Gridsnap vs SmartDraw: Which Should You Draw Floor Plans With?
SmartDraw is a general diagramming suite — flowcharts, org charts, network diagrams and also floor plans — sold as one subscription for business documentation. Gridsnap is a purpose-built floor plan tool: walls, doors and windows are real building objects, elevations and 3D generate from the plan, and a plan checker reads the drawing like a draftsman. If a floor plan is one diagram among many in your work, SmartDraw covers it; if the floor plan is the job, a dedicated tool goes much further.
Gridsnap vs SmartDraw
| Gridsnap | SmartDraw | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; $19 once for one project (90 days), or $9/mo · $90/yr ongoing | $9.95/mo billed annually (individual, intro price; $10.95 regular); teams $8.95/user/mo, 3-seat minimum |
| Platform | Browser (nothing to install); works on any OS | Browser |
| Drafting precision | Millimetre-exact drafting with typed dimensions and snapping | Floor plan templates within a general diagramming editor |
| Elevations | All four elevations generated automatically from the plan | Not a feature |
| 3D | Instant 3D with first-person walkthrough | None — 2D diagrams |
| Plan checking | Built-in plan check: overlaps and in-wall errors free; blocked doors/windows, circulation, room sizes, daylight on Pro | None |
| Scope beyond floor plans | Floor plans only — that focus is the product | Strong: flowcharts, org charts, network diagrams and many other diagram types in one subscription |
Compared as of 2026-08-19. SmartDraw details from its own published pricing and documentation; corrections welcome via the editor's feedback form.
Where SmartDraw is strong
- One subscription covers a whole diagramming suite — floor plans next to flowcharts, org charts and network diagrams
- Built for business documentation workflows, with team administration and shared folders
- Visio-style diagramming familiar to office users
When Gridsnap is the better choice
Choose Gridsnap when the floor plan itself matters: it treats walls, doors and windows as building objects rather than shapes, keeps everything in real millimetres, generates all four elevations and a 3D walkthrough automatically, checks the plan for layout errors, and exports scaled vector PDF sheets and layered DXF — all free. A diagram tool can draw a rectangle that looks like a room; it can’t tell you the door won’t clear the vanity.
When SmartDraw is the better choice
Choose SmartDraw when floor plans are an occasional need inside broader business documentation — an office seating chart this week, an org chart next week. One familiar tool for every diagram type, with team controls, is genuinely more convenient than a dedicated CAD tool for that mix.
Common questions
Weighing more options? See the best free floor plan creators roundup, the full feature list, or browse ready-made templates to judge the output directly.
Is SmartDraw good for floor plans?
For simple diagrams of a space — an office layout, an evacuation sketch — yes, and it lives alongside every other business diagram you make. For accurate building drawings it’s the wrong shape: no building objects, no elevations, no 3D, no plan checking. Gridsnap is built for exactly that.
Is there a free version of either tool?
Gridsnap’s drafting core is free: drawing, elevations, 3D, PDF/DXF export and core plan checks, with Pro at $9/month. SmartDraw is sold as a subscription from $9.95/month billed annually (introductory individual price).
Which should an office manager use for a seating plan?
Either works; it depends what you have and what it feeds. If your team already runs SmartDraw for diagrams, use it. If the seating plan needs real dimensions — desk clearances, escape routes, a DXF for facilities — Gridsnap does that free in the browser.
Try it on your own plan
Gridsnap runs in the browser and the drafting core is free — draw a room to real dimensions and run the plan check on it in a couple of minutes.