SketchUp Free vs Paid Versions (The 10 Key Differences).

Are you confused about what the differences are between all the different versions of SketchUp? If you are, you're definitely not alone. SketchUp comes in a bunch of different shapes and sizes, and trying to decipher exactly what you're getting with each from SketchUp's website is a bit confusing. I'm Alex Oliver, lead instructor at SketchUp School, the place where professionals go when they're serious about learning SketchUp. And today, I'm going to walk you through the 10 key differences between SketchUp Free, SketchUp Shop, and SketchUp Pro to help you figure out which version is right for you. Ready to jump in? Let's start with number one, web versus desktop. SketchUp's website mentions SketchUp, SketchUp for web, SketchUp Free, SketchUp Shop, SketchUp Pro, SketchUp Studio, plus a whole bunch of other products. And we'll dive into the critical details about just what comes with all those versions. But before we do, there's one very important distinction you need to know about first, and that's that SketchUp can be used in two different formats. What do I mean by that? Well, some versions of SketchUp are available as a web-based application or web app, meaning you actually use SketchUp within your web browser, like Google Chrome or Safari. And you have to be connected to the internet in order to use it. The other versions of SketchUp come as a more traditional desktop application, the kind that you download and install on your computer and can use whenever, even if you're offline. Now, whether you're getting started with either the web or desktop version of SketchUp, the good news is that both have pretty much the same core SketchUp tools and workflow, but just know they do have different user interfaces. So there will be a bit of a learning curve if you end up switching from using one to the other later. Alright, now that you know that key distinction, let's move on to our next topic. Number two, intended users. As we've discussed, there are quite a few versions of SketchUp that you'll find on their website. You've got SketchUp Free, SketchUp Shop, SketchUp Pro, SketchUp Studio, SketchUp Studio for Students, SketchUp Studio for Educators, SketchUp for Schools, and a desktop-only version of SketchUp Pro available under statewide K-12 educational grants. So how are we supposed to compare all these options side-by-side without getting totally confused? The key is in understanding what user base each version of SketchUp is intended for, and in doing so, we can actually narrow this giant list down to just three main versions of SketchUp to compare. Well, first we can eliminate SketchUp for Schools and the educational grant version of SketchUp Pro from our list. SketchUp for Schools is, for all intents and purposes, just SketchUp Free. It has all the same features we'll discuss when we talk about free, but it's connected to Google and Microsoft Cloud services and is geared towards And the educational grant version of SketchUp Pro is just SketchUp Pro, so we'll also remove this from our comparison list. Its features are the same as Pro and it's primarily geared towards educational settings such as computer labs. Next, let's talk about SketchUp Studio. We can also eliminate this version from our comparison list because SketchUp Studio is actually just SketchUp Pro bundled with two additional software programs, ScanEssentials, which allows you to import and work with point cloud data, and V-Ray, which you can use to create renderings with photorealistic lighting and materials. Both are valuable tools for the right professional, but for the purposes of comparing SketchUp versions and features, let's take Studio off our list since on the SketchUp side it has all the same features as Pro. That leaves us with SketchUp Free, SketchUp Shop, and SketchUp Pro. Whew, this seems a little more manageable, so how do we compare them? First, let's go back to the previous topic on our list, web versus desktop, and see how these three versions relate. SketchUp Free and SketchUp Shop are both web-only applications. SketchUp Pro, on the other hand, is a desktop application and each version is intended for a different type of user. SketchUp Free is intended for hobbyists looking to use it for personal projects or just for fun. As the name suggests, it's completely free to use, but the trade-off is that it's licensed for non-commercial projects only, and it comes with fewer features than the paid versions, which we'll cover in a bit. SketchUp Shop is an upgraded version of SketchUp Free, which gives you more tools and features in the same web-based app. It's offered as a $119 a year subscription and is aimed at people focused on woodworking, 3D printing, and DIY projects. SketchUp Pro, on the other hand, is a desktop application and it's the company's flagship product. While SketchUp for web versions have only been around for the last few years, SketchUp Pro was first launched over two decades ago. And over that time, SketchUp Pro has developed to include tools and features for professionals across a number of industries, including architecture, interior design, construction, landscape architecture, urban planning, woodworking, 3D printing, set design, event design, and more. We'll cover more about why SketchUp Pro is great for professionals across all these industries as we go along, but for right now, just know that SketchUp Pro is licensed for commercial use and geared towards people who plan to use it professionally. SketchUp Pro is offered as a $299 a year subscription. It's also important to note that a SketchUp Pro subscription comes with access to both the web-based SketchUp Shop and the desktop application SketchUp Pro. Alright, ready to dive deeper into the features of each of these three versions to get a better idea of what each has to offer? One quick thing. I know we're covering a lot in this video, so I put together a set of notes for you to make it easy to review everything later. You can find a link to download them in the cards. Okay, now let's talk about one of the key feature differences between these versions of SketchUp with Number three, SketchUp extensions. Sometimes known as Ruby scripts or plugins, extensions are tools that you can add onto SketchUp to solve time-consuming or difficult problems or to give you features and functionality beyond what's included in SketchUp. Some of the most popular extensions out there include tools for creating photorealistic renderings from your SketchUp models with realistic lighting and materials, tools to help with complicated modeling tasks such as roofing or stairs, and tools for sculpting complex geometry just to name a few. Now, we don't have time to go into everything that extensions can help you with in this video, but if you're interested in learning more, be sure to check out our video covering the top SketchUp extensions for architects and design professionals. I've put a link to it in the cards. For this video, the important thing you need to know is that extensions can only be used with the desktop version, SketchUp Pro. There's no way to Of course, at this point, if you're new to SketchUp or just starting out, you might not know enough about SketchUp or extensions to know whether you need them or not, and that's okay. Now that you know what extensions are, I'll be sure to mention when and how they might come in handy as we move through the rest of the topics on our list. Speaking of which, we're ready to talk about our Depending on what you'll be using SketchUp for, you may need to import a CAD reference file, such as a DWG, and then use SketchUp to turn it into a 3D model. For example, a floor plan for a house or a profile for crown molding. SketchUp Free doesn't allow you to import CAD files as a starting point for your 3D model. If you need that capability, you would either need SketchUp Shop or SketchUp Pro. Both allow you to bring in DWG and DXF files that you can use as a reference when building your 3D model. Speaking of which, let's talk about the differences between the three versions of SketchUp when it comes to actually building your model with SketchUp is one of the most fun and intuitive programs out there for bringing your ideas to life in 3D. And with all three versions of SketchUp, you get most of the same drawing, editing, and navigation tools for creating 2D and 3D shapes. Meaning whichever version of SketchUp you choose, you'll be able to use SketchUp's core functionality to build almost anything you can imagine. That being said, there are a couple key differences in terms of the modeling tools available in each version. First, there's a set of tools called the solid tools that are really handy for creating complex 3D shapes. It may be necessary if you plan on creating 3D printable models. The solid tools are not part of SketchUp Free, so if you think you need to cut shapes and objects into one another, you'll need SketchUp Shop or SketchUp Pro. Another tool missing from SketchUp Free is called the outliner. As you begin to make groups and components of parts and pieces in your model, the outliner can be a really helpful tool to help you keep track of how your model is organized. And the outliner is only available in Shop or Pro. Alright, but what about tools that only come with Pro? If you need to model organic shapes such as terrain, that's when you'll need SketchUp Pro's terrain modeling tools called the sandbox tools. These aren't available to you in either Shop or Free. And another tool that's only available in SketchUp Pro is called Match Photo, which can help you create a model from a photo. And last, but certainly not least, there are extensions. As I mentioned earlier, extensions can only be used with SketchUp Pro. And many of them are tools geared towards helping you build better, more accurate, and complex models faster and easier. These can be extensions that help you quickly round and bevel edges, add doors and windows, model organic forms beyond what you can do with the sandbox tools, or automate pretty much any modeling tasks that, while you could do it yourself using SketchUp's default tools, would be really complicated or time-consuming. If you're going to be using SketchUp in a professional setting, extensions like these can be real game changers in terms of speeding up the modeling process and increasing your efficiency. Your future self will definitely thank you. So, I've just got all this free time now from using those SketchUp extensions. Thanks, man. All right, let's talk about another key difference between the three versions. Number six, adding pre-built 3D models. One of the great features of SketchUp is how easy it is to utilize pre-made 3D models in your own projects, such as furniture pieces, cabinets, plants, or brand-specific objects like appliances. And all three versions of SketchUp allow you to download and use any of the millions of pre-made models from the SketchUp 3D Warehouse for free. On the warehouse, you'll find tons of objects that others have already modeled, plus accurately scaled and detailed product models created by manufacturers, all shared for you to use on your projects. There are also entire buildings and even towns, not to mention all sorts of models you might not expect. Just about every kind of object you can imagine. It's important to note that if you're using SketchUp free, you're limited to 100 downloads per day or 1,000 downloads per month from the 3D Warehouse, whereas SketchUp Shop and Pro both include unlimited downloads. Also, you should know that there are a number of websites besides the 3D Warehouse out there with vast libraries of 3D models. Some models you can find for free and some you have to pay for, but these sites can be a great resource for high-quality SketchUp models, especially if you can't find something specific on the 3D Warehouse. What's more, many manufacturers have SketchUp models of their products available for download on their own websites. Don't worry, I put links to some of the sites I recommend checking out in the notes for this video. Now, before we move on, there are two more key differences I should quickly point out between the three versions of SketchUp when it comes to using pre-built 3D models. First is that SketchUp free will not allow you to import 3D objects built in other 3D modeling software. You'll need SketchUp Shop or SketchUp Pro to do that, meaning if you find the perfect model of, say, a sofa on a site like CGTrader.com, but it was built in 3ds Max and there isn't a SketchUp version, you won't be able to import that model into SketchUp free. However, you can import it into a project using SketchUp Shop or SketchUp Pro. The second thing to note is that sometimes importing files from other 3D software doesn't work quite right. In those cases, there are extensions such as Transmuter that are built to help you seamlessly import those files into your SketchUp projects. But again, these extensions can only be added to SketchUp Pro. If you like that tip, make sure to give this video a like. Alright, we've gone over some of the fundamental differences when it comes to building your model. Next, let's talk about number seven, creating custom colors and materials. Once your 3D design begins to take shape, you'll probably want to add colors and materials to your model. All three versions of SketchUp come loaded with a predefined palette of colors and a number of low-resolution materials that you can use to create a basic look for your model. But often, you'll want to customize the colors or add your own unique or high-resolution materials to your model. And that's where there are a couple of differences between SketchUp versions that you should know about. With all three versions, you can insert PNG and JPEG images to use either as materials on your model or to use for things like artwork, backgrounds, and more. If you upgrade to SketchUp Shop or SketchUp Pro, you'll have the ability to import more file types beyond PNGs and JPEGs. Now, if you need to move beyond the predefined set of colors to select your own shades, you'll need the desktop version of SketchUp Pro. It's the only version that will allow you to specify exact color values for something like a particular paint hue that you can then apply to surfaces in your designs. And lastly, if you're looking for more realistic materials with texture or reflections, you'll need an additional rendering extension or application. Unfortunately, the workflow for rendering is too much to cover here. But if you're interested in how that works with SketchUp, make sure to check out our Learn to Render in SketchUp video. It covers how the process works in SketchUp and will help you get started down the right path. I've added a link to it in the cards. All right, let's talk about the next item on our list. Number eight, importing satellite imagery and location information. For certain types of projects, you'll need to import a site plan, satellite imagery, or terrain to serve as the context for your model. In all three versions of SketchUp, you can use the Add Location feature to geolocate your model. Once your model is geolocated, you're able to bring in lower resolution maps. Plus, you can use SketchUp's Shadows feature to cast accurate shadows across your model based on the time of day and date of the year. But the differences between the SketchUp versions come into play when you need to import terrain files and higher resolution satellite imagery. First, with both SketchUp Shop and SketchUp Pro, you're able to import your own CAD site plans or terrain files. Second, you should know that the Add Location feature in SketchUp Pro also includes higher resolution satellite images and will automatically import 3D terrain based on the location you specify. Pretty cool, right? And again, it's worth noting that there are extensions available for Pro only, such as Placemaker, which allows you to bring in far more 2D and 3D site information than you can get from SketchUp's Add Location feature alone, making it a huge time saver for the right types of projects. Okay, we've covered the key differences between SketchUp versions when it comes to the process of creating your 3D model. But chances are, once you've got a 3D model, you'll want to do one of two things. Either create a visual presentation of your model or use the model to fabricate the real thing. Let's cover fabrication next with number nine, 3D printing and CNC fabrication. If your plan is to either 3D print or use a CNC router to bring your design ideas to life, you'll want to make sure you're using the right version of SketchUp. The first thing to know is that all three versions can export STL files. So if that's all you need, then any of them will do. However, if you're going to be 3D printing, you'll need to use the solid tools I mentioned earlier, as well as the solid inspector to ensure your model is 3D printable. Those tools are only available in SketchUp Shop or Pro. With Shop and Pro, you can also export DWG or DXF files, which can be used by other applications to translate your design to cutting paths for your CNC machine. You can't export DWG or DXF files using SketchUp free. And lastly, again, know that there are a number of extensions out there like BoolTools that are designed to improve your workflow when it comes to creating solids and exporting for CNC routers. And as I've mentioned many times now, extensions only work with SketchUp Pro. Now, if your goal is more about creating a visual presentation of your model, then pay attention to this last topic on our list. Number 10, exporting renderings, walkthroughs, drawings, and more. All right, you've built a great SketchUp model. Now, chances are you'll want to present it. And this final piece of the puzzle is where we see some of the biggest differences between the different versions of SketchUp. First, know that all three versions of SketchUp come with a bunch of predefined styles that allow you to change the look and feel of your model with a single click. This allows you to present your idea as a rough sketch, a technical drawing, or with colors and materials, just to name a few. And with all three versions of SketchUp, you're able to export a PNG image that you can either present as is, or that you can take into another application like Photoshop to enhance. Just know that if you're using SketchUp free, the SketchUp logo will appear as a watermark in the upper right-hand corner of your exported PNG. If you're using Shop or Pro, you can export a PNG without the SketchUp logo. But that's just the beginning when it comes to the differences between the versions for this part of the process. Next, if you want more control over the styles than what you can select in SketchUp free, you'll need to upgrade to either SketchUp Shop or SketchUp Pro. Both allow you to edit the display of edges, faces, the background, and more. And in terms of export options, if you need DWG files or files that can be viewed in augmented reality viewing apps, you can only get those using SketchUp Shop or SketchUp Pro. If you need to export other image types such as a JPEG or TIFF or vector files such as an EPS or PDF, those aren't an option with SketchUp free or SketchUp Shop and are only possible using SketchUp Pro. But that's not the only thing you get with Pro that isn't available with the other two. First, SketchUp Pro comes with an animation feature that makes it easy to export, walk through, or fly through video tours of your model to share with clients. This feature isn't part of either SketchUp free or Shop. Next, if you're a design professional that needs to create plans, elevations, details, or other construction documentation from your SketchUp model, you should know that SketchUp Pro comes bundled with a 2D design documentation tool called Layout, which can be used for everything from creating presentation packages to full-fledged construction documents. If you want to know more about getting started with Layout and how to avoid the common missteps that cause people to struggle when they're first learning it, be sure to check out this other video on our channel. I've put a link to it in the cards. What's more, if you're a film and stage designer, know that SketchUp Pro comes with a set of advanced camera tools that allow you to place real-world cameras and gives you precise control over settings like focal length, aspect ratio, and image width to accurately preview camera shots right inside SketchUp. These aren't available to you in Shop or free, and if you're wanting to view your SketchUp model on a virtual reality headset, you'll only be able to do that using SketchUp Pro. Last but not least, as I mentioned before, you can add rendering extensions to SketchUp Pro. That could be an extension like SketchFX that goes above and beyond the default SketchUp style features, or it can be a photorealistic rendering extension like V-Ray for SketchUp, which you can use to amazing photorealistic renderings that mimic real-world lighting and materials. Alright, now that you know the 10 key differences between SketchUp Free, Shop, and Pro, which version is right for you? Let us know in the comments below, or if you're not quite sure, head over to this page on our website, tell us about your situation, and we'll help you decide. Once you've picked a version, it's time to learn how to use it. Depending on whether you're going with the web-based SketchUp Free or Shop, or the desktop-based SketchUp Pro, I recommend watching one of these two videos. They both cover the things that often trip people up when they're first getting started with SketchUp. Until next time, happy sketching!