing and commenting capabilities, advanced customisation, and AI photo background removal.
Start designing with Planner 5D
3. Homestyler
Described as an 'all-in-one' tool, Homestyler enables you to generate designs with ease. 'This one-stop shop enables you to create floorplans, and drag and drop in an extensive and shoppable library of furniture and decor items, while its 3D visualisation tool lets you view your designs from different angles,' explains Lucy. 'It also connects you with a community of design lovers and offers regular challenges to get your creative juices flowing.'
Start designing with Homestyler
4. Live Home 3D
Live Home 3D is a multi-platform home design software that helps you create detailed floor plans and 3D renderings. With this room design app you'll be able to create floor plans of any level of difficulty and switch to the 3D view to see how it would look in real life. Add furniture and accessories, and you can even control the light source and turn lamps on and off as necessary. There's also a terrain editing functionality – you can create a house on a hill or sloped surface, for example.
The free version has some limitations. You can save all the projects you create, but note that you will only be able to access the most recent project only. Alongside only being able to have one active project at a time, there's also a watermark on image and video exports, and restrictions on exporting of 3D models, but there are in-app purchases to lift these restrictions.
Start designing with Live Home 3D
5. Floorplanner
Floorplanner lets you design and decorate your space in 2D and 3D, which can be done online and without having to download any software. While its interior decorating function is an excellent feature, Cory says the strength of this tool lies in its functionality as a floor planner. Then, once the floor plan is completed, you can switch view and decorate the space in 3D mode.
It’s simple to use and easy to get the hang of, so if you’re after something that doesn’t require a steep learning curve, Floorplanner is a good choice.
Start designing with Floorplanner
6. Houzz
Houzz is a great place to start on your interior design journey. There are over 25 million photos on offer, searchable by style, location or specific rooms, so there’s plenty to spark your imagination. The best bit, according to Lucy? 'You can tap into its network of home design professionals, from architects and decorators to home renovation specialists and landscapers.'
7. SmartDraw
SmartDraw is another powerful tool in the world of floor planning. It’s easy enough to learn so no one is excluded from using it, while being advanced enough to facilitate intricate designs for more advanced designers.
With a seemingly endless selection of furniture, cars, building materials and thousands of templates and floor plan examples, you’ll be able to explore an infinite amount of possible designs and layouts for your new room. For Cory, the only downside to this tool is that it’s only free for the first seven days, so if you plan on using it for longer or for multiple projects, it may be worth the upgrade.
Start designing with SmartDraw
8. HomeByMe
HomeByMe is one of Cory's favourite home design tools. The free version limits you to five projects, which is pretty good, but pricing options are available if you require unlimited projects. The way it works is that brands add their products to its catalogue, which means you’ll be using actual products to furnish and decorate your home. The perks of this are that you’ll be able to plan your design through to the very end and have access to the actual furniture and decorations you used to create your space imaginatively.
Like with Planner 5D, you’re able to switch from 2D to 3D after you’ve finished your floor plan and designed the look and feel of each room. Or, you can start with the decor and hit 'summary' and the software will produce a floor plan with all your furniture and appliances in the right places.
9. Roomstyler 3D Home Planner
There's a lot to like about Roomstyler. Like HomeByMe, it's very easy to use. In fact, it's so intuitive that there's almost no need for the tutorial videos available, which is another plus for this software. Of all the home design tools, this one has a tutorial video available for every question you might have.
The greatest benefit is that you can create a custom room in a matter of minutes. This room design app also allows you to furnish your space using products from real brands, so you can literally shop the look when you're ready for your design to materialise.
Start designing with Roomstyler
10. Morpholio Board
A moodboard can be an essential part of the planning process of any home project. Lucy's top pick? Morpholio Board. 'Make a moodboard like a pro, thanks to a selection of Morpholio Board's intuitive tools. This includes a curated library of product images, web clipper that allows you to pull images from anywhere online, and AR Colour Capture to virtually sample colours from the world around you,' she explains.
Start designing with Morpholio Board
11. ARPLAN 3D
'Measuring the size of a room with a tape measure feels positively primitive when you can use a virtual one to do it for you,' says Lucy. 'Point your phone at the room and this intuitive AR tool will walk you through the process, scanning and measuring the height, length, width and perimeter, including doors and windows, and generating a shareable 2D and 3D floorplan.'
Start designing with ARPLAN 3D
12. Laser Level
Lucy recommends this three-part tool to assist with all kinds of DIY tasks. 'The laser pointer relies on your phone's built-in gyroscope, accelerometer, and camera for AR to help determine vertical and horizontal levels, while the regular three-mode spirit level helps to avoid lop-sided surfaces,' she explains. 'Finally, there’s a clinometer to measure vertical angles and determine the exact horizontal plane.'
Start designing with Laser Level
13. Dulux Visualiser
This is a very easy to use app for iOS and Android that transforms the paint colours of any room. All you do is tap on the area you want to see in a different shade, then drop down to the paint chart menus, choose the one you like and see immediately how it looks.
It's so simple you won't be able to stop yourself pointing it at a wall wherever you go. There is also a useful 'masking tape' function that lets you compare different colours at the same time. The only drawback is the saturation, which can struggle a bit to fill in gaps around ornaments and awkward corners.
Start designing with Dulux Visualiser
14. Homebase Kitchen Planner & Design Tool
This is a really easy to use online kitchen planner that allows you to see in an instant the transformation of colours and patterns for walls, work surfaces, tiles, cupboards, splashbacks, and even drawer trims.
Experimenting with different combinations to create a different look is a breeze; simply click on the area and select a different colour or finish – and there are lots to choose from. There is a wide range of modern and traditional styles to explore, including our very own House Beautiful kitchen range, all presented in a clear and visually engaging way. The pricing tool is a boon; you can add and subtract units and items to keep within a set budget.
'Homebase’s 3D planner covers virtually every aspect of the customised kitchen design process, from flooring to appliances. There are step-by-step instructions and extra guidance if needed, as well as a pricing tool, so you’ll know exactly what the end result will look like. Once you’re done, you can book a free design consultation,' Lucy explains.
Start designing with Homebase Kitchen Planner & Design Tool
15. DFS room planner
A sofa is one of the most important investments you'll make for your home, so while browsing for your new sofa at DFS, you can also redesign your room. You can use a 2D view or 3D view and from there, choose a room shape, input measurements, and decide on a wall colour and floor covering. You can even add accessories to enhance the space, plus play around with decor to complement your chosen sofa.
Start designing with DFS room planner
16. Villeroy & Boch
A boon if you're really struggling to visualise how to make the most of your space in an awkwardly-shaped bathroom, this online planner allows you to create the dimensions of a room exactly, including sloping ceilings.
It's quite technical, with the design tools at a professional standard. The quick switch 2D/3D function allows you to 'fly' through the room. A useful twin screen allows you to see measurements and visuals at the same time. Notably, however, the challenge comes with adding everything you need to create a bathroom. The interface between 'select a style' collections and adding items is slightly awkward; it would be improved if there were a straightforward drop-down list of baths, sinks, showers and so on under every collection heading.
Start designing with Villeroy & Boch
17. Gardena
Let your imagination run wild with this interactive online garden design planner. The high graphics quality is akin to a video game, and it's almost as much fun.
There is a huge choice of garden features that are easy to add and subtract, including outdoor fireplaces, parasols, sheds and summerhouses. There's no awkwardness either if you want to move them around to see how they look in different parts of the garden.
A handy horizontal and vertical repetition function allows you to fill areas quickly with plants and flowers. One caveat: there's a slightly limited selection of botanicals. A bigger choice, including taller varieties, would be good to help create the garden of your dreams.
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