Deck building software for deck contractors
Search “deck building software” and you will not find job management software. You will find deck design tools — most of them free, most of them made by companies that sell lumber, connectors or decking.
That is useful to know, because it explains both why they cost nothing and what they are quietly optimized to do. This guide compares them on the three things a deck contractor actually needs: drawings a building department will accept, a cut list and materials list you can order from, and a design good enough to close the sale.
Everything below was read off each tool’s own page on 14 September 2026.
The short version
| Tool | Cost | Permit output | Materials / cut list | Platform | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simpson Strong-Tie Deck Planner | Free | Permit submittal pages | Bill of materials | Web, desktop only | Account required |
| MiTek Deck Designer | Free | Permit submittal documents | Materials + cut lists | Cloud, Windows | No 3D or pricing mentioned |
| Trex Deck Designer | Free | Blueprint for permits | Shopping list | Web, desktop only | Trex products only |
| RedX Decks | Free plan; paid from $9.99/mo | Permit-ready blueprints | Cut + material lists | Web, iOS, Android | Pro features need a paid plan |
Why the free ones are free
A manufacturer’s deck planner is a sales tool for that manufacturer’s catalog. That is not a criticism — the tools are genuinely good — but it shapes what they do well.
Trex Deck Designer is the clearest case. It produces a 3D visualization, a shopping list, a permit blueprint and a cost estimate with and without labor, and it only lets you design with Trex products. It is built for a homeowner comparing colors before calling a contractor. As a contractor, it is worth knowing because your customer may arrive having already used it.
Simpson Strong-Tie Deck Planner is aimed at homeowners and builders, with 2D and 3D design, templates, and a library of connectors, fasteners and wood species. Its output report includes permit submittal pages, a bill of materials covering lumber, decking, railing and hardware, and design drawings. It runs in the browser on desktop and laptop only, and saves projects to an account.
MiTek Deck Designer positions itself for “beginner DIYers to professional deck builders” and for materials suppliers. It produces a complete materials list, cut lists and permit submittal documents, and it is free. It needs registration and a Windows computer.
RedX Decks: the one built to impress a customer
RedX Decks is the paid option, and the features explain why a contractor might pay.
It advertises AI-assisted design from a plain-language description, automatic structural calculations for beam, joist and post placement, cut lists and material lists with exact quantities, permit-ready PDF blueprints with plan views and elevations, and realistic 3D renders showing decking styles and colors. It handles multi-level, composite and custom-shaped decks, and runs on web, iOS and Android.
Pricing, from the RedX pricing page:
- Free — unlimited projects with limited access to pro features
- One App — $9.99/month or $119.99/year, one user
- All Apps — $19.99/month or $239.99/year, one user
- Organisation — $19.99 per seat per month, minimum 3 seats, and adds custom branding on blueprints
That last point matters more than it looks. A render and a blueprint with your company’s name on it is a sales document. A printout from a lumber brand’s planner is not.
Which one a deck contractor should use
Pricing and permitting a straightforward pressure-treated deck: Simpson Strong-Tie or MiTek. Both are free and both give you the materials list and the permit paperwork, which is most of the job.
Selling a composite deck to a homeowner who is still deciding: RedX Decks. The 3D render is what closes a $25,000 job with a customer who cannot picture it, and branded blueprints make a small outfit look established.
The customer already designed it in Trex Deck Designer: take it as the brief, not the plan. Check spans, footings and ledger attachment yourself, and re-price from your own materials list rather than their estimate.
Complex custom work — multi-level, curved, or integrated with a pergola or hardscape — can outgrow all four, and that is where general CAD tools come in.
A warning about automated structure
Automatic beam and joist placement is a genuine time saver and a starting point, not a sign-off. Spans, footing depth, post sizing and especially the ledger connection to the house have to meet your local code, and the inspector’s interpretation is the one that decides. Most deck failures happen at the ledger. No design tool changes who is responsible for it.
What none of them do
A deck design tool draws the deck and lists the materials. It does not send the customer a priced quote they can approve, take the deposit, schedule the build, or invoice at the end.
That is a separate piece of software, and for a one to four person deck crew it is the part that actually gets you paid. Deck work is material-heavy, so the deposit matters — you are ordering thousands of dollars of lumber before anyone pays you.
Jobber at $49/mo handles multi-day jobs, deposits and optional line items, so a customer can tick the railing upgrade themselves. QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo is cheaper and includes consumer financing on every tier, which matters at deck price points. Housecall Pro includes a proposal tool on its Max plan for presenting good-better-best material options.
For what to charge once the design is done, see how to price deck building.
Questions operators actually ask
What software do deck builders use to design decks?
Mostly the free planners from lumber and connector manufacturers — Simpson Strong-Tie Deck Planner, MiTek Deck Designer and Trex Deck Designer — plus paid tools like RedX Decks for 3D renders and structural calculations. General CAD tools come in for complex custom work.
Is there free deck design software for contractors?
Yes. Simpson Strong-Tie Deck Planner and MiTek Deck Designer are both free and both produce materials lists and permit submittal documents. Trex Deck Designer is free too but limited to Trex products. The trade-off is that a free manufacturer planner is designed to sell that manufacturer's materials.
Can deck design software produce permit drawings?
The main tools can. Simpson Strong-Tie Deck Planner outputs permit submittal pages, MiTek Deck Designer outputs permit submittal documents, Trex Deck Designer outputs a blueprint for permit applications, and RedX Decks exports permit-ready blueprints. Your local building department decides whether they are sufficient on their own.
Does deck design software work out the structure?
RedX Decks advertises automatic beam, joist and post placement with structural calculations. Treat any automated structural output as a starting point — spans, footings and ledger attachment still have to meet your local code, and the inspector's reading of it is the one that counts.
Does deck design software handle quoting and invoicing?
Not really. Design tools draw the deck and list the materials; Trex's tool gives a rough cost estimate aimed at homeowners. Sending a priced quote, taking a deposit, scheduling the build and invoicing is a separate job, usually done in field service software.