Best Landscape Design Software (2026): 9 Tools Compared

A garden plan has one thing a room plan doesn't: it keeps changing. Plants grow, shade moves across the lawn through the day, and the hedge you planted small will one day be taller than you. Good garden design software helps you picture that before you dig.

Here are nine tools in no particular order, sorted alphabetically, from simple garden planners to professional design programs. Each description comes from the tool's own website, re-checked today. I could only confirm nine, so this list stops there rather than padding it out. If you're turning garden design into a business, my guide to starting a landscaping business covers the side that isn't about plants.

Garden and outdoor design tools at a glance

In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site describes a free plan, free tier or free demo, Trial only means a time-limited free trial, and No means the site points you to a demo instead.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
DynaScape	Design and business software	Garden design software for professionals	Trial only
GardenPuzzle	Online garden design app	Garden plans with a free demo version	Yes
Homestyler	Online 3D home design	Free 3D design including outdoor spaces	Yes
Lands Design	3D outdoor design software	3D design for garden professionals	Trial only
Planner 5D	Home and outdoor planner	2D and 3D yard and patio plans	Yes
Planter	Garden planner app	Vegetable garden planning on app and web	Yes
PRO Landscape+	Design software with AI	Design with AI features for garden businesses	No
SimplyScapes	AI outdoor design	AI design for landscapers and homeowners	Yes
Vectorworks Landmark	Professional design CAD	Design and documentation for professionals	Trial only

Nine garden and outdoor design tools

DynaScape

Best for: Professionals who want design software with business management tools built in, with a free trial offered on its site.

GardenPuzzle

Best for: Homeowners who want to lay out a garden with plants and accessories, starting from the free demo tier before moving up.

Homestyler

Best for: Homeowners who want a free 3D design tool that also covers outdoor planning, with community add-ons available to buy.

Lands Design

Best for: Architects and garden designers who want 3D landscape design software, with a free 60 day trial offered on the site.

Planner 5D

Best for: Homeowners who want to plan yards, patios and other outdoor spaces in 2D and 3D, starting from a free plan.

Planter

Best for: Home gardeners who want a simple garden planner on phone or web, with a free forever plan that covers one garden.

PRO Landscape+

Best for: Garden design businesses that want design software with AI features; its site points visitors to a demo rather than a free trial.

SimplyScapes

Best for: Landscapers and homeowners alike, as the site says it's built for landscapers and loved by homeowners, with a free plan to start.

Vectorworks Landmark

Best for: Professional designers who need to sketch, model and document outdoor projects, with a free trial offered before buying.

Fence and wall heights the Planning Portal allows

Boundaries are where garden plans most often meet the rules. In England, the Planning Portal says you don't need planning permission for a new or altered fence, wall or gate if it's no more than one metre high next to a highway used by vehicles, or no more than two metres high elsewhere.

That only holds when no listed building is involved and no Article 4 direction or planning condition removes the right. It's England's rule, so if your garden is elsewhere in the UK, check your own nation's guidance.

What it means for you: draw every boundary in your design tool at its real height. A two metre fence along the side is usually fine, but the same fence along the front, beside the road, is a different matter. Getting this right on screen saves a difficult conversation with the neighbours or the council.

Growing a vegetable patch or designing for clients

• Vegetable and kitchen gardens: a garden planner app keeps track of beds and what's growing where.
• Patios, decking and the shape of the plot: a 2D and 3D home planner with outdoor features is enough for most homeowners.
• Client presentations: professional design software gives you drawings, 3D views and documentation you can hand over.
• Running the business side: some design programs add business management tools, which matter once you're quoting regularly.

Sketching a garden plan in seven steps

1. Measure the plot and mark the house, boundaries, gates and paths.
2. Note which way the garden faces and where the shade falls through the day.
3. Mark what's staying: trees, drains, sheds and the washing line.
4. Block out zones for sitting, growing, playing and storage before choosing plants.
5. Add hard features such as patios, walls and fences at their real heights.
6. Choose plants for each zone, thinking about their size when fully grown.
7. Print or export the plan and walk the garden with it before you buy anything.

Things garden design software can't see

Software is brilliant at shapes and hopeless at soil. It can't tell you that one corner floods every winter, or that the back fence gets afternoon sun the plan doesn't show. Spend a few days noticing your garden at different times before you trust the drawing.

It also can't account for the seasons on its own. Plant libraries show each plant at its best, so check how it looks in winter and how big it gets in five years. And if the garden is part of getting a house ready to sell, my guide to the home improvements buyers notice helps you decide what's worth doing first.

Do you make garden or outdoor design software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on choosing garden design software

If it's your own garden, start with a free planner, draw the plot as it stands, and spend more time on boundaries, shade and paths than on choosing plants. The planting is the fun bit, and it's the easiest part to change later.

If you design gardens for clients, use a free trial on a real project and check two things: whether the drawings are clear enough to hand to a contractor, and whether the plant library suits the gardens you work on. Where there's no trial, ask for a demo and bring a real plot to it.

Frequently asked questions

Is there free landscape design software?

Yes. Several garden planners and home design tools on this list describe a free plan or free tier, usually limited to one garden or a few projects.

Can I design my garden on my phone?

Some garden planner apps work on phone and web, which is handy for checking the plan while you're standing in the garden.

How high can a garden fence be without planning permission in England?

The Planning Portal says up to two metres in most places and up to one metre next to a highway used by vehicles, provided no listed building, Article 4 direction or planning condition applies.

What do professional garden designers use?

Professionals tend to use dedicated design programs that produce drawings, 3D views and documentation, and some add business tools. Most offer a trial or a demo.

Can software show how a garden will look in a few years?

Some tools let you picture plants and features in 3D, but check each plant's fully grown size yourself rather than relying on the library image.

Should I plan hard features or plants first?

Hard features first. Patios, paths, walls and fences set the shape of the garden, and plants fill the spaces they create.