Planner 5D vs Sweet Home 3D: Which Should You Use?

The verdict

Planner 5D and Sweet Home 3D are both home & construction design tools, compared here side by side. Planner 5D is free, with limits ($59.99/yr) and runs in any web browser with nothing to install; Sweet Home 3D is truly free (Free) and runs in any web browser with nothing to install. The biggest difference is cost: Sweet Home 3D is truly free, while Planner 5D is free, with limits (from $59.99/yr).

Free tiers & pricing last verified Jul 3, 2026.

Pick Planner 5D if…

Free, with limits

Homeowners who want quick, easy 3D room layouts and don't mind paying about $60/yr for renders and the full catalog.

Pick Sweet Home 3D if…

Truly free

Budget-conscious DIYers and Linux users who want a truly free 2D/3D planner with free photoreal renders.

Read the full reviews

Planner 5D

Free to design unlimited 2D/3D projects, but about half the furniture catalog is locked, you get no proper renders, and DWG/DXF export plus custom 3D import require the Professional plan.

Sweet Home 3D

Completely free and open-source for personal and commercial use with no feature paywall; the only real limit is that the online and mobile versions can't import custom 3D models or export OBJ, which the desktop app handles.

Planner 5D vs Sweet Home 3D: questions, answered

What is the main difference between Planner 5D and Sweet Home 3D?

The biggest difference is cost: Sweet Home 3D is truly free, while Planner 5D is free, with limits (from $59.99/yr).

Is Planner 5D or Sweet Home 3D free?

Planner 5D is free, with limits and Sweet Home 3D is truly free. Planner 5D: Free to design unlimited 2D/3D projects, but about half the furniture catalog is locked, you get no proper renders, and DWG/DXF export plus custom 3D import require the Professional plan. Sweet Home 3D: Completely free and open-source for personal and commercial use with no feature paywall; the only real limit is that the online and mobile versions can't import custom 3D models or export OBJ, which the desktop app handles.

Can you export CAD files from Planner 5D or Sweet Home 3D?

Planner 5D exports PNG, JPG, DWG, DXF, OBJ; Sweet Home 3D exports PDF, PNG, SVG, OBJ. Only Planner 5D exports CAD (DWG/DXF).