OpenLandscape3D vs. Yardzen
Yardzen is an online design service. You send photos and video of your yard, its designers produce a custom design remotely, and it helps you find a builder in select markets.
At a glance
| Question | Yardzen | OpenLandscape3D |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Backyard packages $995, $1,395, $1,995 and $3,495; front and full-yard prices not listed | Free, MIT-licensed; no account |
| Who designs | Yardzen designers and horticulturists | You, with design checks and plant data to guide you |
| Timing | First draft in 5–10 business days; revisions in weeks 2–3 | Start now; change it as often as you like |
| Revisions | None to three rounds, depending on package | Unlimited; it is your file |
| Deliverables | Renders from Classic up; 2D CAD plans and a curated plant list in Premium | Plan and 3D, print/PDF sheet, plant and task schedules, HD/4K renders, open JSON |
| Building it | Help choosing a builder; vetted contractors in select markets | None; you take the plan and schedules to whoever installs |
What Yardzen does well
- Professional designers do the work, so there is no software to learn
- Photorealistic renders in the Classic package and up, with day-to-night views in Signature
- Revisions, a dedicated project team and, in Premium, custom 2D CAD plans and a curated plant, material and furniture list
- Help moving to construction, including a vetted contractor network in select markets
How OpenLandscape3D differs
- Free, so you can explore ideas and change your mind without paying for another round
- Every catalog plant carries mature size, hardiness, light and moisture, with sources, and the checks explain conflicts
- See the garden at any month and year after planting, with sun and shadows by hour
- An open, documented file you keep, which also opens with an OpenPlan3D house plan
- Useful before you hire anyone: arrive at a designer or contractor with a scaled plan and plant list
Where OpenLandscape3D falls short today
- No designer looks at your plan; the design checks are rules, not professional judgment
- No photoreal renders and no contractor matching
- No grading, cut-and-fill or irrigation design, and no CAD or DXF export
- Regional plants for three U.S. pilot regions only, with draft data
See the roadmap for what is planned next.
Choose Yardzen if…
You would rather pay a professional to design the yard, want photoreal renders to decide from, and are ready to build soon with help finding a contractor.
Choose OpenLandscape3D if…
You want to design it yourself, explore before hiring anyone, keep revising for free, or hand a scaled plan and plant list to a designer or installer.
Yardzen details are based on public vendor pages as checked on (Yardzen packages) and may have changed; check with the vendor for current features and pricing. See also the full list of landscape design tools. Product names are trademarks of their owners; no affiliation is implied.
Start designing in your browser
OpenLandscape3D is free and open source. Draw the site, place regional plants, and scrub through seasons and years before anything goes in the ground.