3D House Planner vs Gaea
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
3D House Planner is a free, browser-based 3D home design and architectural floor planning application. It allows users to build apartments and houses using intuitive sketching tools, import 3D models, apply realistic materials and textures, generate floor plans from images with AI assistance, and create snapshots or videos of their designs. It emphasizes privacy: no login is required, no cloud storage is used, and design data stays on the user's device.
Gaea, made by QuadSpinner, is a node-based procedural terrain generator used to build large-scale landscapes for games, visual effects, and previsualization. Artists chain nodes for base shape, erosion, rivers, and texturing into a non-destructive graph, and studios including Weta FX and Remedy Entertainment have cited it for landscape work. The software emphasizes fast erosion simulation and artist-friendly controls rather than pure procedural math, and it integrates with Unreal Engine and Houdini pipelines. Gaea is Windows-only, sold as perpetual licenses across a free Community edition and paid Indie, Professional, and Enterprise tiers scaled by the user's annual revenue.
The page explicitly states the product is free to use for all. No paid tiers or other pricing are mentioned.
- Completely free to use for personal and commercial purposes
- No installation required — works directly in the browser
- No login or account needed, preserving user privacy
- Design data stays on the user's device with no cloud storage
- Fast, visually convincing erosion simulation compared to older terrain tools
- Free Community edition allows commercial use before buying a paid tier
- Strong integration with Unreal Engine and Houdini pipelines
- Perpetual licensing with no subscription requirement
- No cloud storage or auto-save: users must manually export/import to preserve work
- Not a full BIM (Building Information Modeling) tool; focused on visual 3D modeling and floor plans
- Some 3D assets are under CC BY-NC-SA license, which may limit certain commercial uses
- Advanced features like AI floor plan generation may require internet access and may not be as robust as dedicated AI tools
- Windows-only, with no native Mac or Linux build and no reliable Parallels workaround for Gaea 2
- Free tier caps export resolution at 1K, limiting production use
- Large-scale, high-resolution terrains still require a capable GPU and significant RAM
- Advanced ecosystem features are locked to the paid Professional and Enterprise tiers
More alternatives & similar tools
Alternatives to 3D House Planner
View all →
Alternatives to Gaea
View all →No alternatives listed yet. Browse similar tools →
The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataGaea is a Windows‑only, node‑based terrain tool with free community tier but limited export resolution, while 3D House Planner is a completely free, browser‑based home‑design app with no installation or subscription.
Key differences
- •Gaea focuses on procedural terrain and erosion simulation for games/VFX; 3D House Planner targets architectural floor‑plan visualization.
- •Gaea runs only on Windows and requires a capable GPU; 3D House Planner runs in any modern browser on any OS.
- •Gaea offers integration with Unreal Engine and Houdini; 3D House Planner has no listed 3rd‑party integrations.
- •Gaea’s free tier caps export at 1 K resolution; 3D House Planner has no export resolution limits.
- •Gaea provides paid professional tiers with advanced ecosystem nodes; 3D House Planner is entirely free with optional donations.
Pricing & value
3D House Planner is completely free for personal and commercial use; Gaea’s free tier limits export resolution and paid tiers cost money.
Ease of use / learning curve
Browser‑based 3D House Planner requires no installation and has intuitive sketch controls; Gaea uses node graphs and GPU‑heavy previews.
Features & depth
Gaea offers procedural erosion, biome masks, and Unreal/Houdini pipelines; 3D House Planner provides basic 3D modeling and AI floor‑plan generation.
Integrations & ecosystem
Gaea integrates directly with Unreal Engine and Houdini; 3D House Planner lists no external tool integrations.
Collaboration
3D House Planner stores data locally with no cloud, avoiding lock‑in; Gaea relies on local files and has no collaboration features.
Scalability
Gaea can handle multi‑kilometer terrains (GPU‑accelerated) though high‑res needs strong hardware; 3D House Planner limited to 50 floors and web performance.
Support & security
Gaea offers knowledge base, community, and priority support for paid tiers; 3D House Planner provides only community info, no formal support.
Choose 3D House Planner if…
Homeowners, interior designers, or architects needing quick, free, browser‑based 3D floor‑plan modeling without installation.
Choose Gaea if…
Game or VFX artists needing high‑fidelity, procedural terrain and Unreal/Houdini integration on Windows.
Common questions
Can I use either tool for commercial projects?
Yes. Gaea’s free Community edition permits commercial use (with export limits); 3D House Planner is free for personal and commercial use.
Do I need to install software or buy a license?
Gaea requires Windows installation and may need a paid license for higher‑resolution exports; 3D House Planner runs in a browser with no license.
Which tool integrates with game engines like Unreal?
Gaea includes built‑in export presets and direct integration with Unreal Engine; 3D House Planner has no such integration.