SmartDraw vs Cedreo

Choose SmartDraw if you need more than just home design.

SmartDraw is built for professionals across many industries. Whether you need to create a residential layout, make an electrical plan or plumbing drawing, design a commercial space, plan a warehouse, build a retail planogram, or create fire pre-plans, evacuation plans, or crime scene diagrams, SmartDraw has the tools and symbols you need. Cedreo specializes in residential home design and 3D renderings for sales and presentations.

Features SmartDraw Cedreo Why It Matters
2D Floor Plans Yes Yes Both tools can create basic 2D floor plans.
3D Floor Plans No Yes SmartDraw focuses on 2D floor plans, while Cedreo is better for users who want to visualize their layout in 3D.
Layers Yes Yes Both tools provide separate layers to avoid clutter.
Industry-Standard Symbols Yes Limited SmartDraw provides industry-standard technical floor planning symbols including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and NFPA emergency symbols. Cedreo mainly offers furniture and some electrical symbols.
Custom Symbols Yes No Only SmartDraw lets you create and reuse custom symbols.
Import Existing Floor Plan Yes Yes Both tools let you import an existing plan to draw on top of or use as a background layer.
Shape Data Yes No Only SmartDraw lets you attach pricing and specs to objects for usable project data.
Manifest Yes No Only SmartDraw lets you turn drawings into estimates, proposals, and documentation.
Real-Time Co-Editing Yes No Only SmartDraw lets multiple users edit the same floor plan at the same time.
Specialized Use-Cases Yes Limited Cedreo mainly supports residential designs and commercial spaces. SmartDraw supports residential floor plans, office plans, facility plans, electrical plans, plumbing drawings, retail layouts, landscape design, fire pre-plans, evacuation plans, accident reconstructions, crime scenes, and more.
Other Diagram Types Yes No Only SmartDraw lets you create flowcharts, org charts, Gantt charts, network diagrams, and more in addition to floor plans. Cedreo is limited to floor plans only.
Overall Best For Professionals needing accurate, technical floor plans for more than just residential home design. Home builders and remodelers creating 3D visuals for sales proposals and presentations.

Why Professionals Choose SmartDraw Over Cedreo

SmartDraw Supports More Use Cases

SmartDraw covers significantly more use cases than Cedreo. In addition to residential floor plans, SmartDraw supports accurate scaled drawings for offices, warehouses, schools, hospitals, retail stores, fire departments, police departments, contractors, facility managers, landscapers, electricians, plumbers, and many other industries. Cedreo mainly focuses on residential floor plans, with some limited commercial support.

Floor plan types in SmartDraw

SmartDraw Includes Industry-Standard Symbols

SmartDraw includes thousands of technical floor plan symbols including symbols for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC as well as NFPA and fire, emergency symbols for professionals who need to create compliant layouts. Cedreo mainly offers residential symbols and few electrical symbols.

Floor planning symbols

SmartDraw Turns Floor Plans Into Working Documents

SmartDraw's shape data feature allows users to attach model numbers, pricing, and other key product details to any object. Users can then generate a manifest to create project estimates or proposals. This is an important feature for contractors who need more than just a visual. Cedreo does not offer a similar feature.

Approved floor plan proposal

SmartDraw Supports Team Collaboration

SmartDraw offers real-time collaboration where multiple users can work on the same document at the same time. This feature makes collaborating with team members as efficient as possible. Cedreo does not offer real-time collaboration.

Set Wall Thickness Cut Add Hyperlink Change Wall Shape Copy Add Comment Add Wall Segment Paste Bring to Front Separate Wall Send to Back Lock Emily Caleb John

SmartDraw Goes Beyond Floor Plans

In addition to floor plans, SmartDraw users can create flowcharts, org charts, Gantt charts, network diagrams, mind maps, and more. Choose SmartDraw if you need a versatile platform that supports everything from floor plans and site plans to fire pre-plans, facility layouts, and business diagrams. A contractor or organization can standardize on one platform instead of purchasing one tool for home design, another for process diagrams, another for organizational charts, and another for safety planning. Cedreo is limited to floor plans only.

Collection of business diagrams

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About SmartDraw vs Cedreo

What is the main difference between SmartDraw and Cedreo?

Cedreo is a 3D tool mainly used by home builders and remodelers to generate client-ready presentations. SmartDraw is a professional 2D floor plan and diagramming tool that is used across a much broader range of industries. SmartDraw supports floor plans, site plans, landscape designs, facility layouts, fire pre-plans, evacuation plans, and business diagrams such as flowcharts and org charts.

Which is better for residential home design?

Both tools can create residential floor plans, but Cedreo is more focused on residential home design workflows and client-facing 3D visualizations. SmartDraw is better suited for users who need residential floor plans along with other types of technical drawings and diagrams.

Which is better for commercial floor plans?

SmartDraw is generally the better choice for commercial floor plans. It includes templates, symbols, and tools for office layouts, retail stores, warehouses, healthcare facilities, schools, and other commercial environments.

Which tool is better for facility management?

SmartDraw is the stronger choice for facility management. It can be used to create office layouts, space planning documents, warehouse layouts, evacuation plans, asset maps, and operational documentation.

Does Cedreo support real-time collaboration?

No. Cedreo does not offer true real-time collaboration. SmartDraw, on the other hand, allows multiple users to work on the same document at the same time.

Can SmartDraw generate client proposals and estimates?

Yes. SmartDraw's shape data feature lets users attach key data features to any symbols on their floor plan, then generate a manifest to create estimates or proposals.

Which tool is better for contractors?

It depends on the contractor. Residential home builders and remodelers may prefer Cedreo's rendering capabilities. General contractors, specialty contractors, facility managers, and commercial construction professionals may find SmartDraw's broader range of planning and documentation tools more useful.

Which tool is better for landscaping and outdoor design?

SmartDraw offers dedicated landscape design capabilities, including plant symbols, irrigation planning, property layouts, and site planning tools. This makes it suitable for landscape architects, landscapers, and property planners.

Can either tool create electrical or plumbing plans?

SmartDraw includes libraries of electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and other technical symbols that support creating technical plans and construction documentation. Cedreo is primarily focused on home design and not technical floor planning.

Which tool provides more versatility?

SmartDraw is significantly more versatile because it combines floor planning, site planning, technical drawings, public safety planning, facility management, and business diagramming in one platform.

Which tool is the better value?

If your primary need is residential home design and client-facing 3D renderings, Cedreo may provide better value. If you need a platform that can handle floor plans, site plans, facility layouts, technical drawings, public safety plans, and business diagrams, SmartDraw typically provides greater overall value by replacing multiple specialized tools.

Get More Than Home Design Software

Cedreo is designed primarily for residential builders and remodelers. SmartDraw serves a much broader audience. In addition to home floor plans, SmartDraw supports commercial spaces, public safety planning, facilities management, landscape design, construction documentation, and business process diagrams, allowing organizations to standardize on a single platform for multiple needs.