6 best online landscape design services in 2026 (compared)

An online landscape design service works like this: you send photos and measurements of your yard, answer questions about how you use the space, and a real designer sends back a custom plan a few weeks later. No site visits, no local designer's $2,000-plus fee, and you end up with a document you can hand to a contractor or build from yourself.

The catch is that the services vary a lot. One charges $197 and sends a 3D design with a shopping list. Another charges $3,495 and assigns you a master designer with three revision rounds. A few that ranked well a year ago no longer exist in their old form.

This guide compares six online landscape design services that are actually taking orders in 2026, with verified package pricing, turnaround times, and what each one delivers. We checked every price against the company's own pages this month.

Best online landscape design services: a quick overview

• Yardzen: Best overall. The most complete deliverable in the category: designer-built plans, CAD files, plant lists, and a vetted contractor network, from $295.
• ShrubHub: Best budget full-yard packages. A human-designed 3D plan and shopping list from $197 at its standing sale price.
• Bower & Branch Design Studio (formerly Tilly): Best planting-first plans. Region-matched planting designs from the old Tilly team, with the plants themselves available to order.
• Bacqyard: Best for working closely with your designer. Every package includes at least one video call, up to unlimited calls on the top tier.
• Fiverr landscape designers: Best for a cheap one-off plan. Freelance designers deliver 2D or 3D plans for roughly $50 to $300 if you manage the brief yourself.
• YardKit: Best design-through-build hybrid. Landscape architects who also manage installation, for San Francisco Bay Area homeowners.

1. Yardzen, best overall online design package

Yardzen is the biggest name in online landscape design, and the deliverable shows why. A real designer works from your photos, site details, and style quiz, then sends back a plan that includes 2D CAD files you own, curated plant and material lists, and, on most tiers, photorealistic 3D renders. When the design is done, Yardzen matches you with a vetted local contractor to build it, which is the part most competitors can't offer.

Backyard packages run $995 (Essential, no revisions), $1,395 (Classic, one revision round and day renders), $1,995 (Signature, two rounds plus night renders and a lighting plan), and $3,495 (Premium, three rounds with a master designer). Small-space packages cost less: $295, $495, or $695 depending on tier. First drafts now arrive in 5 to 10 days, with an optional $395 expedite, though revisions stretch the full process to a few weeks. For a closer look at how it stacks up against cheaper options, see our Yardzen alternatives guide.

Key features

• Custom planting and hardscaping design from a real designer
• Build-ready 2D CAD plans you own
• Photorealistic day and night 3D renders on Classic and up
• Curated plant and material lists
• Contractor matching through the Yardzen Pro Network
• Cost advisor on Signature and Premium tiers

Best for

• Homeowners planning a large renovation who want one service to carry them from idea to contractor
• Projects where a polished, revisable plan justifies a four-figure fee

Pricing

• Small space: $295 to $695 depending on tier
• Backyard: $995, $1,395, $1,995, or $3,495
• Expedited first draft: $395 extra

Pros

• The most complete deliverable in the category
• Contractor matching closes the gap between plan and built yard
• First drafts in 5 to 10 days, faster than most rivals

Cons

• The tiers most people want (with renders and revisions) start at $1,395 for a backyard
• Essential tier includes no revisions at all

2. ShrubHub, best budget full-yard packages

ShrubHub sells the same basic promise as Yardzen, a human-designed plan from your photos, at a fraction of the price. A front yard design costs $197, a backyard $237, and both together $297. Every package includes a 3D design in your preferred style, a phone consultation, a product legend and shopping list with door-to-door plant shipping, and a contractor installation quote. A $997 premium tier adds 30 days of revisions, a 2D aerial design, and six months of email and chat support.

Two honest notes. Those prices are "50 percent off" list prices ($594 to $1,994), and the sale never seems to end, so treat the sale price as the real price. ShrubHub's own pages also give slightly different turnaround figures, from a 14-to-21-day headline to about 15 business days in the FAQ. Budget two to three weeks and you'll be close. We compare it directly with its rivals in our ShrubHub alternatives guide.

Key features

• Human-designed 3D landscape and hardscape design
• Design phone consultation and plant expert guidance
• Shopping list with plants shipped to your door
• Contractor installation quote included
• 2D aerial design and 30-day revisions on the premium tier

Best for

• Homeowners who want a real designed plan without a four-figure invoice
• Projects headed toward a contractor build on a budget

Pricing

• Front yard $197, backyard $237, both yards $297, premium $997, all at the standing sale price
• List prices run $594 to $1,994

Pros

• The cheapest full designed plan from a real design team
• Shopping list plus plant shipping shortens the path from plan to planted

Cons

• Perpetual sale framing makes the real list price murky
• Turnaround claims vary between ShrubHub's own pages

3. Bower & Branch Design Studio (formerly Tilly), best planting-first plans

If you searched for Tilly and landed somewhere unexpected, here's what happened: Bower & Branch, an online tree and plant marketplace, acquired Tilly in August 2024 and folded its design team into the new Design Studio. Same designers, new name, and tillydesign.com now redirects there. The packages keep Tilly's family-friendly, planting-first approach: region-specific plants, privacy hedges, lighting plans, and hardscape suggestions, delivered in two to four weeks.

The pricing is flat and simple. A front yard design costs $559, a backyard $699, and a full yard $1,049. A Native & Beneficial line, built around native plants and pollinator-friendly choices, runs $699, $839, and $1,259 for the same three scopes. The distinctive part is what happens after the design: because Bower & Branch grows and ships trees and plants, you can order much of the plan directly from the designer's recommendation. One gap: the packages page doesn't spell out a revision policy, so ask before you buy.

Key features

• Design packages from the former Tilly team, never outsourced
• Region-specific plant selection with big trees and privacy hedges
• Native & Beneficial package line for pollinator-friendly yards
• Lighting plans and hardscape suggestions included
• Recommended trees and plants available to order from Bower & Branch

Best for

• Homeowners whose project is mostly planting, screening, and beds rather than construction
• Anyone who wants to buy the actual plants from the plan in one place

Pricing

• Front yard $559, backyard $699, full yard $1,049
• Native & Beneficial versions: $699, $839, $1,259

Pros

• Flat, published prices with no sale-price games
• The plan connects straight to plants you can actually buy

Cons

• Revision policy isn't published on the packages page
• Less focused on hardscape-heavy projects like patios and outdoor kitchens

4. Bacqyard, best for working closely with your designer

Bacqyard's pitch is "1-on-1 with your designer," and the packages back it up. Every tier includes at least one scheduled video call with the designer working on your yard, which most rivals reserve for premium tiers or skip entirely. The Lite package covers planting and hardscape design with build-ready CAD plans. Full adds photorealistic day and night renders, a lighting plan, a 360-degree virtual tour, and a project manager. Plus stretches to three calls and three revision rounds, and the Luxe tier includes unlimited calls and revisions for 90 days.

At the time of writing, a 35 percent flash sale prices a front or back yard at $647 (Lite), $946 (Full), and $1,401 (Plus), with entire-yard versions at $907, $1,141, and $1,726. A Mini package for spaces under 500 square feet costs $495, a planting-only Botanical package $545, and Luxe $2,500. Regular prices run about a third higher, so like ShrubHub, check what the sale actually is when you order. Your initial design arrives 10 to 14 days after the kickoff video call, and the service covers all 50 states.

Key features

• Designer video calls included in every package (1 to 3, unlimited on Luxe)
• Build-ready CAD plans with hand-selected plants and materials
• Photorealistic day and night renders plus lighting plan on Full and up
• 360-degree virtual tour of the design
• Mini and Botanical packages for small or planting-only projects

Best for

• Homeowners who want to talk through the design live instead of trading emails
• Small spaces and courtyards, via the $495 Mini package

Pricing

• Front or back yard: $647, $946, or $1,401 at current sale prices (regular $995 to $2,155)
• Entire yard: $907 to $1,726; Mini $495; Botanical $545; Luxe $2,500

Pros

• Real designer conversation at every tier
• First design in 10 to 14 days after the call

Cons

• Sale-based pricing makes the true price hard to pin down
• Lite tier includes no renders and no revisions

5. Fiverr landscape designers, best for a cheap one-off plan

Fiverr isn't a design company, it's a marketplace, but it's how a lot of people actually buy landscape design online. Search the landscape design category and you'll find hundreds of freelancers selling fixed-price gigs: a 2D planting plan, a 3D model of your backyard, or a photorealistic render worked up from your photos and a sketch. A typical 3D landscape rendering gig runs about $250, simpler 2D plans start around $50, and delivery windows run from a few days to two weeks depending on the seller.

The trade-off is that you become the project manager. There's no standard deliverable, no plant list matched to your growing zone unless you ask for one, and no contractor network at the end. Quality ranges from skilled landscape architects moonlighting between jobs to sellers recycling one template yard, so read portfolios, check completed-order counts, and write a clear brief with measurements and photos. Done carefully, it's the cheapest way to get a human-made plan of your own yard.

Key features

• Fixed-price gigs from individual freelance designers
• 2D plans, 3D models, and photorealistic renders available
• Direct chat with the seller before you order
• Revisions negotiated per gig, often one or two included

Best for

• Budget projects where $200 for a plan feels right and $1,000 doesn't
• People comfortable writing a detailed brief and vetting portfolios

Pricing

• Simple 2D plans from around $50
• Detailed 3D designs and renders commonly $150 to $300, more for large properties

Pros

• The lowest entry price for a human-made custom plan
• Huge choice of styles and specialists

Cons

• Quality varies widely between sellers
• No contractor matching, plant sourcing, or standardized deliverable

6. YardKit, best design-through-build hybrid

YardKit sits at the far end of the spectrum from Fiverr: it's a team of landscape architects, with backgrounds that include work on Google's campus, who handle everything from design through finished installation. You start with a free consultation, pick from curated design palettes, and get hyper-realistic renderings plus a physical box of material samples. Their architects then produce construction drawings, and a dedicated project lead oversees the contractor with regular site visits until the yard is built.

The honest caveats: this is a local-online hybrid, not a pure online service. The process includes in-person property visits, and YardKit works in the San Francisco Bay Area rather than nationwide. Pricing follows construction rather than a flat menu, with a design fee that typically runs 10 percent of the expected build cost, so a $60,000 installation means roughly $6,000 of design. Design takes about four weeks and installation another four to eight. If you're in their area and want one accountable team from first sketch to final walkthrough, it's a strong option.

Key features

• Licensed landscape architects, not just designers
• Curated design palettes with realistic renderings and material sample boxes
• Construction drawings, plant selections, and specifications
• Managed installation with a vetted contractor network and site visits
• Maintenance guidance after completion

Best for

• Bay Area homeowners planning a full renovation with a real construction budget
• People who want one team accountable for both design and build

Pricing

• Free initial design consultation
• Design fee typically 10 percent of expected construction cost
• Design phase about 4 weeks; installation 4 to 8 weeks

Pros

• Architect-level drawings and construction oversight in one engagement
• The design is guaranteed to be buildable, because the same team builds it

Cons

• San Francisco Bay Area only
• Percentage-based fees put it well above every flat-rate service here

How to choose an online landscape design service

1) Match the deliverable to the project

A planting refresh and a full outdoor renovation need different paperwork. If your project is mostly beds, trees, and screening (the softscape), Bower & Branch's planting-first packages or even a careful Fiverr gig will cover it. If it involves grading, a patio, or anything a crew will build from drawings, you want CAD plans and revisions: Yardzen, Bacqyard's Full tier, or ShrubHub's premium package.

2) Decide what the budget actually buys

The spread is wide and the tiers matter more than the brands. Under $300 gets you ShrubHub's front or back yard package, Bacqyard's Mini, or a solid freelancer gig. Between $500 and $1,000 buys flat-rate designs with more depth from Bower & Branch or Bacqyard. From $1,395 up, Yardzen's Classic and Signature tiers add renders, revisions, and cost advice. Watch the sale-price framing at ShrubHub and Bacqyard, and remember the cheapest tier at every service cuts revisions first.

3) Check the clock

None of these are instant. Yardzen's first drafts arrive in 5 to 10 days, Bacqyard's in 10 to 14 after your call, ShrubHub takes two to three weeks, and Bower & Branch two to four. Add revision rounds and most projects spend about a month in design. Fiverr can be the fastest at a few days, but only if your brief is tight. If planting season is closing in, ask about expedited options before you order, not after.

4) Think about what happens after the plan

A plan that stalls in a drawer is the most expensive kind. If you'll hire out the build, Yardzen and ShrubHub both connect you to contractors, and YardKit manages the whole build in its area. If you'll plant it yourself, Bower & Branch's order-the-plan model or ShrubHub's shipped shopping list saves the nursery scavenger hunt. Front yard project? Prioritize the services that render the street view well, since curb appeal is the whole point.

Prefer to see it yourself first?

Before you pay $200 to $2,000 for a service and wait weeks for a designer's plan, it's worth seeing what your yard could actually look like. An AI landscape design tool like OutdoorBrite turns a single photo of your yard into realistic redesign concepts in about a minute, so you can compare styles and walk into any of the services above knowing exactly what to ask for, with plans from $29 per month. To be clear about the trade: it's self-serve concepts on your own photo, not a build-ready plan with a designer and revisions, which is what the six services here sell. The self-serve tools get their own comparison in our AI landscape design tools guide.

FAQ

What is an online landscape design service?

It's a service where a professional designer creates a custom landscape design for your yard remotely. You upload photos, measurements, and style preferences, and the designer delivers a plan (usually a 2D layout, often 3D renders and a plant list) in one to four weeks. Prices run from about $197 at ShrubHub to $3,495 for Yardzen's premium tier.

How much does an online landscape design service cost?

Verified 2026 pricing: ShrubHub runs $197 to $997 at its standing sale prices, Bower & Branch $559 to $1,259, Bacqyard $495 to $2,500 at sale prices, and Yardzen $295 to $3,495 depending on space and tier. Fiverr freelancers charge roughly $50 to $300 per plan. That's still far below a traditional local designer, who typically bills $2,000 or more for a full plan.

Yardzen vs ShrubHub: which should I pick?

Pick Yardzen if you want the most polished deliverable, revision rounds, and contractor matching, and your budget clears $995 for a backyard. Pick ShrubHub if you want a real designed 3D plan with a shopping list for $197 to $297 and can live with fewer frills and a slower, less predictable process. They're the premium and budget ends of the same idea.

What happened to Tilly?

Tilly was acquired by Bower & Branch, an online tree and plant retailer, in August 2024. The design team continues as Bower & Branch Design Studio, and tillydesign.com now redirects there. Packages run $559 to $1,259, and the recommended plants can be ordered directly from Bower & Branch.

How long does online landscape design take?

Plan on one to four weeks for a first design: 5 to 10 days at Yardzen, 10 to 14 days at Bacqyard, two to three weeks at ShrubHub, and two to four at Bower & Branch. Revision rounds add more. Fiverr gigs can deliver in a few days because there's no queue and no team, just one freelancer and your brief.

Is an online design service worth it compared to hiring a local designer?

For most straightforward residential projects, yes. You get a professional plan for $200 to $2,000 instead of a local designer's typical $2,000-plus, and services like Yardzen and ShrubHub still hand you off to a local contractor for the build. A complex site (steep slopes, drainage problems, permit-heavy construction) still favors a local professional who can walk the property.

Can I see design ideas before paying for a full service?

Yes. Most services publish portfolio galleries, and Yardzen offers a free AI-based inspiration teaser. The fastest way to preview your own yard specifically is to design your yard with AI: upload a photo, pick a style, and compare realistic concepts in about a minute, then bring the direction you like to whichever service fits your budget.