Draft Paper vs 3D Viewer by Chief Architect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Draft Paper
Create floor plans, layouts, and blueprints with ease using intuitive drawing tools. Support for multiple layers, iCloud, and Dropbox integration allows for seamless workflow. Export your designs to various formats for printing or further editing.
- Draw lines, rectangles, text, and more
- Support for multiple layers
- Export to PDF, JPEG, and DXF
- iCloud and Dropbox integration
- Mirror, translate, rotate, and scale operations
- Apple Pencil support
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Draft Paper is a simple and intuitive way to make floor plans, layouts or blueprints quickly and easily. Touch and drag to draw lines and rectangles on up to 10 independent layers, then export directly to PDF, JPEG or DXF ready for printing, emailing or editing in other software. Full feature list: + Drawing: Line, Dotted Line, Arrow, Rectangle, Ellipse, Segment, Text, Erase, Measure, Presentation + Multi file iCloud support + Export to JPEG / Vector PDF / DXF + Upload / download from DropBox or any other compatible app + Mirror / translate / rotate / scale operations + Smooth, fast and intuitive zooming / panning + Multiple layers and colors + Selectable right / left handed modes. + Unlimited undo + Unlimited size drawing area + Apple Pencil support (including double tap) + Metric / Imperial (USC) units support + Designed for iPhone and iPad For full instructions please visit our website, http://draftpaper-app.com
3D Viewer by Chief Architect
Explore 3D architectural models in virtual reality. Navigate through home designs with intuitive controls, experiencing them before construction. Ideal for professionals to share immersive project previews with clients.
- Virtual reality navigation
- Walk and fly through designs
- Exterior, room, and floor plan views
- Sojourn 3D navigation tools
- Gyro camera for free form viewing
- Background camera control
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3D Viewer – A virtual reality viewer for 3D models exported from Chief Architect software. Visualize and navigate home projects before they are built using the Sojourn 3D virtual reality navigation tools. Walk or Fly through designs and experience exterior, room, cross section, and floor plan views. To view models with 3D Viewer, export the original model with saved cameras from Chief Architect software to the cloud (provided by Chief Architect) and open the model using 3D Viewer. A great service if you are a professional builder/designer and want to share a virtual model with your clients. Sojourn 3D virtual reality navigation: -thumbsticks to move (fly) and rotate -gyro camera for free form viewing -background camera on / off -walk thru allowing you to physically walk -dynamic camera height while in fly mode -manual camera height adjustment
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Draft Paper at 4.4 against 3D Viewer by Chief Architect's 3.7. Draft Paper also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (51% vs 31%). 3D Viewer by Chief Architect's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Draft Paper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 3D Viewer by Chief Architect asks for nothing beyond the download.
Draft Paper holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Draft Paper has 16K ratings behind it against 527, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Draft Paper's written reviews are positive against 31% of 3D Viewer by Chief Architect's.
Draft Paper ships an update every 2 weeks, 3D Viewer by Chief Architect every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Draft Paper | 3D Viewer by Chief Architect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (16K ratings) — better | 3.7 (527 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.8% of reviews — better | 31.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 16K — better | 527 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 152 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Giles Goddard | Chief Architect |
Customer experience
Draft Paper
3D Viewer by Chief Architect
User reviews
Draft Paper
From 16K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and intuitive to use
- 💡 Useful for quick sketches and floor plans
- 🚀 Efficient for basic drafting needs
- 😊 Great value for the price
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and loss of work
- 🔧 Limited functionality compared to professional CAD tools
- 🔧 Difficulty with precise measurements and line placement
- 🔧 Lack of advanced features like text editing and color fill
3D Viewer by Chief Architect
From 527 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great bonus item for clients
- 🚀 Works fine once
- ⭐ Low key elite
- 👍 Very functional
- 👍 Works well to keep clients up to date
Room to improve
- 🐛 Cannot view plan on iPad
- 🐛 Keeps crashing
- 🐛 Cannot view link
- 🐛 Images on iPad don't match desktop
- 🐛 Worst app ever
Bugs and requests
Draft Paper
Reported bugs
3 issues- Saved files disappearing or becoming corrupted
- Inconsistent behavior when zooming and panning
- Inability to import/export files as expected
Requested features
4 requests- Add copy/paste functionality
- Improve text editing capabilities
- Provide more precise measurement tools
- Implement ability to save multiple versions of a project
3D Viewer by Chief Architect
Reported bugs
3 issues- Cannot open zipped files
- Difficult to import models from Dropbox/OneDrive
- VR mode spins around uncontrollably
Requested features
8 requests- Support for OneDrive
- AR in full scale
- Ability to make handwritten/design notes on the model
- Markup and add text comments
- Floor plan view that mimics desktop, control layers, see notes
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- Saved walkthroughs
- 2D plans and 3D model viewing
- Ability to isolate and view single floors
In-app purchases
Draft Paper
- All Features$9.99
3D Viewer by Chief Architect
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Draft Paper free?
Is 3D Viewer by Chief Architect free?
Which has better reviews, Draft Paper or 3D Viewer by Chief Architect?
Do Draft Paper or 3D Viewer by Chief Architect have ads?
Which is updated more often, Draft Paper or 3D Viewer by Chief Architect?
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