Best ShrubHub alternatives for AI landscape design (2026)

ShrubHub built a real business on a simple pitch: a professional 3D landscape plan for a lot less than hiring a local designer. You buy a package, upload photos, talk to a designer, and get a photorealistic plan with a plant and product shopping list. For a homeowner who wants expert help without a big firm's invoice, that's a genuine value.

The reasons people shop around are practical. You wait roughly 14 to 21 days for one plan, the constant "50 percent off" framing makes the real price hard to read, and you can't quickly try several styles on your own yard yourself. If any of that bugs you, the alternatives below take different trade-offs.

This guide compares the realistic ShrubHub alternatives, including OutdoorBrite (which we make), on price, speed, and what you walk away with.

Best ShrubHub alternatives: a quick overview

• OutdoorBrite: Best overall for fast, self-serve design. Compare several styles on your own photo in under a minute, for a monthly price instead of a per-project fee.
• Yardzen: Best premium service. A more polished, build-ready plan with CAD files, at a higher price.
• DreamzAR: Best for AR on your phone. AI redesign plus a 3D walk-through, mostly on iOS.

What is ShrubHub?

ShrubHub is a done-for-you online landscape design service. After you buy a package and upload photos and a mood board, a human designer builds a photorealistic 3D plan for your yard, and you get a plant and product shopping list plus a connection to local contractors for installation. It bills itself as "smarter than DIY, simpler than hiring local," which is a fair summary of where it sits.

The numbers: with the standing sale applied, packages land around $197 for a front yard, $237 for a back yard, $297 for both, and $997 for premium, and a plan takes about 14 to 21 days. The only free thing is a plant consultation call; there's no self-serve AI tool. Two honest caveats. The "50 percent off" appears to be effectively permanent, so treat the sale prices as the real prices, and ShrubHub's own pages give slightly different turnaround and revision numbers, so confirm the current terms before you buy.

1. OutdoorBrite, best overall for fast, self-serve design

OutdoorBrite is an AI landscape design tool built around one photo of your yard. You upload a picture, pick a style like modern, cottage, or desert, and it generates realistic concepts in under a minute. Where ShrubHub hands you one designer's plan after a couple of weeks, OutdoorBrite lets you explore several directions yourself, today.

For a ShrubHub shopper, the appeal is control and pace. You can compare styles on your own space, refine a favorite in the in-app editor, and get plant choices matched to your hardiness zone, all for a monthly price rather than a per-project fee. It covers backyards, gardens, patios, decks, pergolas, pools, and front yards. The honest line: ShrubHub gives you a human-built plan and a contractor handoff, which OutdoorBrite doesn't. OutdoorBrite gives you speed, iteration, and a clear visual direction you can shop from or take to any contractor.

Key features

• Photo-to-design for backyards, patios, decks, and more
• Compare multiple style presets on one photo
• In-app AI editor for refinements
• Climate and hardiness-zone-aware plant choices
• HD, 2K, and 4K output by plan

Best for

• Homeowners who want to explore styles before paying for a plan
• DIYers who want a direction and plant list to build from
• Contractors using a render to align a client on-site

Pricing

• Paid only, no free plan. From $29/month (Starter, 25 redesigns), $49/month (Plus, 100 redesigns), $149/month (Pro, 200 redesigns)
• Metered by redesign credits, never "unlimited"

Pros

• Results in under a minute, not weeks
• A monthly price covers many redesigns
• Plant choices respect your climate

Cons

• No free tier for casual browsing
• No human-built plan or contractor matching; a service does that

2. ShrubHub, best cheaper full-service plan

ShrubHub is the tool you're comparing against, and it earns its spot. You get a real designer, a photorealistic 3D plan, an itemized plant and product shopping list, and a path to local contractors, for a price that undercuts most full-service options. If you want a human plan you can hand to a crew, it delivers.

What sends people looking is the experience around it. The 14-to-21-day wait is slow next to an AI tool, the perpetual sale makes pricing murky, and a few of their own pages disagree on revisions and timing. None of that means the plan is bad; it just means you should confirm the current terms and know you're committing to a service timeline.

Key features

• Human-designed photorealistic 3D plan
• Plant and product shopping list
• Contractor connection for installation
• 2D aerial design on the premium tier

Best for

• Homeowners who want a real plan for less
• Projects that need a shopping list and contractor handoff

Pricing

• About $197 (front) to $997 (premium), at the standing sale price
• No free tier (free plant consult call only)

Pros

• Full design-service deliverable at a low entry price
• Carries you toward an actual build

Cons

• 14 to 21 days, not instant
• Confusing list-vs-sale pricing and inconsistent terms

3. Yardzen, best premium service

If you like ShrubHub's done-for-you model but want a more polished, build-ready result, Yardzen is the step up. It assigns a real designer, delivers 2D CAD plans you own, day-to-night 3D renders on higher tiers, plant and materials lists, and contractor matching through its own network. The deliverable is more thorough than ShrubHub's at the high end.

You pay for that. Packages run from $295 for a small space to $3,495 for the premium backyard, with full-yard Classic at $1,695, and turnaround is two to three weeks. For a major renovation where the plan needs to be truly build-ready, the extra cost can be worth it. We compare it directly in our Yardzen alternatives guide.

Key features

• Custom plan from a real designer
• 2D CAD plans, 3D renders, plant/materials lists
• Contractor matching and cost-advisor review

Best for

• Larger, build-ready projects
• Homeowners who want the most thorough plan

Pricing

• From $295 to $3,495 per project
• No free design tier

Pros

• More polished, build-ready deliverable
• Strong contractor and cost support

Cons

• Pricier than ShrubHub
• Still two to three weeks

4. DreamzAR, best for AR on your phone

DreamzAR is a self-serve app with two modes: an AI photo redesign (30 to 90 seconds) and an AR mode that lets you walk through a 3D version of the design. If you want to stand in your yard and see the plan around you instead of waiting on a service's flat renders, that's the draw.

Two things to weigh. The "unlimited designs" marketing doesn't match DreamzAR's FAQ, which describes metered monthly generations, and the App Store sells credit packs. And the 3D AR mode is iOS-only, so Android and web users pay the same $19.99 a month for less. The app is free to download, so you can test it. For desktop or Android, an AI backyard design tool in the browser is the steadier pick.

Key features

• AI photo redesign with chat refinement
• AR 3D walk-through (iOS)
• 2,000-plus plant and object library
• High-resolution exports

Best for

• DIY homeowners who want AR
• iPhone and iPad users

Pricing

• Free to download and look around first
• $19.99/month or $199/year

Pros

• AI redesign plus a real AR walk-through
• Cross-platform availability

Cons

• "Unlimited" is actually metered
• Best feature is iOS-only

How to choose the best ShrubHub alternative

1) Do you want a human plan, or to do it yourself?

If you want a professional to build the plan and connect you to contractors, stay in the service lane: ShrubHub for the cheaper version, Yardzen for the premium one. If you'd rather drive the design and iterate fast, a self-serve AI tool like OutdoorBrite gets you there in minutes.

2) How fast do you need it?

ShrubHub and Yardzen are two to three weeks because designers do the work. AI tools are near-instant. If you're deciding on a style or staging a yard to sell, waiting weeks is painful. Explore quickly with AI, then commission a plan only if the project warrants it.

3) What do you actually need to walk away with?

A render, a plant list, a buildable plan, a contractor? ShrubHub and Yardzen give the full plan plus contractor handoff. OutdoorBrite gives a clear visual and climate-aware plant direction you can shop from or hand to any pro. Our guide to a backyard makeover on a budget covers turning a concept into a build.

4) Subscription or per-project?

OutdoorBrite and DreamzAR are monthly. ShrubHub and Yardzen are per-project. If you'll design more than one space, or want to keep iterating, a subscription often costs less than stacking project fees.

FAQ

What is ShrubHub? ShrubHub is a done-for-you online landscape design service. A human designer builds a photorealistic 3D plan from your photos, and you get a plant and product shopping list plus a connection to local contractors. Packages start around $197 at the standing sale price.

How much does ShrubHub cost? With ShrubHub's standing "50 percent off" applied, packages land around $197 (front yard), $237 (back yard), $297 (both), and $997 (premium). There's no free tier beyond a plant consultation call. Because the sale appears to be always-on, treat those sale prices as the real ones.

What is the best alternative to ShrubHub? For fast, self-serve design you control, OutdoorBrite is the strongest pick: compare several styles on your own photo in under a minute. If you want a more polished human-built plan than ShrubHub's, Yardzen is the premium service alternative.

Is there a faster alternative to ShrubHub? Yes. AI tools skip the two-to-three-week wait. OutdoorBrite returns concepts in under a minute and DreamzAR in 30 to 90 seconds, versus ShrubHub's 14 to 21 days.

Can OutdoorBrite give me a plant list like ShrubHub? OutdoorBrite matches plant choices in your design to your hardiness zone, so you get a climate-aware direction to shop from. ShrubHub delivers a fuller itemized product shopping list as part of its human-built plan. If a complete materials list and contractor handoff are essential, a design service does more there.

ShrubHub or OutdoorBrite, which is better for a quick refresh? For a quick refresh where you want to see options and decide fast, OutdoorBrite fits: try several styles on your photo in minutes. ShrubHub makes more sense when you want a professional to produce one finished plan and connect you with a contractor.

Which ShrubHub alternative works on Android? OutdoorBrite runs in any browser, so it works on Android, iPhone, and desktop equally. DreamzAR is on Android, but its best feature (3D AR) is iOS-only.