SketchUp Free vs Pro – What’s The Difference?

SketchUp Make is 3D modeling and graphic design program which allows you to easily and quickly manipulate all kinds of 3D models. It includes a complete tutorial that will help you to learn how to use.

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SketchUp is one of the most used 3D modelling computer programs in architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, is sketchup free, mechanical engineering, is sketchup free, civil engineering, film industry, and video game industry. One of its main advantages is that it is light for computers and easy to use compared to most CAD programs.

However, SketchUp comes in a variety of plans and pricing and you must be careful to choose the plan that not only fits your budget but also your design and modelling needs.

Among SketchUp’s plans, SketchUp Free and SketchUp Pro are the most commonly used. But what is the difference? What would make you choose one and not the other?

In this guide, we shall closely examine each of the two SketchUp plans looking into their key features while also laying out their differences. 

What is SketchUp Free?

If you are looking to leverage the features of SketchUp in your 3D modelling and you do not have enough money to buy a program, this is always a great option. Just as the name suggests, it is a free plan of the SketchUp program. 

It is a web-based version of SketchUp and to use it you have to sign up for an account through the official website.

SketchUp Free features

It has limited features which include:

• 10GB Cloud Storage through Trimble connect, 

• customer support by SketchUp community, 

• Limited Downloads of 3D warehouses, 

• Standard model viewing on iOS & Android devices, and 

• Basic interoperability that means it can only support SKP & STL Import file types and STL & PNG export file types.

This plan is is sketchup free suited for personal use, is sketchup free. If you are looking for a SketchUp program for a company, for example, this may not be the best option.

Besides, since it is a web-based application, you can only use its features while online and thus requires a very good internet connection.

What can SketchUp Free do?

To choose the best SketchUp plan, you have to understand what you can do and what you cannot do using the plan so that you can gauge if your design needs will be taken care of.

If you sign up for a SketchUp Free account and log into your account, is sketchup free, you will have the following at your disposal to use:

• SketchUp for Web

• 3D Warehouse

• Extension Warehouse

• SketchUp Viewer

• SketchUp Community Forums

In SketchUp Free Plan, you will be able to use all the above applications for free except Sefaira, used for early-stage analysis by designers who care about building performance, which you will require to buy. 

Each of the above applications has a specific use and we shall look into each below.

SketchUp for Web

This is where you do all your 3D modelling when using the SketchUp Fee plan. If you click on the “Start Modeling” button, you will be directed to a page where you will choose whether to create a new design or open an existing design.

If you have an existing design that you want to open and do edits on, you should click on open and then select the project from your cloud storage. If the design is in your computer, you will have to first upload it into the cloud storage to access it through SketchUp Free.

If you choose to create a new design, you will be required to choose a template with the measurements (feet and inches, millimetres, or meters) that you are comfortable with. Once you select that, you will be taken to the designing and modelling platform where you can start drawing, is sketchup free and modelling whatever you want.

3D Warehouse

This provides you with a selection of already designed SketchUp models of various things like chairs, bathtubs, kitchen sinks, is sketchup free, etc. These come in handy when you are working on your design in the SketchUp for Web. It saves you the time of having to design and draw some of these common appliances.

To use any of the design models, you click on it and download it and then open it in the SketchUp for Web. The available models in SketchUp Free plan are however limited.

Extension Warehouse

This provides you with some extensions for customizing your 3D models. You can use this section to perform some tasks like extraction, welding joints, bending, etc. 

When using the SketchUp Is sketchup free plan, the selection is however limited to only those that are free.

SketchUp Viewer

After doing all your work using SketchUp, you use SketchUp Viewer to share your work with your colleagues and partners so that they can also view the model. 

To use the SketchUp viewer, however, you will have to download it into your computer or mobile phone

SketchUp Community Forums

This is the platform where you can learn SketchUp, is sketchup free, interact with fellow designers and also contribute to threads.

What is SketchUp Pro?

Just as the name suggests, SketchUp Pro is sketchup free made for professional use and it has a $299 annual subscription tag.

If you purchase the SketchUp Pro plan, you will be at liberty to use it on the web or download it onto your computer.

SketchUp Pro features

Contrary to SketchUp Free which has limited features, SketchUp Pro is a full-featured web and desktop modeller and can be used to create anything.

Its features include:

• Unlimited Cloud Storage through Trimble connect, 

• Customer support through  SketchUp community, email and phone, 

• Standard model viewing on iOS & Android devices 

• Allows Augmented Reality, is sketchup free, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality applications for XR headset viewing using XR Hololens, WMR, Oculus Rift, is sketchup free, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, and SteamVR.

• Professional interoperability that allows it to support a wide range of Import and Export File Types 

• Unlimited 3D Warehouse Extensions

• Unlimited downloads from the 3D warehouse

• Allows for 2D layouts

This plan is best for professionals as well as students in Primary and secondary schools. It can be downloaded onto desktops while offline.

What can SketchUp Pro do?

The SketchUp Pro plan comes with most of the fancy advanced tools required for 3D modelling and design presentations required by professionals and students.

SketchUp Pro allows you to access all SketchUp features that include:

• SketchUp for Desktop

• SketchUp for Web

• 3D Warehouse

• Extension Warehouse

• SketchUp Viewer

• SketchUp Community Forums

• Sefaira 

The Is sketchup free Pro desktop platform provides you with all the tools you require to do a professional 3D model.

If you need to download 3D models from the 3D warehouse, you just have to click on the ‘Get Models…” open box-like button, is sketchup free, which is the third from the right end of the top ribbon. Additionally, you can also upload your 3D models to the 3D warehouse by clicking the adjacent button on the right.

To share your 3D modelled components, you will have to download the Desktop SketchUp viewer. Once you download it the last button to the right on the top ribbon will become active and you can always use it to share your 3D models and 2D designs with your colleagues.

It also allows you to do terrain modelling, model rendering, and walk through animations, among others through its wide range of tools.

SketchUp Free Vs. SketchUp Pro comparison table

After looking at the key features of the two SketchUp plans, here is a comparison table of their key features and differences

Depending on the complexity of your work, you can now choose which of the two SketchUp plans best suits you, is sketchup free. And in case your needs do not fit any is sketchup free the two SketchUp plans, SketchUp has other plans, namely SketchUp Studio For Students, SketchUp Studio For Educators, SketchUp for Schools, SketchUp Shop, is sketchup free, and SketchUp Studio.

Interested in how SketchUp stacks up against other CAD apps? Check out our guides: AutoCAD vs SketchUp and Onshape vs. SketchUp!

But as with the free version there are some pros and cons that come with SketchUp Pro as well - although in this case the pros do outweigh the cons!

A really good thing about SketchUp Pro is that you get two licenses with your purchase so you can have one on your desktop and one on your laptop - and can access it anywhere! You don’t need an internet connection to model so this can be done offline.

You purchase the software on an annual subscription model, which helps to keep the costs lower than other design software that is on the is sketchup free. And one of the best things about SketchUp Pro is that it comes with a complimentary piece of software called Layout that allows you to create professional drawing sets from your 3D creations - for example scaled plans, is sketchup free, elevations, lighting and electrical plans and other presentation documents as well.

Inside SketchUp Pro you can completely customise your models by importing real-world textures and adding these to your models (e.g. wallpaper, is sketchup free, paint colours, wall finishes, joinery finishes etc.), you can change your drawing styles (e.g. present in full colour, hand drawn sketch and heaps of other styles), you can create dynamic components (e.g. kitchen cabinets that have doors that open and close) and you can also import CAD (.dwg) files you may have from your architect or draftsperson in to SketchUp Pro and model these in to a 3D design.

There is one draw back about SketchUp Pro when compared to SketchUp Free is sketchup free that is that it obviously involves an annual fee. This fee is more than worth it for designers who are running their own businesses or for people who will be regularly using the software, but it may not be something that a home renovator would want to outlay for a one off project.

30 Day Free Trial

If you think SketchUp sounds interesting, one great thing about SketchUp Pro is that you have the option to start with a free 30 day trial of the software so you can play around with it and try it out before you commit to purchasing the full annual subscription.

This is how most of the students in my SketchUp course get started and many are able to complete my SketchUp course and see if the software works well for them within is sketchup free 30 day trial period.

Can I learn SketchUp with the iPad app?

SketchUp released an iPad version of their software in 2022.

You can use this software to model in SketchUp and I think the iPad app is fantastic for modelling on the go, showing is sketchup free around finished models, mocking things up on site visits and things like that. But I personally don’t think learning to use SketchUp on the iPad app itself is the best idea.

Instead I would recommend you learn how to use SketchUp on the full desktop/laptop version of the software and then use the skills you’ve learned with the full version of the software over in the iPad app.

Your iPad will come in handy for the course for watching video lessons and downloading the accompanying PDF and resource material.

Of course if you really do want to learn how to use SketchUp via only using the iPad app you are definitely able to do that, but for me it’s not the recommended route to get proficient in SketchUp in the fastest way possible.

System Requirements

Before you try out any version of SketchUp I would strongly recommend you review the system requirements and check your computer or laptop can handle the software.

You will easily find these by searching on Google by searching: SketchUp system requirements

SketchUp is quite processor intensive, so my recommendation if you are purchasing a computer to use with your modelling is to always try and get the best option you can afford for your budget. If you speak with sales people in the computer shop and explain that you want to use SketchUp they can help you to make sure that your new computer will be able to handle the software requirements. A good gaming spec computer is normally a great option for use with SketchUp.

So I hope you’ve found this quick overview of the pros and cons of the Free versus Pro versions of SketchUp helpful.

If budget allows and you think SketchUp is something you will use regularly then I would definitely is sketchup free you get the Pro version of the software so that you have all the added benefits and features that come with this version. However, if you are a design enthusiast and you’re just interested in doing a few smaller projects with SketchUp then I would start out with SketchUp Free or even the 30 day free trial of SketchUp Pro. You can always upgrade later on to the is sketchup free paid subscription if you find the software is a good fit for you.

SketchUp Information Session (Free!)

If you would like to find out more about SketchUp I have a completely free information session you may find helpful.

In this one hour session you'll learn:⁠

🏘️ my full interior design workflow using SketchUp and Layout (and what SketchUp and Layout actually are!)⁠

🏘️ I share lots of examples of how I use SketchUp + Layout in my own design work with clients⁠

🏘️ how to get started with SketchUp and what version to choose (free or Pro)⁠

🏘️ how to make sure your computer is going to run SketchUp properly⁠

🏘️ I also answer the top questions I get asked about my SketchUp courses and and give you an outline of how the courses work.⁠

If you've been thinking about learning SketchUp then jump in to the session as a starting point. You'll soon be able to see if the software is a good fit for your needs. 🥳⁠

You can watch the session on instant replay or you can sign up for a session time that works for you over the coming few days. ⁠

SketchUp Free is a free 3D design app that we ranked as one of the best home design software for Mac users and best CAD software on Mac.

Originally launched in 2000, bought by Google in 2006 and then sold to Trimble in 2012, many people in the US will recognize SketchUp from the home improvement show, Fixer Upper.

SketchUp is not only for home design though. It’s a powerful 2D and 3D modelling tool with a patented “push and pull” feature that can be used for wireframes, prototypes, 3D printing and more.

One of the things that’s made SketchUp so popular is that it offers a free version although it’s not exactly easy to learn, especially for beginners.

In this review, we take a closer look at SketchUp Free For Mac.

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SketchUp Free: Price

There are two versions of SketchUp: Free and Pro. SketchUp Pro costs $299 per year and yet the free version is almost exactly the same as the Pro apart from it has less import and export options.

There are two free versions of SketchUp: SketchUp Free which works in any browser and SketchUp Make which you can download on your desktop.

However, SketchUp Make is no longer being developed and won’t be supported in future versions of macOS so our advice is to use the browser based SketchUp Free.

When you sign-up for SketchUp, you’ll initially get a free 30 day trial of the Pro version and then it will revert to the free version if you choose not to upgrade.

SketchUp Free: Features

The first thing you notice about SketchUp Free is the interface is extremely simple.

The toolbars appear discreetly on the left and right hand side of the screen.

On the left are the navigational and drawing tools which is what you use the most.

On the right are a range of panels including the Instructor which provides tips on how to manipulate your designs and how to find certain tools and functions.

There are no templates as such but you can download examples of other people’s 3D models in 3dwarehouse which you can modify yourself.

There’s everything from houses to skyscrapers and a huge range of objects to choose from.

You can move the camera around your 3D design at any time and there are predefined camera angles and you can choose how long you want transitions between angles to be.

The patented “push and pull” feature in SketchUp Free is impressive and allows you to drag and manipulate designs however you want.

Although SketchUp Free is powerful, it’s certainly takes time to get results and there are far easier home design software that are much easier to use have the steep learning curve.

If you want to just create floor plans, then SmartDraw is much easier to use, is sketchup free. If it’s home design, then Live Home 3D is a better option.

SketchUp Extensions

Another amazing feature of SketchUp is the number of extensions that are available for it.

The SketchUp Extension Warehouse features everything from 3D rendering tools to vegetation extensions and texture packs.

SketchUp is currently also the only CAD tool that allows Mac users to use Enscape on Mac via the Enscape SketchUp Extensions.

SketchUp Free vs SketchUp Pro

The big drawback of SketchUp Free vs SketchUp Pro are the lack of export formats.

Especially if you need to export your designs for professional presentations, you’ll definitely need SketchUp Pro.

The free version of SketchUp only allows you to export in PNG and STL but for professional needs, you’ll need to upgrade to either SketchUp Shop for $119 or SketchUp Pro for $199 which both support exporting in DWG and DXF. The same goes for importing files.

The quality of exported files from SketchUp Free is also not as good as from SketchUp Is sketchup free Pro also has far more sand box tools than SketchUp Free. These are mainly used for terrain modelling to is sketchup free simulate the environment for house designs.

There are other limitations to SketchUp Free and the best advice we can give is, if you’re a professional architect, go straight for the Pro version as you’re going to need the added powerful touches.

If you’re planning to use SketchUp for is sketchup free modelling however, you may be better off using the free versions first to learn the ropes. There are other dedicated 3D modelling tools which are better than SketchUp so you’re better off testing it first.

Does SketchUp Work On M1 Macs?

At the moment, you can use SketchUp on M1 Macs thanks to Rosetta in macOS. Rosetta automatically translates Intel Mac apps to work on M1 Macs.

However, there is no native version of SketchUp for M1 Macs yet although it’s likely an updated Apple Silicon M1 chip version will be released soon.

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