Best campervan layout planner & design software in 2026: 9 tools and apps compared (free & paid)
· 11 min read · Updated
The best campervan layout planner, whether you call it camper van design software or a van build app, is the one that checks your specific van's interior dimensions and payload while you draw — that is the test this list applies to nine tools, free and paid. Full disclosure before anything else: I make one of the tools on this list. That's exactly why every claim here is specific and checkable — prices as published by each vendor in September 2026, and an honest note on what each tool does better than mine. If a price has changed by the time you read this, tell me and I'll fix it.
A campervan layout planner is software that checks a floor plan against a specific van's real interior dimensions and payload limit before you cut plywood. Everything below is judged on how much of that it actually checks, not on how it looks.
What actually matters in a layout planner, in order: real van dimensions (wheel arches and wall taper included — a rectangle lies to you), weight tracking (the only thing with legal consequences), buildable output (can you take it to the saw?), and price shape (a conversion takes 6–18 months; subscriptions fit that badly).
1. VanPlot — $39 once, in the browser
Ours, so judge accordingly. Browser-based 3D with true interiors for 29 vehicles in 197 variants, live payload/axle-split/centre-of-mass, battery + solar sizing, an itemised budget, and a cut list with framing exploded stud by stud. The free trial gives 15 minutes of active editing and keeps the plan saved and viewable after; $39 buys lifetime access to everything. What others do better: VanKit renders photoreal vans; Vanometry's free tier is bigger; VanCAD has freer boolean modelling. Full head-to-heads: every planner compared.
2. Vanspace 3D — $57 lifetime, desktop download
The veteran: ~7 years on the market, 170+ van templates, a first-person interior view, and a big furniture catalogue. It's a Windows/Mac download with files stored locally, no free trial, and no weight, power or cost math. Its Trustpilot sits at 2.5/5 (289 reviews, checked Aug 2026), driven mostly by refund complaints. If you want maximum van-template choice and a walkthrough view, it still earns its place. Full comparison.
3. VanCAD — $69.99/year, in the browser
The newest serious entrant: browser-based, 180+ traced van bodies, mm-precision snapping, wiring/plumbing routing, a live bill of materials with per-axle weight and automatic cut lists (v3.0, Sep 2026), phone editing and free-form boolean-cut custom parts — genuinely good engineering. The catch is the price shape: $11.99/month or $69.99/year for a one-off project, and the free tier won't save your work (sessions are time-limited). If you need free-form boolean modelling or phone editing, it's the best at that today. Full comparison.
4. VanKit — £39/year plus a £119 Build Pass, in the browser
The best-looking planner on the market, built by the UK roof-rack maker YAKKT: photoreal van shells inside and out for five European platforms (Sprinter 2019+, Crafter/TGE, Ducato, Master, Transit), parametric cabinets that resize to the van, one-click AI renders in six styles, and a CNC-ready DXF export with panel nesting. The catch is the price shape and the maths: Personal is £39 ayear (shown as $49), the cut files need a one-time £119 Build Pass, all sales are final, and the editor shows only an estimated ply weight — no payload, axle-load or centre-of-mass check. The free tier needs no signup but stops at one furniture module, and the editor asks for a desktop and Chrome (checked 30 September 2026). If you cut on a CNC or sell renders to clients, it earns its keep. Full comparison.
5. Vanometry — free, or $39/year Pro, in the browser (US vans)
A solo-built browser 3D planner with the most generous free tier here: the full editor, ten saved designs, share links and a blueprint sheet, no account needed. Shells are US-market only — Transit, Sprinter, ProMaster, Express/Savana and E-Series back to 1992 — plus box trucks, cargo trailers and skoolies, with wall curve and wheel wells, 3D collision detection and an eye-height walk mode. Pro is $39 for one year (no auto-renew, 14-day refund) and adds cost tracking, payload warnings and PDF/CSV exports; there is no axle split, centre of mass or cut list (checked 30 September 2026). For an American van on a tight budget it is the strongest free option. Full comparison.
6. VanLogic — free tier plus a Pro plan, mobile app
A German-built iOS/Android planner whose speciality is weight physics: axle loads, centre of gravity, tilt, and a DIN-style compliance report (Pro). The editor is 2D with a 3D preview, and there's no power or cut-list output. It publishes a free version and a Pro plan sold as “subscription or one-time”, but no numeric price on vanlogic.app (checked September 2026) — read the app-store listing before you compare. If your single biggest worry is the TÜV weighbridge and you live on your phone, it's a credible pick. Full comparison.
7. Plan your Van — free, €9.99 or €24.99 once, web (German only)
A German web tool with a genuinely cheap one-time price and automatic cost + weight totals from a real-products database. Free plan: 1 layout variant and 10 objects; Premium €9.99 once for 3 variants and 30 objects; Unlimited €24.99 once, no subscription (checked September 2026). The 3D is basic, the catalogue small, and the site exists in German only — but the price shape is right. Full comparison.
8. SketchUp — free on the web, or $129–399/year
The forums' classic answer. It can model literally anything — which is the problem: you start from an empty universe, hunt the 3D Warehouse for a van shell of unknown accuracy, and model every cabinet yourself. No weight, power or cost concepts at all. SketchUp Free still runs in the browser for personal, non-commercial use; the paid plans are Go at $10.75/month billed annually ($129) and Pro at $33.25/month ($399), checked September 2026. Where it wins: truly custom curved furniture and CNC work. Many builders sketch the layout in a van-specific tool and detail one tricky cabinet in SketchUp. Full comparison.
9. Graph paper and cardboard — free, and undefeated at one thing
Masking tape on the garage floor and cardboard mockups answer the question no software can: how a space feels at full scale. The failure mode is precision — paper rectangles don't know about wheel arches, wall taper or what your build weighs. The strongest workflow: plan digitally first, then tape the final layout on the floor and walk it before you cut.
The quick chooser: which van design software or app fits you
| You are… | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Planning a build and want weight/cost/power checked as you design | VanPlot |
| Set on a first-person walkthrough, fine with desktop-only | Vanspace 3D |
| Need free-form boolean modelling or phone editing, fine with a subscription | VanCAD |
| Want photoreal renders, fine with a subscription | VanKit |
| American van, want the biggest free tier | Vanometry |
| Mostly worried about axle loads and TÜV, phone-first | VanLogic |
| Minimum spend, basic 3D is enough, German is no obstacle | Plan your Van |
| Designing custom curved furniture or CNC parts | SketchUp |
| Verifying how the final plan feels at full scale | Cardboard + tape (after any of the above) |
Whichever you pick: plan before you cut. My guide to planning a camper layout step by step works with any tool on this list — and the free trial above is the fastest way to test the workflow, no download, no card.
Want a floor plan to start from rather than an empty van? The layout gallery has 16 starter layouts built on real van interiors — open one and change it.
FAQ
Is there a free camper van design app?
Several, each with a limit. Vanometry's free tier is the biggest: the full browser editor, ten saved designs and share links, no account — but US-market vans only. SketchUp Free runs in the browser for personal, non-commercial use, with no van shell or weight concepts. VanLogic publishes a free version of its iOS/Android app. Plan your Van's free plan allows 1 layout variant and 10 objects; VanKit's free tier stops at one furniture module; VanCAD's free tier won't save your work. Vanspace 3D has no free trial. VanPlot gives 15 minutes of active editing free and keeps the plan saved after.
Which van design software works on a phone?
VanLogic is the phone app: an iOS/Android planner with a 2D editor and a 3D preview. VanPlot runs in a phone browser, editor included. VanCAD runs in the browser and supports phone editing. VanKit asks for a desktop and Chrome, and Vanspace 3D is a Windows/Mac download.
Which van build app checks weight and axle loads?
VanPlot tracks payload, axle split and centre of mass live. VanLogic's speciality is axle loads, centre of gravity and tilt. VanCAD shows per-axle weight in its bill of materials. Vanometry Pro adds payload warnings but no axle split. Plan your Van totals weight from its products database. VanKit shows only an estimated ply weight, and Vanspace 3D and SketchUp have no weight math.
Related: build order generator
