Published 2026-10-29 · 2 min read
GrafitGo vs SketchUp: an honest comparison
SketchUp has been the program a lot of people learn 3D with for over twenty years. GrafitGo is far younger and does a few things differently. This is not a contest one of them wins on every point — each is better at something else. Here is where.
In short
| SketchUp | GrafitGo | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Installed app (Pro) and a browser version | Browser only, on any system |
| Price | Free tier is for personal use only; Go and Pro are yearly subscriptions | Free, no commercial-use restriction |
| How you model | Draw faces and push/pull them | Place parametric objects and change their numbers |
| Model library | 3D Warehouse, millions of models | 43 parametric objects and 33 materials |
| 2D plan | LayOut, in Pro | Vector SVG plan from any section |
| 3D printing | Through extensions | Mechanical editor and print check built in |
| Extensions | Thousands, in Extension Warehouse | None |
Where SketchUp is better
The library. 3D Warehouse has nearly every manufactured object, often uploaded by the maker. If you want one brand's exact sofa, you will find it there.
Free-form modelling. Push/pull lets you draw any volume, however unusual. GrafitGo works with parametric objects — very fast for houses, rooms and ordinary parts, less suited to sculptural shapes.
The professional ecosystem. Extensions for rendering, structure and CNC; LayOut for documentation; thousands of tutorials; whole offices that have worked in it for years.
Where GrafitGo is better
Speed on ordinary things. A two-storey house with windows and a roof goes in with one click and changes through parameters: length, storeys, number of windows. In SketchUp you draw every wall and every opening.
Price and restrictions. SketchUp Free cannot be used commercially. GrafitGo is free and you can deliver client work with it.
Everything around the model: the bill of materials, the cut list, the 3D-print check, a public link a client opens on their phone and an embed code for another site are included, not separate extensions.
Which one to pick
- You are an architect or designer working in 3D every day and need free-form shapes and extensions: SketchUp Pro.
- You want to plan your house, lay out a room or show an idea to a client quickly: GrafitGo is faster and costs nothing.
- You print 3D parts: GrafitGo has a mechanical editor, boolean operations and a print check; SketchUp needs extensions.
- You are learning: try both. An hour in each tells you more than any comparison.
Can I open a SketchUp model in GrafitGo?
Yes, if you export it from SketchUp as OBJ or STL. It imports as a fixed object: you can move, rotate and colour it, but it no longer has parameters.
Does GrafitGo run on a modest computer?
It runs in the browser and copes on an ordinary laptop. Large scenes benefit from a dedicated graphics card, as with any 3D program.
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