Best Home Renovation Apps

Houzz provides an all-in-one experience for interior design nerds. You can shop for furniture and materials, see what products will look like in your home, hire professionals to help with various stages of your renovation project, and get inspiration from other creatives. 

The best tool in Houzz’s arsenal is its “View in My Room” 3D feature, which allows you to decorate a space virtually using millions of name-brand and boutique products available on the app. Once you’ve found pieces that you love, you can buy each item directly through Houzz. What’s cool is that these products aren’t limited to sofas, lamps, and rugs (though there are plenty of those to browse through). You’ll find vanities, cabinets, backsplash tile, and much more when you poke around the app.

Houzz is also a good resource if you need to hire a home improvement professional. The company has a vast network of contractors—from architects and interior designers to landscapers and swimming pool builders—who can help bring your project over the finish line. Search by zip code within the app or receive recommendations from the Houzz team by filling out a short questionnaire.

In the Homestyler app, you can start a renovation project from scratch, work off a template, or use a photo of your existing space to create a floor plan. The free version comes with unlimited 1K 3D renderings and a VR component that allows you to virtually tour your design as you tweak it. For higher quality renderings, you must upgrade to a paid plan (starting at around $4.90 per month) or you can purchase 4K, 12K, 720P, and 1080P renders as you need them. 

In addition to the cloud-based 3D floor planner, Homestyler’s free version gives you access to 100,000+ models and materials to decorate your space. The drag-and-drop menu includes structural features, such as sliding doors and bay windows, as well as furniture and light fixtures. Users can toggle between 2D and 3D throughout the design process to ensure that what they’re doing on the page is consistent with their vision. 

Another reason why Homestyler made the list is that it’s geared toward regular homeowners. Whether you have an idea in your head that you want to share with a professional or you’re committed to tackling the remodeling project on your own, you don’t have to be a skilled designer to find the app useful. Plus, the company has a whole host of tutorials on its website that can be viewed by anyone on the internet.

Home Design 3D lets users switch seamlessly between 2D and 3D so that they can see the changes they’re making in real time. The app even has a nighttime function, which allows you to visualize what your designs will look like in the evening hours. In addition to a variety of building tools, users can decorate the indoor and outdoor spaces they create with furniture, decor, paint colors, and flooring.

Initially, Home Design 3D was only available for iOS devices, but the program is now compatible with Android, PC, and Mac platforms. The latest version of the app makes it easy to browse the community gallery, where any user can share images of the projects they’re working on.

Though there is a free version of the app, the features are limited. Users can’t save or export projects, and the product library only contains 200 items. The full version, available for $9.99, offer the best experiences: 2033+ decor items, the ability to save your work, and AR capabilities on iOS devices.

If you’re looking to change up your walls, we recommend downloading The Home Depot’s ProjectColor app. Not only can you browse nearly every paint color imaginable, but the tool will also match hues that you find out in the real world. Love the gray tones you stumbled across in a restaurant bathroom? Upload a pic and the ProjectColor app will scan thousands of samples to identify similar options.

For each shade, you can scroll through a photo gallery to see what it’ll look like in different kinds of spaces or you can upload images of the actual room you’re redecorating to compare paint colors. The app also suggests coordinating accent hues and makes purchasing samples and cans of your desired color a breeze.

ProjectColor’s fun features provide plenty of distraction, but don’t forget to check out the app’s helpful videos and articles. You’ll discover tutorials on topics like how to prepare a room for paint, how best to paint a ceiling, and how to add texture to walls. Users can also connect the app to their Pinterest boards to get tailored paint recommendations based on their aesthetic.

Wayfair’s "View in Room" 3D tool uses your camera like a video so you can see what an item will look like in different parts of a room. Once you decide on a location, the product—whether it be a sofa or a plant—can be moved and resized to fit your space. We like that this cool feature takes a lot of the guesswork out of online shopping.

While not every item on Wayfair’s app is compatible with the tool, you can specifically search for furniture and decor that have the functionality by clicking the “3D Images Only” filter when shopping within a product category. Once an item is placed in your room, its measurements will pop up as will an “add to cart” button.

Of course, you can also track Wayfair deliveries, get sales notifications, and set up a wedding registry within the app. Given user ratings we’d say most customers agree that Wayfair is the store to look at if you’re redecorating.

If a chunk of your renovation is taking place outdoors, the iScape app can help you realize your vision. There is a free version that includes 2D and 3D AR design tools, but we suggest paying $30 a month for the Pro plan while your landscaping project is in progress. The Pro download grants users full access to iScape’s features, including its large database of plants and home products. Another big difference between the free and Pro versions is that in the latter, you can upload photos of your own yard for a more realistic look at the transformation to come.

The app is great for beginners because if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand or unsure of where to start, there’s an option to get matched with a landscape professional who will collaborate with you on the project. But, if you do decide to tackle it solo, iScape has a YouTube channel that walks you through some of the app’s features.