Best Kitchen Design Software (free & Paid) for 2026

Spend less time designing and more time winning bids for kitchen projects.

The best kitchen design software turns 2D plans into client-ready 3D visuals fast, so you close more kitchen remodels.

That matters because most clients can’t buy what they can’t see.

When they struggle to picture cabinet runs, countertop materials, or traffic flow, they hesitate and your bid loses momentum.

Traditional CAD can take weeks to learn, costs a lot, and still may not deliver the photorealistic images your pricing deserves.

Free online kitchen planner tools often look like a hobby app, which makes it harder to justify a $30,000 to $80,000 kitchen investment.

So you might outsource renderings for $500 to $2,000 per project. 

But every revision chips away at your margin.

This guide compares the best kitchen planner that lets you create clear floor plans, produce photorealistic 3D renderings in-house, and present the whole plan in a package that helps you win bids faster.

Key Takeaways

• The best tools turn a 2D kitchen floor plan into a clear 3D design, so clients approve layouts faster.
• Strong cabinet and appliance libraries, plus lighting controls, make materials look real and reduce change orders.
• If you need the best online kitchen planner, focus on presentation quality that makes your bid feel premium, not just how easy it is to create technical plans.
• Cedreo helps housing pros create 2D plans, photorealistic 3D renderings, and client-ready presentations quickly, so you close more kitchen projects.

Why trust us? Here at Cedreo, we’ve got 20+ years of experience working with housing pros in the home design space. So we know what it takes for builders and designers to create kitchen projects that land them more clients!

Why Pros Use Kitchen Planner Software

Kitchen projects move faster when clients can actually see what you’re selling.

A virtual kitchen planner helps you design with fewer surprises, fewer revisions, and clearer approvals.

Speed & accuracy

• Build a clean layout quickly with real-world dimensions, so your plan starts right.
• Adjust cabinet runs, islands, and clearances in minutes, so revisions don’t derail your day.
• Catch fit issues early (like tight door swings or bad work triangles), so you avoid rework later.

3D Images that impress clients

• Turn the plan into photorealistic 3D views, so clients understand the design without guessing.
• Test materials, colors, and lighting, so the kitchen looks like a finished space, not a sketch.
• Present multiple options side-by-side, so clients choose faster and feel confident.

Cost savings from planning to construction

• Reduce change orders by locking decisions before demo day.
• Avoid costly field fixes by validating layout and flow before you order materials.
• Protect margins by keeping renderings in-house instead of paying per revision.

Next, let’s look at the must-have features that separate a “pretty” planner from true professional kitchen design software.

Features to Look for In Kitchen Design Software

These five features help you design faster, sell clearer, and build with fewer surprises.

Intuitive 2D Floor Plan Creation

Why important: A fast 2D layout keeps the job moving and prevents bad measurements from showing up in the field.

What to look for:

• Drag-and-drop walls, doors, and windows with real dimensions.
• Simple tools for snapping, alignment, and quick edits.
• Clear dimensioning and labels you can share with a crew.
• Easy import options if you start from existing plans.

Photorealistic 3D Rendering Quality

Why important: Clients approve kitchens faster when the design looks real, not like a rough sketch.

What to look for:

• Lighting and shadow controls that make materials look true.
• High-quality textures for cabinets, counters, and backsplashes.
• Multiple camera angles so you can show the whole space.
• Fast rendering times so you can revise live in a meeting.

Comprehensive Cabinet, Appliance, Fixture Libraries

Why important: An extensive furnishings library saves hours and helps you spec the kitchen with fewer gaps.

What to look for:

• Cabinet options for common sizes, styles, and configurations.
• Appliances, sinks, faucets, and hardware that fit real layouts.
• Easy search and filters so you can find items quickly.
• Customization tools for finishes, colors, and dimensions.

Flooring and Lighting

Why important: Flooring and lighting choices change how every cabinet color and countertop reads.

What to look for:

• Task, ambient, and accent lighting options.
• Accurate sun orientation for real-life natural lighting.
• Daylight settings so you can show morning vs evening looks.
• Flooring materials with realistic scale and grout control.
• Quick swaps to compare options without rebuilding the design.

Professional Presentation Tools

Why important: A clean presentation makes your bid feel premium and protects your pricing.

What to look for:

• Branding options so your proposals look like your business.
• Pages that combine 2D plans and 3D views in one package.
• Room-by-room visuals and option sets for fast decision-making.
• Shareable files  that are easy for clients to review.

Now let’s compare the top kitchen design software options and see which one fits your workflow best.

Top 10 Kitchen Design Software

Kitchen design software falls into three buckets, and the right choice depends on whether you sell full remodels, spec cabinets for a showroom, or just need a quick DIY layout.

Professional All-In-One Design Software

• Cedreo (Top Pick Overall!)
• Foyr
• Chief Architect
• SketchUp

Niche Kitchen Software

• ProKitchen Software
• IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner
• Design Flex (formerly 2020 Design Live)

DIY Budget Software

• Planner 5D
• Homestyler
• SmartDraw

Use the comparison table below to shortlist two or three tools, then jump to the deeper breakdowns to see which one fits your workflow.

Software	Best for	Floor plan creation	Product library	3D quality	Ease of use	Type of software	Price range	Learning curve	Professional presentations
Cedreo	Contractors, remodelers, designers	Advanced	Large	★★★★★	★★★★★	Online (Mac/PC)	$$	Hours	Yes
Foyr	Interior designers	Good	Large	★★★★★	★★★★☆	Online (Mac/PC)	$$	Hours	Yes
Chief Architect	Pros needing CAD-level detail	Advanced	Moderate	★★★★★	★★★☆☆	Download (Mac/PC)	$$$	Weeks+	Yes
SketchUp	3D pros who want flexible modeling	Moderate	Large	★★☆☆☆*	★★☆☆☆	Download (Mac/PC)	$$	Weeks+	Yes*
ProKitchen Software	Kitchen product manufacturers & showrooms	Advanced	Large	★★★☆☆	★★★☆☆	Online (Mac/PC)	$$$	Days to weeks	Yes
IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner	IKEA shoppers	Basic	Moderate	★★★★☆	★★★★★	Online (Mac/PC)	Free	Hours	No
Design Flex	High-volume kitchen retailers	Advanced	Large	★★★★☆	★★☆☆☆	Download (Windows)	$$$	Weeks+	Yes
Planner 5D	DIY homeowners	Good	Moderate	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	Online + app (Mac/PC)	Free–$	Hours to days	No
Homestyler	Fast concept visuals	Good	Large	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	Online (Mac/PC)	$–$$	Hours to days	Yes
SmartDraw	Quick diagrams and layouts	Basic	Basic	☆☆☆☆☆	★★★★★	Online + download (Mac/PC)	$	Hours	No

*Get additional capabilities (2D plans, better renderings, professional presentations) with the purchase and use of rendering extensions.

Next, let’s start with Cedreo, since it’s built for housing pros who need fast kitchen layouts and photorealistic visuals that help close the job.

1. Cedreo

Best for: Builders, remodelers, and designers who need fast kitchen visuals that win bids.

Why Cedreo is #1 for kitchen design

Cedreo leads for housing pros who need to win competitive kitchen bids without spending weeks mastering complex CAD.

It’s purpose-built for residential design work, so the tools stay practical for real remodel timelines and real client meetings.

You can turn a layout into photorealistic 3D renderings in minutes, and the workflow stays simple enough to use every day.

That mix of strong 3D quality, intuitive ease of use, and kitchen-ready features helps you sell the design with confidence.

When to choose Cedreo

Choose Cedreo when you need professional 3D visuals that help clients say yes faster.

It’s a strong fit if you want fast ROI without weeks of training.

Use it if speed and ease of use are priorities, especially when you juggle revisions and tight proposal deadlines.

It also makes sense if you design kitchens plus other residential projects and want one consistent workflow.

Ease of use (learning curve)

• Drag-and-drop tools with no CAD experience required.
• Create a full conceptual design in as little as 2 hours.
• 100% online, so there’s no software install or maintenance downloads.

3D rendering quality

• Photorealistic interior renderings in less than 5 minutes.
• Day and night atmospheres, plus sun orientation controls.
• Saved viewpoints so clients can compare options without confusion.

Furniture and material library

• Library of over 8,500 realistic furniture, fixtures, and decor items.
• Thousands of flooring, paint colors, and finishes with realistic textures.
• Product packs that help you furnish faster when you need a quick staged look.

Client presentations

• Branded presentation documents that combine 2D plans and 3D visuals.
• Plans inserted in the document update automatically when you change the design.
• Print plans to scale for cleaner handoffs.

Support

• Onboarding training.
• Get support from a real person by phone, email, and chat.
• Dedicated success team for personalized guidance.

Pricing

$$ (freemium access is available, with tiered plans for Personal, Pro, and Enterprise).

Try it for FREE today!

2. Foyr

Best for: Interior designers who need fast 3D visuals for client approvals.

Overview: Foyr is a cloud-based interior design platform that lets you draw a kitchen plan and switch to 3D without installing software.

It’s built for speed, so you can rough in layouts, place key items, and keep the meeting moving.

The library and material tools help you explore finishes early, before you lock decisions.

Use it when you want quick interior concepts and client-friendly visuals more than construction-level detail.

Key features:

• 2D floor planning with quick room setup.
• 3D visualization with fast cloud rendering.
• Large object library for staging kitchens and interiors.
• Simple material swaps for cabinets, counters, and finishes.
• Sharing options for reviews and client feedback.

Pros:

• Runs in the browser, so your team can work from most computers.
• Fast rendering helps you show options during a client call.
• Strong for early design exploration and presentation visuals.
• Good fit if you mostly design interiors.

Cons:

• Not built for full home, site, or construction workflows.
• Advanced detailing can feel limited for build-ready planning.

Pricing:$$

3. Chief Architect

Best for: Pros who need CAD-level kitchen detail and full construction documentation.

Overview: Chief Architect is a download-based home design tool that connects your plan, elevations, and 3D model in one workflow.

It’s popular with remodeling pros because changes in the model can update related views and drawings.

For kitchens, it supports detailed cabinetry layouts plus the documentation many crews expect.

Choose it when you need precision and construction-level output, and you have time to learn a more complicated system.

Key features:

• Smart, dimensioned floor plans and elevation tools.
• Cabinet tools for detailed kitchen layouts.
• Automatic 3D model generation from the plan.
• 3D rendering options (including ray tracing), with lots of custom controls.
• Construction documents and technical drawings like sections, schedules, and details.

Pros:

• Excellent for precision and drawing output.
• Great for pros who want plans and visuals in one workflow.
• Strong rendering for client presentations when set up well.
• Good fit for remodelers who also do full-house projects.

Cons:

• Much longer learning curve than simpler kitchen planners.
• All the custom settings can get overwhelming when you just want a quick, but high-quality rendering.
• Requires installs, updates, and a more powerful computer.

Pricing:$$$

4. SketchUp

Best for: Designers and architects who want flexible 3D modeling and do not mind building a tool stack.

Overview: SketchUp is a flexible 3D modeling tool that many pros use for interiors, millwork, and full buildings.

It’s strong for kitchens when you need custom shapes, tight control over geometry, and a design that does not fit a standard cabinet set.

Most teams pair it with extensions and a separate renderer to get a kitchen-ready workflow (those things cost extra).

Pick SketchUp if you want maximum modeling freedom and you’re comfortable building your own tool stack.

Key features:

• Precise 3D modeling tools for custom cabinet and millwork shapes.
• Scenes and section cuts for clear client views.
• LayOut for putting drawings and views on presentation sheets.
• Large model library through 3D Warehouse.
• Extensions that add rendering, cabinetry, and workflow tools.

Pros:

• Very flexible for custom design and modeling.
• Huge ecosystem of models and add-ons.
• Strong for concept visuals and detailed 3D when you have experience.

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve for teams new to 3D.
• Kitchen-specific tools often require paid extensions and a separate renderer.

Pricing:$$

5. ProKitchen Software

Best for: Kitchen designers and showrooms that want manufacturer-linked catalogs and sales-ready presentations.

Overview: ProKitchen Software is a kitchen-focused design tool built for professional showroom and dealer workflows.

It includes catalog-driven cabinetry and appliance planning, which helps you spec a kitchen around real products.

It runs on Mac and PC and supports presentation-style outputs, including immersive viewing options.

Choose it when you live in kitchen design all day and want a purpose-built system, not a general home design tool.

Key features:

• Extensive selection of manufacturer catalogs for cabinets, appliances, and materials.
• Kitchen-specific tools for layouts, cabinet options, and door styles.
• Presentation tools for showing the space in 3D.
• Immersive viewing options for clients who want a “walkthrough” feel.
• Training resources, including paid online training programs.

Pros:

• Strong for kitchen showroom workflows and product specification.
• Catalog-driven design helps reduce guesswork when planning around real items.
• Useful presentation features for client approvals.

Cons:

• Full catalogs and advanced options can be tied to higher-priced plans.
• Rendering quality and speed can lag behind visualization-first platforms.
• Not a great fit if you mainly design full homes or non-kitchen spaces.

Pricing:$$$

6. IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner

Best for: Homeowners who plan to buy an IKEA kitchen and want a quick layout and shopping list.

Overview: IKEA 3D Kitchen Planner is a browser-based planner built to design kitchen layouts using IKEA cabinet systems and products.

You place IKEA items into your room size and adjust the layout until it fits your space.

The tool can generate a parts list that helps you estimate what you need to purchase.

Use it when you are committed to IKEA products and you only need a basic plan and simple 3D view.

Key features:

• IKEA cabinet and product selection for kitchen layouts.
• Simple 2D planning with basic 3D visualization.
• Automatic shopping list for estimating products and quantities.
• Option to work with an IKEA kitchen service for additional help (fee-based).

Pros:

• Free and easy to access in a web browser.
• Great for planning around IKEA sizes, styles, and availability.
• Helpful for creating a purchase list quickly.

Cons:

• Limited to IKEA products and IKEA-style configurations.
• Basic visuals and limited customization compared to pro tools.
• Not built for professional presentations or construction-level documentation.

Pricing: Free

7. Design Flex (Formerly 2020 Design Live)

Best for: High-volume kitchen retailers and showrooms that need catalog-driven design and accurate product specification.

Overview: Design Flex is a professional kitchen and bath design platform built for retail and dealer workflows.

It’s known for manufacturer-linked catalogs and tools that support quoting and product specification.

It’s typically used on Windows desktops, so it fits teams that want a dedicated workstation setup.

Choose it when catalog accuracy and speed for repeatable showroom design matter more than a simple learning curve.

Key features:

• Manufacturer-linked catalogs for cabinets, appliances, and finishes.
• Detailed planning tools for kitchen and bath layouts.
• Rendering tools for realistic client visuals.
• Retail-focused workflow support for design, spec, and sales.

Pros:

• Strong for detailed kitchen planning and product specification.
• Deep catalogs support customization across many brands.
• Solid option for showrooms that design kitchens all day.

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve than lighter, concept-first tools.
• Higher cost than many general design platforms.
• Desktop workflow can limit flexibility for remote teams.

Pricing:$$$

8. Planner 5D

Best for: DIY homeowners who want an easy online kitchen planner with simple 3D views.

Overview: Planner 5D is an easy-to-use design app that lets you create rooms in 2D and view them in 3D.

It’s designed for beginners, so you can drag and drop items and change finishes without a long setup.

Many features depend on your plan, and advanced exports are typically tied to paid tiers.

Use it for quick kitchen concepts and layout ideas, not detailed professional specification work.

Key features:

• 2D and 3D modes for fast layout and visualization.
• Drag-and-drop workflow with templates to start quickly.
• Object library for cabinets, furniture, and decor.
• Higher-quality visual output options on paid plans.
• AI design wizard (paid plans)

Pros:

• Simple interface that works well for first-time users.
• Works across devices, which helps for quick edits.
• Good for early-stage ideas and basic space planning.

Cons:

• Limited professional-grade detailing for complex kitchen projects.
• Many useful features are locked behind paid tiers.
• Not built for client-ready professional presentation packages.

Pricing:Free–$

9. Homestyler

Best for: Designers and DIY users who want fast concept visuals and a big object library.

Overview: Homestyler is a browser-based design tool that supports 2D floor plans and 3D visualization for interior spaces.

It’s popular for quick kitchen concepts because you can place items fast and swap finishes without a steep learning curve.

Its library includes many ready-to-use models, including some real-brand products for staging.

Use it when you want presentable visuals quickly, not detailed construction drawings.

Key features:

• 2D planning with an easy, drag-and-drop workflow.
• 3D visualization with walkthrough-style viewing.
• Large model library, including some branded items.
• Material and finish swaps for fast option testing.
• DWG import and export options on supported plans.

Pros:

• Easy to learn for quick kitchen layouts and early concepts.
• Big library helps you stage a kitchen without modeling from scratch.
• Walkthrough-style views help clients understand the space.

Cons:

• Not built for cabinet-level specification or ordering workflows.
• Support and training can feel limited compared to pro-first platforms.
• Built mostly for interiors, there are limited exterior and site design options.

Pricing: $–$$

10. SmartDraw

Best for: Teams that need quick 2D diagrams, layouts, and schematic kitchen plans.

Overview: SmartDraw is a diagramming tool that can create simple floor plan style layouts using templates and symbols.

It’s best for communicating space planning and basic layouts when 3D visuals are not required.

Most users choose it for speed, not realism.

Use it when you need clean diagrams, accurate dimensions, and quick documentation, not photorealistic renderings.

Key features:

• Fast 2D layout creation with templates.
• Large symbol library for plans and diagrams.
• Simple sharing and collaboration options.
• Also works well for flow charts, plans, and schematic communication.

Pros:

• Very easy to use for quick layout and diagram needs.
• Templates help you produce a clean plan fast.

Cons:

• No 3D modeling or photorealistic rendering.
• Limited kitchen-specific tools for cabinets, appliances, and finishes.

Pricing: $

Start Creating Better Kitchen Designs Today

Whether you’re working on a new kitchen design or a remodel, choosing the best kitchen planner tool is critical. 

If you want the perfect balance of ease-of-use and professional capabilities, Cedreo is the perfect fit for you. 

• Quick and efficient design process with user-friendly tools
• Detailed, professional floor plan software
• Fast and high-quality 3D plans and visualizations that bring your ideas to life
• Extensive customizable library to suit any style or requirement

Want to see how Cedreo can help you create and sell more kitchen design projects? 

Try Cedreo for FREE today!

Kitchen Design Software FAQs