There is no single best room planner, only the best one for what you are doing. Deciding if a sofa fits is a different job from drawing a kitchen a fitter will build from, and no tool is great at both. This is a fair comparison of the main approaches. Every one of them is the right answer for someone, and each has a place where it clearly wins.
The four approaches at a glance
| Approach | Best for | Time to first 3D | Install | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browser planner (Layroom, Planner 5D, Floorplanner) | Layouts and furniture fit, fast | Minutes | None | Free to low |
| 3D CAD (SketchUp, others) | Detailed, buildable models | Hours to learn | Usually yes | Free tier to paid |
| Catalog planner (IKEA and retailer tools) | Furnishing with one brand's range | Minutes | None or app | Free |
| Pen and paper | Quick thinking, no screen | Never (2D only) | None | Free |
Browser room planners
These run in a tab: draw or trace walls, set a scale, drop furniture, see it in 3D. Planner 5D and Floorplanner are well-known names here, and Layroom sits in this category too. The strength is speed and zero setup. You get a walkable answer in minutes without installing anything. The trade-off is that they are not built for construction-grade detail; they answer layout questions, not building questions.
3D CAD like SketchUp
SketchUp and similar CAD tools model in true 3D with real precision and a deep library of components. This is where you go when the output has to be built: a joiner's cabinetry, a renovation a contractor works from, anything structural. The cost is time. There is a genuine learning curve, and getting to a first useful 3D view takes longer than a browser planner. That is not a flaw; it is the price of the control it gives you. For construction-grade modeling, CAD is the right pick and a browser planner is not.
Catalog planners (IKEA and retailer tools)
IKEA's kitchen and wardrobe planners, and similar retailer tools, are excellent at one thing: laying out that retailer's own range so you can order it. If you have decided on a brand and want to fill a room with its products, a catalog planner is purpose-built and hard to beat, it knows every SKU and price. The limit is by design: you are planning within one catalog, so it is less suited to a mixed room or to trying furniture you already own.
Pen and paper
Do not dismiss it. A grid pad and a pencil are the fastest way to think through a rough layout, and they never crash or ask you to log in. For a first pass, sketching by hand is often quicker than any software. What it cannot do is show you the room in 3D or check clearances precisely, which is exactly where you move to a screen once the idea is settled.
How to choose
- Just need to know if it fits, fast: a browser planner. Start with [how to make a floor plan online](/blog/how-to-make-a-floor-plan-online).
- Output has to be built by a professional: 3D CAD like SketchUp.
- Furnishing entirely from one retailer's range: that retailer's catalog planner.
- Thinking out loud, first rough pass: pen and paper, then move to a screen to check it.
If a browser planner is your pick, what a free online room planner should let you do covers how to use one well.