SketchUpvs
ArchiCAD
ArchiCAD: BIM software for architects
SketchUp
3D design software for everyone
As of 30 August 2026, SketchUp is free to use. SketchUp is a 3D modeling computer program for a wide range of drawing applications including architectural, interior design, landscape architecture, and video. Softwr lists it under Construction. SketchUp is made by Trimble Inc., launched in 1978, available on Web, iOS, Windows, macOS.
Overview
What SketchUp does
SketchUp is a 3D modeling computer program for a wide range of drawing applications including architectural, interior design, landscape architecture, and video game design.
What people use it for
- 3D architectural design and visualization
- Product design and prototyping
- Interior design planning
- Real estate visualization
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about SketchUp.
- Studio tier limited to Windows only; not available for macOS or Linux
- Go tier restricted to iPad and web—no desktop application access
- LayOut (documentation tool) only available in Pro and Studio tiers
- 1000+ extensions library only available in Pro and Studio; Go has limited extension access
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of SketchUp
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- SketchUpvsAutodesk Revit
Autodesk Revit: BIM software for architects and engineers
- SketchUpvsProcore
Procore: All-in-one construction management platform
- SketchUpvsSketchUp
SketchUp: 3D design and modeling software for architects and designers
Capabilities
Features
3D modeling
2D documentation
Rendering
Animation
Extension warehouse
3D Warehouse
LayOut
V-Ray
Integration with V-Ray
Enscape
Integration with Enscape
Lumion
Integration with Lumion
Revit
Integration with Revit
Cloud storage
Cloud storage security feature
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
How much does SketchUp cost?
SketchUp publishes three core annual plans, priced per user and billed annually: Go at $10.75 per month, Pro at $33.25 per month and Studio at $68.25 per month.
SourceIs there a free version of SketchUp?
There is a 7 day free trial of the core features. SketchUp is also free for K-12 use when accessed with a Google Workspace for Education or Microsoft Education account.
SourceWhat is the difference between SketchUp Pro and Studio?
Studio adds a Revit importer, point cloud modelling, photorealistic visuals, animations and panoramas on top of Pro. Studio runs on Windows only, while Pro is available on web, iPad and desktop.
SourceWhat does SketchUp Go include compared with Pro?
Go is limited to iPad and web, with premade furnishings and materials, cloud storage, a mobile viewer and real time sharing. Pro adds desktop modelling, the LayOut documentation tool and access to over 1000 extensions.
SourceBehind it
Who makes SketchUp
- Company
- Trimble Inc.
- Based in
- Sunnyvale, CA
Timeline
SketchUp over time
Keep looking
Where to go from SketchUp
- SketchUp alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- SketchUp pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- SketchUp badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Construction softwareThe full category
- Best Construction softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Construction software for
Compare SketchUp with
- ArchiCAD
- Revit
- Vectorworks Architect
- Chief Architect
- Procore
- Bluebeam Revu
- Egnyte
- Houzz Pro
- PlanSwift
- Smartsheet
- Viewpoint Vista
- BricsCAD BIM
- Briq
- Buildertrend
- Autodesk Revit
- Vectorworks Architect
- Autodesk Construction Cloud
- Navisworks
Other Construction software
Professional home design and construction software
Free, then $166.25/mo12 researched notesFinancial automation and forecasting for contractors sitting on top of construction ERP
Pricing on request12 researched notesConstruction project management for home builders and remodelers
From $199/mo11 researched notesUnified platform for construction project delivery
Pricing on request11 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for SketchUp, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on SketchUp
SketchUp alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
SketchUp pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare SketchUp
Put it head to head with anything we hold
SketchUp badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Construction software alternatives
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Australian estimating and on-screen takeoff in one window, priced openly per user per month
Per user per month
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