Landscape Design Software for Contractors: 7 Pro Tools Compared
PRO Landscape+, DynaScape, VizTerra, Realtime Landscaping, SketchUp, AutoCAD LT and Vectorworks Landmark compared on what they do, what they cost and who they suit, plus the math on when sending plans out beats buying a license.
The best landscape design software for contractors is the program that turns your site measurements into a scaled plan, a takeoff and a client presentation in the fewest hours. For most landscape and hardscape companies that’s a landscape-specific tool priced from a $599 one-time license to $1,599 a year before add-ons, but your drawing hours usually cost more than the license, and in our worked example, past about 5 hours a plan, sending it out costs less.
We draw plans for other contractors, so we have a stake here. Every price below is from the vendor’s own page in October 2026.
Quick answer
For photo imaging and fast proposals, PRO Landscape+ at $900 a year. For CAD construction plans with takeoffs, DynaScape Design at $1,599 a year. For 3D outdoor living presentations, VizTerra (listed at $84 per user per month), and on a tight budget, Realtime Landscaping Architect at $599 one time.
At $60 an hour for your time, outsourcing at $295 a plan wins once a plan takes you more than about 5 hours to draw and take off.
What landscape design software do contractors use?
The main choices are landscape-specific programs: PRO Landscape+ for photo imaging and fast proposals, DynaScape Design ($1,599 a year) for CAD plans with takeoffs, VizTerra for 3D outdoor living presentations, and Realtime Landscaping Architect ($599) on a tight budget. General tools like SketchUp Pro and AutoCAD LT also work, with more setup for landscape plans.
What contractors need from design software
Design software does two jobs: it sells the job with pictures a homeowner understands, and it builds the job with a dimensioned plan and quantities. Most programs lean one way, so decide which matters more to you.
Check every program against this list:
- Draws to scale from your measurements, with dimensions on the sheet
- Produces a takeoff: square feet, tons of base, block counts, linear feet of edge
- Makes a presentation the client can follow, by photo imaging or 3D
- Carries the paver and wall block lines you install
- Runs on the computer you own, since several are Windows only
Software doesn’t do the design thinking. Layout, sizing and drainage still come from hardscape design fundamentals, and our guide to landscape plan drawing covers what a buildable plan shows.
Landscape design software compared
| Software | Built for | Learning curve (our read) | Price (vendor page, Oct 2026) | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRO Landscape+ | Photo imaging, CAD plans, takeoffs, proposals | Low to moderate | $900/yr or $90/mo | Windows 10 or 11 |
| DynaScape Design | CAD landscape plans with takeoffs | Moderate to steep | $1,599/yr or $158/mo; add-ons $600/yr or $59/mo each | Windows |
| DynaScape Creator | Entry-level plans in a browser | Low | $119/mo | Browser, Mac or PC |
| VizTerra | 2D to 3D design and construction plans | Moderate | $84/mo per user listed in Nov 2026 (billing term not stated); annual saves 15% | Windows only |
| Realtime Landscaping Architect | 2D plans and 3D walkthroughs | Low | $599 one time | Windows 10 or 11 |
| SketchUp Pro | General 3D modeling, 2D sheets in LayOut | Moderate to steep | $33.25/mo per user, billed annually | Desktop app; Studio tier is Windows only |
| AutoCAD LT | General 2D drafting in DWG | Steep for landscape work | From $45/mo | Desktop, with web and mobile access |
| Vectorworks Landmark | Full site design and construction documents | Steepest | $1,530/yr billed annually | macOS or Windows 11 |
The landscape-specific programs
PRO Landscape+
PRO Landscape+ combines photo imaging, CAD plans, material takeoffs, 3D rendering, lighting design and one-click proposals. A subscription is $900 a year or $90 a month, so paying monthly costs $180 more over a year. One license covers one user on one computer plus the Companion app on one tablet.
It runs on Windows 10 or 11 only (the company says many Mac users run it through Parallels Desktop), and it doesn’t offer refunds, so read the system requirements first. It suits design-build crews who sell at the kitchen table from a photo of the yard.
PRO Landscape vs DynaScape
PRO Landscape vs DynaScape comes down to how you sell. PRO Landscape+ leads with photo imaging and fast proposals. DynaScape Design is pitched at the seasoned CAD designer, with a plant database, Auto-Count labeling and plant and material takeoffs on a plan with a hand-drawn look.
Design is $1,599 a year or $158 a month and runs on Windows. The Color and Sketch3D add-ons are $600 a year or $59 a month each. With no bundle price listed, Design plus Color is $2,199 a year. DynaScape Creator, the entry-level version, runs in a browser on Mac or PC for $119 a month.
Structure Studios VizTerra
VizTerra is sold by per-user membership, and Structure Studios says paying annually saves 15 percent. In November 2026 its page listed $84 per user per month, marked down from $97, without saying which billing term that covers, so confirm the price or start the free trial. You draw in 2D, switch to 3D with one click, and pull construction plans and quantities from the same project file. A GIS option, at extra cost, loads the client’s parcel lines and aerial imagery to scale.
Structure Studios lists only Windows in its system requirements. It fits outdoor living builders, where a 3D walkthrough does the selling.
Realtime Landscaping Architect
Realtime Landscaping Architect is $599 with no subscription, and Idea Spectrum’s home page says upgrades are optional and usually discounted. The plan and 3D views update together as you draw. It includes more than 8,000 plants, Belgard and Unilock pavers and wall block, terrain tools, a material list that exports to Excel, and imports DWG, DXF, PDF and SketchUp files.
General CAD and 3D programs
SketchUp Pro
SketchUp Pro is $33.25 a month per user, billed annually, with the desktop modeler, LayOut for 2D sheets and more than 1,000 extensions. It isn’t built for landscaping, so you assemble the landscape pieces from extensions or DynaScape’s Sketch3D add-on, built to partner with SketchUp.
AutoCAD LT
AutoCAD LT starts at $45 a month for 2D drafting in DWG, with a 15-day free trial. Plant symbols, layers and takeoff habits are yours to build. It earns its place when engineers and general contractors send you DWG files.
Vectorworks Landmark
Vectorworks Landmark covers the whole site: base plans from surveys, GIS or drone data, sun and shade, surface drainage and slope analysis, 3D site models and construction documents. It’s $1,530 a year billed annually and runs on macOS or Windows 11. It fits a firm with a full-time designer doing grading-heavy or commercial work.
What the software really costs you
The real cost per plan is:
(Annual license ÷ plans per year) + (hours to draw one plan × what your hour is worth)
Every number in this example is an assumption, so swap in yours. You draw 30 single-area plans a year, and your time is worth $60 an hour. An outsourced plan costs $295 plus about 1 hour of your time to send measurements and check the drawing, or $355.
| Hours to draw one plan | PRO Landscape+ ($900/yr) | DynaScape Design + Color ($2,199/yr) | Outsourced ($295 + 1 hr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $210 | $253 | $355 |
| 4 | $270 | $313 | $355 |
| 5 | $330 | $373 | $355 |
| 6 | $390 | $433 | $355 |
The lines cross at 5.4 hours for PRO Landscape+ ($355 minus $30, divided by $60) and 4.7 hours for DynaScape Design with Color ($355 minus $73.30, divided by $60).
The first year is harder. If learning the program takes 40 hours, that’s $2,400 of your time, or $80 more per plan across 30 plans. At 4 hours a plan, PRO Landscape+ then runs $350 a plan in year one, about the same as outsourcing.
Requests also bunch up in spring, when your hours are worth the most. Our article on landscape designer cost for contractors works through that seasonality problem for a full-time hire.
Design software vs outsourcing
Buy software when your volume is steady, someone on staff draws fast, or live 3D at the table is how you close. Outsource when drawing takes you past the crossover or your time is better spent selling and running crews.
You can also do both: a low-cost tool for quick sketches, and outsourced plans for full yards and walls. We sell that second piece. Our white-label landscape design plans are $295 per area and $750 per full yard, with your logo on every sheet, a quantity takeoff and a 7-business-day turnaround. Whoever draws it, check the takeoff the way we lay out in how to estimate a paver patio.
Homeowners also have the option of buying a plan online. Our breakdown of Yardzen’s pricing and process explains what those plans cover and how the service works.
How to test a program before you pay
VizTerra, DynaScape Creator, Realtime Landscaping Architect and AutoCAD LT advertise free trials, and Vectorworks links one from its Landmark page. SketchUp refunds annual plans within 14 days and monthly plans within 7.
Run each trial on a job you already built:
- Pick a finished project with its delivery tickets in hand.
- Draw it from a blank file and time yourself through the takeoff.
- Compare the program’s quantities to what you actually ordered.
Buy the one that was fastest with a takeoff that matched your tickets.
Builder’s note: Whatever you buy, build a template file before spring: your title block, your standard patio section (we use 6 inches of compacted dense-graded base, called 2A modified in Pennsylvania, more on clay or wet ground), your edge restraint detail and the paver and block lines you install. A good template is where the time savings come from.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best landscape design software for professionals?
It depends on how you sell. PRO Landscape+ suits photo imaging and fast proposals, DynaScape Design suits CAD construction plans, VizTerra suits 3D outdoor living presentations, and Vectorworks Landmark suits full site design with grading and construction documents.
Is there professional landscape design software for Mac?
Yes. Vectorworks Landmark runs on macOS, and DynaScape Creator runs in a browser on Mac or PC. PRO Landscape+ and VizTerra are Windows programs, though PRO Landscape+ says many Mac users run it through Parallels Desktop.
Can you use SketchUp for landscape design?
Yes. SketchUp Pro, at $33.25 a month billed annually, models patios, walls and structures in 3D and makes 2D sheets in LayOut. Expect more setup than a landscape-specific program, or add DynaScape’s Sketch3D add-on for more than 1,000 3D landscaping icons.
Is design software worth it for a small landscaping company?
Only if you draw enough plans, fast enough. At 10 plans a year, a $900 license adds $90 a plan before your time, so a $599 one-time license or outsourced plans often make more sense at low volume.
How much does DynaScape cost?
DynaScape Design is $1,599 a year or $158 a month and runs on Windows. The Color and Sketch3D add-ons are $600 a year or $59 a month each. DynaScape Creator, the browser-based entry version that runs on Mac or PC, is $119 a month.
Which landscape design software has a one-time price?
Realtime Landscaping Architect is $599 on Idea Spectrum’s page with no subscription listed, and it runs on Windows 10 and 11. The other programs we compared, from PRO Landscape+ to Vectorworks Landmark, are sold by subscription or membership.
How much does AutoCAD LT cost?
Autodesk lists AutoCAD LT at $540 a year or $70 a month, and the same page advertises a starting price of $45 a month. It has a 15-day free trial. It’s general 2D drafting, so you build your own plant symbols, layers and takeoff habits.
Can I try landscape design software for free?
VizTerra, DynaScape Creator, Realtime Landscaping Architect and AutoCAD LT advertise free trials. SketchUp refunds annual plans within 14 days and monthly plans within 7. Test each one by redrawing a job you already built and comparing its takeoff to your delivery tickets.
Sources: PRO Landscape+, Subscribe to PRO Landscape+; PRO Landscape+, Landscape Design Software for Professionals; DynaScape, Landscape Design Software Pricing; Structure Studios, VizTerra Landscape Design Software; Structure Studios, System Requirements; Idea Spectrum, Realtime Landscaping Architect; Idea Spectrum, Landscape Design Software (pricing and licensing); Trimble, SketchUp Plans and Pricing; Autodesk, AutoCAD LT; Vectorworks, Landmark Landscape Design Software; Vectorworks, Buy Vectorworks Landmark
Groundwork Design Co. · for contractors
Plans under your logo, takeoff included
We draw scaled patio, wall and backyard plans with your company name in the title block and a quantity takeoff you can bid from. $295 per area, $750 per full yard, and we never contact your client.
See white-label designContractor pricing
Try the free design outsourcing calculator first.
Written and reviewed by Thayne Muthler, owner of Muthler Landscaping & Construction (PA HIC #PA212584). How we check facts: editorial policy.