Do you feel the urge to move things up in the backyard? Are you concerned about the health of your plants in the garden’s deck? No more stressing over spending dollars redesigning your backyard. Locating the flowers for optimal growth and making a space for outdoor friends to hang out has never been easier.
All you need is a handy digital backyard design app. Homeowners and professionals can plot and design their outdoor spaces in minutes by leveraging their smart features. But narrowing it down to one app can be tricky. No worries. This guide explores the top 10 best backyard design apps for hobbyists and experts.
In this article
Part 1. Top 10 Backyard Design Apps to Try in 2024
1. EdrawMax: Free Simple 2D Floor Plan Maker
Need one space to accommodate your design needs? EdrawMax might be it. This digital diagramming tool has an exclusive floor plan creator where you can plot and scale properties. It supports minute dimensions and interior symbols. With this, designers, real estate agents, or architects can design backyards and patios.
It does not stop here. EdrawMax has a vast collection of floor plan templates, so even hobbyists and homeowners can visualize their space. What’s more impressive is its collaborative cloud space, which has 100MB of free space. This way, teams can access, edit, and share projects with agents and contractors.
Features
- 210+ types of diagrams, including floor plans, home plans, garden designs, etc.
- 20,000 templates generated by users
- 26000+ symbols, including floor plans
- AI tools (AI Drawing, AI Text, AI Mind Map, AI Chat, etc.)
- Affordable alternative to AutoCAD
- 10+ file export support (Visio, PNG, JPG, etc.)
- Support import of Visio, CAD files
Strengths
- Scalable floor plans
- Interior Details
- Supports team collaboration
- Direct presentation in full-screen preview
Compatible with
Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, Android, and iOS.
Pricing Plan
The free version has limited functionality. The Semi-Annual, Annual, and Perpetual Plans cost $69, $99, and $198, respectively. (Please check the pricing page to learn about the latest changes on prices as they could change by time.)
2. PRO Landscape Home
Want to produce 3-D professional-grade landscape designs? Try PRO Landscape Home. It is a digital architecture tool with realistic photo imaging and CAD designs. Moreover, the desktop version works wonders for big teams. It is a licensed program, allowing multiple users to access it on their devices simultaneously.
Features
- 3D rendering
- Photo imaging
- Customizable image library
- Night lighting design
Strengths
- Professional-grade landscape designs
- Extensive library of landscape elements
- Free demo available
- Intuitive interface
- One-click proposals
Compatible with
Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS tablets.
Pricing Plan
The desktop version is $1245 per year. However, the companion apps are free.
3. iScape
iScape is yet another landscape app designed for professionals and homeowners. It has an easy-to-use interface and minimalist working space. iScape comes with a free and paid version, the latter with a big plant library and unlimited image downloads. The graphics may not be of the highest quality, but the tool offers a realistic scenario of the final design.
Features
- Integrated proposal tool
- 2D and 3D (AR) design
- Massive library with plants and hardscapes
- Multiple licenses available
Strengths
- Drag-and-drop interface
- 3D visualization tools
- Upload your images
- Free for hobbyists/ homeowners
Compatible with
Android, iOS 1.2 or later, MacOS 11.0 or later
Pricing Plan
The Pro version costs $299/year per user license. It also comes with a free plan for homeowners with free downloads.
4. Houzz
Houzz is a free property design and interior decorating app for all design hobbyists. With over 25 million HD photos, including patios, backyards, and landscapes, you can style your property. It even has a small store to buy home products and hire professionals. Houzz supports over 3 million professionals, including contractors, interior decorators, and repair professionals.
Features
- 3D rendering view
- Massive database with 25 million photos
- 3 million home improvement professionals
- 5 million home products and materials
Strengths
- Straightforward, intuitive interface
- Shopping options for consumers
- Hiring professionals facility
- Users can sketch directly on photos
Compatible with
Amazon, iOS 13.0 or later, and Android.
Pricing Plan
It is free of cost.
5. Planner 5D
Planner 5D is the ultimate choice for hobbyists and experts to design their backyards. This rendering tool offers a realistic view of the property using its extensive library of 3D elements and textures. In addition, Planner 5D comes with a built-in floor plan creator. It allows you to plot and scale backyards of any size.
Features
- 5000+ item catalog (colors, textures, patterns)
- Designers community
- Floor plan creator
- 3D rendering imaging
Strengths
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Apple Pencil support
- 2D and 3D editor
- Create/ scale floor plans from scratch
Compatible with
Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices.
Pricing Plan
The free version has limited functionality. The vendor does not provide the premium prices.
6. Planter - Garden Planner
Want to fill in your backyard with plants? Try Planter. It specializes in optimizing your landscape dimensions to improve the growth conditions for plants and flowers. The app has extensive preloaded plants, spacing options, and frost zones. What’s even better is that it supports in-app purchases, so buying things is always quick and easier.
Features
- 80+ fruit types
- 50+ preloaded plants
- Companion and combat plant information
- Customized planting calendar
- Square foot gardening layout
Strengths
- Straightforward, minimalist interface
- Easily scalable design
- Customized plants
- Exclusive information about the plant’s needs
Compatible with
Android and iOS devices.
Pricing Plan
The app is free to use.
7. Home Outside
Want a property scaling app that works on your iPhone? Switch to Home Outside. It is a design planning tool with numerous visual elements and a customizable property sketcher. Moreover, you can plot the property directly using its map function and scale it however you like. Plus, its tap-and-drag interface makes it the right match for hobbyists.
Features
- 700+ landscape elements
- Built-in map tool
- Layers functionality
- Customizable photo background
Strengths
- Tap-and-drag interface
- Import photos directly
- Scale any size property
- 3D rendering
Compatible with
Web, Desktop, and iOS
Pricing Plan
The monthly mobile subscription costs $2.99.
8. Home Design 3D Outdoor and Garden
Home designers looking for a property scaling app with interior details might like Home Design 3D. It is a three-dimensional rendering app with which you can plan outdoor and indoor spaces. Also, Home Design 3D allows users to experiment with the texture, angles, measurements, and colors. However, the tool lacks a realistic outlook of the property.
Features
- Pre-made interior design
- 3D rendering view/ blueprint view
- Texture library
- Remodeling and redesigning
Strengths
- Customization scope (measurements, interior details, colors, etc)
- Incredible 3D aspects
- Offers unlimited downloads
Compatible with
Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android
Pricing Plan
The paid version costs between $6.99 and $19.99, including the AR designs, upgrades, and import/ export functionality.
9. Gardena MyGarden
Gardena MyGarden is a web-based app to plan and decorate your backyard and patios. It has visual elements and a sprinkler system that lets you decide which plant, flower, or shrub will suit what area of your space. This tool allows you to edit the photos on a PC or a laptop and access them directly from your phone.
Features
- Smart sensor control (temperature and soil moisture)
- Remote scheduling
- Plant Library
- Built-in weather forecasting function
Strengths
- Straightforward, easy-to-use interface
- Customized control alerts
- Better safety
- Compatible with Apple Homekit
Compatible with
Web, iOS, and Android.
Pricing Plan
It is free of cost.
10. Landscaper’s Companion
Want to grow the right plants in your backyard? It is easier with Landscaper’s Companion. The tool is a reference guide for integrating plants and flowers into your property. It uses an image database to tell you how a plant looks on your property. Wait a second. Using a pre-built plant library, it even suggests the plant's lighting, watering, and spatial requirements.
Features
- 17 categories of plants (over 26,000 individual plants)
- 21,000 landscape photos from the web
- Full-screen support
- Supports a dark mode
- Built-in notes
Strengths
- General plant information (water usage, sun needs, mature height, etc)
- Extensive search capabilities
- Intuitive interface
- Realistic visual details
Compatible with
iOS and macOS 10.15 or later
Pricing Plan
It costs you $19.99 on the Apple Store.
Conclusion
Remodeling your outdoor property is easier with technology. Now, you can create floor plans and bring them to life with digital backyard design apps. These apps help you counter the creative block and plan backyards and patios however you like.
Planner 5D and EdrawMax particularly stand out for their exclusive floor plan maker. What makes the latter even better is its interior details and pre-made templates, especially if you are a hobbyist. So, if you are just starting your property design journey, give EdrawMax a shot. You may like how convenient and easy it is.
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