Home design and landscaping has taken a life of its own since the advent of powerful home computers. For years now, these machines have taken care of the minutia, while we focus on the more exciting side of the equation: creating and designing our dream projects.

It’s of little surprise how competitive this field has become, from dedicated apps to online services competing to become the best interior design software. NCH’s DreamPlan belongs in the former category, offering a product that works both on Windows computers (7 and above) and Macs (10.5 and later). Let’s take a look at it…

• You can download DreamPlan via the NCH Software by clicking here.

DreamPlan: Pricing and plans

• Two price options to purchase the software outright, and there’s even a very reasonable rental scheme. What’s not to like?

NCH belongs to that wonderful old school of developers who (mostly) don’t try to milk their customers for all they’re worth: instead of offering to rent their software to you, they let you purchase it outright.

DreamPlan comes in two flavours. The cheapest one is for ‘home use only’ with a licence limited for personal use, and will cost you $40. But for just an extra $10, you can grab ‘DreamPlan Home Design Software Plus’, which grants you a commercial licence.

If you’re more in favour of rentals than owning your software, fret not, as NCH have got your back: for less than $3 a month, you can grab yourself the commercial licence version, including all future upgrades. Considering the price of some software rentals, this is a pretty darn good deal.

Also do check their site, as they regularly offer generous discounts on their software, making a good price, even better.

If you’re curious about what DreamPlan has to offer, NCH also offers a free trial version.

• Score: 5/5

DreamPlan: Interface

• The interface’s icons look pretty dated, but don’t get stuck on the software’s looks: everything is well organised and you’ll have no problem finding the tools you need, and switching between the four available views

Launching DreamPlan might make you think that you’ve gone back in time, as the interface has a very strong 90s feel. But lack of modern polish aside, you’ll find the software works, and it works well. You have the choice of starting a project from scratch, or base it upon an existing template, the latter of which is a great way to familiarise yourself with what DreamPlan can do.

By default, you’re presented with a rendered 3D view where you’ll be building your project, but if you’d prefer a more traditional 2D floor plan, select ‘2D view - Blueprint’ from the ‘View’ menu. Fancy something more in-between? The ‘2D view - Render’ might be what you’re after: it combines the flat paper-like interaction, with the textures that come as standard in the 3D environment. Finally, there's ‘Isometric View’, which gives your project’s wall that 3D look that’s usually missing from a 2D environment.

Whichever view you select, you’ll be able to access every tool at your disposal, and interact with your project as you’d expect.

The interface itself is quite simple to find your way around: you’ve got a menu at the top breaking down your tools by categories, such as Building, Exterior, Landscaping, and so forth. Each category comes with its own unique features. For instance, if you’re looking for Decking, that’ll be in ‘Decks’; Furniture, Painting and Electronics, you’ll find that under ‘Interior’.

You’ve got a couple of sidebars on the left and right of the interface. One contains most functions that are replicated in menus and keyboard shortcuts, while the other contains a selected item’s changeable properties. All very straightforward and easy to get to grips with, since it’s all pretty much standard fare for any design application.

There’s also an additional view, usually placed lower right of the interface, but you can move it around and resize it at will. It’s set to the opposite view from the main window, so if you’re working in 2D, it'll be a smaller 3D representation of your project, through which you can navigate separately from what you’re seeing in the main screen. Note that it’s merely a visual aid: you can’t alter your project through it.

• Score: 4/5

DreamPlan: Designing

• Huge amount of versatility, both indoors and outdoors, with a wide range of customisable objects you can use to bring your creation to life. If you ever feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, do check out NCH’s video tutorials

Starting a project is very simple: since the ‘Building’ menu is selected by default, click on Walls then click and drag on the 3D landscape to create one. To speed things up, choose ‘Room’ instead, modify its dimensions in the Inspector section, go to the main part of the interface, click, and it’s added. In order to make adding walls or rooms that little bit easier, you can toggle the ‘Magnetic Grid Snap’ function. That way, your objects will snap to a grip or to each other, as you drag them.

Adding windows and doors is more intricate, as you need to choose the one you have in mind in the Properties section. Selecting one from the list will bring up a new floating window displaying a rotating 3D render of what you’ve clicked on. Altering its parameters (be it its dimensions or colours) will automatically change its appearance in that window.

The same applies to the furniture you can add to garnish your design, and the number available is impressive. Everything from bookcases, to coffee tables, to sofas, to integrated ovens, to laptops, and so much more. Add to that the option to decorate walls, and go beyond your home by landscaping the entire surrounding area, adding swimming pools, decks, plants, and, really, anything you fancy. Thank goodness there’s a handy search field to help you find what you’re looking for.

If you find yourself getting lost, or confused as to what to do next, NCH has produced a good number of handy video tutorials. Even better, you will find the odd camera icon, at the top of the Properties and Stories sections. Clicking on such an icon will take you to a webpage where all these videos are stored, greatly speeding up the learning process. Speaking of ‘Stories’, these refer to a building’s elevation because, like all good design software, you can build a project across multiple floors, including basements.

You’ll find NCH DreamPlan is a lot of fun to use, and it won’t take you long to get immersed in a complex project. The fact you can expand your design to cover landscaping as well, even raising and lowering portions of the ground, really adds to the experience, and of course, the software comes with a generous number of trees, plants, grasses, and flowers. DreamPlan makes it easy to alter your design, and does all it can to help you in your architectural journey. Definitely worth a look.

• Score: 4.5/5

Should I buy DreamPlan?

Buy it if...

If you’re looking for an affordable building design package that’s easy to use, provides a good number of video tutorials, and allows you to expand your projects to include the surrounding landscape.

Don't buy it if...

You’re in the market for something a lot more visually striking by today’s standards, especially if you’re looking for something that produces photorealistic renders of your projects.

For more tools, we've reviewed the best landscape design software and the best architecture software

Ashampoo Home Design has been around for a very long time, and we’re now onto version 9. The software is still Windows only, but is now only compatible with versions 10 and 11 of that operating system, and it won’t run on any ARM processor. Apart from that, if your computer runs that OS, it will run Home Design. We loaded up the latest version to see how it compares to the best interior home design software we've tested out.

Ashampoo Home Design 9: Pricing & plans

• No subscription but a very affordable price to purchase the software, which is made even cheaper by great deals. You also have a very cheap way to upgrade from an earlier version, and a generous 30-day trial… it’s all wins here.

The price of Home Design is actually hard to believe. It’s old school, so there’s no subscription options, which is already a very good thing: how many more subscriptions can you actually, truly manage?

So instead, Ashampoo offers its product for an upfront fee of $50 for the full version, with no in-app purchases. But if that still sounds like too much, check their site, as there are often some incredible deals. For instance, as of this writing, you can get this package for 60% off: only $20, which is ridiculously good value.

Now obviously the main problem with purchasing a version outright, is that you don’t get access to the latest and greatest features when they’ll be released in the future, but even here Ashampoo has a great deal for you: you can upgrade to 9 from an older version for only $15.

And if none of that tempts you, you can download a copy and use it free for 30 days to check out if it suits your needs.

You can check out Ashampoo Home Design 9 by clicking here.

Ashampoo Home Design 9: Getting Started

• An old style command bar that takes up way too much space, coupled with a handy Wizard that lets you hit the ground running by creating the basic structure for you. So, some positive, some negative.

Alright, let’s start with a disappointing downside. We hadn’t actually looked at this software for years, and since then, it has received multiple major revisions, with many features improved, and now ones added… except the interface hasn’t been on the schedule to be refreshed during that time.

The look of the software felt old then, and it really does feel antiquated now, with commands placed at the top, but displayed on multiple layers which you can’t collapse so the entire system takes up much too much of your valuable real estate. Still, if they haven’t changed it by now, it must work for them, so it is what it is.

When you launch the software, you’re presented with a welcome screen from which you can launch the ‘Start Wizard’ (you can also find that command in the ‘Building’ menu). This feature helps you design the basics of a house quickly by doing a lot of the initial work for you. You even get to switch between imperial and metric measurements - even though the antiquated imperial is selected by default.

The Wizard creates the basic shape of your building, along with the number of floors you need, and the type of roof you require. Anything else (doors, windows, internal walls, etc), is left for a later stage. When you’re done with the Wizard, you’re left to your own devices in the main interface.

Ashampoo Home Design 9: Interface

• The interface feels needlessly convoluted and unnecessarily cramped. I might’ve been peak design 10 or more years ago, but we should’ve all moved on since.

The main interface feels as cumbersome as the software’s overly large menu system, and this is primarily due to its window management system. You have the ability to see your project both as a 2D top-down plan, and a 3D virtual reality environment. Those two are presented as floating windows… except not really.

Those windows are actually restrained within the confines on the remaining interface. It feels surprisingly frustrating, as you’re constantly battling for space between these two views, both of which are essential when designing with Home Design. You end up with them being overlapping, or squished together side by side. It’s not really ideal, especially if you work on a large project. Why couldn’t they be dockable for instance, with an easy way to switch between the two?

But again, it’s been like this for years, so it feels there’s little point in complaining about it again, and we just have to resign ourselves to constantly having to move and resize windows as we work - not ideal.

Ashampoo Home Design 9: Home Design

• Many options, numerous customisation possibilities, a lot of versatility. All that is good. But it’s the way you get to do all this, which feels overly cumbersome, and that’s a real shame.

On the plus side, the experience of navigating through your project and building your home felt much better and more fluid than we remembered. It’s easy to add walls, windows, doors, and any other objects to your project, but everything feels like it takes far longer to do things with Home Design than it does with competing products. For instance, resizing a door and changing its position can be done in just a click and drag… elsewhere. Here you need to click on a button to reveal a floating window with a numerical field which you need to adjust, and hit the ‘Return’ key to see the effect of your change, which means you’re likely forced to repeat the process if you’re not happy with that outcome. It works of course, but it feels convoluted.

Despite this, you do have a ton of options at your disposal, such as different types of walls, various windows, doors and roofs, and of course a plethora of furniture. Take windows for instance, double-click on one to reveal all of its parameters, including various ways for it to open, how it looks on the 2D plan, the thickness of the window sill, and more. You have access to a huge amount of information and customisation. It’s just all very ‘change values in a field’ rather than the more ‘do it all through various mouse gestures’ we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years.

The catalog of available items used to populate and decorate your project is… alright. You get to drill through a series of icons until you find the object you’re looking for. Puzzlingly enough, we couldn’t find a search field to help us get to a particular category or type of object faster, which was… quaint. However you can double-click on any of them to see a large preview of the 3D object you’re interested in, and to add it to your project, just drag and drop it.

It is possible to resize objects of course, but don’t expect it to be a simple click and drag matter. Instead you need to double-click on it to review its changeable parameters located in various editable fields, just like for the window example we mentioned earlier.

Yes Home Design has improved, but it seems its developers don’t believe in keeping up with the competition. Yes it is very powerful, and incredibly affordable which are very big pluses, but its way of working lead to frustration for us. Which is a shame. Or maybe it’s just that we’ve been too spoilt with far easier ways of doing the same thing offered by its competition.

Should I buy Ashampoo Home Design 9?

Need help on your next creative project? Check out our round-ups of the best landscape design software and the best architecture software

BeenVerified was founded in 2007 and is a reliable people search tool owned by Intelius, which also owns US Search and Instant Checkmate. All three of these search platforms utilize data from public records. With BeenVerified, you can conduct an informal background check on a new acquaintance or look up an old friend. The platform allows you to search using various data points, including name, address, phone number, vehicle details, and more. They provide access to billions of records and claim to have assisted over a million customers.

• Want to try BeenVerified? Check out the website here

In our BeenVerified review, we will take a closer look at the features offered by this people search tool and help you determine whether it is worth the investment.

BeenVerified: plans and pricing

BeenVerified does not allow users to purchase a report for a single individual, a pricing model many might prefer. Instead, users are required to sign up for a subscription. The subscription costs $36.89 monthly if paid monthly or $71.94 for three months, which breaks down to $23.98 monthly. When we tried to find the pricing details online, we found that the information was not very transparent, as users must complete the entire search process to see the price. This frustratingly involves several screens and a significant time commitment.

Major credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, can be used for payments. PayPal is also accepted. Payments can be processed via iTunes or Google Play if you purchase a subscription through the app.

It's important to note that canceling your BeenVerified subscription can be pretty challenging. There is no straightforward way to do this from within your account. Instead, you need to call the company’s support line or send an email to turn off auto-renewal. Additionally, ensure you request the cancellation before your next billing cycle to avoid being charged.

BeenVerified: features

BeenVerified is a comprehensive background check and public records search service that provides users with an extensive array of features designed to facilitate in-depth information gathering. Among its key offerings are people search, reverse phone lookup, email lookup, address lookup, and property search.

The people search feature allows users to locate individuals by name, revealing essential information such as contact details, social media accounts, and past addresses. The reverse phone lookup tool enables users to identify the owner of a phone number, which can be particularly useful for handling unknown calls or verifying strangers' identities. Similarly, the email lookup function helps track the ownership of email addresses, providing insights into a person's digital presence.

Address lookup allows for a thorough investigation of a property’s history, including past owners and transaction details, and can be particularly beneficial for potential homebuyers or real estate professionals. The property search feature offers additional layers of detail, including property valuations, tax information, and more.

Beyond these search features, BeenVerified includes a monitoring service that actively tracks changes in a person's report. This means users can receive alerts when updates occur, such as changes to contact information or new public records, thus promoting ongoing awareness and safety.

BeenVerified: interface and in use

Getting started with BeenVerified is a relatively straightforward process. Users can choose from various search types, such as background checks, people searches, or reverse phone lookups. After selecting the desired search category, you enter your information about the individual, such as their name or phone number, to initiate a comprehensive database search. Throughout this process, BeenVerified may prompt you with additional questions to refine your search results. These follow-up questions often pertain to the person's location, age, middle name, or known relatives, which can help narrow the options and provide more accurate results. If you don't have answers to these specific questions, you can easily skip them, which may result in broader search outcomes.

Unfortunately, our experience with the search process didn't go as smoothly as anticipated. During our tests, several searches were initiated but stalled indefinitely—the progress bar ceased its movement for over 30 minutes, and we were left waiting without any option to view a report. This lack of responsiveness can frustrate users who expect timely results. On the other hand, some searches were completed successfully, but we encountered a significant drawback: access to the search results requires a paid subscription. This means that users could invest money only to discover that there isn’t a report available for the individual they were initially interested in, leading to potential disappointment.

Moreover, the quality of the information in BeenVerified’s reports appears highly inconsistent. While some reports provided a wealth of detail, including complete criminal records and contact information, others were alarmingly sparse, lacking critical data that users might rely on. It’s particularly troubling that users cannot preview the data fields in a report before committing to the paid subscription. This absence of transparency adds an extra layer of frustration for users looking for specific information and may feel hesitant to invest without knowing what they might receive in return. Overall, while BeenVerified offers a convenient service, the user experience can vary significantly, and there are essential considerations to remember before proceeding with a subscription.

Support

BeenVerified offers customer support through various channels to assist users with their needs. You can reach their customer service team by phone at +1 888-579-5910, or you can email them at support@beenverified.com. They also have a contact form on their website that you can fill out. If you prefer live chat, they have that option available on their website as well. BeenVerified aims to provide comprehensive support to ensure a positive user experience.

Security

BeenVerified only shares information that is available in public records, so the company doesn’t put a huge amount of effort into security. That said, your account is secured with HTTPS and 128-bit encryption.

If you’re looking to opt out of having your data included in BeenVerified’s records, you can also do that easily. Just search to find your record, and BeenVerified will remove it within 24 hours of your request.

BeenVerified: the competition

BeenVerified competes against two of Intelius’ other people search finders, US Search and Instant Checkmate. All three search public records but they differ slightly.

US Search offers a cheaper monthly subscription and enables you to view search results before you run into a paywall. Also, you can pay for a single search, rather than having to take a monthly subscription to see a result. However, the information in the reports is often inaccurate, so we wouldn’t trust this service for running even basic background checks.

Instant Checkmate charges the same price as BeenVerified and offers far more information in its reports, including data about weapons licenses, vehicles, and traffic incidents. Instant Checkmate can be very frustrating to use since it entails clicking through numerous pop-ups. But thanks to the added report details, it offers a better bang for your buck than BeenVerified.

BeenVerified: final verdict

BeenVerified is a practical people search tool that offers a wide range of search methods, making it a versatile option for anyone needing to track down information about individuals. One of its standout features is the ability to search using various data points, such as vehicle identification numbers (VINs) or social media handles. This functionality is handy, as many competing platforms do not support searches based on these specific types of information, potentially saving users time and effort.

However, there are notable downsides to using BeenVerified. One is that users must sign up for a subscription before accessing their search results. This lack of transparency can be frustrating, as potential subscribers cannot preview the type of information they'll receive, making it difficult to determine whether the service will meet their needs.

Moreover, the quality of the reports generated by BeenVerified is inconsistent. While some users might find the information helpful, others may discover that the reports lack depth and detail. This inconsistency means that what you pay for may not always reflect the quality of information you receive, leading to a perception that the service is overpriced, given its value.

Overall, while BeenVerified offers some unique search capabilities that may appeal to specific users, the subscription requirement and the uneven quality of reports make it less attractive than other services in the market.

We've also highlighted the best background check services for individuals.