Chief Architect / Home Designer vs SketchUp: Which Should You Use?
The verdict
Chief Architect / Home Designer and SketchUp 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; SketchUp is free, with limits ($129/yr) and runs in any web browser with nothing to install. The main difference is where they run: SketchUp works in the browser with nothing to install, while Chief Architect / Home Designer is a desktop app.
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 SketchUp if…
Free, with limitsHobbyists, students, and makers doing personal 3D models or 3D-printing in the browser for free.
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.
SketchUp
Free, with limitsSketchUp Free is free for personal, non-commercial use in the browser only; you can model and download skp/png/stl, but DWG/DXF/OBJ/PDF export, the desktop app, and extensions all require a paid plan.
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.
SketchUp
SketchUp Free is free for personal, non-commercial use in the browser only; you can model and download skp/png/stl, but DWG/DXF/OBJ/PDF export, the desktop app, and extensions all require a paid plan.
Chief Architect / Home Designer vs SketchUp: questions, answered
What is the main difference between Chief Architect / Home Designer and SketchUp?
The main difference is where they run: SketchUp works in the browser with nothing to install, while Chief Architect / Home Designer is a desktop app.
Is Chief Architect / Home Designer or SketchUp free?
Chief Architect / Home Designer is free trial only and SketchUp 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. SketchUp: SketchUp Free is free for personal, non-commercial use in the browser only; you can model and download skp/png/stl, but DWG/DXF/OBJ/PDF export, the desktop app, and extensions all require a paid plan.
Can you export CAD files from Chief Architect / Home Designer or SketchUp?
Chief Architect / Home Designer exports PNG, JPG, PDF, DWG, DXF; SketchUp exports SKP, PNG, STL, DWG, DXF, OBJ, PDF. Both can produce CAD (DWG/DXF) files.