# House Designer vs SketchUp

House Designer and SketchUp both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 63% of House Designer's written reviews are positive against 37% of SketchUp's. House Designer also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). SketchUp's advantage is chart position (#113 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. House Designer sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and SketchUp sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for House Designer against 4.5 for SketchUp. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.4K and 18K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of House Designer's written reviews are positive against 37% of SketchUp's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | House Designer | SketchUp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (7.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/house-designer/id779363176/reviews) | **[4.5 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchup-3d-modeling/id796352563/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 7.4K | **18K** |
| Positive reviews | **63.3% of reviews** | 37.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#113** |
| Size | 158 MB | 695 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Scott Meyers](https://appshunter.io/developer/454688082) | [Trimble Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/322561665) |

## What reviewers say

### House Designer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/house-designer/id779363176)

Design your dream home with this intuitive interior design application. Create detailed 2D floor plans and visualize them in real-time 3D. Access a vast library of items and materials to bring your vision to life.

**Highlights:** Real-time 3D view, Detailed 2D floor plans, 300+ items and materials, Export image to photos, Auto compute room size, Intelligent room recognition

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium for iOS | $5.99 | one-time |
| Premium for macOS | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful for planning
- 💡 Good for visualizing ideas
- 😊 Fun and enjoyable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Many features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Lack of instructions/tutorials
- 🤔 Unintuitive controls

**Reported bugs**

- Walls and rooms disappearing or resizing unexpectedly
- Doors and windows moving or vanishing after saving
- Crashes when trying to edit or add certain elements
- Dimensions and measurements not displaying properly

**Requested features**

- More free furniture and decor options
- Ability to save and resume projects
- More customization options for walls, floors, etc.
- Improved 3D rendering and camera controls


### SketchUp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sketchup-3d-modeling/id796352563)

**Currently charting:** #113 Top Free · Graphics & Design (US App Store)

This platform offers intuitive 3D modeling tools for design enthusiasts and professionals. Visualize concepts, create photorealistic visuals, and even use AI to generate design ideas. Scan real-world spaces and view your creations in augmented reality.

**Highlights:** 3D modeling tools, Generative AI designs, Room planner & space design, Photorealistic visuals, Scan-to-design, Augmented reality (AR) visualization, DWG compatibility

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SketchUp AI Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| SketchUp Go Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| SketchUp Go Yearly | $129.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great potential
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Powerful and capable
- 👍 Excellent for designers, engineers, and contractors
- 👍 Smooth performance and rendering

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Requires paid subscription
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Limited functionality in free version
- 🔒 Expensive for casual users
- 🔒 Complicated navigation and UI

**Reported bugs**

- Login and account creation problems
- Crashes and freezes when opening large models
- Inability to hide/unhide components
- Inconsistent behavior with Apple Pencil
- Outdated model not updating properly

**Requested features**

- 2D drawing and 3D model integration
- More intuitive navigation and controls
- Improved file management and syncing
- Offline mode and reduced dependency on internet
- Affordable pricing options for casual users


## Frequently asked questions

### Is House Designer free?

House Designer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SketchUp free?

SketchUp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, House Designer or SketchUp?

SketchUp is rated higher. House Designer averages 4.4 out of 5 from 7.4K ratings, while SketchUp averages 4.5 from 18K ratings.

### Do House Designer or SketchUp have ads?

Neither House Designer nor SketchUp shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, House Designer or SketchUp?

House Designer ships an update every 3 weeks, and SketchUp every 3 weeks. Most recently, House Designer was updated on November 7, 2026 and SketchUp on November 7, 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.*