Best Free Landscape Design Software in 2026
By AI Landscape Design team · Prices and features checked October 7, 2026
Landscape design software free of charge comes in four kinds: permanently free tools, free tiers with limits, short free trials and paid tools. This guide sorts eleven options by how free they really are, from free 3D modellers and planners to AI concept tools, so you know what you get before you spend an afternoon learning one.
Short answer: To see your own yard redesigned in seconds, start with AI Landscape Design: free credits, nothing to install, and apps for iPhone and Android. For a free measured plan, use SketchUp Free (3D, non-commercial) or Sweet Home 3D (offline, open source). For a free 2D layout with sprinklers, GARDENA myGarden.
| Product | Type | Platforms | Free? | Paid price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Landscape DesignBest for seeing your own yard redesigned in seconds | AI photo redesign | Web, iPhone and Android apps | Limited free tier | Packs $19.99 (40 credits), $34.99 (100), $59.99 (250), never expire; Pro $49.99/month or $299/year (300 credits a month) | Seeing your own yard in a new style in seconds |
| SketchUp Free | 3D modeler | Web (paid plans add iPad, Windows, Mac) | Permanently free | Go $10.75/month, Pro $33.25/month (per user, billed yearly) | A precise, measured 3D model of a deck or patio |
| Sweet Home 3D | 2D/3D planner (open source) | Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, web | Permanently free | Free | A free offline plan of a house and patio |
| GARDENA myGarden | 2D planner + sprinklers | Web | Permanently free | Free | Sketching a layout and planning sprinklers |
| Planner 5D | 2D/3D home + yard planner | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac | Limited free tier | Premium $19.99/month or $59.99/year; Professional $49.99/month or $399.99/year | A measured 2D/3D layout of house and yard |
| GardenPuzzle | Plant planner on a photo | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS | Limited free tier | Individual $29/year; Team $49/year (2 users) | A plant list plus a realistic view of your yard |
| Neighborbrite | AI photo redesign | Web, iOS, Android | Limited free tier | Business $49/month, Landscaper $149/month (website); App Store lists PRO $24.99, Business $49.99, Landscaper Suite $149 without a billing period | A free AI start plus climate-based plant lists |
| iScape | Photo overlay + AR | iOS, Android (AR on iOS only) | Limited free tier | Pro $29.99/month or $299.99/year | Placing real products on a photo; client proposals |
| Garden Planner (SmallBlueprinter) | 2D garden planner | Windows, Mac | Free trial | $48 one-time ($44.99 on the Mac App Store) | A printable top-down plan for a one-time price |
| SmartDraw | 2D site plans | Web | Free trial | Individual from $7.95/month billed yearly ($10.95 regular) | Clean, measured 2D plans to print or share |
| Realtime Landscaping | 2D/3D landscape software | Windows | Free trial | Plus $149, Pro $279, Architect $599 (one-time) | Detailed 2D plans and 3D walkthroughs on Windows |
How we compared
- We read each product’s homepage, pricing page, FAQ and App Store listing on the check date, and took the homepage screenshots shown.
- Prices, free limits and features are quoted as published. Where a site does not publish a figure, we say so instead of guessing.
- App Store ratings are the US App Store figures shown on that date; we do not use self-reported ratings from a company’s own site.
- We did not create accounts on competitor products, so we do not show or score their output. Our own product was tested on our own photos.
- "Permanently free" means no time limit and no payment; "limited free tier" means free with a cap; "free trial" means it stops working or watermarks after a set time.
- Dropped: Home Outside (now an in-store service for garden centres), Marshalls Garden Visualiser (page returns 404) and Better Homes & Gardens Plan-a-Garden (could not be verified).
1. AI Landscape Design
Best for seeing your own yard redesigned in seconds
AI photo redesign · Web, iPhone and Android apps · Limited free tier: 5 free credits on sign-up (five Basic designs or one Pro), with a logo
Upload a photo of a backyard, front yard, garden or patio, pick one of 18 styles or describe your own, and get a photorealistic design of the same space, compared with a before/after slider. Basic designs cost 1 credit; Pro designs cost 4 and look more realistic. Pro plans add up to 4 designs per click and commercial use.
Price: Packs $19.99 (40 credits), $34.99 (100), $59.99 (250), never expire; Pro $49.99/month or $299/year (300 credits a month)
Try AI Landscape Design freePros
- Works on your own photo; the house and boundaries stay in place
- 18 styles plus a free-text description
- Credit packs never expire; no subscription needed
- Projects keeps every design; JPG download
Cons
- Concept images only: no measurements, plans or 3D; plant lists only in the phone app
- Phone apps are bought separately from web credits
- No masking or editing of one area of the image
- An account is needed before the first design
Sources: our pricing page
2. SketchUp Free
3D modeler · Web (paid plans add iPad, Windows, Mac) · Permanently free: web version for non-commercial use, 10GB cloud storage
SketchUp is a general 3D modeller used for decks, patios and hardscape. The free web version has no time limit but is for non-commercial use only, with no support, no AI credits and a limited set of file formats.
Price: Go $10.75/month, Pro $33.25/month (per user, billed yearly)
Pros
- Free with no time limit
- Accurate, dimensioned 3D
- Huge library of ready models
Cons
- Not a landscape tool: no plant data
- Steep learning curve
- Free plan bans commercial use
Sources: Plans and pricing · About SketchUp Free
3. Sweet Home 3D
2D/3D planner (open source) · Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, web · Permanently free: open source (GPL), works offline
Sweet Home 3D is free, open-source software for drawing plans and viewing them in 3D, with export to PDF, images, video and OBJ. It is built for interiors; outdoor and garden features are not advertised.
Price: Free
Pros
- Free and open source
- Works offline on every platform
- PDF, image, video and OBJ export
Cons
- Made for interiors
- Few plants compared with garden tools
- Dated interface
4. GARDENA myGarden
2D planner + sprinklers · Web · Permanently free: free online planner; download a planning sketch and shopping list
GARDENA myGarden is a free web planner from the irrigation brand. You draw the garden in a hand-drawn 2D style and it can plan an automatic sprinkler system, then give you a sketch and a shopping list of GARDENA products.
Price: Free
Pros
- Completely free
- Sprinkler planning, rare among free tools
- Starts from example gardens
Cons
- Shopping list is GARDENA products
- 2D sketch only; no realistic view
- No plant data or climate logic
Sources: Garden planner
5. Planner 5D
2D/3D home + yard planner · Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac · Limited free tier: unlimited projects, about half the catalog, no renders or CAD export
Planner 5D is a 2D and 3D home planner that also covers landscaping. The free plan allows unlimited projects with half the catalog; renders need Premium, and 4K renders, CAD export and 360° panoramas need Professional.
Price: Premium $19.99/month or $59.99/year; Professional $49.99/month or $399.99/year
Pros
- Every major platform, with sync
- True 2D plan plus 3D view
- Usable free tier
- 4.4 stars from about 42K ratings on the US App Store
Cons
- Built mainly for interiors
- Half the catalog locked on free
- CAD export and 4K renders need $49.99/month
- Modelling by hand takes time
Sources: Pricing · Landscape page · App Store
6. GardenPuzzle
Plant planner on a photo · Web, Windows, Mac, iOS · Limited free tier: 200 plants, 50 projects, ready-made scenes only (no time limit)
GardenPuzzle lets you place real plants on a scene and export a plant list. The free demo has no time limit but uses ready-made backgrounds and 200 plants; the paid plan adds your own photo, 1,700+ species with climate, soil and light filters and four seasons.
Price: Individual $29/year; Team $49/year (2 users)
Pros
- Free tier with no time limit
- Plant-list export
- 1,700+ species with filters (paid)
Cons
- Your own photo needs the paid plan
- Free plant set limited to 200
- Commercial and watermark terms not stated
7. Neighborbrite
AI photo redesign · Web, iOS, Android · Limited free tier: free plan with "limited design generations" (the number is not published)
Neighborbrite turns a yard photo into AI designs in preset styles such as Cottage, Modern and Desert, then adds plant lists tailored to climate and sunlight from a library of 5,000+ plants. Pro tools include Magic Edit, adding and erasing elements and plant ID. Its human professional design service has been discontinued, according to its own page.
Price: Business $49/month, Landscaper $149/month (website); App Store lists PRO $24.99, Business $49.99, Landscaper Suite $149 without a billing period
Pros
- Free plan on web and mobile
- Plant lists matched to climate and sun; plant ordering in the app (rolling out in most US states)
- Region editing: Magic Edit, add and erase elements
- 4.8 stars from 416 ratings on the US App Store
Cons
- Free generation limit is not published
- Website and App Store prices differ, and store billing periods are not shown
- Commercial use needs the $49/month Business plan
- Professional design service is no longer offered
Sources: Homepage · Plans for landscapers · App Store
8. iScape
Photo overlay + AR · iOS, Android (AR on iOS only) · Limited free tier: "free to download & trial", limited plant and hardscape access
iScape lets you place plants, hardscape and products on a photo of your yard by hand, or in AR on iOS. Pro adds the full database, uploading your own images and PDF proposals with pricing for clients. It is a long-running app with a large user base.
Price: Pro $29.99/month or $299.99/year
Pros
- Design on a real photo; AR on iOS
- Large paid plant and hardscape library
- Proposal tool for professionals
- 4.6 stars from about 29K ratings on the US App Store
Cons
- Pro costs $29.99/month
- Every object placed by hand; no AI redesign
- Free tier is a limited demo
- No web version
9. Garden Planner (SmallBlueprinter)
2D garden planner · Windows, Mac · Free trial: 15 days; prints and exports are watermarked
Garden Planner is a desktop app for drawing a top-down garden plan with drag-and-drop plants, paths, paving and fences, printed in colour with plant and object lists. It is sold once, with no subscription.
Price: $48 one-time ($44.99 on the Mac App Store)
Pros
- One-time price, no subscription
- Trial without sign-up
- Plant and object lists with the plan
Cons
- Desktop only
- Symbol plan, not a realistic view of your yard
- Trial lasts 15 days and is watermarked
10. SmartDraw
2D site plans · Web · Free trial: 7 days
SmartDraw is a general diagramming tool with landscape templates and symbols for plants, sprinklers, lights, walkways and pools. It exports PDF, PNG and SVG and works with Office and Google Workspace.
Price: Individual from $7.95/month billed yearly ($10.95 regular)
Pros
- PDF, PNG and SVG export
- Office and Google integration
- Landscape symbol library
Cons
- Only a 7-day trial
- Not garden-specific
- No 3D or photo view
Sources: Landscape design · Pricing
11. Realtime Landscaping
2D/3D landscape software · Windows · Free trial: fully functional with a limited library; watermarked output; length not stated
Realtime Landscaping (Idea Spectrum) is Windows software for 2D plans and 3D walkthroughs with a large plant library and growth simulation. It is sold once; the Architect edition adds CAD plans with DWG and DXF export.
Price: Plus $149, Pro $279, Architect $599 (one-time)
Pros
- Deep 2D and 3D features
- Large plant and object library
- One-time purchase; CAD on Architect
Cons
- Windows only
- Learning curve
- Expensive for one project
Sources: Homepage · Compare editions
Where AI Landscape Design falls short
We make one of these tools, so here is what it does not do:
- Not free software: 5 free credits, then paid packs
- No measured plans, plant lists or CAD/PDF export; the output is a JPG concept image
- No offline use
- No editing of one part of the image (masking, erase, add an element); several AI tools have it
- No plant list on the web tool (the phone app lists the plants in each design for your climate)
Which one should you choose?
| If you need | Pick |
|---|---|
| To see your own yard redesigned in seconds, free to start | AI Landscape Design |
| A free, measured 3D model of a deck or patio | SketchUp Free |
| Free software that works offline | Sweet Home 3D |
| A free 2D layout plus sprinkler planning | GARDENA myGarden |
| A plant list with a picture of the garden | GardenPuzzle (paid for your own photo) |
| A one-time purchase instead of a subscription | Garden Planner ($48) or Realtime Landscaping ($149+) |
| Measured plans to print and share | SmartDraw (7-day trial) |
Questions
Is there truly free landscape design software?
Yes. SketchUp Free (web, non-commercial), Sweet Home 3D (open source) and GARDENA myGarden (web planner) are free with no time limit. Most others are free tiers with limits or short trials.
What is the best freeware for landscape design?
Sweet Home 3D is genuine freeware that works offline on every platform, but it is built for interiors. For outdoor-specific planning, GARDENA myGarden is free in the browser.
Can free landscape software show my own yard?
Free planners draw a plan, not your photo. AI tools such as Neighborbrite and AI Landscape Design work on your own photo with a limited free allowance.
Do free plans allow commercial use?
Often not. SketchUp Free is non-commercial, and several AI tools reserve commercial use for paid plans. Check each tool’s terms before using designs with clients.