Landscape design apps: 9 options, free and paid

AI and non-AI apps for designing a yard: what each one does, what is free, and what it costs. We make one of them.

3 free designs, no credit card. Then unlimited for $4.99 a week, cancel anytime.

Landscape design apps: 9 options, free and paid: Rustic colonial farmhouse front yard featuring rustic style with weathered wood furniture, raw timber accents, pampas grass, native ornamental grasses, hammock, terracotta pots, festoon string lights, natural fiber rugs, and warm earthy tones.

Bohemian colonial farmhouse front yard featuring bohemian style with rattan ceiling fan or pendant, macrame wall hanging, mixed pattern pillows, layered area rugs, hanging plants, terracotta vase accents, and natural wood furniture.

Farmhouse colonial farmhouse front yard featuring farmhouse style with white picket fence, raised wood vegetable beds with kale, tomatoes and herbs, cottage flowers like daisies and lavender, weathered wood bench, terracotta pots, and chicken wire trellis.

Zen colonial farmhouse front yard featuring zen meditation style with concentric raked sand circles, carefully placed stone arrangement, moss patches, low wood meditation bench, single bonsai topiary, stone water bowl, and minimal calming composition.

We did not run a hands-on test of these apps for this page. It compares what each one does and charges, taken from the vendors' published information and our own comparison pages as of October 2026. Where we could not confirm something, the table says so. Prices change often, so check before you pay. If you only want AI tools, see best AI for landscape design.

Four kinds of landscape design app

AI photo redesign

Upload a photo of your yard, pick a style, get a picture of the result in minutes. AI Garden Design (this site), Neighborbrite and Gardenly. Fast and needs no skill, but the output is an image, not a plan to scale.

AR apps

Place plants and features on a live camera view of the yard. iScape works this way, and DreamzAR combines AR with AI redesigns. Useful for judging size and spacing on site.

2D and 3D planners

Draw the yard to scale and build it object by object. Planner 5D for home and garden layouts, SketchUp for full 3D modelling. Precise, slower, with a learning curve.

Professional software and services

PRO Landscape+ is design and proposal software for contractors, made by Drafix Software. Home Outside is a designer-led studio rather than an app, listed because people search for it alongside them.

Landscape design apps: 9 options, free and paid: Minimalist colonial farmhouse front yard featuring minimalist style with extremely clean lines, single tall potted ornamental plant, neutral palette of grey concrete and light wood, single piece of designer furniture, generous empty space, and uncluttered surfaces.

Comparison table

Free option and price as published by each vendor. Where a vendor does not publish a number, or our data does not cover it, the table says so.

App	Type	Platforms	Free option	Paid	Best for
AI Garden Design (this site)	AI photo redesign, six tools, 15+ styles	Web, iOS, Android	3 designs (watermarked)	$4.99/week or $44.99/year, unlimited, commercial use included	One project, or a year of regular use
Neighborbrite	AI photo redesign plus element-level editing	Web, no install	Free tier	Pro and Business tiers, priced in the app	One personal project on no budget
Gardenly	AI photo redesign plus plant recommendations, maintenance schedule and seasonal view	Not covered in our data	None (7-day money-back if 3 or fewer designs)	$54/year (20 credits a month) or $84/year (100)	Ongoing garden planning at low cost
DreamzAR	AR placement plus AI redesign from a photo	Primarily iOS	Freemium	Credits or subscription, low tens of dollars a month	iPhone users who want AR and AI in one app
iScape	AR: plants and elements placed by hand on the camera view	iOS	Free tier, basic plant library	Pro, roughly $30/month or about $300/year	Checking plant size and spacing on site
Planner 5D	2D plan and 3D view, home and garden	Web and mobile	Free tier, limited catalogue	Paid plans in the low tens of dollars a month, or a one-off unlock	A to-scale layout you build yourself
SketchUp	3D modelling, element by element	SketchUp Free in the browser; Pro on desktop	SketchUp Free	Pro around $349/year; photoreal renderers about $200 to $500/year extra	Precise models for a build or an architect
PRO Landscape+	Professional design, presentation and proposal software	Windows, with companion apps for iPad and Android tablets	Not stated on its site	Subscription; price not published	Contractors and landscape designers
Home Outside	Designer-led studio, not an app	Enquire with the studio	None	Low hundreds for consultations, up to a few thousand for full packages	Considered input from an established studio

Free landscape design apps

Free nearly always means a limit, so it helps to know which limit you are accepting. Neighborbrite has the most usable free tier for a picture of your own yard. SketchUp Free costs nothing but you model everything yourself. iScape and Planner 5D have free tiers with a smaller plant or object library. DreamzAR is freemium with in-app purchases.

We give 3 free designs, watermarked, then charge $4.99 a week for unlimited designs. Gardenly has no free tier, only a refund window. PRO Landscape+ and Home Outside are paid products.

A practical route on no budget: use a free AI tool to settle on a look, then a free planner or SketchUp Free if you need measurements for the build. If cost is the only filter, the free AI garden design page lists what each AI tool gives away.

Landscape design apps: 9 options, free and paid: Minimalist white stone cottage front yard featuring minimalist style with extremely clean lines, single tall potted ornamental plant, neutral palette of grey concrete and light wood, single piece of designer furniture, generous empty space, and uncluttered surfaces.

Redesign my yard free

3 free designs, no credit card.

How to choose

Start with the output you need. A picture of your own yard in a new style comes from an AI photo app. A layout with real measurements comes from a planner or SketchUp. A check on whether a tree will fit by the fence comes from an AR app. A plan a contractor can price comes from professional software or a designer.

Then match the price to how long you will use it. A monthly subscription suits ongoing or professional use; one project usually costs less with a free tier or a short weekly plan. Check whether you need a commercial licence: it is included on some plans and missing from others.

Finally, try two or three on the same photo or the same patch of yard. The examples on each app's own site are its best results; yours is the test that matters.

Real redesigns from the gallery

Browse 650+ AI redesigns of real outdoor spaces in our gallery.

Bohemian white stone cottage front yard featuring bohemian style with rattan ceiling fan or pendant, macrame wall hanging, mixed pattern pillows, layered area rugs, hanging plants, terracotta vase accents, and natural wood furniture.

Farmhouse white stone cottage front yard featuring farmhouse style with white picket fence, raised wood vegetable beds with kale, tomatoes and herbs, cottage flowers like daisies and lavender, weathered wood bench, terracotta pots, and chicken wire trellis.

Zen white stone cottage front yard featuring zen meditation style with concentric raked sand circles, carefully placed stone arrangement, moss patches, low wood meditation bench, single bonsai topiary, stone water bowl, and minimal calming composition.

Minimalist white stone cottage front yard featuring minimalist style with extremely clean lines, single tall potted ornamental plant, neutral palette of grey concrete and light wood, single piece of designer furniture, generous empty space, and uncluttered surfaces.

Rustic ornate Victorian front yard featuring rustic style with weathered wood furniture, raw timber accents, pampas grass, native ornamental grasses, hammock, terracotta pots, festoon string lights, natural fiber rugs, and warm earthy tones.

Bohemian ornate Victorian front yard featuring bohemian style with rattan ceiling fan or pendant, macrame wall hanging, mixed pattern pillows, layered area rugs, hanging plants, terracotta vase accents, and natural wood furniture.

Farmhouse ornate Victorian front yard featuring farmhouse style with white picket fence, raised wood vegetable beds with kale, tomatoes and herbs, cottage flowers like daisies and lavender, weathered wood bench, terracotta pots, and chicken wire trellis.

Zen ornate Victorian front yard featuring zen meditation style with concentric raked sand circles, carefully placed stone arrangement, moss patches, low wood meditation bench, single bonsai topiary, stone water bowl, and minimal calming composition.

Minimalist ornate Victorian front yard featuring minimalist style with extremely clean lines, single tall potted ornamental plant, neutral palette of grey concrete and light wood, single piece of designer furniture, generous empty space, and uncluttered surfaces.

Rustic red barn cottage backyard featuring rustic style with weathered wood furniture, raw timber accents, pampas grass, native ornamental grasses, hammock, terracotta pots, festoon string lights, natural fiber rugs, and warm earthy tones.

Bohemian red barn cottage backyard featuring bohemian style with rattan ceiling fan or pendant, macrame wall hanging, mixed pattern pillows, layered area rugs, hanging plants, terracotta vase accents, and natural wood furniture.

Farmhouse red barn cottage backyard featuring farmhouse style with white picket fence, raised wood vegetable beds with kale, tomatoes and herbs, cottage flowers like daisies and lavender, weathered wood bench, terracotta pots, and chicken wire trellis.

See full gallery →

See your own yard redesigned first

Upload a photo and get a photorealistic redesign in about two minutes. 3 designs free, no credit card.

Redesign my yard free

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free landscape design app?

It depends on the job. For a picture of your own yard, Neighborbrite has the most usable free tier. For a to-scale model, SketchUp Free costs nothing but takes time to learn. For checking plant sizes on site, iScape has a free tier. AI Garden Design gives 3 free designs before you pay.

Is there an app that designs my yard from a photo?

Yes. AI photo redesign apps (AI Garden Design, Neighborbrite, Gardenly, DreamzAR) take a photo of your yard and return a redesigned image in the style you pick. They do not produce a plan to scale; for that you need a planner such as Planner 5D or SketchUp.

What landscape design software do professionals use?

To-scale tools such as SketchUp, PRO Landscape+ and Realtime Landscaping are built for producing plans and client presentations. Some designers also use AI redesign tools early on, to show a client a few directions before drawing anything.

Did you test these apps?

No. This page compares published features and prices, plus what is in our own comparison pages. We make AI Garden Design, so treat our entry with that in mind and try the free options on your own yard before deciding.

How is this different from your best AI for landscape design page?

That page covers AI tools only. This one covers every kind of landscape design app, including AR apps, 3D planners and professional software. See best AI for landscape design for the AI-only comparison.