Comparison

SketchUp vs ScanForged

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

Head to head
About

SketchUp

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
Read full description

Experience the world's leading 3D design platform with a free 7-day Go trial! Without a subscription, you can still view 3D projects for free. Go offers essential 3D design tools, including SketchUp for iPad and SketchUp for Web. Created for design enthusiasts, architects, interior designers, contractors, home remodelers, construction professionals, and set designers, our intuitive tools streamline the creative process, allowing you to effortlessly craft 3D models and visualize concepts. Whether you're planning a home renovation, designing interiors, or creating a detailed architectural model, SketchUp helps bring your visions to life through 3D design. Go Features: - Work seamlessly across devices: Create 3D models on your iPad and computer using SketchUp.com. - Generative AI Designs: Harness the power of AI to create stunning visuals for architectural and home designs. Generate images that inspire your creative process and support your design narrative. - Room Planner & Space Design: Experiment with different layouts and design options to find the perfect fit for your space. Model your space with designer fixtures and furniture. - Real-time, realistic visuals: Create stunning photorealistic visuals by integrating environments and customizable real-world materials. - Scan-to-Design: Use our 3D scanning feature to capture real-world spaces, which AI intelligently transforms and organizes into editable 3D models. - Augmented Reality (AR): Visualize your designs in the real world with our AR capabilities. - DWG Compatibility: Import and export DWG files seamlessly, ensuring compatibility with other CAD software. - Import real-world information: Import images to textures, satellite imagery, 3D terrain, 3D buildings, and location information to power your designs with real-world context. Why Go? - Architects & Contractors: Transform your architectural visions into reality with intuitive 3D modeling tools. Quickly visualize and iterate design concepts and present ideas to clients and stakeholders. - Interior Designers & Home Remodelers: Visualize your ideas in 3D and AR, ensuring your designs meet expectations. Use AI image generation to inspire additional finishes and layouts. - Landscape Designer: Plan and visualize outdoor spaces, from planters to parks, with our 3D landscape tools, like real-time shadow studies, geo-locating satellite imagery, and 3D terrain. - DIYer: Whether you're planning a small remodel or a complete home renovation, SketchUp provides the tools you need to design and execute your projects with confidence. Without a subscription: - Switch between perspective and orthographic camera views. - Control the visibility of parts of your model. - Adjust the look and feel of your model by controlling Edge and Face styles, Shadows, Hidden Geometry, Section Planes, and Section Cuts. - Take measurements and get information about edge lengths, the area of faces, the volume of solids, and component and group definitions. - View models in augmented reality. IMPORT/EXPORT -Import: SKP, SKE, SKM, HDR, EXR, PNG, JPG, PDF, DWG, DXF, STL -Export: Images (PNG), Animations (MP4), SKP, USDz, PDF, DWG, DXF, OBJ, STL, MP4 REQUIREMENTS Requires iOS 17 or higher with a minimum of 1024Mb of RAM. For additional info, please visit help.sketchup.com. The AR model viewing feature uses ARKit and is compatible with iPhone 6s and newer, iPad Pro, or any 2017 iPad or newer. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Create 3D designs with a free 7-day Go trial. Payment will be charged to your Apple Account on confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before your subscription expiration date. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before your subscription expiration date. After completing your initial purchase, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renew by visiting your Apple Account Settings.

About

ScanForged

Features
Read full description

ScanForged turns the LiDAR in your iPhone or iPad into a precision 3D scanner. Capture dense, true-scale point clouds of objects, or map a whole building, floor by floor, into editable floor plans — then measure, clean up, and export. Every feature is free. OBJECT MODE • Capture millions of camera-colored 3D points with LiDAR • Photo-real scans: a textured 3D model made with Apple's Object Capture, on an iPhone or iPad that supports it • See a scan as Gaussian splats that blend into smooth surfaces (iOS 27 and later) • Measure distances, angles, closed areas, and diameters with a tap • Clean up scans: erase stray points, isolate an object, crop with a box — and undo a delete • Weigh a scanned object in any material, and cut a section through it • Make a CAD model: find flat surfaces, pick layers, and generate an OpenSCAD model • Export to PLY, OBJ, STL, and USDZ in color, Gaussian splats as PLY, or a model ready to 3D print • LAS and E57 point clouds for survey software ROOM MODE • Scan several rooms and floors in one go with guided capture (Apple RoomPlan): each floor at its real height, each room named • Instant 2D floor plan with wall lengths and door/window placement, one floor at a time • Explore a 3D model and read a full room report • Paint and materials estimates and a cost quote PDF for each room, in your currency • Edit walls, doors, windows, and furniture on every floor • Square Up turns walls to right angles; type any wall's exact length • Export floor plans to PDF, SVG, DXF, and CSV, and a drawing of every wall ENGINEERING TOOLS No scan needed: a unit converter with exact definitions, a materials library, and weight, strength, and beam checks. Type values in any unit you like, such as "2 in" or "50 mm". BUILT FOR REAL WORK • True-scale, LiDAR-accurate measurements, in metric or imperial • Siri and Shortcuts: "Scan a room with ScanForged"; find saved scans in Spotlight • In English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese • Your scans stay on your device — back up privately to your own iCloud, no account required LOOKS AND COINS Earn coins each day you use ScanForged, or buy a pack, and spend them on 50 looks: accent colors, app icons, 3D backgrounds, scan palettes, and floor-plan styles. Your coins work in every Invader Studio app. Scans are most precise with a LiDAR sensor (iPhone and iPad Pro models). Without one, object scans read depth from the camera (rougher sizes) and rooms are mapped from their floor corners; a sample house shows every room tool.

Screenshots

SketchUp4 screens
ScanForged4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: SketchUp at #110 against ScanForged's unranked. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. SketchUp sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and ScanForged sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SketchUp ships an update every 3 weeks, ScanForged every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
SketchUp versus ScanForged: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSketchUpScanForged
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (18K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews37.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings18K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#110 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size695 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTrimble Inc.LOUIS GREGORY CARO VARGAS

Bugs and requests

SketchUp

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

ScanForged

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SketchUp

Subscriptions3
  • SketchUp AI Monthly$11.991 Month
  • SketchUp Go Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • SketchUp Go Yearly7 Days trial$129.001 Year
4 purchases

ScanForged

One-time4
  • 500 coins$1.00
  • ScanForged Pro$4.99
  • 10,000 coins$5.00
Show 1 more
  • 100,000 coins$10.00

Questions

Is SketchUp free?
SketchUp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ScanForged free?
ScanForged is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SketchUp or ScanForged have ads?
Neither SketchUp nor ScanForged shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SketchUp or ScanForged?
SketchUp ships an update every 3 weeks, and ScanForged every 4 weeks. Most recently, SketchUp was updated on November 6, 2026 and ScanForged on October 28, 2026.

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