Chief Architect vs Floor Plan Creator

Chief Architect Premier is 3D design software for residential and light commercial work, including remodeling, kitchens, baths, and interiors. Drawing walls and placing architectural objects builds a 3D model and produces materials lists and construction documents such as site plans, framing plans, sections, and elevations. Materials lists can include quantities, unit and labor costs, markup, and project costs, and update as the design changes. For presentation, the software supports realistic and artistic rendering, 360-degree renderings, virtual tours, and walkthrough videos. Its 3D Library contains objects such as fixtures, appliances, millwork, furnishings, and manufacturer-specific products. It imports and exports AutoCAD DXF and DWG files, and imports OBJ, SKP, STL, and DAE. The As-Built app uses LiDAR on supported iPhones and iPads to create room models for remodeling. The trial does not expire, but saving, printing, exporting, and virtual tours are disabled. Premier costs $229 a month, billed $229/mo.

Floor Plan Creator is a floor-planning application for creating detailed layouts, viewing them in 3D, and printing plans to scale. Projects can contain multiple floors and rooms of different shapes, though walls are straight only. In 3D mode, the camera can be positioned freely and the view can show as many floors as needed. The application calculates room, wall, and level areas, perimeters, and symbol counts. Its symbol library includes doors, windows, furniture, electrical, and fire-survey symbols. Plans can be exported as PNG, JPEG, PDF, DXF, SVG, or Wavefront.obj files. Projects can be shared for others to open and edit without an account, and the app supports metric and imperial units. It runs on Android and in a web browser; supported Bluetooth laser distance meters vary by platform. Floor plan files from other applications cannot be imported for editing, though PNG and JPEG images can be used as backgrounds. A free plan is available; Standard costs $9.99 a year, and other paid options include $6.95 a month for Pro and one-time Android purchases.