SmartDraw vs Planner 5D

Learn why professionals prefer SmartDraw over Planner 5D

Planner 5D is a great choice for residential floor plans and interior design. However, if you need to create complex floor plans for contractors and other professional uses, SmartDraw is the better choice. SmartDraw is the more capable, precise, and versatile solution when your project demands more than just a basic floor plan. SmartDraw gives users the ability to create everything from commercial layouts and fire pre-plans to evacuation maps and warehouse designs.

Features SmartDraw Planner 5D Why It Matters
2D Floor Plans Yes Yes Both tools allow users to create basic 2D floor plans.
3D Floor Plans No Yes SmartDraw focuses on top-view floor plans where accuracy matters. Planner 5D is better for interior designers who need visualization.
Ability to Change Scale Yes Very Limited Planner 5D only lets you switch between imperial and metric units. SmartDraw allows you to change the scale to any custom architectural scale (and do it on the fly).
Import Existing Floor Plans Yes Yes Both tools let you build on what you already have.
Layers Yes No Only SmartDraw offers traditional CAD-style layers to display electrical, plumbing, HVAC information to avoid clutter and mistakes.
Industry-Standard Symbols Yes Limited SmartDraw provides industry-standard technical floor planning symbols including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and NFPA emergency symbols. Planner 5D mainly offers furniture and decor symbols.
Custom Symbols Yes Pro plan required SmartDraw lets you create custom symbols without extra costs.
Shape Data Yes No Only SmartDraw lets you attach pricing and spec to objects for usable project data.
Manifest Yes No Only SmartDraw lets you turn drawings into estimates, proposals, and documentation.
Print to SCale Yes No Only SmartDraw lets you print your floor plan to any scale.
Specialized Use-Cases Yes No In addition to residential floor plans, SmartDraw supports office plans, facility plans, retail layouts, fire pre-plans, evacuation plans, accident reconstructions, and more.
Real-Time Co-Editing Yes Yes Both tools let you collaborate with other users and designers in real-time.
Other Diagram Types Yes No SmartDraw is a more versatile tool that lets you create flowcharts, org charts, and other diagrams.
Integrations with Teams, Slack, and Confluence Yes No SmartDraw is great at fitting into your existing business workflow.
Overall Best For Professionals who need precision and scale for actionable plans. Individuals creating basic residential floor plans and interior design visualization.

Why Professionals Prefer SmartDraw Over Planner 5D

SmartDraw Goes Beyond Residential Floor Plans

Planner 5D is a capable tool for designing home interiors, but it lacks the ability to go beyond residential floor plans. In SmartDraw, users can create all kinds of professional floor plans including commercial layouts, offices, medical facilities, warehouses, restaurants, retail, site plans, landscape designs, as well as fire pre-plans, accident diagrams, crime scenes, evacuation maps, and more.

SmartDraw floor planning templates

SmartDraw Offers Technical Precision

SmartDraw is better at giving users precise dimensional control. Users can type in exact measurements directly into walls and have the ability to change the scale at any time. With Planner 5D, you're stuck with their default scale and can only switch between metric and imperial units. When a floor plan is finished, SmartDraw lets users print to scale, meaning contractors and architects can measure directly off the printed floor plans.

1' 6" 6" 1' 10"

SmartDraw Supports Data-Driven Floor Plans

SmartDraw allows users to attach pricing, specifications, and other product details to symbols within their floor plan. From there, users can generate manifests, making it easy to create estimates and proposals. Planner 5D doesn't offer anything similar.

Shape data on bathroom symbol

SmartDraw Has a Larger and Broader Template and Symbol Collection

While both Planner 5D and SmartDraw offer editable templates, Planner 5D's templates are primarily residential. In addition to residential home templates, SmartDraw offers professional floor plan templates for commercial spaces, offices, hospitals, restaurants, warehouses, and more. SmartDraw also offers thousands of technical, industry-standard symbols including symbols for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, as well as fire and NFPA and other emergency planning symbols. Planner 5D lacks industry-standard symbols.

Floor planning symbols

SmartDraw Offers CAD-Like Layers to Keep Floor Plans Organized

SmartDraw offers layer features which allow users to separate electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems into distinct views that can be toggled on or off as needed. This creates a more organized floor plan that's easy to read, no matter how detailed it is. Planner 5D does not offer a similar feature.

Layers dialog menu

SmartDraw is More Than Just a Floor Plan Tool

Beyond floor planning, SmartDraw can support any aspect of your business. Users can also create organizational charts, flowcharts, wiring diagrams, Gantt charts, mind maps, network diagrams, and more. Planner 5D users are limited to floor plans only.

Collection of business diagrams

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About SmartDraw vs Planner 5D

What is the main difference between SmartDraw and Planner 5D?

Planner 5D focuses on homeowners and interior designers who need basic residential home design. SmartDraw on the other hand, is better for construction and remodel professionals who need precise floor plans to build from. SmartDraw also has a broader range of professional use-cases including commercial layouts, site plans, electrical plans, plumbing drawings, fire pre-plans, evacuation maps, crime scenes, accident diagrams, and more.

Does Planner 5D have industry-standard symbols?

While Planner 5D offers a wide variety of floor plan symbols, it lacks industry-standard symbols needed to accurately create specialized floor plans. SmartDraw users have access to thousands of industry-standard symbols including technical symbols for HVAC, electrical, plumbing as well as symbols for fire and emergency planning.

Does Planner 5D have a layer feature?

No, Planner 5D does not offer a layer feature. In SmartDraw, users have the ability to separate systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing) into distinct views to avoid clutter and mistakes.

Does Planner 5D print to scale?

Planner 5D lacks the ability to print to scale, which can be a limitation for professionals who need accurate and measurable plans. SmartDraw allows users to print to scale.

Which tool is better for teams or businesses?

SmartDraw is the better choice for teams and businesses. In addition to real-time collaboration, SmartDraw offers integrations with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace, as well as other enterprise features. Planner 5D does not offer these options.

Can SmartDraw create diagrams other than just floor plans?

Yes, SmartDraw can create many types of diagrams including flowcharts, organizational charts, network diagrams, and more. Planner 5D is limited to floor plans only.

SmartDraw is Best for Professionals

Planner 5D is a great choice for quickly designing a residential layout, but it doesn't have the accuracy or breadth needed by professionals. SmartDraw is the more powerful tool for when your project requires precision, industry-standard symbols, and the ability to go beyond a simple home design.