# Yard Planner vs NPT Backyard

The clearest difference is price: NPT Backyard at Free against Yard Planner's $3.99. NPT Backyard also leads on rating (3.7 vs 3.4). Yard Planner's advantage is chart position (#92 vs unranked) and ratings volume (381 vs 101). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

NPT Backyard is free to download; Yard Planner costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

NPT Backyard holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 381 and 101 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Yard Planner's written reviews are positive against 43% of NPT Backyard's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Yard Planner | NPT Backyard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.4 (381 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yard-planner/id440420011/reviews) | **[3.7 (101 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/npt-backyard/id1478178328/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **381** | 101 |
| Positive reviews | 39.3% of reviews | **42.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#92** | — |
| Size | 762 MB | 117 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Home Outside, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1304349118) | [Pool Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/508083385) |

## What reviewers say

### Yard Planner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yard-planner/id440420011)

**Currently charting:** #92 Top Paid · Lifestyle (US App Store)

Design your dream outdoor space with a drag-and-drop interface. Choose from over 800 hand-drawn elements like trees, pools, and structures to create detailed landscape layouts. Share your creations with friends or clients.

**Highlights:** Drag-and-drop functionality, 800+ hand-drawn landscape elements, Sketch Tool for free-form shapes, Google Maps integration for property mapping, Layer management for complex designs, Shareable editable designs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Helpful for visualizing designs
- 🚀 Simple and straightforward
- 👍 Great for beginners
- 👍 Useful for planning and sketching

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔧 Limited customization options
- 🔧 Lacks advanced design tools
- 🔧 Restricted to portrait mode on iPad
- 🔧 Outdated and basic graphics

**Reported bugs**

- Layers and objects disappearing
- Inability to undo actions
- Inaccurate grid and scale
- Mapping and photo import issues
- Unexpected crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- Ability to change object dimensions independently
- More plant, structure, and hardscape options
- Metric measurement support
- Landscape mode support for iPad
- Export options for high-quality images


### NPT Backyard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/npt-backyard/id1478178328)

Visualize your dream pool in your own backyard using augmented reality. This app offers stunning 4k graphics, advanced lighting, and realistic water simulations to help you design and preview your perfect pool.

**Highlights:** Augmented Reality pool visualization, 4k graphics, Realistic lighting effects, Advanced water systems, Design your dream pool

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for visualizing pool options
- 👍 Helpful for remodel planning
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Good for comparing finishes and colors
- 👍 AR view enhances visualization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Limited design options
- 😞 Cannot create custom pool shapes
- 😞 AR view often doesn't work
- 😞 Inaccurate rendering of water color
- 😞 App crashes frequently

**Reported bugs**

- AR doesn't work
- App crashes when viewing tiles
- App crashes frequently
- App is slow and hangs
- Water color doesn't change with plaster choices

**Requested features**

- Option to design a remodel for existing pools
- Ability to change pool dimensions within the app
- More standard pool shapes available (e.g., round spa)
- Include all pool tiles from the catalog
- Ability to drag and position the pool design in the yard


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Yard Planner free?

Yard Planner costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is NPT Backyard free?

NPT Backyard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Yard Planner or NPT Backyard?

NPT Backyard is rated higher. Yard Planner averages 3.4 out of 5 from 381 ratings, while NPT Backyard averages 3.7 from 101 ratings.

### Do Yard Planner or NPT Backyard have ads?

Neither Yard Planner nor NPT Backyard shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Yard Planner or NPT Backyard?

Yard Planner ships an update every 2 months, and NPT Backyard every 2 months. Most recently, Yard Planner was updated on October 26, 2026 and NPT Backyard on October 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*