A free SmartDraw alternative for floor plans and scale drawings
If you need to create a floor plan, or another kind of scale drawing, SimpleDraw is a free alternative to SmartDraw. It runs in your browser with no account needed, and the optional Plus upgrade is just US$10 a year.
In comparison, SmartDraw has no free plan: after a seven-day trial, it costs from US$119.40 for the first year.
SmartDraw does more than just scale drawings, though. If you also need org charts, team editing or Visio files, it's probably the better tool for you. This page helps you decide.
We make SimpleDraw, so we're keen to emphasize its advantages. But we're also happy to be clear about those cases where SmartDraw might be a better choice.
Try SimpleDraw free, no sign-upSimpleDraw vs SmartDraw at a glance
Scroll sideways to see every column.
| Feature | SimpleDraw | SmartDraw |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. Plus is US$10 a year | From US$119.40 for the first year. No free plan |
| Try it | Start drawing now, no account needed | Seven-day trial. You can draw without an account, but saving needs one |
| Floor plans to exact measurements | ✓ Free | ✓ |
| Walls, doors and windows | ✓ Free | ✓ |
| Furniture | ✓ Free, with customizable furniture items | ✓ Thousands of symbols, which can be scaled but not customized |
| Trace over a PDF or photo, to scale | ✓ Plus | ✓ |
| 3D and VR view of your plan | ✓ Plus | ✗ 2D only |
| Export | PNG (Free exports include a small logo in the corner; Plus removes it) | PDF, PNG, SVG and Visio |
| Org charts and diagrams generated from data | ✗ | ✓ |
| Real-time team editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Works on | Web browser on a computer (no touchscreen editing) | Web browser |
Prices as of September 2026.
Choose SimpleDraw if…
- You're drawing a floor plan, a room layout, a garden or anything else to scale, and you don't want to pay enterprise prices for a simple drawing tool.
- You want a completely free option, and are happy to save your drawings as files on your computer.
- You want to start now. Open SimpleDraw in your browser and draw, with no account and no trial clock.
- You want to walk around your design. Plus turns your floor plan into a 3D model you can explore on screen or in a VR headset. SmartDraw is 2D only.
- You want customizable furniture items, for example a set number of chairs arranged around a dining table. In SmartDraw, the dining table we tested could be scaled larger or smaller, but details like the number of chairs couldn't be customized.
Choose SmartDraw if…
- You need other kinds of diagrams too, such as org charts and UML diagrams.
- Your team edits drawings together in real time, with comments and version history.
- You want to keep your files in OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox or Box.
- You need to open or save Visio files, or export PDF and SVG.
- You build diagrams from data, such as a bill of materials generated from a plan.
- You'd like AI to draft a floor plan from a written description.
SimpleDraw isn't just for floor plans. You can draw elevations, garden layouts and site plans too. See what you can draw to scale.
Is SmartDraw free? What each one costs
SmartDraw has no free plan. You get a seven-day trial for evaluation, and then a subscription paid yearly. For one person, it's US$119.40 for the first year at the current introductory price, and US$131.40 a year at the standard price. Team plans need at least three people and start at US$322.20 for the first year. All the drawing features come with the subscription.
SimpleDraw is free for drawing, saving to your computer and exporting PNGs. Plus is US$10 a year, less than a dollar a month. It adds full color, drawing over a PDF or photo, 3D and VR walkthroughs, cloud storage for 100 drawings, version history, private sharing links, and exports without the SimpleDraw logo. You can try 3D and VR free in the Gallery before you subscribe.
Can I move my SmartDraw plans to SimpleDraw?
SimpleDraw can't open SmartDraw or Visio files. The easiest route is to export your plan from SmartDraw as a PDF or image, add it to SimpleDraw Plus as a background, set the scale from one known measurement, and trace over it.
Draw your floor plan free
Open SimpleDraw in your browser and start drawing. No account, no download and no trial clock.
"Very easy and intuitive to draw simple scale drawing."
SimpleDraw user, July 2026
Start drawing freeStill deciding? See our roundup of the best free floor plan tools.