Alternatives
Bonsai Alternative
BIM without learning Blender: draw walls in plan, add roofs, structure and services, cut sections and print sheets, and export IFC4. All in a browser tab.
Bonsai: Free and open source. Home 3D Plan (home3dplan.com): Free.
What Bonsai does, and where it is here
IFC authoring
A model written out as IFC4, with walls, slabs, roofs, openings, structure, services and spaces. See the tool
Drawings
Sections, elevations and details onto sheets, to PDF, DWG, DXF and SVG. See the tool
Quantities
Takeoff by storey, element, function and material, as CSV or a workbook. See the tool
Structure
Columns, beams, braces and footings on a lettered grid. See the tool
Rendering
Four render tiers in the browser, up to a GPU path tracer. See the tool
Home 3D Plan and Bonsai, side by side
| Feature | Home 3D Plan | Bonsai |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free and open source |
| Free option | Start in the browser with no account | Free |
| Runs on | Any modern browser: Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, iPad and phone | Windows, Mac and Linux, inside Blender |
| Install | None. Can be installed as a web app | Blender plus the add-on |
| IFC | IFC4 export of architecture, structure and services | Native IFC: the model is the IFC file |
| DWG and DXF | DWG and DXF in and out | See vendor |
| Structure | Columns, beams, braces, footings and gridlines, with a reinforcement bar schedule | Structural elements and analysis models in IFC |
| Services (MEP) | Electrical, plumbing and heating, drainage, ventilation, gas and solar PV | MEP elements in IFC |
| Site and terrain | Survey levels, terraces, retaining walls, roads, paving and planting | See vendor |
| Quantities | Takeoff by storey, element, function and material, as CSV or a workbook | Quantity takeoff and costing in IFC |
| Drawings and sheets | Sections, elevations, 1:5 details and sheet sets to PDF, DWG, DXF and SVG | Drawings and sheets generated from IFC |
| Rendering | Four render tiers, the top one a GPU path tracer on desktop | Blender Cycles and Eevee |
| Team work | Organisation projects with discipline roles and live presence | Git and IFC diffs |
| AI and agents | MCP server with 38 tools for Claude, ChatGPT and other agents | Python scripting |
Bonsai prices as published on 10 October 2026 (https://bonsaibim.org). "See vendor" means the vendor does not publish the fact or we could not confirm it. Bonsai is a trademark of the IfcOpenShell project. Home 3D Plan is not affiliated with the IfcOpenShell project.
What Bonsai does that Home 3D Plan does not
- Native IFC: it opens, edits and saves IFC files directly, any IFC, from any program.
- Free and open source, with the whole of Blender around it.
- Deep control of IFC data, classifications and property sets.
Moving from Bonsai
Export plans from Bonsai as drawings and open DXF or a PDF underlay here to trace over.
Models made here go out as IFC4, which Bonsai opens and edits.
Which one fits your work
Pick Bonsai when
- You want to edit any IFC file directly.
- You already use Blender.
- You want open source tools only.
Pick Home 3D Plan when
- You want BIM without learning Blender.
- You want a plan first editor where walls make the model.
- You work in a browser, on a tablet as well.
How to start
Open the editor
Go to home3dplan.com and open the editor. Nothing to install and no account needed to start.
Bring your drawing
Open a DWG or DXF and turn its lines into walls, or trace over a PDF or a scan set to scale.
Build the model
Draw walls and the storeys, rooms, slabs and 3D model follow. Add roofs, structure, services and the site.
Send it out
Print sections, elevations and sheets to PDF or DWG, and send the building out as IFC4.
Bonsai and Home 3D Plan, answered
Can Home 3D Plan open IFC files like Bonsai?
No. It exports IFC4 but does not open IFC files. Bonsai edits IFC natively; Home 3D Plan builds the model from the plan and writes IFC out.
How much does Bonsai cost compared with Home 3D Plan?
Bonsai: Free and open source, as published on 10 October 2026. Home 3D Plan is free to use in the browser today.
Does Home 3D Plan export IFC and DWG?
Yes. The building goes out as IFC4, with its architecture, structure and services, and the drawings go out as DWG, DXF, PDF and SVG. DWG and DXF also come in. The editor does not open IFC files.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Home 3D Plan runs in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, iPad and phones, and can be installed as a web app if you want an icon.
Read on
- Import and Export: DXF, DWG and SVG in; DXF, DWG, SVG, PDF and IFC out.
- Revit alternative: BIM in the browser, with IFC4 and DWG out, for houses and small buildings.
- Archicad alternative: Plan, model, sheets and IFC4 out, in a browser tab.
- All alternatives: Every product we compare against, with its price.