The free Vanspace 3D alternative, in your browser
Try before you buy, keep your work in the cloud, and get the planning maths — weight, power, cost — that a layout picture alone can't give you.
| VanPlot | Vanspace 3D | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39 lifetime (founding), then $59 | $27 for 1 year / $57 lifetime, one-time payments; business $29 per user per month |
| Platform | Browser — nothing to install | Desktop app for Windows & Mac |
| Try before buying | Free 15-min trial, no card, saves your work | No free trial or free version listed |
| Refund policy | 14 days, keep your exports — even after logging in | 30 days, only if you never log in (their published policy) |
| Where files live | Cloud — versioned, on any machine | Desktop app; no cloud sync advertised |
| Weight, axle split & balance | Live, with centre-of-mass marker | Not included |
| Power planning | Battery + solar vs. appliance draw | Not included |
| Cost planning | Itemised budget, materials, running costs | Not included |
| Cut list | Stud-by-stud, from your actual framing | Not included |
| Van templates | 29 vehicles, 197 variants from manufacturer specs | 170+ at checkout, "over a hundred" on the home page |
| First-person walkthrough | Orbit camera + first-person walk mode | First-person interior view |
Prices and template count from the vanspace3d.com checkout (get.vanspace3d.com) — the home page no longer shows prices; platforms and furniture count from the vanspace3d.com home page; refund terms from vanspace3d.com/refund-policy; rating from trustpilot.com/review/www.vanspace3d.com. All checked October 2026. Vanspace 3D is a trademark of its owner.
The honest verdict
Vanspace 3D proved this market exists: it has sold van-layout software for years, at up to $57 lifetime. But it is a desktop download with no listed trial, and a refund policy that ends the moment you first log in — its Trustpilot rating stands at 2.4/5 from 290 reviews, 68% of them one-star (checked October 2026).
VanPlot is built as the answer to exactly those complaints: it runs in the browser so you try the full editor before paying a cent, your projects live in the cloud with version history, and the refund promise is the opposite of a trap — 14 days, keep your exports, even if you've logged in.
And where Vanspace stops at the picture, VanPlot does the planning maths: payload and axle loads, power autonomy, an itemised budget, and a cut list you can take to the saw.
Where Vanspace 3D is ahead
Vanspace lists 170+ van templates at checkout to my 197 variants (29 vehicles) — the counts are close, so check your exact van and length in both before deciding.
Its furniture library is bigger: "400+ pre-built furniture components" on its home page against VanPlot's 162 catalog items. And if you only need the software for one year, $27 is less than VanPlot's $39.
Questions people actually ask
How much does Vanspace 3D cost?
Vanspace 3D is a one-time $27 for one year of access or a one-time $57 for lifetime access; a business licence is $29 per user per month. The home page no longer shows prices — they appear at checkout after "Get Started" (get.vanspace3d.com, checked October 2026). VanPlot is $39 once and starts with a free 15-minute trial that needs no card and saves your work.
Is Vanspace 3D free? Is there a free trial?
No free version or free trial is listed on vanspace3d.com or its checkout, and its refund policy states that logging into the software is not a free trial (checked October 2026). VanPlot's full editor is free for 15 minutes of active time, with no card, and your work is saved if you buy later.
Is there a free alternative to Vanspace 3D?
Yes — VanPlot runs the full editor in your browser free for 15 minutes, no card, and saves your work so you can come back. SketchUp also has a free web tier, but it is general 3D software with no van templates built in.
Is Vanspace 3D worth it?
It fits if you want a quick visual layout on a Windows or Mac computer, a large furniture library, and a low one-time price, and you don't need weight, power or a cut list. Read the refund terms first: the 30-day refund only applies if you never log in, and its Trustpilot rating is 2.4/5 from 290 reviews (checked October 2026). VanPlot fits if you want to try the full editor before paying, work in a browser, and get axle loads, power sizing, a budget and a stud-level cut list from the same plan.
Vanspace 3D vs SketchUp: which is better for a van layout?
Vanspace 3D is built for vans only: pick a van template, drag in furniture, walk through in first person; its site promises layouts "in minutes", for a one-time price. SketchUp is general CAD: it can model any shape at any precision and has a free web tier, but you find a van model in the 3D Warehouse yourself and the learning curve runs from hours to weeks. Neither calculates weight, axle loads or power. VanPlot sits between them: van-specific like Vanspace, with the engineering numbers neither of them gives.
Does Vanspace 3D run on Mac, Android, iPad or in a browser?
Its site describes it as a "desktop app for Windows & Mac"; no Android, iPad or browser version is listed. The "Login" link goes to an account page at dashboard.vanspace3d.com, signed in with email and password (checked October 2026). VanPlot is a browser app: nothing to install, projects saved in the cloud with version history, on any computer.
Is Vanspace 3D available in other languages?
Its website is in English, and it does not list other interface languages (checked October 2026). VanPlot's editor and site are in English, German, French, Serbian, Dutch, Italian and Spanish.
What is Vanspace 3D's refund policy?
Its published policy gives 30 days to change your mind only if you have not logged into the software; logging in counts as "taking off the wrapper" and waives that period. Bugs and finding it hard to use are not refund reasons; it refunds if support cannot fix a technical issue (vanspace3d.com/refund-policy, checked October 2026). VanPlot refunds in full for 14 days, even after you've logged in, and you keep your exports.
What do Vanspace 3D reviews say?
On Trustpilot it scores 2.4/5 from 290 reviews: 16% five-star and 68% one-star (checked October 2026). The five-star quotes on its own home page are from Trustpilot too, so read both ends before buying.
Does VanPlot have as many vans as Vanspace 3D?
Close, not more: VanPlot has 29 vehicles in 195 length/height/drive variants built from manufacturer specs; Vanspace lists 170+ templates at checkout and "over a hundred" on its home page. Check your exact van and length in both before buying.
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Who makes this
I'm Vladimir. I'm planning my own conversion, and none of the tools I tried could tell me whether a layout would fit or what it would do to the rear axle, so I made this one. I work on it alone. If something's wrong or missing, write to me — the address goes to my inbox.
Vladimir Šterjoski