# Page 7 | Design Flex Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 7 - 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: https://www.capterra.com/p/218525/2020-Design-Live/reviews --- 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 March 13th, 2026 # Page 7 - Reviews of Design Flex ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 151-175 of 357 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use NB Natalie B. Cabinetry Division Operations Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Love 2020 Design Live" March 28, 2023 4.0 2020 has helped me to sell a $70k kitchen to a couple that the husband said was off the table in the beginning. The design and rendering I was able to show helped convince him that he could have a kitchen that was worth the price. Pros The ease of use from downloading catalogs to dragging and dropping into your design is great and easy to pick up. I like that dimensions and placement more accurate than say sketchup was. the rendering quality that comes automatically with 2020 is amazing and I like not having to buy and download a separate rendering software like I would with sketchup. Cons I notice that when adding more final touches with the sketchup warehouse, 2020 glitches alot. I also wish they did a better job with the default 2020 textures. I also wish they had a wider and more updated selection on 2020 default catalogs for plumbing fixtures, appliances, etc... Reason for choosing Design Flex 2020 is fast, easy to use, and a great overall product for anything cabinetry. Review Source LJ Laila J. Interior Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A weekly user's perpective" March 28, 2023 4.0 Pros 3D rendering is the most impactful feature. It has improved a lot since I started using it. It has some room for improvement still on adding more furnishings, making lighitng a little bit more automated and easy to use. Cons I can't seem to build large spaces (full main floor of home) without crashing Alternatives considered [SketchUp](https://www.capterra.com/p/211798/SketchUp/) Reason for choosing Design Flex Because I can quote cabinetry from my vendors Review Source RK Rushikesh K. Content Engineer Design Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "2020 Design Live Catalog Author and Tester " July 7, 2023 4.0 Pros Complete Visualization of Cloud Catalogs products in 2D and 3D view with multiple rendering options is great and all of this without any physical key but by just getting access via Login ID and Password is seamless experience Cons As a tester I certainly feel most of the things/feature of this 2020 Design Live software great to good on scale. All the necessary things are already available there in 2020 Design Live with just click of buttons. The things or few small issue which this tool has are already in improvement and resolutions stages so that Software could enhanced more and more Reason for choosing Design Flex The ease with which Client/User/Author could handle and see 2020 Design Catalogs is great and all of these with on Cloud content is impressive as cloud is the future Review Source AC Aina C. Residential Cabinet Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The most important tool!" March 28, 2023 4.0 Great!!Love doing this and learn something new all the time. Pros Love the flexibity and tools, some of which I don't even know how to use! the cloud catalogs are great and full of product. 360 rendering a big plus!Many tools to search for solutions and the you tube videos, etc. are very informative. Keep them coming!! Cons The inability to modify items from the cloud.the occasional crash. Review Source II Ivymar I. President Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Love the realistic design" March 28, 2023 3.0 The clients love the almost realistic views. Pros I love the fact that you can put in textures so it gives amore realistic view of the project. Cons I struggle with the rendering quality. Not sure if it’s the view card but the rendering can be low quality at times especially when you add a texture. It shows very stripey. Review Source AMY Ann Marie Y. Kitchen Designer Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Using 2020 design LIve" March 28, 2023 5.0 Pros the color and quality of the renderings, the ease of movement and detailing of the plans Cons I think any type of of improvement to a program will help any designer sell their project. Review Source FF Fioraliz F. Sales Representative Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Continued Improvement!" March 28, 2023 5.0 Overall 2020 live is a much better experience than the previous (non live) versions. The program does not crash like it used to. Pros I appreciate the ease of use of the program, all the design features that allow for quick and efficient production of designs. I see how 2020 as a company continues to improve and listen to the feedback that its users provide. Cons A quickbooks, or other accounting software, integration would be nice to see. The rates option in the catalog manager is hard to use, it would be great if there was a manual, a cheat sheet, or other instructions to give users an idea of how to properly set rates. Switched from [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) Because I needed cabinetry specific software and autocad was too broad. Review Source TM Tina M. Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Seasoned 2020 User" April 11, 2023 4.0 Overall, I love the program. I wish there was a way to improve it so it would not crash as often as it does. Pros 2020 is so easy to learn and use. We use it exclusively for our designs and estimating. The 3D images are beautiful and customers love this feature. Cons Still, after many versions and updates, the program still crashes. And not with everything on the cloud, if there is an internet issue, the cloud is not available which is a bummer. Inserting and using images from Sketchup doesn't work most of the time. Review Source PH Pat H. Owner Architecture & Planning Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Software needs an update." March 28, 2023 5.0 It's been ok. The cost is extreme for the product and the features. A subscription should include three users for the money. The functionality of the program is decent, but the default display settings in the layout area need adjustments every time. The ability to save those settings is nice, but I would like to avoid all the cleanup, especially with dimensions. Pros Good catalog implementation. Functionality keeps improving with updates, but the new update is rather unstable. Cons The new update is prone to crashing. I would like to sign-out of my account without the need to go to the website. The rendering is ok, but requires a bunch of work to get it presentation ready. Reason for choosing Design Flex Only product supported by our vendor. Review Source sE shaundra E. Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great product and ease of use." March 28, 2023 4.0 Its a great program. I remember back in the 80's when 20/20 was owned by Egghead software. 20/20 has come a long way. Pros Accuracy and ease of use are great with the 20/20 live. Cons Very few cons that I could locate. Design does sometimes lag in keeping up with up loading products for view from the cloud. Review Source CS Christina S. Designer Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Disappointed" March 29, 2023 2.0 Not great. Very frustrating. Pros Design 2020 is fairly easy as a new user. I appreciate the easy access to videos and explanations on how to do specific functions. Cons I think more catalog items should be added to create more personalized feel for each client. My biggest disappointment, however, is how often 2020 crashes on me. I can't even count the amount of times I've been mid-design and the program will crash on me. In some cases, my whole design ends up corrupting and upon opening the design I will receive an error message telling me the file is no longer compatible with Design 2020. If I add more than 3 or 4 catalog items it will crash. Sometimes when adding Countertops & Trims I will click the "Add" button and it will crash. Occasionally, the recovery file will save me from having to redo my entire design, but that is not always the case. I've had at least 4 designs that I've had to redo from scratch because the program crashes and corrupts the file. Review Source BW Brenda W. Kitchen Design Consultant Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Deka Home Building Center - Carp, ON" March 28, 2023 4.0 I've been using 2020 Design for 20+ years and I love how I can transport my clients' ideas into a kitchen or bath design. I once had a client say "How did you get in my head" when I put her tiles, countertop and design ideas into the program. Pros I use the decorative items from the 2020 Cloud catalog often in my renderings. I like the flexibility in the attributes that can be tweaked to make the drawings lifelike. Cons Not too much to complain about, I've never had any issues. Review Source VS Veronica S. Owner Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2020 Features Help Me Close Sales" September 10, 2023 5.0 Pros Being able to show customers in the design as if they were there with realistic room images and features. Cons Price is high. The program glitches so it is imperative to continually remember to push the save button. Review Source MK Marlo K. Kitche Designer Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My review " March 28, 2023 4.0 Overall it has been a good experience. Pros That i was able to design on other computers w/ out having to bring the dongle with me. Cons If the internet is down then the program is not able to be accessed. It hasn't really been a problem though, Review Source JP Jake P. Kitchen designer Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Sold millions of dollars in cabinets with 2020" March 28, 2023 5.0 Overall I am happy with it, it is as easy as breathing. Pros I find it very easy and intuitive working with various manufactures brands. Cons I wish it would always price out different manufactures kitchens correctly, like Mouser, Cabico or Showplace.The automatic countertop, molding feature is antiquated and needs a complete redo. Review Source LL Leota L. Outside Sales Rep Building Materials Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Still a fan after all of these years" March 28, 2023 5.0 The customers are very savvy and need to see detail. I am able to paint a true picture of what their space is going to be. I know longer have to rely on the customer having to use their imagination. 2020 Design Live also eliminate the imagination envisioning something in the plan that is NOT there. A great tool to manage expectations. 2020 Design Live brings to the eyes what will be built in the future and is easy to use. Pros I have used 2020 for many and it has grown with in and for my customers. The ease of use and to see the detail allows the buyers to see what they could never see before, now my designs sell themselves. Cons setting up and updating pricing is not user friendly or easy to understand. I'm not a computer person, I am a designer and getting the pricing set up still is a challenge. Review Source mS michelle S. Administrator/designer Construction Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Honest review" March 28, 2023 3.0 It is pretty easy to pick up and learn if you watch the videos. I don't find it easy to search a specific thing in help. Pros It supports the catalogues of the lines I sell. Cons I don't like that if my internet is down it does not work, this is very frustrating when at work and the internet is down. I don't like that settings are not saved for updates and that it will load a new version in addition to the old version leaving both on the computer. Presets are not saved, logo is not saved and I have to go in and redo everything. I have never seen a software before this that didn't save those things. As a result I am always reluctant to do updates as a result. Software is too expensive to not have this feature. Review Source LJ Lee J. Designer Construction Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My 2020 Review" April 19, 2023 4.0 Best sales and design tool available Pros Best tool available for designing cabinetry. Cons Seems like kind of a kluge sometimes, quirky menus that took some getting used to. It would be easier to learn if more Microsoft command structure was used. Also, you could steal some ideas from Autocad. It would be great to be able to custom design cabinets. Review Source JP Joshua P. Principal Partner Building Materials Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Quick review" May 17, 2023 5.0 Pros Design & pricing take more time than anything else in this industry. I appreciate the ability to price accurately within the design process. Cons It would be super helpful to have an estimating feature within 2020 that would allow for quick estimates that doesn't require designs for them. Estimates are something missing in this program and knowing how many manufacturers and dealerships use this program I believe this could be a huge feature for both the dealer/salespersons and the customers. Review Source RR Robin R. Owner and Designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great product great support" March 28, 2023 5.0 I use this everyday to design kitchens bathrooms and other rooms for my clients. I have found it easy to use and when I get stuck the tech support has been amazing Pros It was easy to learn and I'm always learning more. The Tech Support is the best in the industry Cons Multiple nuances that I still have yet to overcome in terms of creating an end result with exact colors and materials Review Source SG Seth G. Lead Designer Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "2020 is always improving and benefitting from user suggestions" March 28, 2023 4.0 Overall, I enjoy using 2020 design day to day. It's relatively easy to use and show. Wish there was a mac version. I'm forced to own and use a windows pc just to use this program. Please look for ways to diversify the software into different platforms. A light version for Ipad Pro would be a great option as well. Pros 2020 design lets me show people who can't picture color changes or 2d elevations in their mind. It allows for almost photo perfect renderings to help sell your vision. Cons 2020 can be buggy at times, "suffering fatal error" that shuts the program down. Maybe it's my computer but other programs do not cause the same issues. Review Source LB Larissa B. Owner and lead designer Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Elevates my work" March 28, 2023 5.0 I can bring my designs to life with accuracy visually and schematically. It’s easy to use and is a very professional program. Pros I love the rendering and ability to accurately draw my spaces. Love the huge portfolio online to use. Cons It can freeze and quit if I’m overloading it with too many functions. Reason for choosing Design Flex Experience with it, my fabricator had a catalog and I love the rendering. Review Source AB Angela B. Kitchen and Bath Designer Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Just not there yet" March 29, 2023 2.0 I am moving away from 2020 and all the employers in which I recently had interviews also have departed ways with 2020. Chief Architect produces better quality renderings and offers more flexibility. Pros 2020 is easy to use and all of our cabinet manufacturers have developed catalogs that are essential to our work. Cons The renderings are just not that impressive and the materials such as decorative accents provided by 2020 have not changed in the last 15 years that I have been using the program. Importing materials is tricky, time consuming and lack-luster in effect. Reason for choosing Design Flex We thought it was an industry standard but times are changing. Review Source LB Leonardo B. OWNER / LEAD DESIGNER Building Materials Used the software for: 2+ years ### "2023 review" March 28, 2023 5.0 Very satisfied. Wish there was a PDF option to do presentation sheets that show door style, trim, hardware schedules. I have to copy my renderings to Bluebeam to set up. Having to use 2 softwares to achieve end result is time consuming. Pros Easy to work, presentations look good in black and white. Cons Needs improvement with quality renderings including lighting, shading, shadows , textures. Perhaps i haven't recieved a good refressher course on textures, lighting, etc. Reason for choosing Design Flex 2020 Kitchen Design is what I'm use to with all my previous employers. Review Source AC Amber C. Director of Design Design Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Satisfied with room for improvement " June 28, 2024 4.0 Overall I happy with it but would like to see small improvements. Pros The graphics quality is improving which is my number 1 Pro. Cons The search feature for the cloud items is so much harder than previous versions, not very user friendly. You have to scroll through hundreds of items to find what you are looking for now. The search bar keeps erasing what you type which is hard to navigate. Review Source Similar Products Featured