I Tried 11 Free AI Interior Design Tools — These Are The Top 3 I’d Recommend

updated Sep 30, 2024
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AI-generated room photo: pale neutral toned living room
Credit: Decorilla

At its core, interior design is a largely tactile process. You can pin inspirational images and save Instagram posts, but the real magic happens when you start feeling fabrics, arranging furniture, and adding finishing touches. Still, that’s not to say design can’t benefit from technology, and that’s where free AI interior design tools come in. But how helpful are they, really, in helping you shape your home design vision? 

Determined to suss out the best AI interior design tools currently on the market, I spent several weeks testing some of the most well-known programs. I wanted to see which ones gave me a great user experience and realistic rendering.

While all the AI interior design programs were fun to play around with, some were more helpful than others at creating the kind of realistic inspiration that I could use as a jumping-off point for my own home design projects. Check out my three favorites below, plus 8 other programs you can play around with — plus some tricks I learned for making the most of AI interior design.

Quick Overview

The 3 Best Free AI Tools for Interior Design 

Credit: RoomsGPT

RoomsGPT

One of the most user-friendly AI tools I tried, RoomsGPT takes the common AI prompt model and utilizes it to generate semi-realistic renderings. The free version of the service relies simply on uploading an image of your existing space, choosing what type of room it is (i.e., a living room, bedroom, etc.), and naming your design style from a concise list of about 25 descriptors.

Key Features

  • Two options: AI Room Design, which tackles the interior of a room, and AI Home Design, which tackles the exterior
  • A lengthy list of room types to choose from, including more off-beat options like a wine cellar, pantry, or outdoor patio
  • Robust list of design styles — or inspirational designers like Nate Berkus, Joanna Gaines, and Bunny Williams —to choose from
  • Two AI-generated iterations of your design, with the option to regenerate if you feel like neither suits what you were looking for

My Experience

To test the free version of RoomsGPT for this piece I used a shot of my kitchen before we renovated it. I wanted to see how closely the AI-generated picture would come to the image I originally used as inspiration for my project. So I uploaded this “before” photo of my kitchen.

Credit: Alyssa Longobucco

Uploading the image of my kitchen failed the first few times. Ultimately, I determined that it was too large, so I used a smaller shot instead. It would have been helpful if RoomsGPT had told me about their image size limitations to begin with.

Next, I prompted the program to design me a new kitchen inspired by Nate Berkus.

Credit: RoomsGPT

At first glance, RoomsGPT has a very simple user interface — it almost reminded me of a website circa 1990, which I found funny for something so cutting edge. I enjoyed navigating through the prompts to determine the combination of descriptors I wanted to use for my image generation.

Credit: RoomsGPT

The end result was a bit of a mixed bag. While I liked that I could see what different countertops and details looked like in my kitchen, the render itself was a bit wonky — many of the items on the countertop were blurred, and the light fixture resembled something of a bee hive.

Credit: RoomsGPT

To give the tool another shot, I generated a second image, prompting it to change my original kitchen into a coastal-inspired design. This one felt a bit more on the mark, and while it wasn’t to my personal taste, I was glad to see that it at least included a new cabinet color, a new rug, and revamped countertops.

Pros of RoomsGPT

  • Lets you choose from a list of popular designers, which is often how many people attribute their own design style, making it easier for beginners to identify their likes and dislikes.
  • Free to use, and you can do as many visualizations as you’d like.

Cons of RoomsGPT

  • No opportunity for text input, so you are stuck working with your space as-is — you cannot request that a window or wall be removed, etc.
  • Many of the renders were less-than-realistic, and some of them had blurred furniture, weird accessories, or odd details.

Who Is RoomsGPT Best For?

RoomsGPT is best for budding design enthusiasts looking for visual inspiration for their design projects.

Credit: Home Visualizer AI

HomeVisualizerAI

Well-suited to pros and design novices alike, HomeVisualizerAI is a seriously impressive rendering tool that can tackle photorealistic renders from elevations, reimagine sketches into 3D designs, and even revamp entire rooms into completely different scenes. The program has free and paid versions, starting at just $12 a month.

Key Features

  • Backs into your visualization request by allowing you to choose your type of room, style of room, and input custom designer requests.
  • There’s a sliding scale that allows you to choose just how “creative” you want the AI software to be, or if you’d prefer the program stick as close to the original as possible.
  • You can also work off of an inspiration image, and the AI software will “fuse” the inspiration shot with an image of your room.

My Experience

I loved this tool—and I think you will too. Unlike RoomsGPT, which offered an entry-level take on interior design AI, HomeVisualizer lets you flex your creative muscle a bit more, relying on a combination of pre-determined style selections and custom design requests to help nail down your perfect scheme.

Credit: Home Visualizer AI

To start, I uploaded the same kitchen image as before and prompted the tool to custom design a room that was transitional in style, with cream cabinetry, marble countertops, and a tile backspace. I essentially wanted a room that was bright, airy, and functional — and this is what I got:

Credit: Home Visualizer AI

Pretty stunning, right? While there were definitely a few moments of AI weirdness (including what I think is an open microwave door on the far left?), I was overall super impressed by the accuracy and aesthetics of the tool. It’s like my kitchen had a major glow-up, but it still felt true to the size and details of the room as a whole.

For another take, I again gave the tool the same prompt as I did RoomGPT, asking it to design a refreshed kitchen in the style of Nate Berkus, resulting in a warm and welcoming look that was my favorite of the bunch.

Credit: Home Visualizer AI

I would be a very happy home chef if I got to cook there! For one final challenge, I wanted to see how accurately the visualizer could make my cabinets colored, so I prompted the tool to design my kitchen in the style of Joanna Gaines, with pale blue cabinetry and marble countertops. And, as was no surprise, it came out beautifully:

Credit: Home Visualizer AI

Pros of HomeVisualizerAI

  • Lets you input text requests as well as select the desired style of your room, resulting in a more accurate and unique render.
  • The “style fashion” feature allows you to “try on” your favorite Pinterest designs and see what they would feel and look like in your own home, which is great if you’ve ever wondered if you could be a MCM girlie.
  • The program pairs with Google Lens to help you find products similar to those seen in your render.

Cons of HomeVisualizerAI

  • While your first three renders are free, you do have to pay to use the program after that. However, at $12 a month, may design pros and enthusiasts may find it a worthy spend.

Who Is HomeVisualizerAI Best for?

HomeVisualizer is best for serious design enthusiasts (or pros) who know the lingo and can develop precise prompts that will help them get the most out of the product.

Credit: VisualizeAI

VisualizeAI

Perhaps the most versatile of the bunch, VisualizeAI is an interior design and architecture tool that relies on an existing image, sketch, or floor plan to devise a detailed rendering. You can select from pre-determined inputs for your room type and style, then fill out the text-based forms to give the programs additional instructions on what to include (or remove).

Key Features

  • In addition to architecture and interior design, VisualizeAI also lets you fiddle around with product design, helping you to create custom tables, couches, and more.
  • You can prompt the program to add things to the room (for example, a wooden kitchen island), but in a unique twist, you can also call attention to what you want it to exclude, such as cabinet hardware, harsh light, or a stove.
  • Your first few prompts are free — after that, you can expect to pay $19 a month for full-fledged use.

My Experience

VisualizeAI is structured very similarly to HomeVisualizer and is blessedly easy to use. While it has the capabilities needed for pro use, you do not need to be a pro to get great results with the program. To put it to the test, I again uploaded the same kitchen shot and put the program through similar prompts, asking it first to design a room with a transitional style with marble countertops and light cabinetry.

Credit: VisualizeAI
Credit: VisualizeAI

The end result was lovely and was the only tool to accurately identify that I had a window to the far left of the image. That said, I found that the finishes looked a little less realistic compared to HomeVisualizer, resulting in an image that was a bit warped.

Credit: VIsualizeAI

Again, very unsure what is going on with that mosaic-style backsplash, but the foundation is there!

Pros of VisualizeAI

  • Lets you input text requests as well as select the desired style of your room, resulting in a more accurate and unique render.
  • You can request that the tool “leave out” certain design features, as well as add things in, which can be helpful.

Cons of VisualizeAI

  • While your first three renders are free, you do have to pay to use the program after that at a cost of $19 per month.
  • There are no follow-up details after receiving your render, and the baseline program doesn’t help you determine paint colors or products.

Who Is HomeVisualizerAI Best For?

HomeVisualizer is best for design enthusiasts (or pros) who know the lingo and can develop precise prompts that will help them get the most out of the product.

Other AI Interior Design Rendering Options

Microsoft Bing Image Creator

Credit: Microsoft Bing Image Creator

Powered by Microsoft’s Bing search engine and Dall-E 2 AI technology, the Microsoft Bing Image Creator combines realistic AI renderings with design resources to empower novice and pro designers alike. The tool relies on language learning algorithms, allowing users to input a request into the system (like “green organic modern kitchen with copper range hood”) to generate design inspiration. This means that you’ll get visual inspiration, but it might not directly relate to your room’s actual architecture (i.e., it may show a window where you have none, for example). While the tool itself is free, it does work on a “reward” system, where each prompt costs you one reward point. To earn more, you simply need to browse using the Bing search engine.

Who it’s best for

Microsoft Bing Image Creator is best for semi-knowledgeable design enthusiasts looking for visual inspiration for their design projects.

Credit: Decorilla

Decorilla

Decorilla‘s innovative service marries the best of both worlds, allowing homeowners to work with an interior design pro and get realistic AI renderings of their space. Upload an image of your room, answer a brief design questionnaire, and tell the team how much money you’d like to spend. Decorilla’s design pros will do the rest (per-hour design advice starts at $75), delivering you a comprehensive scheme complete with a variety of concept previews, realistic room renderings, a shoppable product list, paint color suggestions, room layouts, and more. 

Who it’s best for

Homeowners who want to work with a designer — but are OK with doing so virtually — will love Decorilla’s helpful service.

Credit: Foyr Neo

Foyr Neo

Geared primarily towards interior design pros (and those who fancy themselves amateur designers), Foyr Neo takes the best of several design programs (like AutoCAD and SketchUp) and combines them with AI technology to create an all-in-one user-friendly design interface. The system includes tens of thousands of 3D models, allowing designers to cater their furniture and design choices in renderings to real-world product suggestions. Packages range in price from $59 a month to $159 a month. 

Who it’s best for

Design pros looking to streamline and expedite their process, specifically if they work in e-design.

Credit: DecorMatters

DecorMatters

Part AI design tool, part social platform, DecorMatters combines useful resources with a user-friendly interface to encourage design enthusiasts to dream up their ideal home environment. Fiddle around with an extensive library of furnishings, upload your designs to community boards for feedback, participate in weekly design challenges, and more. You can also utilize DecorMatters to visualize a specific piece of furniture in your space or create a rendering; you can even shop for decor you fall in love with. You do have to pay a fee to access the service (after a free trial period); basic packages starting at $9.99 a month.

Who it’s best for

Amateur designers looking to connect with other decor enthusiasts, grow their confidence and skills, and generate semi-realistic images of their design visions. 

Credit: Palazzo AI

Palazzo

Launched by Venus Williams in late February, Palazzo is a new entrant into the AI design space, but it already boasts promising appeal, thanks to a competitive mix of inspiration and real-life actualization. You’ll start by taking a quiz to help the program identify your design style, then head to a landing page where you can upload a picture of your room. From there, a chatbot will help you change up anything you want about it, from the overall aesthetic to the color palette. Users get free credits to start but will need to purchase more (or invite friends) to continue using the product.

Who it’s best for

Anyone curious about what their room would look like with a fresh palette or new materials.

Credit: Collov AI

Collov

Geared toward professionals in the interior design space, Collov focuses its AI capabilities primarily on 3D room renderings, with the assumption that the user already has a baseline knowledge of how they’d like their room to look and feel. Unlike many of the other AI programs I tested, Collov allows you to draw right onto an image using their brush tool, then prompting the program to add a green couch there or a leather armchair here. Collov also boasts a strong cabinetry design extension, which I imagine is best used in conjunction with a design studio or cabinet store to get your desired results. You’ll need to purchase credits to continue to use the program after an initial trail period.

Who it’s best for

Design professionals looking to streamline their 3D rendering workflow or to-the-trade vendors (think: cabinetry design, flooring, or furniture) that want to appeal to clients with lifelike renderings.

Credit: REimagine Home AI

REimagine Home

Basic and intuitive, REimagine Home is a good AI design software for anyone just starting to experiment with the techie trend. It boasts many of the same features as other models, like the ability to upload your own image to work off, as well as landscape and virtual staging capabilities. Instead of working off a credit system, REimagine Home offers monthly memberships, ranging from $14 a month up to $99, with varying degrees of capabilities and output.

Who it’s best for

Beginners looking to flex their creativity with an AI design tool. You don’t need to know much (if anything) about design before using REimagine Home, which makes it a great entry-level tool.

Credit: SpacelyAI

Spacely

Spacely offers a great middle ground that bridges the gap between design enthusiasts and design professionals. You can either upload an image of your room, a sketch, or a white 3D rendering (which is void of any detail), and Spacely will do the work to render the space according to your specifications. This program also boasts a ton of pre-loaded styles and the ability to tweak the images easily post-render, including moving furniture around. Spacely offers monthly subscriptions for users utilizing the program for their personal use; anyone dubbed an “enterprise” (aka an interior design firm or builder) will need to apply to the program to receive custom pricing.

Who it’s best for

Interior design pros looking to cut down on the wait time necessary to get quality renders from a vendor.

How to Use AI for Interior Design 

Come Prepared

A fair warning: Just because you’re using an AI tool to assist with your design doesn’t mean you won’t have your own homework to do. Many of the tools on this list rely on knowing the existing specs of your space (think: measurements, photos, or even links to current furniture). You’ll get the most out of each if you come as prepared as possible for your session.

Talk the Talk

If you have any experience with other AI systems (like the very popular ChatGPT), you know that many of them rely on your ability to verbally communicate what you’re looking for. The more specific and descriptive you can be with your language inputs, the more relevant your final AI interior design rendering will be. Before you set out to experiment with these tools, brush up on a bit of design lingo so you can properly convey what it is you’re looking for. Tweaking a phrase like “A bedroom with a wall detail” to “A bedroom with floor-to-ceiling box molding” can make the difference between a design deliverable you love and one that misses the mark. 

Have Fun Experimenting

Many of these tools (and the AI category, in general) are still in their infancy, so you’re bound to run into a few issues, whether that be a bug in the system or a wacky room generation that places a pillow on the mantel. (True story: This happened to me.) It’s a good idea to go into your design sessions with a playful attitude and remember these are just supplementary tools meant to make designing your space more interactive and enjoyable.

Know the Limitations

AI interior design services can do a lot, but they’re not going to instantly transform your space into something out of the pages of Architectural Digest (at least, not yet). Each of the tools on this list comes with its own limitations, whether that’s in its innate functionality or specific services sheltered behind paywalls. While nearly all of the services have free versions, they are limited in their capabilities, and you will often have to pay more (or go to a human design pro) if you want a total soup-to-nuts design scheme.