Break out the 3D glasses—just kidding. Put them away. This post won’t be arriving in any extra dimensions today, but it will walk you through three popular tools for kitchen and home planning so you can decide which one fits your project.
After our recent kitchen planning update, I finally learned Google SketchUp, as many readers suggested, to help visualize our renovation. I’ve also used Floorplanner for years and recently tried Ikea’s Kitchen Planner. Each tool has strengths and weaknesses, and none is a clear overall winner. Which one is best depends on your needs: speed, realism, flexibility, or product-specific planning.
Floorplanner.com is the tool we’ve used for most of the simple floor plans on our site, so we’re partial to it. Here’s what I noticed when I used it for our kitchen layout.
Pros:
- No software to install. The tool runs in your browser, so you don’t need to download anything to get started.
- Fast and user-friendly. With room measurements in hand, you can create a basic floor plan in minutes. The interface is intuitive, which makes it ideal for beginners.
- Good finish options. The library includes many standard finishes such as flooring and paint with adjustable colors to make drawings more representative.
- Handy furniture library. Floorplanner includes dozens of furniture and accessory models—chairs, tables, rugs, plants, and appliances—which makes it easy to experiment with layouts.
- 2D and 3D views. You can quickly toggle between a 2D plan and a 3D perspective.
Cons:
- Limited free tier. You can create one plan for free, but additional projects typically require a paid plan.
- Kitchens can be restrictive. The kitchen modeling options are somewhat basic; cabinet and appliance choices are limited, which makes precise kitchen design harder.
- 3D navigation and rendering quirks. The 3D view can be clunky to navigate and sometimes elements don’t display consistently. I often found myself working in 2D for accuracy.
Best use: Floorplanner is ideal for quick, uncomplicated 2D floor plans or for testing furniture arrangements in a hurry. If you want a simple house plan or to experiment with layouts without investing a lot of time learning a new tool, this is a solid choice.
Ikea’s Kitchen Planner is a natural option if you’re considering Ikea cabinetry and want to design around actual product dimensions. I turned to it when planning a run of built-in cabinets and later when rethinking the kitchen layout.
Pros:
- Free to use. You will download a small program, but you can access your saved projects online after logging in.
- Multiple saved designs. The planner lets you maintain several versions of a kitchen design, which makes comparison easy.
- Works with real products. Designs are built from Ikea components, so dimensions are accurate and you can generate a shopping list based on the plan.
- Wide selection of finishes and configurations. Cabinet sizes, front styles, hardware, and finishes reflect actual Ikea options, enabling realistic planning if you intend to purchase from Ikea.
- Realistic 3D rendering. The 3D view feels lifelike and is useful for visualizing spatial relationships.
- 2D and 3D editing. You can design in either view, and changes stay consistent between them.
Cons:
- Room-specific tool. The planner focuses on one room at a time—primarily kitchens—so you can’t easily create a multi-room plan or see sightlines from adjacent rooms.
- Limited to Ikea products. If you dislike Ikea’s style or don’t plan to buy from them, the product-specific approach feels constraining.
- Decorating limitations. The available accessory and decor options are sparse and oriented toward kitchen items, which limits staging or mixed-room visualizations.
Best use: If you plan to use Ikea cabinets and want accurate product-based measurements and shopping lists, Ikea’s planner is a top pick. It’s also useful for getting a realistic sense of scale if you’re using standard component sizes from other sources.
Google SketchUp (SketchUp Free) was new to me until recently. After running into limitations with the Ikea planner, I switched to SketchUp to model multiple rooms and precise architectural details. It’s powerful and flexible, but it requires more time to learn.
Pros:
- Free and downloadable. The no-cost version is available for personal use and you can work offline once it’s installed.
- Highly precise. SketchUp is technical and accurate, which makes it reliable for planning structural changes, openings, and detailed dimensions when used with professional guidance.
- Unlimited possibilities. With patience, you can model almost anything—rooms, furniture, fixtures, and custom elements—without being limited by a product catalog.
- Robust 3D navigation. The 3D tools let you inspect designs from every angle, making it easy to evaluate spatial relationships and sightlines.
Cons:
- Steep learning curve. SketchUp is the most technical of the three and takes time to master. Expect to spend time with tutorials before feeling comfortable.
- No native 2D drafting mode. There’s no simple 2D plan toggle like in other tools; the closest option is a top-down parallel projection view.
- Furniture library not built-in. Unlike the other platforms, SketchUp relies on external libraries for models, so you must import or create objects yourself.
- Editing can be fiddly at first. Precise selection and grouping are important to avoid accidentally skewing geometry, which adds a bit of friction until you learn best practices.
Best use: SketchUp is ideal for detailed 3D modeling and precise architectural work once you’re comfortable with the interface. It’s the best choice if you need control and flexibility and are willing to invest time to learn the software.
Overall, Floorplanner is great for speed and ease, Ikea’s Kitchen Planner excels when you want product-accurate kitchen designs, and SketchUp delivers unmatched flexibility and precision for detailed 3D work. Your decision should depend on whether you value speed, realism with specific products, or ultimate control.
If you’ve used any of these tools, I’d love to hear your experiences and tips. Different projects call for different tools, and hearing what worked for you can help others choose the right planner for their remodel or room layout.
P.S. We announced this week’s giveaway winner. Check our site to see if it’s you.