The short answer
For one pool in your own garden, start with a free planner in the browser. Reach for a general home and garden planner only if you also want to plan the house or the garden around the pool, and for professional software only if you design pools for a living.
What a homeowner needs
You are designing one pool, once, over a few evenings. That is not what most pool software was made for, so four things matter more than a long list of features.
- Free, or free to try. You are making one decision, so you should be able to look at shapes and sizes before you spend anything.
- In the browser. Software that has to be installed may want a particular operating system or graphics card. Nothing to install means it works on the computer you already have.
- Real dimensions. A pool drawn to scale, with your own length, width and depths, is what water volume, surface and the room it takes are worked out from. A picture of a pool on a photo of your garden is nice to look at, but it is not a plan.
- A cost estimate. After “will it fit?” comes “what will it cost?”. A rough range that follows the design is enough to plan with; a quote comes from a builder.
Two more questions are worth asking of any tool. Does it say what it is not? A design on a screen is not a permit set or a quote. And how is it paid for? PoolPlanner is free to design with and sells Pro, a one-time purchase.
The options, by who each suits
Grouped by the kind of tool. Each entry says who it suits, what it costs and what it runs on. Prices are the makers', as read on October 6, 2026.
Pool planners in the browser
Nothing to install: these open in a browser.
PoolPlanner
Ours- Suits
- Homeowners planning one pool who want to see it in 3D at its real size, with water volume and surface worked out from the drawing.
- Costs
- Free to design with, no account needed. Pro adds the construction blueprint, realistic renders, a cost breakdown and more: US$395, paid once, no subscription.
- Runs on
- In the browser; nothing to install.
All 10 shapes at real dimensions and depths, a live cost estimate priced for your market, and share links; available in 9 languages. It is a planning tool: it does not replace a builder's survey or an engineer's drawings.
Start designing — it's free- Suits
- Homeowners and professionals. Its pool editor draws skimmer, overflow, infinity, Roman, lap and plunge pools.
- Costs
- Free, with no paywall and no trial timer; signing up is only needed to save to the cloud.
- Runs on
- A web app that works on Android, iOS and desktop.
It works out volume, surface, edging and pump from the drawing, gives a cost estimate in local currency, and shows the design in 3D with a walk-through and a VR walk-through. It says it is not construction-ready or permit-ready.
- Suits
- You draw the shape, set the depths and see it in 3D in your browser; it also estimates volume. It comes from a pond-first brand.
- Costs
- Not disclosed: its page has a “Plans and pricing” section without amounts.
- Runs on
- In a browser; an iPad is mentioned.
General planners for homes and gardens
Made for houses and gardens in general, not for pools in particular.
- Suits
- Homeowners. It lists “pool zones” among its outdoor items; its landscape page makes no claim about pool volume or cost.
- Costs
- Free, with unlimited projects and 50% of the catalogue. Premium is $19.99 a month or $59.99 a year; Professional is $49.99 a month or $399.99 a year. Enterprise is priced on request.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android and Windows.
- Suits
- Homeowners and professionals. General 3D modelling; the pages we read make no pool volume or cost claim.
- Costs
- Go is $10.75 a month billed annually (about $129 a year; web and iPad), Pro is $33.25 a month and Studio is $71.58 a month. Its pricing page lists no free plan.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Web and desktop.
- Suits
- Homeowners. It lets you place a ladder and a diving board.
- Costs
- Free for non-commercial use; the paid price is not on its page.
- Runs on
- A download for Windows 7 to 11 and macOS.
It has a German page.
- Suits
- Homeowners. Its DIY edition has a “Decks & Landscaping” project type; the page shows no pool detail.
- Costs
- The DIY edition is $495 a year ($41.25 a month) or $79 a month, with a free trial.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Mac and PC.
Software for professionals, and one-time purchases
- Suits
- Pool designers, landscape designers and pool builders; it has no homeowner plan.
- Costs
- $147 per user per month, or $125 a month billed annually (15% off), plus a one-time $95 setup fee; 30-day free trial, no card.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Windows 8.1 or 10; on a Mac only through Boot Camp on a 15 to 16 inch MacBook Pro.
- Suits
- Homeowners and professionals. It draws above- and below-ground pools and infinity edges, with 400+ pool accessories.
- Costs
- $599 one-time, with a free trial download.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Windows 10 and 11.
- Suits
- Pool builders. It does 3D in 4K, estimates, proposals and schedules, and imports from Excel, Google Earth and GIS.
- Costs
- On poolspabuilder.com, PRO-SUITE is $495 one-time and the ESI Pool Estimator $295, with no monthly fees; pooltemplates.com itself shows no price and mentions no free trial.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Windows 10 and 11, with Microsoft Excel.
Tools from a pool company
- Suits
- Homeowners. Its tools show Latham's own fiberglass pools, in 3D and augmented reality.
- Costs
- Free.
- Runs on
- Web tools and an iOS AR app.
The web tools are a Pool Cost Estimator, a Liner Visualizer and a Color and Tile Selector.
AI picture tools
- Suits
- It makes AI renders on a photo of the backyard. It says it offers no 3D models, blueprints or cost estimates.
- Costs
- Free for 1 HD image; Essential is $15 one-time for 50 HD images and 5 shapes.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Web.
- Suits
- AI visuals for builders and homeowners.
- Costs
- A free 7-day trial (10 designs); Pro is $29.99 a month and Premium is $89.99 a month.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Web.
- Suits
- Homeowners. AI backyard redesign, with 18+ AI tools and a few calculators.
- Costs
- Starter is $23 a month, Plus is $39 and Pro is $119, with annual billing 20% off; there is no free trial.(as of October 6, 2026)
- Runs on
- Web.
How to choose
- Start free. Try two or three tools with the same pool, your own length, width and depths, and compare what each one tells you.
- Check what it runs on before you start. A download that does not run on your computer is time lost.
- Read what it says it is not. A design on a screen is for deciding and for talking to a builder; the ground, the structure and the permits still need a professional.
- Count what you would pay for the weeks you will use it, not for a year, and look at the date next to every price: prices change.
Where PoolPlanner fits, and where it does not
PoolPlanner fits a homeowner planning one pool: it is free in the browser, draws all 10 shapes at real dimensions, works out water volume and surface, and keeps a live cost estimate while you design. Pro (US$395, paid once, no subscription) adds the construction blueprint, realistic renders, a cost breakdown and more.
It does not model your house, it is not a CAD package, and its blueprint and estimate are for deciding and for talking to a builder: they are not a permit set or a quote. If you design pools for clients, software made for that will serve you better.
Our advice is the same whichever tool you pick: try it with your own pool before you decide, and read the maker's page for what it costs today.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there free pool design software?
- Yes. PoolPlanner is free to design with, in the browser and with no account. Gardmi is free, with no paywall and no trial timer; signing up is only needed to save to the cloud. Planner 5D has a free plan with unlimited projects and 50% of the catalogue. DreamPlan is free for non-commercial use.
- Which pool design software works on a Mac?
- PoolPlanner runs in the browser, so nothing is installed and a Mac opens it as a Windows PC does. Gardmi is a web app that works on Android, iOS and desktop. DreamPlan runs on Windows 7 to 11 and macOS. Home Designer runs on Mac and PC. Pool Studio runs on a Mac only through Boot Camp on a 15 to 16 inch MacBook Pro.
- Which pool design software gives a cost estimate?
- PoolPlanner keeps a live cost estimate while you design, priced for your market. It is a rough range, never a quote. Gardmi gives a cost estimate (finish, concrete, coping) in local currency. Latham offers a Pool Cost Estimator on its website. PoolTemplates PRO-SUITE does estimates, proposals and schedules, for pool builders.
- Is PoolPlanner the same as “Pool Planner AI”?
- No. PoolPlanner is the browser-based 3D pool designer at poolplanner.app. It is not affiliated with the apps called “Pool Planner AI”, which are separate products.
- Who makes PoolPlanner, and why is it on this list?
- We do. It is on the list because it is a pool design tool for homeowners, and it is marked as ours wherever it appears. No pool builder, manufacturer or supplier is involved in PoolPlanner, and nobody pays to be listed here.
Where these facts were read
Each fact about another product comes from its maker's own pages, read on October 6, 2026. Prices change: check the page before you decide.
- PondTools
- Home Designer
- Pool Studio
- Realtime Landscaping Architect
- PoolTemplates PRO-SUITE
- Pool Planner AI (poolplannerai.com)
- MyPoolDesigner.ai
- OutdoorBrite
Product names belong to their makers and are used only to say which product is meant. PoolPlanner is not affiliated with any of them, earns nothing from these links and pays no one to be listed. Something out of date? Tell us.
