Alternatives to a Local Landscape Designer

Yardzen is the best-known online landscape design service in the US. You pay a fixed fee, fill out a brief, and a licensed landscape designer delivers a custom 2D plan, 3D renderings, a plant list, and a list of local contractors who can build it. It is a one-time service, not a tool, you get a finished design, not the ability to iterate on your own.

Best for

You already know the look you want and are ready to build now

Pricing

$995 to $3,495 per project, paid up front

Speed

5 to 10 business days from brief to first design, plus revision time

Tilly was one of the main Yardzen alternatives: human designers, fixed-price packages, a turnaround in weeks. It no longer exists on its own. Bower & Branch, an online marketplace where independent growers sell trees and plants direct to homeowners, acquired Tilly in August 2024 and folded the design team into its own Design Studio. tillydesign.com now redirects there, and the packages are priced under the Bower & Branch name.

Best for

You want a finished plan from a human designer, not a picture

Pricing

Design Studio packages run $559 for a front yard, $699 for a backyard and $1,049 for a full yard; the Native & Beneficial versions, built around regional natives and pollinator planting, run $699, $839 and $1,259

Speed

Two to four weeks from brief to finished design

Home Outside is the online design arm of Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio, a well-regarded practice at the design-led, lower-volume end of the market. One thing to know before you compare it: as of late 2026 homeoutside.com is pitched almost entirely at independent garden centers, offering an in-store design tool that turns a one-plant trip into a designed bed. The homeowner design work continues through the studio, but the front door is no longer set up for you, so expect to enquire rather than to pick a package off a page.

Best for

You want a designer's judgement rather than your own directed choices

Pricing

Consultation tiers typically start in the low hundreds; full concept and design packages commonly run several hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on scope

Speed

Typically one to three weeks depending on tier and designer availability, once you have made contact

Houzz is the largest home and garden inspiration platform on the web, combining millions of project photos, a directory of landscape and garden professionals, and a product marketplace. It is where most people start looking for ideas, but it is a discovery and hiring platform rather than a design tool, nothing on Houzz redesigns your own garden.

Best for

You are at the start of the process and still gathering ideas

Pricing

Free to browse and save; you pay professionals and for marketplace products separately

Speed

Instant to browse; hiring a professional runs on their timeline

Photorealistic AI redesign of your actual garden photo. Pick from fifteen distinct garden styles (modern, japanese, mediterranean, cottage, and more) and get a share-ready render in under two minutes. 3 free designs, then unlimited designs for $4.99 a week or $44.99 a year. Cancel anytime.

Best for

You want to see your own yard in several styles before paying for anything

Pricing

3 free, then $4.99/week or $44.99/year

Speed

Under 2 minutes per design

SketchUp is the de facto free 3D modelling tool for landscape DIY and is also used by many landscape architects for client presentations. It is a true CAD-style tool, you build the model element by element, including terrain, structures, and plants. The learning curve is real, but the output is fully customisable.

Best for

You need accurate scale for hardscape, structures, or grading

Pricing

SketchUp Free is genuinely free with web access; SketchUp Pro is around $349 per year; photoreal rendering plug-ins add roughly $200–$500 per year

Speed

Hours to days per design once you know the tool; weeks if you are learning