# Chief Architect Home Designer Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra > With the help of Capterra, learn about Chief Architect Home Designer Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Home Builder products and more. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/152727/Home-Designer/alternatives --- # Chief Architect Home Designer Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on March 13, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Chief Architect Home Designer ## What is Chief Architect Home Designer? Home Designer is the top-rated 3D software for home design, interior design, and outdoor living projects. ## What is Chief Architect Home Designer used for? [Home Builder](https://www.capterra.com/home-builder-software/) Overall rating Based on 9 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- Starting price $129 Flat Rate, One Time Free trial available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Chief Architect Home Designer?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=http://www.chiefarchitect.com/&name=Chief Architect Home Designer) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Chief Architect Home Designer 4.2 (9) VS. [### Kukun](https://www.capterra.com/p/159521/Kukun/) [5.0 (4)](https://www.capterra.com/p/159521/Kukun/#reviews) Starting Price $129 Flat Rate, One Time Starting Price $5000 Per User, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 3.8 (9) Ease Of Use 5.0 (4) Value For Money 3.8 (8) Value For Money 5.0 (4) Customer Service 3.0 (6) Customer Service 5.0 (4) ## Chief Architect Home Designer alternatives [CHS](https://www.capterra.com/p/151857/CHS/) [0.0](https://www.capterra.com/p/151857/CHS/#reviews) Starting price $50.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 0% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/151857/CHS/) ## Pricing Value for money 3.8 (8) Free Trial Free Version [View pricing plan details](https://www.capterra.com/p/152727/Home-Designer/pricing/) Home Designer Suite $129.00 Flat Rate,One Time Home Designer Architectural $249.00 Flat Rate,One Time Home Designer Pro Rent $59.00 Flat Rate,Per Month Home Designer Pro $595.00 Flat Rate,One Time Value for money 3.8 (8) 3.8 Based on 8 reviews Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 3.0 (6) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 3.0 (6) 3.0 Based on 6 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.2 Based on 9 reviews Filter by rating 5(4) 4(4) 3(0) 2(1) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent BR Bas R. Architect student Architecture & Planning ### "Chief architect" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 6/10 October 18, 2022 Overall really good! Im a student and I would love to work more with chief my next years Pros Its easy in use. Easy to make beautiful designs Cons There is nothing I dislike from this software. Maybe only the price Switched from [Enterprise Architect](https://www.capterra.com/p/78757/Enterprise-Architect/) Because I ended my internship and now Im working at a different company Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Shujjah K. Manager Information Technology and Services ### "Personal Experience of using Chief Architect Home Designer Software" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 17, 2022 My overall experience is totally based on my professionalism and it is worth using this software especially if you want high level of accuracy in a minimum of time Pros I am a professional Architect and I originate this software informal to comprehend and consumption specifically through the 3D prospective are available which can be view in fragmented screen alongside with finished floor plan, including detailed Quantity Calculation feature which is enriched and most accurate. Tutorial videos and instructional guidelines helps the user to design rapidly Cons Not very much, i eagerly navigate to search for cons in the software while using it, and just found that Versions are up dated in very short time which leads to add some extra time to work out the commands Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AU Anonymous User CFO Construction ### "Overall good product" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 August 9, 2021 Overall I am happy with the product. More instruction on designing decks would be helpful. Pros We design decks with the software. The program does what I need it to. The price was good. Cons There is a definite learning curve and I am still learning! Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. LQ LAURA Q. Interior Designer Design ### "A good affordable option for a small business or individual proprietor" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 May 28, 2021 Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase and feel that it's well priced for what I get. Pros I'm an interior designer and I love the fact that I can create 3D renderings from a floor plan with the push of a button. The ability to customize with materials that can easily uploaded enables me to give clients a very realistic view of what the space will look like, and it was fairly easy to learn the user interface. I use the Home Designer Pro version which can be purchased on a monthly rental-to-own plan that mad it easy to afford. Their partnerships with vendors like Kohler, Wayfair, Pental Quartz and Benjamin Moore mean that some of the materials that I use frequently are already in the library (once you download it once). Cons 1) My number one issue is that the materials library, while vast, seems very outdated in terms of the style of furniture and finishes offered (like from the 1980's and 90's). It takes a good deal of hunting to find things that reflect today's design aesthetic, but at least the outdated stuff can be modified in size and finish to more closely resemble things from this century. It would be great to have the ability to very quickly and easily favorite items so that we can create our own shortlists of the items we use frequently. 2) Getting the hang of the various 3D view capabilities took quite a while (tilt vs. pan, etc.) and the walls seem to get in the way when viewing rooms in 3D making navigation feel awkward. 3) It'd be great if they offered a default for Interior Designers that would adjust the settings to only show interior dimensions in inches, no roof lines, etc. at the push of a button. This is something that the new user needs to set-up when they get the software, so not a huge deal, but... Alternatives considered [SketchUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/211798/SketchUp/) [RoomSketcher](https://www.capterra.com/p/164021/RoomSketcher/) [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) Reasons for choosing Chief Architect Home Designer Affordable but with robust capabilities. Push-of-a-button 3D rendering from a floor plan. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RA Ray A. President Construction ### "EASE OF USE" 2.0 Overall Rating 2.0 2.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 2.0 2.0 Customer Service 2.0 2.0 Likelihood to Recommend 2/10 March 22, 2019 Their upgrades seem to mostly cosmetic than ease of function. Pros Wall tools and the dimension child buttons Cons Roof tool hard to work with. Not easy to manually draw when the automatic roof doesn't get it. No cad blocks for section drawings witch should be included if you want to summit the drawings to a building department. Only prints on 18"x 24" sized paper, 1/4" scale house drawings won't print with out reducing the scale. Radio buttons have a mind of there own, not always working when you click on them. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Response from Vendor April 2, 2019 Thank you for the feedback. Our Chief Architect Premier version contains hundreds of CAD blocks for plan details, wall sections, roof eave details and much more. This version also has unlimited print size including 24" X 36" Arch D paper size or larger. Information on this product can be found at chiefarchitect.com It appears that you are using our Home Designer Pro version which is in our DIY product line. AU Anonymous User Database Administrator Environmental Services ### "Why Pay an Expensive Architect?" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 January 28, 2019 I wanted to create a strawbale, net-zero home in Colorado that would harness the energy of the sun to handle the majority of my heating needs in the harsh winters and still stay cool in the summer. I also wanted something specific to my wants (indoor root cellar, walk-in multi-head shower, dry sauna, open kitchen/living area design, etc.). Not only did I save several thousand dollars in architect expenses and was able to create exactly what I wanted, I had fun throughout the entire process. By the time I reached version 11 of the house we were ready to build. Had I gone through an architect I doubt I would have the awesome place that I have. Pros Was able to design (then later build) a home unique to my personality and needs rather than hiring an architect who would start with a template and tweak it using his/her recommendations. Ended up creating something exceptional while saving thousands of dollars on architect expenses. Can immediately see the results in three-dimensional view. That is a powerful feature for viewing the effects of each modification. Can also change camera angles with the movement of a mouse. Drag-and-drop feature of any object (walls, windows, cabinets, sinks, etc.). The easy-to-use library allows the user to search for a particular object and offers a variety of similar objects to choose from. Could easily change the materials of an object, such as choosing the type of wood for cabinets. Could also change the features of objects in the library, such as number, sizes, and types of drawers in a cabinet. With a few clicks I could repaint the entire interior or change turn the place into a log cabin. Cons Required me to upgrade my computer to one with a higher-end video card, but I was due for a new computer. Took a couple days to learn the software before becoming proficient. Advanced features require a higher version of the software to purchase, such as viewing the angle of the sun at different times of the day at various times of the year. Would be nice to be able to purchase such features individually like an add-on. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AU Anonymous User CEO/Chief Estimator Construction ### "Almost all there..." 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 2.0 2.0 Likelihood to Recommend 6/10 December 3, 2018 I bought this software years ago, updated it until 2016. I use it mostly for interiors now, cabinets and remodels. Not sure I would buy this again, I would need to see who is eating their lunch, because CA does not seem to be keeping up Pros It's fairly easy to get started with this software. It was also easy to make axon models (renderings) in several 'styles'. I also likes the automatic supply lists. Cons It's not easy to get this software to really do the jobs you want. It's always 'almost' there. Renderings are good, being able to manipulate each room a sa room, not part of a house would be a really good thing! It's also a REAL resources hog!! I have a new workstation with oodles of power and it STILL can't seem to get out of it's own way. Customer service is no-existent. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. PP patricia p. bookkeeper/design work Construction ### "Home Designer 2018" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 October 24, 2018 My customers love what we can do with their project. 3D views, colors, texture, furniture placement-one of the best ever Pros Similar to previous versions of Home Designer, very easy to navigate, customer loves the variety of options to design Cons There is nothing that I don't like about this program. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. DF Danielle F. Human Resources Construction ### "Nice program to see final design" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 April 8, 2018 Affordable product that helps figure out square footage. Pros This program is very helpful with building rooms and calculating square footage. Also helpful with giving our clients an idea of what the outcome of their project will look like. And the price is affordable. Cons There are not enough options in the catalog. But for the price, we can't expect it to have too many options. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. 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