The plan is the start, not the deliverable
Plenty of tools draw a floor plan for free in a browser, and if the drawing is all you need, use one of those. Decato is for the case after: the plan you just drew becomes the thing the furniture is measured against.
From a drawing to a room
The plan keeps its measurements the whole way through, which is what makes every later step checkable.
Wall runs from your own measurements, or a plan you already have as a PNG or JPG, traced back into geometry.
Doors and windows with their swings, because those decide more of the furniture than the wall lengths do.
Real products matched to the plan, each sized to its catalogue dimensions and refused if it does not clear.
The plan stays editable. Move a wall and the layout, the fit checks and the total move with it.
What happens after the plan
Three steps, three pages. Most rooms need them in this order.
Common questions
Is there a free floor plan creator I should use instead?
If you only need the drawing, yes, several. Sweet Home 3D is free with no paid tier at all, and Planner 5D, Floorplanner and Canva all draw plans in a browser without a download. This page is only worth reading if the plan is the first step of furnishing the room rather than the finished product.
Can I import a plan I already have?
Yes, as a PNG or JPG: an estate agent listing, a builder drawing, a photo of a printed plan. It gets traced back into wall runs you can correct, so you are not redrawing something that already exists.
Do I need exact measurements?
For the fit checks to mean anything, yes. Wall lengths and door positions are what every later step is measured against, so a plan drawn roughly will place furniture roughly. Measuring one room properly takes a few minutes and is the difference between a picture and a plan.
What can I export?
The layout, a render built from the furniture in it, and a priced list of those products, as a PDF whose rows still open the shop page each piece came from. What it does not produce is a CAD file or a construction drawing.
Is there a floor plan app for my phone?
magicplan is the one to reach for: it scans a room with the phone camera rather than asking you to type wall lengths, and its Starter plan keeps two projects free. Planner 5D and Homestyler also run on a phone if you would rather draw than scan. Decato is a Mac application and there is no mobile version (Checked August 2026).
What is the difference between a floor plan creator and floor plan software?
Mostly the ambition of the thing that made it. Creators and makers draw a plan to look at; software in the fuller sense keeps the plan as live geometry that later work is measured against. If you are exporting a picture, the words mean the same. If you are furnishing the room afterwards, they do not.
Do I get a 3D floor plan?
The plan is modelled in three dimensions and the render at the end is built from it, so yes in the sense most people mean. What it is not is a 3D walkthrough you navigate room by room. The 3D exists to show the result, and the decisions are made on the plan where the measurements are legible.
What does it cost?
Drawing is the free part: the download costs nothing and planning on your own ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini key is unmetered. You start paying when the plan turns into products: matching and renders from $20 a month. Mac only for now; Windows is planned.