--- title: "Design Flex Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is Design Flex the right Architecture solution for you? Explore 357 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/218525/2020-Design-Live/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" --- Design Flex 4.3 (357) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/218525/2020-Design-Live/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated August 20th, 2026 # Reviews of Design Flex Ease of use 4.2 Customer Service 4.3 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews JD Jodi D Kitchen and Bath DesignerDesign, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “For the manufacturers that offer accurate pricing in their catalogs, it's great that you can get a price without having to enter it into the online portals of each manufacturer.“ April 27, 2026 JD Jodi D Kitchen and Bath DesignerDesign, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Some of these include: difficulty in getting printing/display settings right, strange ceiling lines that shouldn't be there (especially with different ht walls), difficulty in zooming in/out of renderings, limitation of catalogs available and the inability to customize (decorative) objects and appliances.“ April 27, 2026 KG Karly G PresidentDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “What I like most is its flexibility and the ability to quickly build detailed layouts that clients can easily visualize.“ March 19, 2026 KG Karly G PresidentDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Rendering can also be inconsistent, and while it’s good for general visuals, it doesn’t always deliver the level of realism clients expect.“ March 19, 2026 MG Michelle G Kitchen design ManagerRetail, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Mostly, I like the rendering quality and the ability to plug in full cabinetry manufacture catalogs for quick design and pricing“ August 25, 2025 KG Karly G PresidentDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Some of the features feel less intuitive than they should be, requiring extra steps.“ March 19, 2026 JM Jackie M Project AssistConstruction, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “What Design Flex offers us is the ability to design and order through our manufacturers with ease.“ May 15, 2026 BM Barb M Kitchen and Bath DesignerBuilding Materials, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “None of our designers have upgraded to the latest version V14.2 because of reports of the instability/ crashing or lack of control over cloud based items.“ September 18, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 357 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use C Michelle M. Designer Construction Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "2020 Live is the Go To for Kitchen and Bath" March 29, 2023 4.0 I have been using 2020 my whole career (30+ years). While all software has a learning curve and it's hiccups, I find that 2020 is one of the most organic to learn and it produces quality results. I cannot see a time when I will not be using some version of 2020 design software. Pros An oldie but a goodie, I love the split screen that lets me draw on both the floor plan and elevation simultaneously. I also make good use of the running line feature to accentuate my drawings. Sometimes, it is less about what wiz bang new feature that you made (i.e. VR goggles) and more about doing something simple and crushing it. Cons The main reason companies still utilize other programs like Mosaik is for the CNC connection. That is the biggest omission in features with 2020. Review Source CO CHARLES O. President and Design Consultant Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Wow Rendering Factor!" March 11, 2025 5.0 My experience has been fabulous. The entire transition has been seamless. Thank you so much! Pros Realistic rendering that replicates the space as envisioned. I also appreciate the fact that several materials and interior selections are available for me to use in the design. I am practically limited by my imagination. Cons Nothing of significance that I can highlight at this moment. Switched from [Chief Architect](https://www.capterra.com/p/80035/Chief-Architect/) Materials list and pricing are already built into the program. Review Source PM Patrick M. Kitchen Designer, Project Estimator Building Materials Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "It is okay at best." February 26, 2025 2.0 I have been a Kitchen Designer fo more than 20 years. It works okay but it is not my first choice. I truthfully get so angry at the bugs that I am not happy with the purchase. Pros The program has many features. It also has the ability to do a very nice and realistic 3D rendering. Cons I have used the 2020 software for many years and it was great until the new interface. I am not sure what happened but the the new system is vey buggy and the drag feature will often lose contol and the cabinet will disappear or just plain drop off the grid and reappear when doing a renering. Switched from [WPS Office](https://www.capterra.com/p/126794/WPS-Office/) I thought it was similiar to the old version. Review Source TZ Talha Z. Account Manager Retail Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Amazing software" May 5, 2026 5.0 My overall experience has been excellent, smooth, intuitive, and genuinely enjoyable to use. Thank you. Pros Design Flex is a fantastic, intuitive design software that makes complex tasks feel simple. It has quickly become an essential part of my workflow. Cons I haven't found any real issues so far. The software has met my expectations in every area, and any minor adjustments would simply be part of normal future improvements rather than actual shortcomings. Review Source KG Karly G. President Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great software I would recommend to designers" March 19, 2026 5.0 Overall, my experience with 2020 Design Flex has been positive. It remains a reliable and capable program that gets the job done and supports a professional design process. It’s a solid choice for designers who need both functionality and flexibility. Pros 2020 Design Flex has been a strong tool in my workflow, especially for kitchen and millwork design. What I like most is its flexibility and the ability to quickly build detailed layouts that clients can easily visualize. It tracks the time per design so there is no confusion when tracking your time. The cloud-based access is a big advantage, making it easy to work across devices without being tied to one computer. The catalog integrations are also helpful, allowing for relatively accurate specifications. When it works well, it really speeds up the design process and helps present a polished, professional package which I feel is great value for your money. Cons That said, there are definitely areas where it falls short. The software can be laggy at times, especially with more complex designs, which can interrupt workflow and slow things down. Some of the features feel less intuitive than they should be, requiring extra steps. Rendering can also be inconsistent, and while it’s good for general visuals, it doesn’t always deliver the level of realism clients expect. There are moments where I doo need to call into customer support however, the client support is amazing and the representatives are knowledgable. Review Source CC Cheryl C. Lead Designer Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Design Flex is a time saver" February 7, 2026 5.0 My overall experience with the software so far is positive. The program is powerful, intuitive, and reliable for detailed CAD work, and it handles complex designs smoothly. With the program priced at $2,500 per year, having to pay extra for assistance felt disappointing. The software itself is excellent, but including support would make the investment feel more complete. Pros This Software delivers a reliable intuitive platform that makes detailed design easy and work fast and accurate. The tools are precise, the interface is easy to navigate, and the 3D visuals help clients clearly understand the design. Downloading various catalogues increases the speed of pricing. Being a previous 20/20 user our lead is back on his game. I work in Mozaik by Cyncly. The company IS FANTASTIC. Cons My only disappointment is that support isn’t included. At $2,500 per year, having to pay extra for assistance feels out of step with the investment. The program is excellent, but built‑in support would make it a far better value. Review Source JH John H. Designer Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Lighting issues" February 12, 2026 4.0 Pros The snap alignment system work much more smoothly. The rendering system allows smoother rotation of the design to show customers. Cons The lighting feature is completely messed up. The ceiling light movement system from the earlier version is much better. Also, the sunlight placement system doesn't effect the lighting in the rendering system for image save purposes. Review Source MS Matt S. Kitchen and Bath Design Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Love using Design Flex" January 15, 2026 5.0 I've used 2020/Design Flex for many years (since 2007). It's gotten much easier to use over the years. Pros Ease of use and 3D renderings. The ease of adjusting heights, tilt, depth of field, etc. make showing a design fun. Cons Lighting is difficult to set up. Sometimes the renderings can be either bright/washed out or very dark. Review Source JH Joe H. Director of Sales and Marketing Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Powerful program that is easy to use" November 13, 2025 5.0 I just started working with 2020 this week and have already completed and priced out 4 kitchens. It has been much easier to get started than I could've expected. Pros As a first-time user of the program, I found Design Flex to be very intuitive to use. It was very easy to get started, and the ability to quickly show clients 3D color renderings was great. Cons The only difficult thing so far with Design Flex is that there is so much you can do. Learning it all will take a while. Review Source JM Jackie M. Project Assist Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great software for our business" May 15, 2026 5.0 So far I've had no problems with figuring things out from trial and error, but I do find that there is a lack of new up to date training videos online. Pros Super easy to get the hang of things. What Design Flex offers us is the ability to design and order through our manufacturers with ease. That does wonders for our company. Cons The program is a but pricey for a company of our size, but we aim to make the most of it and get our return on investment. The interface is decent enough, but not very modern. Review Source AH Adam H. Owner Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Time is money" March 28, 2025 5.0 The support and training materials are great and the software has sped up our process by at least 50% Pros They really streamlined the whole process for quick layout building and inserting textures. Cons Right after buying it, I watched the first video recommended to me and it was about the flex platform, but after reaching out to support, I found out I didn’t have access to it. Review Source cK ceylani K. Owner and Senior Designer Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Professional Designs, Through the Customer's Eyes" October 29, 2024 5.0 Pros 2020 Design Live has been a fantastic tool for our business. The software is user-friendly and intuitive, making it easy to create detailed and accurate designs. One of the standout features is how professional and presentable the designs look when we show them to our customers. The high-quality renderings allow clients to visualize their projects clearly, which builds confidence and excitement. We’ve been extremely satisfied with 2020 Design Live and highly recommend it to others in the design and construction field! Cons This isn’t a complaint, but more of a suggestion. I wish there was a way to use the 2020 Design program with a physical key version, as the new version seems to limit us, particularly with rendering. I may be missing some features, but aside from this, I have no issues. I’m not addressing price or cost here, as I've been using 2020 Design for many years and am very satisfied with it in those respects. You are currently ahead of your competitors, but in the future, you may lose customers to them if these limitations persist. Just some advice! Other than that, everything is great. Here's a refined suggestion for the 2020 Design program: To help us increase sales and provide our customers with a more complete view of their living areas, it would be incredibly beneficial to have a larger selection of standard items that can be easily added to our designs. This would allow us to showcase realistic living spaces, including the kinds of furniture, appliances, and accessories that customers might actually use. Having more ready-to-use items would also speed up our workflow, allowing us to complete designs more quickly and start on new projects sooner. Additionally, as more customers are sometimes overwhelmed by too many design options, it would be helpful if the program offered simple, preset style options—like modern, traditional, transitional, and European—that we could incorporate seamlessly. This would make it easier for us to create designs in line with specific themes, enhancing both our efficiency and our customers' experience. Overall, adding these features would make 2020 Design even more user-friendly for us and intuitive for our clients! Review Source ME Mahmoud E. Kitchen sales design Arts and Crafts Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Want to purchase 2020 design live" December 13, 2024 4.0 Working with 2020 more than 12 years It's goods for the bigger Pros Easy to design Very good rendering Easy to explain the design Cons Good Easy Attractive Very simple Rendering is good Review Source HS Holly S. Owner Operator Architecture & Planning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great Product" December 4, 2024 5.0 customer service was amazing. Personal guidance was invaluable Pros I love how easy it is to use and how lifelike the renderings are. Cons nothing about the product was inadequate Review Source TW Tambra W. President Construction Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Easy to use" November 19, 2024 5.0 I enjoy the whole designing process and simplicity of the program. Pros I like the renderings process and the ease of customizing the tool bar Cons Sometimes it over powers the computer but that is an issue on my end not 2020s Review Source lF lisa F. designer Building Materials Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "designer and sales" October 30, 2024 5.0 i'm still getting used to using it so not sure yet Pros i like the ease of cloud use compared to before Cons i wish there was more help available like a handbook Review Source DC Danitza C. interior designer and project manager Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "nice program" July 8, 2024 4.0 I was working the last 3 years in this program and is easy to get the basic but if you want something more standup you have to see a lot of tutorial or pay for training and is no the money is the time Pros I like that is easy to use on the basic design, you don't need to know much about program or kitchen to do a design in half an hour, for a basic presentation an estimate if you have the catalogs already installed. take time to do something more detailing but also easy to work just more time. love the countertop option, and most of the time use the SAMPLE-F base catalogs because I can change sizzes easily if I need it and color, and finished. Cons I hate that I cannot have the catalogs that I have it before, as the furniture, appliances, the cabinets companies, before was easy to get but now some doesn't works and I need it, but your team doesn't care much, the help is not much when you have question and I don't have time to see videos to research how to do something that I already have it on my setup. Review Source SB Simone B. Kitchen Designer Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2020 Kitchen Design " March 28, 2023 1.0 3D rendering for clients to show their kitchen and being able to price it, otherwise I hate being forced to use it. We hate the cloud browser. It crashes all the time. Lags all the time. Can't manipulate items to look for accurate or panel ready appliances. I'd give it a 2.5/10. Pros 3D rendering and our cabinet lines have their cabinetry that we're able to somewhat accurately show and price. Cons I honestly am frustrated daily having to use it. We HAVE to use it because of our cabinetry lines and pricing, but other than that I honestly do not like it. I absolutely cannot stand the cloud browser. You can't manipulate things if needed. There's panel ready appliances and yet you can't change it to reflect the color of the cabinets you're designing. The appliances in the cloud browser to actually put in an appliance cabinet takes FOREVER because you have to keep guessing where its going to land within the cabinet and then keep manipulating the cabinet to get to look remotely close vs when it was appliance catalogs in the local browser and it accurately attached to it. Sometimes the appliance in the drawing is floating somewhere else on the floor plan, but it's in the cabinet so you have to place it somewhere close and figure out where it actually is showing accurately in the cabinet. The decorative items and lighting sucks compared to before. Once you put a few cloud items in a drawing it repeatedly crashes or gets super laggy. You can't look at a 3D rendering and draw simultaneously because it lags so much. Placing items in the drawing will like swing in and out vs snapping to where it's suppose to go so for me to put in a soffit and move it in and out is nearly impossibly and takes forever to get it back into place. If there's internet issues and a drawing has cloud items, you literally cannot work within it because the cloud items don't load...the list goes on. Review Source SB Sherri B. Kitchen Designer Specialist Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Use the tools provided to you to give the best service you can give. " March 28, 2023 5.0 My experience with 20/20 Design Live has been positive so far. It offers a lot of things that I haven't even started to dig into. Everyday I learn something when I use it. Pros I am always blown away be how well it runs. So many of these types of programs go very slow lag freeze up. The Design Live actually for me works very well. Cons More affordable training. With sales slowing down there really isn't enough money to spend to learn how to actually use the program to it's full potential. You offer the classes in large towns but the cost to get there and then the cost of the training. It puts it out of reach for the people who could really benefit. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Kitchen Design Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2020 Design has learning curve, but worth the journey" March 28, 2023 4.0 I have been using 2020 design for nearly 20 years, I love that I can create a photo realistic model and accurate parts list/price list for my clients. I try to incorporate architectural features that are unique to their space to help make it feel like it is theirs. Pros 2020 Design is easy enough for a novice to start dragging and dropping cabinets to create a simple design and quote, but there are powerful features locked away that make it worth the time investment to get really familiar with the software Cons Some complain about the software crashes in 2020 Design, I have found this happens less often with newer versions of the software. By constructing your designs strategically, minimizing the rendering that happens behind the scenes and keeping an eye on the file size of imported models and materials, you can almost eliminate this problem. Review Source RV Robert V. President Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Speed" March 28, 2023 3.0 Frustrating but it’s a necessary evil if I want any chance of selling cabinets. Pros The kitchen and bath design from the architectural to the countertops makes jobs possible. Cons Stop focusing on “the bubbles in the glass of champagne” and focus on making the program faster. It lags, it shuts down, and trying to modify anything while having any cloud based features makes the rendering extremely slow. The developers are too focused on the gimmicky details, which I understand help sell, but for my purposes of designing a kitchen and showing basic drawings and a cool 3d rendering, it’s too slow for the money I paid. NOTE: I purchased a top of the line computer specifically for running your program and have a great internet connection. My complaints match all complaints by every user I have ever encountered. You are the only game in town so we are forced to use and just ask, beg you to try and find a way to make the program faster at the basics. Reason for choosing Design Flex Product/catalog support and it is the industry standard Review Source IH Iryna H. Director Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good, can be better" March 30, 2023 4.0 Pros Relatively easy to learn how to use. A lot of functions, options. Easy to instal and tweak. Allows a lot of customisations. Cons Very hardware demanding. Big designs crash program even with good hardware. Reason for choosing Design Flex Got used to it Review Source MV Martha V. owner Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2020 review" March 30, 2023 3.0 overall good. worst is the login in/out and lighting. Pros i like the ability to visualize the design with 3-d renderings. i appreciate cabinet catalogs include pricing to be able to price, design and visualization simultaneously. Cons support hours are too limited, most of us work weekends. logging out isn't always effective. often work at showroom them come home to work and though i believed i was logged out, it didn't complete so im stuck causing me to be behind. VERY frustrating. There should be a way to be able to access and override being login on another device without have to call during east coast hours to get logged out of device. Reason for choosing Design Flex I've been using 2020 for over 20 years and just the transition from one product over another is worrisome in regard to learning curve of another product. Review Source CR Cindy R. Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2020 could be better" March 28, 2023 3.0 When I started in the remodeling business, it was the first design program I learned and was fairly intuitive and easy to use. Since then I have used Chief Architect and while you need to know your cabinetry lines pretty well to know what you can and can't do, putting together a design and finishes are super easy and fast. Lighting effects are easier to control and the renderings are considerably better. Pros I have used 2020 for several years, not because I want to but because it is what my employer provides for our CAD program. I used to be very comfortable using it and hesitated using other programs. Teh customer support is very good and gets used several times a year. They are always quick to find the problem and correct it. Cons Too many steps to change a color or texture. Leaves weird shapes sometimes when you add walls to an already existing plan. Lighting is difficult to adjust to get good printed color images. Decorative and light fixtures items offered are odd, old and antiquated. System crashes too often. I have yet to figure out how to do the panoramic 360 views in the most recent version of the program. Duplication of items is cumbersome. Review Source CJ Christa J. Owner Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2020 Design Live is crucial for my business" March 28, 2023 5.0 Pros 2020 Design Live allows me to present my customers with plans for their kitchen remodeling projects complete with beautiful and realistic 3d renderings which assures that the customer gets exactly what they want and avoids costly mistakes. Cons The quoting system produces outdated, bulky quotes. If I could save all of my quotes through 2020 Live it would be a great asset, but as it is I find it better to generate my own quotes. Review Source Similar Products Featured