Comparison

RedX Decks vs Backyard

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

RedX Decks

Design and visualize complex deck structures, including roofs and stairs, with automatic framing and structural calculations. Generate professional, permit-ready blueprints and detailed material lists for efficient construction.

Highlights
  • 3D deck and roof design
  • Automatic framing layouts
  • Structural calculations
  • Permit-ready blueprints
  • Material and cut lists
  • 3D visualization and renders
Features
Read full description

Design decks. Add roofs. Generate permit ready blueprints. RedX Decks is powerful deck design software for contractors, designers, and serious DIY builders. Create structurally sound decks, add roof-over-deck systems with beams and posts, and generate professional construction drawings in minutes. Build straight, wraparound, gazebo, L-shaped, U-shaped, freestanding, multi-level, or fully custom decks with automatic framing layouts and structural calculations. Decks With Roof Structures Design: • Roof over deck systems • Post and beam covered decks • Gazebo roofs • Decks with integrated stairs and railings • Multi-level structural framing Create complete deck and roof framing plans including beams, joists, posts, and railing systems. Permit Ready Blueprints Generate professional PDF construction drawings: • Joist and beam layout plans • Elevation blueprints • Framing layouts • Post and railing layouts • Stair stringer plans • Structural load calculations • Detailed material and cut lists Perfect for permit applications, contractor submissions, inspections, and client presentations. Automatic Structural & Framing Layout RedX automatically calculates: • Deck tributary areas • Beam sizing logic • Joist and beam placement • Load distribution • Structural checks Automatically generate: • Beam layouts • Joist layouts • Divider boards • Joist blocking • Post spacing • Stair framing Adjust spacing, deck load, materials, and wood species to match your project requirements. 3D Visualization & High-Quality Renders View your deck and roof structure in realistic 3D. Rotate, zoom, and inspect every component before building. Export high-resolution render images for client presentations, marketing, social media, or permit documentation. Complete Material & Cut Lists Get accurate: • Lumber quantities • Cut lists • Fastener estimates • Material summaries Reduce waste and build with confidence. Built for decks attached to a house or fully freestanding structures — from simple backyard builds to covered roof-over-deck systems. Download RedX Decks and start creating permit ready deck and roof blueprints today. Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ RedX Apps Terms of Service https://www.redxapps.com/terms-of-service In-App Purchases Available Premium Monthly and Yearly subscriptions unlock advanced features. Payment is charged to your iTunes account and renews automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in your App Store settings. Current pricing starts at $6.99 USD/month or $59.99 USD/year. Prices may vary by region and are subject to change. Active subscriptions cannot be canceled during the billing period.

About

Backyard

Design and visualize your ideal shed with this tool. It offers 3D previews, instant templates, and detailed framing views. Generate accurate material lists and customize every aspect of your shed design.

Highlights
  • 3D Real-Time Preview
  • Instant Shed Templates
  • Smart Framing View
  • Layer Controls
  • Accurate Materials List
  • Customizable Design Elements
  • Works Offline
Features
Read full description

Design and visualize your perfect shed with Backyard Blueprints — the fastest way to go from idea to a real build plan. KEY FEATURES: - 3D Real-Time Preview: See your shed from every angle. Rotate, zoom, and explore your design in full 3D. - Customize Everything: Adjust width, depth, wall height, roof pitch, stud spacing, siding type, and more. - Smart Framing View: Toggle between finished envelope and exposed framing to see every stud, rafter, header, and hurricane tie. - Layer Controls: Isolate floor, walls, roof, doors, windows, siding, and sheathing (wall and roof separately) to inspect each system independently. - Finishing Details: Choose from more siding options with paint colors as well as stains. And even add decorative shutters. - Doors, Windows & Vents Anywhere: Place them on any wall. - Works Offline: Your designs are saved locally on your device. No account required, no internet needed after first load. - Free to Design: No ads, no subscriptions. Design and preview for free. Perfect for DIY builders, homeowners planning a backyard project, or anyone who wants to visualize a shed before breaking ground. Backyard Blueprints — design your dream shed in 30 seconds.

Screenshots

RedX Decks4 screens
Backyard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Backyard at 100% against RedX Decks's 31%. Backyard also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). RedX Decks's advantage is ratings volume (528 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. RedX Decks sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Backyard asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backyard holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RedX Decks has 528 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of RedX Decks's written reviews are positive against 100% of Backyard's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RedX Decks ships an update every 10 days, Backyard fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
RedX Decks versus Backyard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRedX DecksBackyard
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (528 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings528 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size177 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRedX Technology IncJoe Bienkowski

Customer experience

RedX Decks

All ratings528 ratings
Positive82.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative14.2%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral5.1%
Negative64.1%

Backyard

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

RedX Decks

Subscriptions6
  • RedX Decks Pro$6.991 Month
  • RedX Apps Pro++ Monthly$9.991 Month
  • RedX Apps Pro++$59.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • RedX Decks Pro7 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • RedX Decks Pro7 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • RedX Apps Bundle1 Year trial2 variants$179.991 Year
One-time3
  • 20 Render Credits$9.99
  • 100 Render Credits$29.99
  • 200 Render Credits$44.99
None

Backyard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RedX Decks free?
RedX Decks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Backyard free?
Backyard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RedX Decks or Backyard?
Backyard is rated higher. RedX Decks averages 4.3 out of 5 from 528 ratings, while Backyard averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do RedX Decks or Backyard have ads?
Neither RedX Decks nor Backyard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RedX Decks or Backyard?
RedX Decks ships an update every 10 days, and Backyard fortnightly. Most recently, RedX Decks was updated on October 14, 2026 and Backyard on October 6, 2026.

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