Pick SketchUp if you want to sketch, model and present ideas quickly in 3D, on the web, an iPad or a desktop, without learning a full building information modelling (BIM) system. Pick Revit if you're an architect, engineer or contractor who needs one intelligent model that drives drawings, schedules and coordination across disciplines. They also talk to each other: Revit links SketchUp's SKP files, and SketchUp's Studio plan can import Revit files.
I read Trimble's SketchUp home, plans and SketchUp for Web pages, then Autodesk's Revit overview and features pages. The two tools often get compared as rivals, but their own pages describe very different jobs.
SketchUp and Revit side by side
| SketchUp | Revit | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Trimble | Autodesk |
| Main job | Fast 3D design and visual communication | BIM for architecture, structure and MEP |
| Where it runs | Web and iPad on Go; desktop modeler from Pro; Studio is Windows only | Desktop software, installable on up to 3 computers per subscription |
| 2D drawings | LayOut, included from the Pro plan | Documentation generated from the model |
| File exchange | Studio imports Revit files | Imports, exports and links IFC, 3DM, SKP, OBJ and STEP |
| Extending it | 600+ extensions in the Extension Warehouse | Dynamo, API access and the Autodesk App Store |
| Free option (as of October 2026) | Free trial; SketchUp for Web is a simplified version of the desktop app | Free trial |
Where SketchUp earns its place
Trimble pitches SketchUp at architects, builders, interior designers, urban planners and woodworkers who want to turn ideas into buildable 3D models with intuitive tools. Its plans page splits the product three ways. Go is for essential 3D design on iPad and the web only. Pro adds the desktop 3D modeler, 2D documentation with LayOut, quick climate insights with PreDesign and access to more than 1,000 extensions. Studio adds point cloud modelling and Revit file import, and it's Windows only.
The other thing people underrate is the library. SketchUp's 3D Warehouse holds millions of pre-built models and materials, so you can furnish a room or drop in doors and fences instead of modelling everything from scratch. For a designer selling a concept to a client, that speed is the whole point.
What Revit does that SketchUp doesn't
Autodesk describes Revit as the place where architects, engineers and construction teams design, coordinate and deliver projects. Walls, doors and windows are parametric components in an open, parameter-rich system. It has separate toolsets for architectural design, structural engineering (including analytical models and rebar detailing) and MEP engineering, plus worksharing so a team can sync to one central model.
Revit also leans into analysis. Autodesk lists Insight for daylighting and whole-building energy, an embodied carbon add-on and Generative Design, which produces design alternatives from goals and constraints you set. Dynamo, an open source visual programming tool, installs with Revit for automating repetitive BIM work.
The file link most comparisons skip
You don't always have to choose. Revit's overview says it imports, exports and links SKP files alongside IFC, OBJ and STEP. Going the other way, SketchUp's Studio plan lists importing Revit files into SketchUp. Together, these two features make a hand-off workable: sketch early ideas in SketchUp, then move the project to Revit once it needs coordinated drawings.
One licensing detail is worth knowing before you buy. Autodesk says a Revit subscription can be installed on up to 3 computers, but only the named user can sign in and use it on a single computer at any one time.
How to decide
- Do you mostly need visuals and concept models for clients? Start with SketchUp.
- Do you produce construction documents that structural and MEP engineers also work in? That's Revit's job.
- Do you work on an iPad or in a browser? SketchUp's Go plan covers that; Revit is desktop software.
- Do you receive Revit models from partners? Check whether SketchUp Studio's Revit import, which is Windows only, covers your files.
- Not sure yet? Both offer a free trial, so test each one on a real project.
If you're also experimenting with AI tools for client visuals, see my guide to AI tools for mocking up rooms, and this list of places to make 3D models with AI for quick concept work.
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My advice on SketchUp or Revit
If you're a designer, builder or small studio that needs to show ideas fast, SketchUp is the easier place to start and it'll pay you back in speed. If your drawings have to coordinate with engineers and feed a construction set, Revit is the tool your industry expects, and its BIM depth is the reason. You can also use both: SketchUp for early concepts and client conversations, Revit once the project needs one coordinated model.
Do you make 3D design or BIM software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Can Revit open SketchUp files?
Yes. Autodesk says Revit imports, exports and links common BIM and CAD formats including SKP, the SketchUp format, as well as IFC, 3DM, OBJ and STEP.
Can SketchUp open Revit files?
SketchUp's Studio plan lists importing Revit files into SketchUp. Trimble notes that Studio is Windows only.
Is SketchUp BIM software?
SketchUp describes itself as 3D design software for turning ideas into buildable models. Revit is the one Autodesk positions as BIM software with intelligent design and documentation.
Does SketchUp work on an iPad?
Yes. SketchUp's Go plan is for iPad and web, and the Pro plan adds the desktop modeler.
How many computers can I install Revit on?
Autodesk says a Revit subscription can be installed on up to 3 computers, but only the named user can sign in and use it on one computer at a time.
