SmartDraw vs Autodesk Forma

Houzz Pro

AutoCAD

SketchUp

Houzz Pro is a cloud and mobile-based solution for construction and design industry, offering AI tools to win projects, manage clients and teams, and run business efficiently.

AutoCAD is a design and drafting platform which supports automated design tasks and offers features such as 2D drafting, drawing and annotation, 3D modeling and visualization, and more.

SketchUp is a design and collaboration solution that helps businesses streamline AEC and interior design workflows. Its intuitive 3D modeler allows users to visualize projects, while its 2D documentation and AR/VR viewing applications keep stakeholders aligned throughout the design-build process.

Make perfect flowcharts, swimlanes and workflows in minutes with easy templates and tools. Integrates with Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Jira and Confluence.

2D/3D Designing

2D Drawing

Access Controls/Permissions

Ad hoc Reporting

Annotations

Appointment Scheduling

Architectural Symbol Library

Audit Trail

Automatic Adjustments

Automatic Formatting

Bills of Material

Brainstorming

CAD Tools

Change Management

Charting

Chat/Messaging

Collaboration Tools

Commenting/Notes

Commercial

Communication Management

Component Library

Content Library

Customizable Branding

Customizable Fields

Customizable Templates

Customization

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Data Linking

Data Visualization

Design Management

Design Templates

Desktop Interface

Diagramming

Dispatch Management

Document Embedding

Document Management

Document Storage

Drafting

Drag & Drop

Drag & Drop Editor

Electrical

Employee Photos

Estimating

File Management

File Sharing

Flowchart

For AEC Industry

For Architects

Forms Automation

For Real Estate

For Residential

For Training/Education

Freehand Sketch

Gantt/Timeline View

Generative AI

Goal Setting/Tracking

Graphical Data Presentation

Graphical Workflow Editor

Groundskeeping Management

Idea Management

Ideation

Image Library

Interactive Elements

Job Scheduling

KPI Monitoring

Labeling

Landscape Design

Milestone Tracking

Mind Maps

Mobile Interface

Mockup Creation

Modeling & Simulation

Multiple Projects

Multiple User Accounts

Network Diagram

Offline Access

One Line Diagram

Organizational Charting

Org Chart Creation

Parts Management

Planning Tools

Presentation Tools

Process Builder

Process Modeling & Designing

Project Management

Project Planning

Project Workflow

Publishing/Sharing

Quality Control Management

Quotes/Estimates

Real-Time Data

Reusable Designs

Risk Assessment

Roadmapping

Room Visualization

Rules-Based Workflow

Scenario Planning

Scheduling

Users appreciate SmartDraw’s wide range of features at a reasonable price and say it saves them money on professional services. However, reviewers indicate frustration with the annual-only subscription and some users report the free trial feels too limited.

Value for money

Reviews for SmartDraw come from a wide variety of industries, including construction (8% of reviewers), information technology and services (7%), and furniture (4%). The most frequent use case for SmartDraw cited by reviewers is creating diagrams (30% of reviewers).

Proprietary

SmartDraw

Web-based

Windows

draw.io

Visio

Canva

Individual

Team

Site

Manager

It also offers a wide range of templates for flowcharts, organizational charts, project workflows, and floor plans, making it easy to start designing without building everything from scratch.

The software automatically aligns and formats shapes as they are added, which saves a lot of time compared to manually arranging elements in other tools.

However, when compared to professional design tools like AutoCAD, SmartDraw feels limited in terms of precision drafting, advanced customization, and handling complex technical drawings.

Associate, Signature Events

I primarily work on outdoor events and the ability to bring in a satellite image to then create an event site to scale is HUGE!

Operations Coordinator

Also, I love having the ability to create new diagrams quickly and efficiently for the many events we host. If you've never used smartdraw then I believe the learning curve will be extremely easy, whether you're creating charts or diagrams; you will be able to easily see your creation and changes immediately.

Healthcare Specialist

The software produces scaled diagrams showing major architectural features (ie: walls, doors, columns) as well as furniture, and measurements

Crime scene technician

User interface could be more streamlined, I constantly have to hit other tabs to use tools/options that I feel should be lumped together (like editing text, all text editing and formatting options should be together, not under separate tabs).

The new ability to store your items in the cloud makes retrieval from virtually anywhere possible while keeping everything safe and secure.

What I like most about SmartDraw is its ability to quickly create professional and well-organized diagrams with minimal effort.

Its automatic alignment and formatting features help produce professional-looking diagrams quickly.

IT Manager, IT Infrastructure

It is very intuitive and whenever we deploy it to a new user, they are instantly able to maneuver around it quickly. And since they moved to a cloud-based SaaS platform, we don't have to worry about updates or patches

That was an issue for our Cybersecurity team. With SSO not available, updates and patches had to be monitored closely. But that was eventually addressed and it is no longer an issue.

Owner

All the measuring ease and the number of prop/pictures I could add into my drawing.  

buyer

that its not savable to everyone's account - it would be helpful if it saved all floor plans to all accounts under a license

I also found navigating between the lbrary and selections a bit of a pain, wish what I use the most would stay in my selections.

Instructor

I am now using SmartDraw to build a Gantt chart to help me manage my project.

Territory Manager

Provides my customers with clear understanding of how items will fit into the space provided.

I like that SmartDraw is a quick way to communicate with customers how furniture fits in their space.

Safety Manager

Like any new app or program, it takes a little while to navigate platform, nothing negative for your software, just user adjustment.

Regardless, SmartDraw is more than just a substitute for Visio; it's a robust app with a flatter learning curve than I expected.

I am able to communicate simple things and I know I have training and support resources if I need it.

Assistant Director of Human Resources

There is not much to dislike about SmartDraw overall, but at times, navigating certain advanced features can take a bit of trial and error.

Very user friendly and all the options needed to cover our needs and maintain safety compliance required by city and county offices.

I guess i wish the left side had quicker options for selecting desks or chairs without searching.  

The only thing I had difficulty with was making symbols display at a specific dimension.

Lieutenant - Technical Support

I really enjoy the interface, and having the program browser-based instead of application only.

I had some difficulty resizing certain elements once they were drawn if I had made a previous mistake.

My overall experience with SmartDraw has been positive, especially for creating quick and visually clear diagrams.

District Sales Manager

I recommend this if you are a beginner and want to do a free 7 day trial or are looking for a basic program with basic features to get to your desired design.  

I like how quickly you can get ideas down visually, especially when you just need something clear and presentable.

Director of Program Development

However, there should be a quicker way to turn layers on and off, more like Quark.

I'm a fairly new user and the software is easy to navigate. But when I ran into a challenge, I had a nearly immediate response from the support team [sensitive content hidden]

Partner

Good libraries - ie range of projects with templates one can use.

This is going to make things so much easier when we get to the phase of sharing plans with a contractor.

I think the only thing I don't like about SmartDraw is I don't actually require it for a year and would've preferred a month to month subscription

Area Director

Things like dragging walls and moving whole rooms.

The simplicity and ease of use saved valuable time in putting together a layout for our staff.

I also wish i could click an item to add instead of dragging.  

Professor

There is a bit of a learning curve when creating a sketch.  

There are many helpful features and tools for students to use.

Weve been using it for years for restaurant design.

Have a window that stays open for quick access.

Assistant Manager

Using it for a quick weekend work task.  

No monthly plans for those of us who want to periodically want to create personal designs.  

I like the ability to show or hide measurements.

I appreciate the responsive customer support for Smart Draw.  

Weve adopted it across multiple operators.

Government Accounts

I had a 30 minute training with [sensitive content hidden] a week ago, she was great and explained how to use SmartDraw.

territory manager

SmartDraw is super easy to use and makes it really quick to throw together clean-looking layouts.

She responded promptly and resolved the matter quickly, demonstrating her continued commitment to excellent customer service.

SmartDraw vs Autodesk Forma Comparison (2026)

SmartDraw

Autodesk Forma

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives