The best floor plan creator: draw every wall from a tape, or measure them all in one walk

The pick for each job

Picks from each company's own pages, checked November 8, 2026.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]} PlaceAnew facts from its features page.

Job	Pick	Why
A floor plan of a home that already exists	PlaceAnew	One walk measures every wall; plan, 3D, PDF and DXF free
Floor plans and diagrams on a computer, for an office or a team	SmartDraw	Precise 2D plans plus flowcharts and org charts, with Visio files and Office and Google add-ins
A free floor plan creator in the browser, with furniture	Floorplanner	Free for casual use, 260,000 3D models for every user
A plan drawn for you from your sketch or old plan	RoomSketcher	Its team redraws plans by the next business day
A 3D floor plan to decorate	Planner 5D	2D and 3D plans with 8,400+ furniture and decor items
Plans with reports and estimates for restoration and insurance	magicplan	Reports, estimates and Xactimate

The same home, two ways

Hand-measuring time from a US floor plan service's own page.^[8] Drawing steps from SmartDraw's, Floorplanner's and Planner 5D's own help pages.^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]}

Step	With a floor plan creator	With PlaceAnew
Measure	A tape or laser on every wall, each number written down: about 90 minutes on site for a 2,000 sq ft home, by one floor plan service	Walk the rooms once with a LiDAR iPhone or iPad
Draw	Draw each wall and type its length	Walls drawn and straightened as you walk
Doors and windows	Measure where each one sits, then place it	Found by the scan and placed
Rooms	Name each room; the area comes from the walls you drew	Every room named with its square footage, and the total
Files	What the plan you pay for allows	PDF report, SVG, DXF and USDZ, free

Planner 5D's own floor plan page says it plainly: for the most accurate result, record the wall lengths and the size and position of doors and windows with a tape measure or laser tool, then enter them.^[15] PlaceAnew's LiDAR Scanner takes those measurements while you walk.

In a 2026 peer-reviewed study, an app built on the same Apple RoomPlan technology went from scan to building model in 32 minutes, where laser scanning plus modelling by hand took 20 hours.^[16] In our office test, every wall we could compare came within 2.5 inches of our hand-measured plan.^[17]

How the floor plan creators compare

Rival facts from each company's pricing page, help center or US App Store listing, checked November 8, 2026.^{[9][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][7]} PlaceAnew facts from its features page and Terms of Use.

App	How the walls get in	Files	Cost
PlaceAnew	Measured in one walk with LiDAR	PDF report, SVG, DXF and USDZ, free	Free
SmartDraw	Drawn by you on a computer: the Add Wall tool and typed lengths, or typed measurements as Floor Plan Notation	VSDX, PDF, SVG, PNG and JPEG; 2D only	From $7.95 a month, billed yearly; 7-day free trial
Floorplanner	Drawn by you in the browser; free RoomPlan scan in Floorscanner	Free: watermarked SD images; PDF and DXF with a project upgrade	Free: 5 projects; upgrades in credits, 5 for $8.15
RoomSketcher	Drawn by you on a computer or tablet; FloorCapture LiDAR beta	JPG, PNG and PDF	Free: 10 projects, plans $4 a render; Pro $144 a year
Planner 5D	Drawn by you; Scan Room on LiDAR iPhones and iPad Pros	PDF on the web; DWG and DXF on Professional	Free; Premium $59.99 a year; Professional $399.99 a year
Live Home 3D	Drawn by you; Room Scanner on LiDAR iPhones and iPads	2D plans as PDF; USDZ and OBJ on Pro	Free: one project; Standard $59.99 lifetime
magicplan	Drawn or scanned in the app; LiDAR optional	PDF, SVG, DXF, USDZ and more	2 free projects; Sketch plan $12.99 a month

Why PlaceAnew is the best floor plan creator for a home that exists

• No tape, no typing. The LiDAR Scanner measures the walls, doors and windows as you walk, and the plan is drawn when you finish.
• Every room named and measured. Square footage for each room and the total, and a PDF with the property summary: total and livable area, perimeter, wall area, average ceiling height, door and window counts.
• 2D and 3D from the same walk. The 3D model shows the furniture the scan recognized; Walk replays your visit.
• Edit like a floor plan creator. Move walls, add or change doors and windows, rename rooms, move or delete furniture, and add 46 everyday pieces from Add › Objects. Earlier versions are kept.
• Honest about gaps. A wall the scan could not see is drawn dashed, and estimates are marked.
• Free files. PDF report, SVG drawing, DXF for CAD and USDZ 3D model. Scanning, floor plans, 3D, editing, the kitchen designer with prices and exports are free.

When a floor plan creator is the better tool

• A home that is not built yet. A new house, an addition or a layout from scratch is drawn, not scanned.
• No LiDAR device. Drawing works on any computer; PlaceAnew needs iPhone 12 Pro or a newer Pro model, or an iPad Pro from 2020 or later.
• Diagrams beyond floor plans. SmartDraw also draws site, evacuation and fire safety plans, flowcharts and org charts.^[2]

The floor plan creators, and where each is strongest

SmartDraw

Precise, scalable 2D drawings for construction, facility management, safety planning and estimates,^[1] with thousands of symbols^[1] and plans that go into Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs and Slides.^[1] PlaceAnew vs SmartDraw.

Floorplanner

Free for casual use in the browser, with 260,000 3D models for every user.^[4] HD to 8K images, PDF and DXF come with a one-time project upgrade.^[24] PlaceAnew vs Floorplanner.

RoomSketcher

An easy floor plan creator for professionals and homeowners; send a sketch and its team redraws the plan by the next business day for $38 a floor.^[5]

Planner 5D

2D and 3D plans with 8,400+ furniture and decor items, for design enthusiasts and beginners.^[6] PlaceAnew vs Planner 5D.

magicplan

Plans with reports, estimates and Xactimate for remodelers, restoration and claims pros.^[7] PlaceAnew vs magicplan.

Is there a free floor plan creator?

Yes, several. PlaceAnew is free for the scan, the plan, 3D, editing and every export. Floorplanner and Planner 5D have free plans with limits.^[23][32] What each free plan includes is in the best free floor plan app.

Questions people ask

How do I make a floor plan of my house?

With a LiDAR iPhone or iPad, walk through every room with PlaceAnew and the measured plan is drawn as you go. Without one, measure each wall and draw it in a floor plan creator. The steps are in how to make a floor plan from your phone.

Can PlaceAnew make a 3D floor plan?

Yes. The same walk gives the 2D plan and a 3D model with the furniture the scan recognized, and you can export the 3D as USDZ.

Can I draw a new house in PlaceAnew?

PlaceAnew starts from a scan of a real place. For a house that is not built yet, use a floor plan creator such as SmartDraw, Floorplanner or RoomSketcher.

Is PlaceAnew on the App Store?

Not yet. It is in early access through TestFlight; ask to join on the download page.