Chief Architect / Home Designer

Free trial only

Pro-grade ray-traced home design, but 2026 is subscription-only and the trial can't save.

Free tier & pricing

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.

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Last verified Jun 23, 2026. Report a change →

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The short answer

Professional-grade software with automated building tools and photorealistic ray tracing. A 2026 reality check: the consumer Home Designer line dropped its old one-time purchase and is now subscription-only ($79/mo or $495/yr), and the free trial disables saving, printing, and exporting. The pro Premier tier runs $1,995/yr. Powerful, but no longer cheap.

The facts

Pricing: $79/mo · Free trial only
Free tier: No
Runs in browser: No
Platforms: Windows, macOS
2D / 3D: Photorealistic
Learning curve: Moderate
Export formats: PNG, JPG, PDF, DWG, DXF

The catch

Desktop install only — no browser version.
You must create an account to save or export.

Pros & cons

Pros

Photorealistic real-time ray-traced output
Genuine automated building tools for roofs, framing, and foundations
Smart kitchen and bath cabinet tools
Free manufacturer catalogs (Kohler, Wayfair, and others)
Trial never expires so you can fully evaluate the toolset

Cons

2026 is subscription-only; the one-time purchase is gone
Trial is useless for output with no save, print, or export
Windows and Mac desktop only, no web or mobile editing
$495/yr is steep for occasional DIY use
Steeper than pure drag-and-drop planners

Best for

Serious DIY homeowners and remodelers who want professional-grade 3D and construction docs and will commit to a subscription.

Not for

Anyone wanting a free or one-time-purchase tool or a quick browser/phone furniture sketch.

Alternatives to Chief Architect / Home Designer

Live Home 3D

Free, with limits

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.

Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android $49.99 once

SketchUp

Free, with limits

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.

Web, Windows, macOS, iPadOS $129/yr

Cedreo

Free, with limits

The free plan gives 1 project and only 5 photorealistic renders that are watermarked and personal-use only, with no blueprint download and no commercial use; everything beyond that requires a paid plan.

Web $129/mo

Planner 5D

Free, with limits

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.

Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Android $59.99/yr

See all Chief Architect / Home Designer alternatives compared →