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.

There are many reasons why you’d want to explore architectural software. The most obvious one, is because you’re a builder and need software to plan your next project.

But in my experience, even some of the best architecture software is aimed at the more casual designer. The ones who have fun visualising their existing home, with new furniture, or perhaps planning with a new extension.

Although Home Designer Suite can easily deal with the latter, despite being the cheapest in Chief Architect’s range, it’s clearly more aimed for the former, and best of all, it’s available for both Mac and Windows. How does it compare to the best interior design software (and even the best landscaping software)? I tested out the latest version to find out.

Chief Architect Home Designer Suite 2025: Pricing and plans

• Compared to its most expensive alternatives, the Home Designer Suite is affordable software, and the tools it offers are quite extensive, but if you're still unsure, download the trial version

Home Designer comes in three flavours, Suite, Architectural and Pro. The prices for the two higher end models can feel pretty steep, with Architectural clocking in at $249, while Pro is almost eye watering at $595 (although that one also has a rental option for $59 a month).

By contrast, at $129, Suite feels much more affordable. But don't be lured into thinking a cheaper versions means fewer available tools: the standard set which is available across the range, is quite extensive, and includes features such as smart cabinets (objects know where they are in relation to the walls and to each other, and automatically face the right way as you add them), and the automation of building walls, roofs, stairs, floors, and even external landscaping, including customised elevation and vegetation. Various 3D views and CAD tools are also part and parcel of even the cheapest version.

If you’re looking for more custom options, such as specific wall types, custom backsplashes and countertops, and features such as curved decks, then Architectural will be better suited to you, and if you need printable construction document layout sheets, a master list material, pricing management tool, and advanced customisation, then Pro would be the only way to go. But if your needs are more, shall we say, modest, you’ll find Suite to be incredibly capable. Even better, Chief Architect has a free trial of Suite, which you can get by handing over your email address.

• Score: 4/5

Chief Architect Home Designer Suite 2025: Interface

• The designers have managed to cram all the tools you’d need in a small interface. It can make it a bit daunting at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll be flying - or rather, building…

Looking at the latest version of Home Designer Suite, you’ll be hard pressed to notice what's different this time. As before, your screen is divided into multiple sections, the largest part of which is dedicated to your design, with all the tools you need crammed in a sidebar to the left, rows of icons at the top, and a library on the right. It’s not an unfair assessment to state that if you’re new to design software, you could easily feel intimidated, but not only will you be able to find your way around pretty quickly, Chief Architect also offers a series of tutorial videos to help you hit the ground running.

Home Designer was made to hide the complexities of what you’re building, helping you focus on the fun part: creating. Walls are created by clicking and dragging, or by clicking on an existing wall’s dimensions to fine tune its length, or by dragging said wall to another position. If you add another wall close to an existing one, Home Designer is clever enough to seamlessly join them together. The beauty here, aside from the nearly effortless design process, is that a list of all the needed materials, although mostly hidden from you, is available to let you know how much to order, be it bricks, insulation, felt, timber, etc.

Not only that, once you've completed the walls for your house, the software automatically adds a basic roof, framing and foundations for you. If this feels like too much hand-holding, rest assured you remain fully in control over the entire design process: click on an item to select it, and drag its edges to resize it, or double-click on it to open a new window containing the chosen object’s changeable parameters, which you're obviously free to alter.

• Score: 4/5

Chief Architect Home Designer Suite 2025: Tools

• You have a vast array of tools and views to work with, which allow you to design an entire house, both inside and out, with surprising ease

By default, you’re working in a top-down view, just as if you were designing blueprints, although whichever view you choose, even a 3D one, you’ll still be able to work on your design, and add and amend any object you bring to it. You’re also able to label parts of your creation, making it easy to see where everything will go, and what everything is supposed to be.

Additional views include ‘Doll House’, which removes the roof and lets you get a bird’s eye view of each floor. ‘Perspective’ includes the roof along with any outdoor landscaping you’ve created. ‘Glass House’ is perhaps the oddest one: everything, and we do mean everything, is now made of glass and is therefore see through.

Now fun though it is to add walls, windows and doors, choose their materials, height, thickness, etc, if you really want to bring your design to life, you need furniture, and rest assured: on that front, Chief Architect has you covered. They have a massive library of every conceivable piece of furniture. Not all of them are available by default, but you can easily download the ones you’re looking for as and when you need then (you’ll need to set up an account, but this, along with many objects you’re able to download, is also free). Additionally, a visit to the site's gallery will also reveal a slew of extra items you can download. Every item you add is fully customisable.

One such customisation is being able to choose the material an object is made of. You get to do this with the ‘Material Painter’ tool (cheekily represented by a spray paint icon). Such decoration can be applied to absolutely anything: tea pots, pianos, windows, walls, you name it. Home Designer doesn't care: you want a wall made out of grass and bluebells? Spray away.

And speaking of grass and bluebells, designing a house from scratch and furnishing it to your liking is already pretty impressive, but Home Designer also lets you go beyond, and create the surrounding gardens. You can alter the elevation, add paths, and plants - although we did notice that unlike many of the indoor furniture we experimented with, it seems most plants come at a cost.

• Score: 4.5/5

Chief Architect Home Designer Suite 2025 : What’s New

• Aside from the Undo History panel, which is useful for any project, none of the new features are truly must-have additions, but they do add welcomed improvements to an already impressive application

All of these tools have been available for a few years now, and although version 2025 isn’t radical in terms of new features, it does bring some interesting features to the table. Some of which affect the software system-wide, such as gaining access to the 'Undo Action History’, which is very similar to how Photoshop does it, and makes it easy to go through multiple undo's in a single step.

Other improvements include being able to choose a thumbnail for a plan file, or select how often files are archived. When it comes to designing, you have more automation when building a deck for instance, corner shelves are now a thing, as are electrical connections for fixtures. It’s not earth shattering, but every tweak, every improvement, adds to an already highly impressive application.

Should I buy Chief Architect Home Designer Suite 2025?

Buy it if...

You need to design a building, need to be as meticulous as you can, as well as being able to decorate your project as you see fit with a plethora of objects to furnish your virtual home.

Don't buy it if...

You just want to play around, in a SIMS-like way, and don’t really need all the professional tools that come as standard with this software.

Many software packages and services let you design the perfect house, complete with plumbing, electrics, furniture, and more. Some even go further and expand their canvas to allow you to design the surrounding landscape.

Idea Spectrum Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025 does things differently, focussing primarily on the landscape itself, and its features and quite impressive. it's easily one of the best landscape design software tools around - as long as you own a Windows PC, the only platform it supports.

• You can download Realtime Landscaping Pro from Idea Spectrum by clicking here.

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Pricing and plans

• Far from the cheapest landscaping software out there, but at least you own it outright: no subscription deals, plus you can download a trial version to check it out

Idea Spectrum deserves praise for not treating their software as a service they can let out. Instead, you need to purchase Realtime Landscaping Pro outright - the old fashioned way - for $279. This is quite refreshing in this day and age. Yes, you have to pay more upfront, but that’s one less rental you have to deal with every month.

Additionally, you can upgrade from a previous version: Pro owners of versions 2011 to 2023 can do so for $129, whereas Plus owners from 2011 to 2025 have to pay $149 to get the latest version of Pro.

If you wish to try the software out for yourself, you can also download a free trial which limits some of the features, but will give you a good feel for what’s on offer.

• Score: 3.5/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Interface

• A clean, easy to understand interface, with multiple views and handy wizards to speed up the design process

Realtime Landscaping Pro is designed for you to work in a 3D environment. Should you prefer to focus on a 2D space, Idea Spectrum also offers ‘Realtime Landscaping Photo’ as an alternative.

The interface is very standard: all your tools can be found on a sidebar to the left, with all the objects you can add being located at the top, broken down by category, such as Terrain, Water Features, Utilities, and Building (yes, you can add buildings to your design; you just can’t venture into them). The left side of the interface is your Inspector, showing all of a selected object’s changeable parameters.

Since you can’t explore the inside of the house, you’d be forgiven for thinking the options available for designing the outside might be limited. Although a lot is automated for you, you have a heck of a lot of customisation capabilities. From setting up the structure, to adding windows, guttering, lights, it’s pretty much all there. Plus you can change the types of material, their colour, the wall heights, the pitch of the roof, etc. Everything you need to make a building look great - from the outside. You also have the ability to add ‘window facades’ that make it seem like your house has an interior when looking through the windows.

There are three separate views at your disposal, all accessible via buttons, lower left of the interface: ‘Plan’ is a top-down view - selected by default; ’Perspective’, allows you to see elevation and work in a 3D environment, which we found helped us design better. The third view is called ‘Walkthrough’, and is really there for you to peruse your creation using your mouse and keyboard. As the project is rendered in high quality, there is no way to alter it in that view.

On the whole, the interface is clear, and easy to understand, giving you a large canvas in the centre of the interface to design your project. Should you feel at a loss, Idea Spectrum offers a series of online tutorials to help you familiarise yourself with what’s on offer.

In order to facilitate the design process further, Realtime Landscaping Pro comes with various wizards. One is used for creating houses, as mentioned above, but others are also available to quickly create landscapes, decks, ponds, accents and swimming pools. The concept is very simple: choose a template, place it onto your project and more often than not, you’re done. These templates are fully customisable of course, to help them blend in more perfectly with your landscape.

• Score: 4/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Planting

• An unbelievable inventory of plants which you can customise, choose their size, and set their look. You also have control over the time of day, and season. Your customisation options are as impressive as the number of plants available

Software designed to recreate an outdoor environment should be well stocked when it comes to flora, and this is exactly what Realtime Landscaping Pro offers. You have at your disposal over 6,000 plants, subdivided by category such as Annuals, Succulent, Tropical, etc, to make it easier to find what you’re after. But with so many to choose from, you’ll be grateful for that handy search field as well!

But that’s not all: you get to choose plants ideal for the geographical location you’re designing in - or not - the choice is completely up to you, as you add trees and shrubs that can look great together, but might not survive in the real world. You also get to choose each plant’s age, which mostly just alters their height, as well as the season you’re working in. This is set for your overall design, but you can also supersede that choice for each plant individually if you’re looking for an unusual and striking look, such as having plants displaying their spring appearance, next to others in the fall. Essentially, you can be as realistic and accurate as you please, or as fanciful as you desire.

This level of control extends to the weather, time of day, season, and even the phase of the moon. All of this is available through the ‘Settings’ menu.

You’ll find that each category has a ‘Currently Used’ section, which allows you to reuse objects currently in your project, elsewhere. This only works on your current project though. Should you wish to use the same plants in multiple projects, that’s where the ‘Favourites’ section comes in, making it easy to locate items once, and use them again and again in future works.

• Score: 5/5

Realtime Landscaping Pro 2025: Objects, people, and animation

• You also have a large list of materials, objects and people to further refine your design, and bring your creation to life with a few fun animations

Plants are but the start of your designing journey. Realtime Landscaping Pro also contains a generous library of 3D objects, from lawn furniture, to cars, as well as a wealth of materials you can use for your walls, driveways, and more.

But what we particularly enjoyed was how you can bring your design to life through animation. Water can shimmer, and fountains flow, for instance. But people - and even animals - can be animated as well. Some can walk, others jog, and a few even swim. Set a path for them to follow and they’ll repeat their action on a loop. Even those sitting or lying around will have some kind of animation set for them, like a head tilt, or a hand movement. All of these help your creation come to life when exploring it in Walkthrough.

Speaking of Walkthrough, you’re able to create movies meandering through your project, although you don’t actually control the movement through your keyboard and mouse, but rather by setting a path for the camera to follow. You can even connect it to an Oculus Rift.

As it stands, this software is very versatile with a wealth of features. It’s simple enough for casual users to have fun with, yet versatile enough for professional use, creating your dream garden, virtually, complete with seasons, and fun animations.

• Score: 4/5

Should I buy Realtime Landscaping Pro?

Buy it if...

You’re looking for a detailed landscaping tool with a wealth of features to help you design the project of your (or your clients’) dreams.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t fancy playing with so many features that you can get lost in the minutia, and you find the animations superfluous and creepy.

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

Freshsales, a CRM that’s part of the Freshworks suite of business software, is a platform designed to streamline and optimize the sales process for businesses of all sizes.

What sets Freshsales apart is its focus on sales-centric features, such as visual sales pipelines, built-in communication tools, and AI-powered insights. One of the best CRM platforms, Freshsales offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to tailor it to their specific needs and workflows. Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, Freshsales aims to provide a comprehensive solution for managing leads, deals, and customer relationships, all while keeping the user experience simple and intuitive.

In this in-depth review, I'll explore the key features, pricing, ease of use, and overall value of Freshsales CRM — based on my experience with the platform. I've looked beyond the marketing to provide hands-on, objective analysis. I spent many hours navigating its "Freddy AI" ecosystem, testing its predictive lead scoring with real-world datasets, and evaluating its built-in telephony to see if it truly offers a single pane of glass experience. As with all our reviews, we never accept payment for product rankings, ensuring that my verdict on Freshsales’ ease of use and its value for high-growth teams is based entirely on practical performance. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of whether Freshsales is the right fit for your business and sales team.

Freshsales core capabilities

Freshsales offers a comprehensive set of tools that cover all the essential aspects of customer relationship management. Its centralized database makes it easy to store, organize, and access customer data from a single place. Meanwhile, the ability to enrich contact profiles with additional information from social media and other public sources is a valuable time-saver.

The platform provides a visual sales pipeline that helps me track the progress of each deal from initial contact to closure. I can easily create and assign tasks, set reminders, and collaborate with my team to nurture leads effectively. I can also customize the deal stages, pipelines, and contact fields to match my specific sales process. The new AI-powered lead scoring is particularly useful, helping to prioritize the most promising opportunities based on their likelihood to convert.

When it comes to sales forecasting and pipeline management, Freshsales offers customizable sales reports and dashboards that provide real-time insights into key metrics such as revenue, win rates, and sales cycle length. I can easily filter and segment data to identify trends, spot bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions when optimizing my sales process. I can track everything from individual rep performance to overall team productivity and revenue growth. The visual dashboards make it easy to digest complex data and share insights with stakeholders across the organization.

For those in the field, Freshsales offers a fully-featured mobile app for iOS and Android devices, allowing me to access customer data, update deals, and communicate with my team on the go. The app also allows me to view and update contact information, log calls and emails, schedule appointments, and even access key reports and dashboards. Applications are well-designed and responsive, making it a seamless extension of the desktop experience.

Another signature selling point of Freshsales is its integration with other tools in the Freshworks ecosystem, such as Freshdesk for customer support and Freshmarketer for marketing automation. It allows me to gain a holistic view of each customer's journey and ensures that sales, marketing, and support are always on the same page. Additionally, the platform supports a wide range of third-party integrations through its open API, allowing me to connect with my favorite productivity tools to simplify my daily workflow.

Beyond these core capabilities, Freshsales offers a range of advanced features that set it apart from other CRM platforms. For example, the built-in phone system allows me to make and receive calls directly from the CRM, with automatic call logging and recording. The email integration is also top-notch, with the ability to send personalized bulk emails, track opens and clicks, and sync conversations with contact records.

What's new?

Freshsales has undergone a significant transformation in late 2025 and early 2026, moving away from passive data entry toward a more proactive, AI-driven "Assistant" model. The most notable change is the rollout of the Freddy AI Copilot, which has evolved from a simple lead-scoring tool into a comprehensive generative assistant. This new version of Freddy can now autonomously summarize sprawling email threads, draft hyper-personalized follow-up messages based on the detected sentiment of a prospect, and even suggest the "Next Best Action" for deals that have remained stagnant in the pipeline for too long. For sales managers, this shift means less time spent on manual deal reviews and more time spent on strategy, as the AI identifies at-risk opportunities before they drop off the board.

The platform's connectivity has also seen a major boost through the Unified Customer Data Hub, a 2026 initiative that bridges the gap between the sales and support departments. Freshsales users now benefit from real-time visibility into active Freshdesk support tickets and "Customer Frustration Scores" directly within the CRM contact timeline. This integration ensures that sales reps aren't making outreach calls to clients who are currently experiencing technical issues, a common point of friction in high-growth companies. Furthermore, the introduction of Advanced Multichannel Sequences allows for smarter automation; for instance, if a lead ignores an email but engages with a LinkedIn post, the CRM can automatically pivot its outreach strategy to social channels or SMS, creating a more fluid and responsive buyer journey.

Finally, the onboarding experience has been modernized with the AI-Guided Data Importer, launched in January 2026. This tool drastically reduces setup time by using machine learning to map complex custom fields and historical data from competitors like Salesforce or HubSpot with over 90% accuracy. Coupled with the new Role-Based Workspaces, which declutter the interface by showing only the tools relevant to a user's specific job - such as prospecting for SDRs or territory management for Directors - Freshsales has successfully maintained its easy-to-use reputation while adding the depth required for larger, global sales organizations.

How easy is Freshsales to use?

When it comes to user experience, Freshsales features a clean and modern layout that’s very easy to get familiar with. Its dashboard provides a clear overview of key metrics, upcoming tasks, and recent activities, allowing me to quickly access information without feeling overwhelmed. The main menu is well-organized and easy to navigate, with clear labels and icons for each section of the platform.

I can quickly access my contacts, deals, reports, and settings without having to hunt through multiple submenus or click through endless screens. The platform also allows me to tailor the interface to my specific needs and preferences, from rearranging widgets on the dashboard to creating custom fields for contacts and deals. The drag-and-drop functionality for managing deals and pipelines is particularly user-friendly, enabling me to quickly update the status of my sales opportunities with just a few clicks.

When it comes to the onboarding curve, Freshsales offers a wealth of resources to help new users get up to speed quickly. The comprehensive knowledge base includes detailed articles, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides covering every aspect of the platform. Based on my experience with other CRM tools like HubSpot and Salesforce, I’d say that Freshsales stands out for its simplicity without compromising on the core capabilities that sales teams need for their day-to-day.

In addition to the self-service knowledge base, Freshsales also provides a dedicated onboarding program for new users to the platform. This includes a series of interactive walkthroughs that guide you through the key features and functions, as well as best practices for setting up your account and importing data.

Freshsales also offers a range of time-saving features and shortcuts that further enhance its usability. For example, the global search function allows me to quickly find any record or file within the platform, while the bulk editing tools enable me to update multiple records at once. These small but impactful features make a big difference when you have to use the platform everyday.

While Freshsales is generally very user-friendly, I did encounter a few minor challenges. For example, the page timeout feature can be a bit annoying, as it requires you to refresh the page if you need to stay on it for an extended period. But overall, the combination of an intuitive interface, extensive customization options, comprehensive onboarding resources, and time-saving features leave me with a positive impression of the platform’s user experience. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of a proper onboarding program, something that’s sadly missing from a lot of other CRMs.

Freshsales integrations

In my experience with Freshsales, I've found its integration capabilities to be a mixed bag. While the platform integrates seamlessly with other products in the Freshworks suite, such as Freshdesk for customer support and Freshchat for live chat, the number of native integrations with third-party applications is somewhat limited compared to other solutions.

Freshsales offers around 30 pre-built integrations with popular business tools, including Google Calendar, Mailchimp, Twilio, Quickbooks, Xero, and Trello. These integrations allow for streamlined data synchronization and workflow automation, saving time and reducing manual effort. For example, the Google Calendar integration enables me to sync my Freshsales appointments and tasks with my Google Calendar, ensuring I never miss an important meeting or deadline.

However, when compared to other CRM platforms like Pipedrive offering 400 integrations, or HubSpot with over 1,600 third-party app integrations, Freshsales' native integration options seem relatively sparse. This limitation may be a concern for businesses that rely heavily on a wide range of tools and require seamless data flow between them.

Fortunately, Freshsales provides a robust API that allows for custom integrations and extensions. API documentation is comprehensive and well-structured, making it easier for developers to build custom integrations tailored to specific business needs. Additionally, Freshsales offers native connectors for Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat), which enable users to create automated workflows between Freshsales and hundreds of other apps without coding.

Leveraging the Freshsales API and Zapier has allowed me to connect the CRM with several crucial tools in my tech stack. For instance, when a deal is won in Freshsales, I was able to set up a Zap that automatically creates a task in Asana for the customer success team to onboard the new client. This integration helps streamline the handover process and ensures that no critical steps are missed.

While the limited number of native integrations in Freshsales may seem concerning at first glance, the platform's API and compatibility with iPaaS tools like Zapier and Make provide ample opportunities for customization and extension. With a bit of technical know-how or the help of a developer, businesses can create powerful integrations that suit their unique needs and workflows.

How good is Freshsales customer support?

Again with customer support, Freshsales CRM is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, Freshsales offers a variety of support channels, including phone, email, and live chat, which are available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. However, the lack of 24/7 support that competitors such as Monday.com offer, can be a drawback for some, especially those with global operations or customers in different time zones.

However, I appreciate that Freshsales offers phone support across all subscription tiers, a welcome addition of a must-have feature that’s often missing from some competitors’ entry-level plans. Being able to speak with a support representative directly can be invaluable when facing complex issues.

In terms of self-service resources, Freshsales provides a solid foundation with its collection of case studies, how-to videos, and knowledge base articles. These materials cover a wide range of topics, from basic features to advanced workflows, and can be helpful for users looking to troubleshoot issues or learn more about the platform on their own.

Additionally, Freshsales offers an academy program with courses and certifications for admins and agents. This is a great way for users to improve their skills and demonstrate their expertise with the platform, which can lead to better adoption and more effective use of the CRM.

While its customer support is still strong enough, there are more areas where the company could improve. For example, the average first response and resolution times are not readily available, making it difficult to gauge the efficiency and effectiveness of the support team. Similarly, customer satisfaction scores are not publicly disclosed, which could leave users wondering about the quality of support they can expect.

It’s also worth noting that Freshsales’ customer support is only available in English. This may be a barrier for users in non-English speaking countries or those who prefer to communicate in their native language. Expanding support to include more languages could help Freshsales better serve its global user base.

Freshsales pricing and plans

Freshsales’ pricing is flexible and competitive, offering a range of options to suit businesses of various sizes and needs. Its free plan supports up to 100 active contacts, with basic features like contact management, deal tracking, and built-in phone and email. For businesses requiring more advanced features, Freshsales offers three paid plans: Growth, Pro, and Enterprise.

The Growth plan starts at $15 per user per month (billed annually) and includes additional features like AI-powered contact scoring, sales sequences, and workflows. This plan help make Freshsales one of the best CRM of small businesses and startups looking for a cost-effective CRM solution with essential automation capabilities.

As a business grows and requires more sophisticated features, the Pro plan at $39 per user per month (billed annually) offers advanced functionality such as multiple sales pipelines, time-based workflows, and auto-assignment rules. I found this plan to be well-suited for medium-sized businesses with more complex sales processes and multiple teams.

For larger enterprises with extensive customization and governance needs, the Enterprise plan at $69 per user per month (billed annually) provides custom modules, AI-based forecasting insights, audit logs, and other advanced features. While this plan is more expensive, it offers a comprehensive feature set that can scale with the needs of large organizations.

There’s a flat 20% discount on annual subscriptions over monthly ones. Plus, additional discounts and bundles are available throughout the year if you’re looking to save money. For newcomers, Freshsales also offers a generous 21-day free trial for all plans.

Beyond your base plan, businesses can purchase additional bot sessions, phone credits, or configure-price-quote (CPQ) licenses as needed. While this lends more flexibility to the pricing structure, overall costs can add up quickly if you aren’t careful. You should carefully review your needs and factor in the cost of necessary add-ons to make sure you aren’t overspending.

How we test

At TechRadar Pro, our review process is designed to delve into the real-life daily workflows of modern sales teams. When we evaluate a platform like Freshsales, we follow a rigorous testing framework to ensure our recommendation stands up to the pressures of a modern-day business environment:

We perform a full, clean-slate installation of the software, testing the "AI-Guided Data Importer" by feeding it messy, real-world CSV datasets and historical exports from rival CRMs to see how effectively it maps custom fields and identifies duplicates during the initial migration.

Of course, we also get to grips with one of Freshsales' key features: Freddy AI. We feed Freddy AI complex email threads and customer sentiment data to see if its "Next Best Action" suggestions and meeting summaries are actually useful or merely generic. We specifically look for hallucinations in AI-generated email drafts to ensure they remain professional and context-aware.

In addition, unique to the Freshworks ecosystem, we test the bi-directional data flow between Freshsales and Freshdesk. We simulate active customer support tickets to see if the "Frustration Scores" update in real-time on the sales rep's dashboard and if the alerts are prominent enough to prevent a poorly timed sales call.

Finally, no assessment of a modern CRM would be worth its salt without considering the mobile nature of modern marketing and sales. As such, we test the Freshsales mobile app in real-world scenarios, evaluating its offline lead-logging capabilities, the reliability of its built-in cloud telephony over 5G and Wi-Fi, and the ease of access to Freddy insights while on the move.

Freshsales review: Final verdict

Freshsales shines in its core capabilities, offering a robust set of features that cater to the needs of sales teams of all sizes. The platform's intuitive interface and customization options make it easy for users to adopt and tailor to their unique workflows.

While the number of native integrations is limited compared to some competitors, Freshsales' open API and compatibility with Zapier and Make provide ample opportunities for extensibility. Customer support is generally strong, with multiple channels available and helpful resources for self-service. However, there is room for improvement in terms of response times and language support. In any case, Freshsales offers excellent value for money, with flexible pricing plans and a generous free trial period, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.

At the end of the day, Freshsales CRM is a powerful and user-friendly platform that offers a compelling blend of features, affordability, and scalability. While there are areas for improvement, particularly when it comes to the quality of support and range of integrations offered, the platform's strengths make it a top choice for businesses seeking a reliable and adaptable CRM.

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