Chief Architect / Home Designer vs Live Home 3D: Which Should You Use?
The verdict
Chief Architect / Home Designer and Live Home 3D are both home & construction design tools, compared here side by side. Chief Architect / Home Designer is free trial only ($79/mo) and is a desktop install with no browser version; Live Home 3D is free, with limits ($49.99 once) and is a desktop install with no browser version. On output, Chief Architect / Home Designer exports CAD (DWG/DXF) files while Live Home 3D does not, which matters if you need to share plans with a contractor.
Free tiers & pricing last verified Jul 3, 2026.
Pick Chief Architect / Home Designer if…
Free trial onlySerious DIY homeowners and remodelers who want professional-grade 3D and construction docs and will commit to a subscription.
Pick Live Home 3D if…
Free, with limitsMac, Windows, and iPad users who want a polished, offline, lifetime-license app with real architectural tools.
Side by side
Chief Architect / Home Designer
Free trial onlyThere's no free tier, only a non-expiring trial that disables saving, printing, exporting, and walkthrough recording, so you can explore in 3D but can't get any work out without a paid subscription.
Live Home 3D
Free, with limitsThe free version limits you to one active project at a time, watermarks all image and video exports, and disables 3D-model export entirely; a one-time Standard purchase removes those limits.
Read the full reviews
Chief Architect / Home Designer
There's no free tier, only a non-expiring trial that disables saving, printing, exporting, and walkthrough recording, so you can explore in 3D but can't get any work out without a paid subscription.
Live Home 3D
The free version limits you to one active project at a time, watermarks all image and video exports, and disables 3D-model export entirely; a one-time Standard purchase removes those limits.
Chief Architect / Home Designer vs Live Home 3D: questions, answered
What is the main difference between Chief Architect / Home Designer and Live Home 3D?
On output, Chief Architect / Home Designer exports CAD (DWG/DXF) files while Live Home 3D does not, which matters if you need to share plans with a contractor.
Is Chief Architect / Home Designer or Live Home 3D free?
Chief Architect / Home Designer is free trial only and Live Home 3D is free, with limits. Chief Architect / Home Designer: There's no free tier, only a non-expiring trial that disables saving, printing, exporting, and walkthrough recording, so you can explore in 3D but can't get any work out without a paid subscription. Live Home 3D: The free version limits you to one active project at a time, watermarks all image and video exports, and disables 3D-model export entirely; a one-time Standard purchase removes those limits.
Can you export CAD files from Chief Architect / Home Designer or Live Home 3D?
Chief Architect / Home Designer exports PNG, JPG, PDF, DWG, DXF; Live Home 3D exports PNG, JPG, PDF, OBJ. Only Chief Architect / Home Designer exports CAD (DWG/DXF).