Free CAD software for house plans, compared

A house plan isn’t just a picture of rooms. Before you pick a tool, think about what you’ll hand to a builder, a lender or a plan reviewer, then check for these:

• Dimensioned 2D sheets. Floor plans, elevations and a site plan with dimensions someone can build from. A 3D model helps you see the space, but plan sets are usually 2D sheets.
• A real scale. You should be able to set a scale, like 1/4 inch to the foot, and print at it.
• PDF output. Plan sets usually travel as PDFs or prints. Check whether the free option exports PDF, or only images.
• File formats. If a designer or engineer will open your files, ask whether they need DWG or DXF.
• Learning curve. Precise drafting programs reward patience. Room planners get a layout on screen quickly but give you less control over the drawing.
• Platform. Windows, Mac, Linux or a browser tab. Some tools run on one; some run almost anywhere.
• Free-plan limits. Project caps, watermarks, missing exports and commercial-use rules.

Here’s how the well-known free options compare as of September 2026, based on each vendor’s own website. Free plans change, so check the vendor’s site before you commit.

SketchUp Free

SketchUp Free is the browser version of a well-known 3D modeler, handy for massing a house and trying rooflines. Trimble says the free plan isn’t for commercial use.

Sweet Home 3D

Sweet Home 3D is free, open-source software for drawing your house plan, furnishing it and seeing it in 3D. You draw walls with precise dimensions and can add dimension lines and room areas.

FreeCAD

FreeCAD is a free, open-source parametric 3D modeler with a built-in BIM workbench for buildings. You model in 3D, then make dimensioned 2D drawing pages from the model. It can do a lot, and it takes time to learn.

LibreCAD

LibreCAD is a free, open-source 2D CAD program that works in DXF. It suits people who want to draft every line themselves, the way you would on a drafting board.

QCAD Community Edition

QCAD is another open-source 2D CAD program. The free Community Edition saves DXF, exports PDF and prints to scale; DWG support comes with the paid Professional edition.

Floorplanner

Floorplanner runs in your browser with nothing to install. You draw in 2D and click to see the plan in 3D. Its help center says PDF export needs purchased credits.

Planner 5D

Planner 5D is a home design app for the web and mobile, in 2D and 3D. The free plan includes unlimited projects and half of the furniture catalog.

Start from what you need at the end, not from the feature list.

• A quick layout to think with. Floorplanner or Planner 5D gets rooms on screen fast. Check the export limits before you rely on one for final drawings.
• Seeing the house in 3D. Sweet Home 3D shows a 3D view while you draw the plan. If you want a free SketchUp alternative for home design, it’s one to try. SketchUp Free itself works in a browser for non-commercial projects.
• Precise 2D drafting. LibreCAD and QCAD Community Edition are built around exact lines and dimensions, saved as DXF. Start there if you want free drafting software for house plans or an AutoCAD alternative for floor plans.
• A 3D model with drawings from it. FreeCAD, if you’re ready to learn a parametric modeler.
• A permit-style sheet set. Look for sheets with a title block, a sheet index and PDF export of the whole set. AI CAD PRO is built around that. Read the building permit drawings checklist first so you know which sheets to plan for.
• A Mac or Linux computer. Sweet Home 3D, FreeCAD, LibreCAD and QCAD run on macOS and Linux as well as Windows, and the browser tools run anywhere. AI CAD PRO is Windows only today.

AI CAD PRO is our free 2D CAD software for house plans on Windows. Describe what you want to its AI assistant, Astra, and it draws editable CAD objects: walls, rooms, doors, windows, dimensions and notes. You can also draw and edit by hand, with polylines, arcs, hatching and leaders.

One project holds the whole set: a cover sheet, sheet index, site plan, floor plan, electrical plan, solar sheets, one-line diagrams, elevations and sections, each with a title block. Attach a survey, plat or other PDFs and images for reference. Print preview matches the exported PDF on Letter, Tabloid or Arch D paper, and drafting checks catch problems like overlapping notes.

The limits, plainly:

• Windows only. There’s no Mac, Linux or browser version today.
• 2D only. It isn’t a 3D modeler or a BIM tool, and it doesn’t make photo renders.
• The assistant needs a ChatGPT plan or an OpenAI API key. Sign in with ChatGPT in Settings, and requests count toward your plan’s limits, or connect an API key billed by OpenAI. AI CAD PRO doesn’t charge for AI.
• PDF out, no DWG. It exports PDF sheet sets. It can’t open DWG files, but you can attach an ASCII DXF as a reference.
• No compliance guarantee. Drafting checks aren’t a code review, and no software can promise a permit.