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PoolSketch compared with Vip3D and Pool Studio
Vip3D and Pool Studio, from Structure Studios, are full design suites for the office. PoolSketch is the tool you open in the yard at the first meeting. Here is where each is stronger, with the sources and the dates.
The short version
Use a design suite when you need a finished, photoreal presentation or construction-grade documents drawn at a desk. Use PoolSketch when you want a scaled sketch, 3D, quantities and a branded handout in the customer's yard, on the mobile device you already carry. Many builders use both: PoolSketch to win the first meeting, a suite for the final drawings.
Facts about Structure Studios products come from their public pages, read on 2026-11-14 (linked below). Their pages are theirs: we do not repeat their marketing claims, and we have not tested their software. We are not affiliated with them. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
Price, trial and where it runs
| PoolSketch | Pool Studio | Vip3D | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per user, month to month | $35 Core, $79 Pro | $147 | $197 |
| Billed yearly, per month | $28 Core, $63 Pro | $125 | $167 |
| One-time fee | None | $95 setup fee, per the pricing page | |
| Free trial | 14 days | 30 days, no card, full toolkit | |
| Runs on | Phone, tablet and computer in the browser; installable; works offline | Windows PC (recommended spec for version 4: Windows 11, 16 GB RAM, RTX 4060 class graphics). No phone or tablet app on the pages we read | |
| Languages | 21 | Not stated on the pages we read | |
Sources: pricing page and system requirements, 2026-11-14. PoolSketch prices from our pricing page.
Where they are ahead, honestly
Bigger libraries
Their pages list about 2,900 3D objects, 1,500 materials and 1,700 plants and trees. PoolSketch has hundreds of pool and yard templates, procedural materials and a smaller plant set.
Photo output to 8K and VR
They list photos up to 8K, video up to 4K, desktop path tracing and virtual reality with a headset. PoolSketch exports stills up to 8K where the device has the memory for it, a day to night video and 360 photos, and can path trace in the browser, but it is a phone-sized pipeline, not a workstation one.
Mapping and CAD files
They list aerial imagery, parcel data and DWG import. PoolSketch can start from an address with an estimated building outline from open data, imports DXF, and says plainly that DWG and SketchUp (SKP) files must be exported first (DXF, and DAE, STL or glTF).
Training and trial
They list free live training and a 30 day trial. PoolSketch has in-app guidance, written guides and a 14 day trial.
Construction documents
They sell full documentation for builders. PoolSketch makes concept plans, a scaled plan sheet and a section for coordination. They are marked as concept drawings, not engineered or permit documents.
Where PoolSketch is built to be stronger
In the yard, on any mobile device
Sketch from the survey, see live distances to the house and fence, and send a branded PDF before you leave the driveway.
AI that saves design time
Describe a pool in words, in any of 21 languages, and get an editable design. Make an AI photo finish. The pages of theirs we read did not mention AI design features.
Quantities as you draw
A live specs sheet gives surface area, perimeter, water volume, coping and tile footage, excavation, deck, fences, plants and lights, in imperial or metric, with CSV and a PDF page.
Scaled sheets and sections
Print the plan at a true architectural scale on Letter, Tabloid, A4 or A3, with a scale bar, north arrow, legend and title block. Draw a cut line and get a dimensioned cross section as PDF, PNG or DXF.
Your own models and CAD underlays
Import GLB, glTF, OBJ, FBX, DAE or STL models directly. SketchUp (SKP) files are not read, because no free reader exists: export a DAE, STL or glTF from SketchUp. Import a DXF as a scaled underlay and export the plan to DXF.
Price and reach
From $35 a month, no setup fee, no workstation, works offline, 21 languages including right-to-left PDFs.
Page speed, measured
A fast site is part of a fast product. We ran Lighthouse, Google's open auditing tool, on our pages and on the Structure Studios pages for these two products.
| Page | Score | First paint | Largest paint | Layout shift | Blocking time | Page weight (KB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PoolSketch home | 100 | 0.9 s | 1.5 s | 0 | 77 ms | 162 |
| PoolSketch AI page | 99 | 1.0 s | 1.0 s | 0 | 123 ms | 238 |
| PoolSketch features | 100 | 0.9 s | 0.9 s | 0 | 41 ms | 168 |
| PoolSketch compare | 99 | 0.9 s | 1.0 s | 0 | 102 ms | 41 |
| Vip3D product page | 73 | 1.2 s | 2.6 s | 0 | 1025 ms | 1,685 |
| Pool Studio product page | 67 | 1.3 s | 2.8 s | 0 | 1928 ms | 1,478 |
Reading the table: in these runs their pages show first content a little sooner than ours, and they weigh several times more and keep the browser busy for much longer before it responds to a tap. Our pages are light, but the home page carries pictures, so it is heavier than the others.
Method: Lighthouse 12.8.2 on Google Chrome 157.0.0.0, performance category, mobile profile (simulated slow 4G, 4 times CPU slowdown), median of three runs, 2026-11-15, one location. Scores move a few points between runs and between days; marketing pages change. This measures web page load, not the design software itself.
How to choose
- Choose PoolSketch if your pain is the first meeting: getting a scaled concept, 3D and a handout out the same day, from a phone.
- Choose a suite if you need photoreal marketing imagery, detailed material libraries or full construction documentation, and you have the desk time and PC for it.
- Use both if you sell with a sketch and build from drawn plans. Export DXF from PoolSketch for your CAD or crew.
Read more in PoolSketch compared with pool design suites and see every feature on the features page.
PoolSketch makes concept sketches for discussion. They are not engineered, permit or construction documents. Check setbacks, easements and safety barrier rules with your city or county.
