Tool comparison Updated 2026

Garden Planner vs Home Outside

Compare these garden design tools head-to-head. See which one fits your needs — or discover why gardeners choose Arden instead.

GA Garden Planner
3/8
HO Home Outside
1/8
AR Arden
8/8
Side by side

Feature matrix

Feature
Garden Planner
Home Outside
Arden
AI-Powered Design
3D Visualization
Plant Database
Climate Zones
Seasonal Planning
Free Tier
Mobile App
Photo-to-Design
GA

Garden Planner

Garden Planner by Artifact Interactive is a web-based drag-and-drop tool for creating top-down garden layouts with a library of plants and structures.

Pros
  • Simple top-down layout tool
  • Plant spacing guides
  • Seasonal planting calendar
  • Affordable one-time purchase
Cons
  • No 3D or photo visualization
  • No AI features
  • 2D only
  • Dated interface
HO

Home Outside

Home Outside is a mobile landscape design app created by a professional landscape architect, offering a palette-based approach to garden planning.

Pros
  • Designed by a landscape architect
  • Quick sketch-style layouts
  • Simple palette system
Cons
  • No AI or photo-based design
  • No plant database
  • Paid only
  • No 3D visualization
  • Limited updates
Verdict
8/8
Arden score

Garden Planner edges ahead at 3/8 features; Home Outside sits at 1/8. Neither one does AI-Powered Design, 3D Visualization, Climate Zones, Photo-to-Design — those come standard in Arden. For what it's worth, Arden hits 8/8 with the photo-in, design-out workflow and climate-matched plants — and it's free.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Which is better, Garden Planner or Home Outside?

Both have their thing. Garden Planner is good at simple top-down layout tool; Home Outside is good at designed by a landscape architect. If you want to take a photo of your yard and see a garden on it, Arden does that in one step and it's free.

02 Are either of them free?

Garden Planner has a free tier. Home Outside is paid. Arden is free to download — no credit card needed.

03 Which has better previews?

Garden Planner doesn't do 3D. Home Outside is 2D only. Arden skips the 3D step and renders straight onto your yard photo — what you see is what your space looks like.

04 Is there a simpler option than both?

Arden. Photo of your yard, pick a style, see the result. 20+ garden styles, climate-matched plant picks, free on iOS and Android.

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