10 Free Interior Design Software Picks

By Lauren Flanagan
Updated on 07/21/21
Person reviewing digital floor plan in an empty room

Westend61 / Getty Images

Many home decorating projects can be done without much planning, like changing the paint color in your living room or reupholstering a piece of furniture. However, if you want to make a significant change, such as remodeling your kitchen or knocking down some walls, you shouldn’t start until you have a floor plan drawn up.

For decades, architects and engineers have been taking advantage of computer-aided design (CAD) for drafting and planning beautiful homes. For the non-professional, though, CAD programs can often seem too technical and difficult to learn. Fortunately, now it's a lot easier to decorate a room online. There's a wide variety of fun and easy-to-use home design and decorating software and online room planners to choose from.

Tip

Check to see if your favorite design retailers or brands have 3D room planners that can be used in your browser. Some favorites include Ikea's planners, Armstrong Flooring's virtual room designer, and Sherwin-Williams "paint" your own photo tool.

We've picked 10 of the best free and easy interior design software programs—and, best of all, you don't have to physically move around any furniture while planning.

  • 01 of 10

    Sweet Home 3D

    Sweet Home 3D is an open-source app that helps you draw the plan of your house, arrange furniture on it, and then see the 3D results. You can download it or use it in a browser; video tutorials and a tips and tricks section help you get quickly up and running.

  • 02 of 10

    SketchUp

    SketchUp, created by Google, remains a favorite for homeowners and hobbyists. The free version is powerful for personal use. You'll find plenty of online tutorials and even free workshops from various sources to help you learn the software.

  • 03 of 10

    Floorplanner

    Floorplanner is a browser-based subscription plan that has a free and basic version to help you draw every type of floor plan you may need. The basic plan includes a full library of over 150,000 3D items you can find using search categories. Images in the free plan will be lower quality (SD quality, 960 by 540 pixels), but you can use its credit system to upgrade them to full HD without having to sign up for a paid subscription.

  • 04 of 10

    Cedreo

    Cedreo's 3D software is designed for designers and architects, but homeowners can take advantage of its free plan with limited items that you can use to create your renderings. Create a photo-realistic rendering. Draw your floor plan, furnish, decorate, and customize walls and floors.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    HomeByMe

    You can dream, right? With HomeByMe, draw up 2D floor plans and outfit them with 3D pieces from favorite brands, such as Crate & Barrell, Pottery Barn, Wayfair, Magnolia, and much more. Enhance your project with HD images. If you dare, get feedback from the HomeByMe community to get the most out of your project.

  • 06 of 10

    Roomstyler 3D

    Roomstyler 3D's drag-and-drop site is so easy to use that, once you click and open the page, there's a floor plan all ready for you to start filling in. You can start from scratch or take a photo and fill it in that way.

  • 07 of 10

    DreamPlan Home Design Software

    DreamPlan Home Design Software has a free 3D and 2D version of its home design software available for non-commercial use. Use it for floor plans, landscaping, garden design, interior design, and to create additions for remodeling projects. Plus, enjoy the large furniture and texture libraries.

  • 08 of 10

    Planner 5D

    This company says it built its software, Planner 5D, for amateurs, so you know it's easy to use. Simply click on "Try it for free," and you'll open up a floor plan to start using right away, either created from scratch or using a template. With HD visualization and 2D/3D modes, you can't lose with this software.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Draft It Systems

    If your inner architect wants to try a free version of a professional CAD software program that's user-friendly, Draft it Systems is for you. Use the CAD software with unlimited use. Draft it Systems lets you save and print your work, and you won't have to worry about warnings that you need to pay for anything. It's powerful but naturally not as comprehensive as the paid professional versions.

  • 10 of 10

    Design Workshop Lite

    Design Workshop Lite is a free download suitable for "simple home design projects." You can also walk through your creations to get the feel of the space. If you want more options and images, you can purchase expanded versions of the software.