Landscape & Garden Design Software

Dino's Palms Landscape Design Tool
Truly freeCompletely free with no account; you only pay if you choose to order the real plants.

GARDENA myGarden Planner
Truly freeThe whole planner is free with no subscription: draw and save unlimited garden layouts and download a sprinkler plan; the only commercial angle is that the auto-generated irrigation shopping list recommends GARDENA's own sprinkler products.

Garden Planner (gardenplanner.net)
Truly free100% free with no signup; plan, save locally and export to PNG/PDF/SVG at no cost.

AI Garden Design
Free, with limitsA free no-signup advice tool critiques a photo; generating photorealistic redesigns requires a paid plan (from $19/mo yearly).

AI Yard Design Studio
Free, with limitsFree starter credits on signup; higher quality (2K/4K) and DIY planning lists consume more credits.

DreamzAR
Free, with limitsYou get a small undisclosed batch of free starting credits, enough for a few AI generations before hitting the paywall; unlimited designs and all features need a subscription at $19.99/mo or $199/yr, and that subscription is locked to the single platform (iOS, Android, or web) you bought it on.

GardenDream
Free, with limitsYou can start generating redesigns for free; deeper use is gated by the Agrio app's plans.

GardenPuzzle
Free, with limitsA free demo lets you try designing; the full plant/texture database, custom photo backgrounds and cloud saving need a premium purchase.

GenRoom Landscape Design
Free, with limitsFirst yard preview is free with no signup; high-res exports, batch generation and watermark removal need a paid plan.

Ideal House AI Landscape Design
Free, with limitsFree to try generating designs; full resolution and volume are gated behind paid credits.

Landscapio
Free, with limitsFree redesigns each week with no credit card; more generations and extras require upgrading.

Masonry AI Garden Design
Free, with limitsFree to try generating concepts; running multiple premium models and exports pushes to paid usage.

Neighborbrite
Free, with limitsUnlimited basic AI yard redesigns are free with no card; plant lists, Magic Edit and sunlight filters require Pro (~$15/mo).

Ogrovision
Free, with limitsFree to try with sample or own photos; full-resolution downloads and volume are gated behind paid plans.

REimagine Home Landscaping
Free, with limits5 free designs on the same AI as paid, no card; beyond that is credit-based monthly billing.

VegPlotter
Free, with limitsThe free tier is permanent and genuinely usable: unlimited garden layouts of any size plus up to 20 plantings per planning year with rotation warnings and task lists; only unlimited plantings, custom plants, the photo journal, and sharing require Essentials ($24.99/yr) or Advanced ($39.99/yr).

VisualGPT AI Landscape Design
Free, with limitsFree to generate and export PNG/JPG with some limits; heavier use pushes you to paid credits.

Yard AI
Free, with limitsYou can start free, but the full yard report with high-res visualizations and lists is gated behind payment.

iScape
Free, with limitsThe free tier limits you to about 2 designs with roughly 20 items and applies watermarks, so it's a demo to test AR on your phone, not real design work; the full library and proposal tools require Pro at $29.99/mo or $299.99/yr.

Almanac Garden Planner
Free trial onlyFree for a 7-day trial with no credit card required, and you can print and keep that first plan forever; after 7 days continued access (saving, editing, reminders) requires a subscription that starts at $35/year auto-renewing.

GrowVeg Garden Planner
Free trial onlyFree for a 7-day trial with no payment details required, and you can create and print one plan to keep; after that, full access (saving, reminders, journal) costs $35/year auto-renewing, with multi-year and gift options also sold.
Realtime Landscaping
Free trial onlyFree trial only; full design and saving require a one-time purchase ($149-$599 by tier).

SimplyScapes
Free trial only30-day free trial; ongoing use requires a paid Pro subscription.

Vectorworks Landmark
Free trial onlyFree trial only; the BIM landscape software is a paid professional license afterward.
What to look for in landscape & garden design software
The best free landscape design software in 2026 for most people is a browser tool with a real plant library and a "design on a photo of my yard" option, so you see your own space instead of a generic template. Below we compare the top tools and flag exactly where "free" stops — watermarked exports, locked plant data, and project caps included. If you mostly want a vegetable garden grid, a dedicated garden planner beats a full landscape suite.
Plant & species library. A good tool ships thousands of real plants with photos, mature size, and care notes, not generic green blobs. Check whether the full library is free or gated behind a paid tier.
USDA hardiness-zone support. The tool should know your zone and warn you when a plant won’t survive your winters. Some let you enter your ZIP and filter the library to plants that actually thrive where you live.
Photo-to-design ("design on a photo of my yard"). Upload a picture of your real yard and drop plants, patios, and beds onto it. This is the fastest way to picture the finished result and the feature most homeowners want first.
Hardscape elements. Look for patios, retaining walls, paths, decks, fences, and fire pits, not just plants. To-scale hardscape matters if you’re getting contractor quotes.
Sun & irrigation mapping. Better tools let you mark sun and shade zones or sketch irrigation lines, so you place sun-lovers and sprinklers in the right spots.
Vegetable garden planning. If you grow food, a square-foot or raised-bed grid with spacing, companion planting, and frost-date reminders saves a whole season of guesswork.
Export & sharing. Check what you can export for free: a clean PDF plant list and plan beats a watermarked low-res image you can’t hand to a contractor.
Questions, answered
What is the best free landscape design software?
For most homeowners, the best free option is a browser-based tool that combines a real plant library with a "design on your own photo" mode. The catch is almost always the export: many free tiers watermark images or block the PDF plant list. We mark each tool’s true free limit in the table above so you know before you start.
Can I design my yard on a photo of my actual house?
Yes. Several tools let you upload a photo of your yard and drag plants, patios, and beds right onto it, and a newer wave of AI tools generates a redesigned photo in seconds. Photo tools are great for picturing the look, but they rarely give you to-scale measurements, so pair them with a plan tool before you buy materials.
Is there free software with a real plant library and hardiness-zone info?
Yes, a few free tools include searchable plant libraries with photos, mature size, and the USDA zones each plant tolerates. Enter your ZIP or zone and you can filter to plants that survive your winters. Watch for libraries that show plants for free but lock care details or full lists behind a paid plan.
What’s the best free app for planning a vegetable garden?
A dedicated vegetable garden planner with a square-foot or raised-bed grid beats a full landscape suite for growing food. Look for plant spacing, companion-planting hints, and frost-date reminders tied to your location. These run in a browser or as a phone app, and most offer a free plan with a limit on the number of garden beds you can save.
Do I need to download landscape design software or can I do it online?
You can do nearly everything online. Most leading tools run entirely in your browser with nothing to install, and many also have a phone app for designing in the yard. Downloadable desktop programs still exist for pros who want fine CAD-level control, but for home projects a browser tool is faster and works on any device.
Learn more
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (official) for ZIP-based zone lookup
- A state cooperative-extension (.edu) site for free plant and lawn advice
- A reputable garden YouTube channel (e.g., Garden Answer, Epic Gardening)
- A hardscape manufacturer’s patio/retaining-wall planning guide for real dimensions