HomeByMe Review 2023: Plans & Quality Level

Verdict: HomeByMe is a great program for creating virtual houses, flats, and other spaces. There is a free plan that includes complete functionality and imposes no limitations on the number of designs. I like it a lot because most virtual staging software offer such goodies at an extra cost.

However, the developers of the software were less generous with the number of HD photorealistic images (1920x1080p) you can manage for free. Things are less stringent when it comes to processing low-quality materials (640x360p).

I have tried to render low-quality pictures and was very disappointed. It took the software rather long to cope with the task and deliver the result. Although the quality of processed photos is good, watermarks are on all images. Still, HD photos are rendered in a couple of minutes and have no watermarks.

The UI is neat and minimalistic. The largest part of the screen is occupied by a current design, while all tools are located at the bottom. There you can also switch between 2D, 3D, and walkthrough modes.

There is also a zoom in/out option and you can do the same using a mouse wheel. Instruments for drawing structural elements (walls and dividers), adding furniture, taking screenshots, making renderings, and gauging distances are arranged into a separate toolbar.

HomeByMe is a freemium interior design app, using which you can make lifelike designs and add them to photorealistic renderings.

Besides, users can upload or create a 2D floor plan, turn it into a 3D space, as well as inspect the house from the inside by moving a virtual avatar from one room to another. If you want, you can further decorate your house with multiple materials.

To get access to all program’s tools and features, you need to register. You can either do it via your Google or Facebook account or enter a valid email and come up with a password.

Once done, you’ll see a step-by-step tutorial on how to use the software. To my mind, this guide calls for improvement because it is likely to cause confusion instead of acquainting users with the program. So, you can simply skip it.

There are pre-made room templates (“Room by Room”) that resemble ones available in interior design software. You can use them to expedite your work or draw all elements manually (“Draw Walls”).

Though the collection of templates isn’t really huge, it is sufficient to get started. Anyway, it is a wonderful option for total novices. Whatever variant you choose, you will get the same building environment. At this stage, you can change the distance between walls and add more points on a wall to divide or extend it.

The catalog of 3D branded products deserves a special note in this HomeByMe review because it can stay on par with those offered by a high-profile virtual home staging company. You can embellish your virtual house with stylish furniture pieces and decorative knick-knacks from famous brands.

For example, there are 67 front doors, 10 original garage doors, 41 window types, 36 staircases, and more. However, the best part is that you can adjust every element to your liking and create a unique house.

In fact, there is a plethora of cool items to add to your virtual environment. The variety of 3D models is amazing, so you can let your creativity run wild.

Besides, all objects are divided into smaller groups and you can narrow down the choice even more by initiating the search by brand. Head to the “Brand Corner” and flick through hundreds of companies.

The catalog is replete with different furniture models, so you are sure to find something meeting your demands.

Besides, you can change the color, size, and texture of any item. As for painting walls, you can choose standard colors (500+ options) or pick something more unique. 9 famous brands have submitted over 1000 color shades and they are all at your disposal.

HomeByMe has a special tool called MakeByMe. Using it, you can design bespoke furniture pieces for your project. If you have created furniture in third-party furniture design software, you can upload it to this program. However, the 3DUpload feature is available by subscription.

By default, you start designing a top-down 2D plan. But you can easily switch to a 3D environment by clicking on the corresponding option at the bottom of the screen. Thus, you will receive a 3D real estate photography project that is easier to manipulate.

Click the feet icon to see a room as if you are staying in it. You can adjust the height with a slider and use keyboard arrows to go from one room to another. Besides, you can click and drag a mouse or trackpad to get closer to different elements and scrutinize them.

All your collections, projects, and associated libraries of furniture and decorations are stored on your personal page. Open it and share projects in one click. If you want to protect your renderings from unauthorized use, you can make them non-copiable.

When you’re done designing your room, you can either take a screenshot of the on-screen view, adjusting the angle, create materials for realistic interior photography, or make a 360-degree walkthrough (which is possible if you have a full subscription).

As for renders, there are no limits on standard resolutions. However, things are more complicated with HD ones. For example, free users can get 3 HD renders, those who paid once will receive 5 renders, and the number of renders is unrestricted for monthly subscribers.

Rendering results are decent, though you have to wait several minutes to get them. Users can choose the view from the window, the position of the sun, and the time of the day. Besides, there are several light variants – warm, cold, golden hour, and night. Keep in mind that it’s possible to indicate your preferences concerning the light.

The thing that upset me a bit is that some objects may simply become invisible if an avatar doesn’t look directly at them. When you rotate a virtual person, those objects return to a room.

Another annoying point is that switching from feet to meters is cumbersome. Unfortunately, you need to wade through settings because there is no separate option right on the plan. That is very inconvenient.

The biggest advantage of HomeByMe is the availability of a free plan. Thus, you don’t need to pay for staging a house if free features are sufficient for your projects. You can create up to 3 virtual plans and render 3 HD photorealistic images without spending a cent.

The Premium plan cost $29/month. Users can create unlimited projects, unlimited HD images, unlimited standard-definition images, a free pack of 5 x 4K images, and a free collection of 5 x 360° photos.

The Unlimited+ plan is priced at $65/month. You will get everything from the Premium plan and unlimited 4K images, a free pack of 5 x 360° images. Your projects will be protected from copying and will have no watermarks.

I was truly impressed by the realism of renderings but limitations on the number of 4K and 360-degree images even in the premium plan disappointed me. Besides, it is impossible to apply even simple edits.

If you want to not only create realistic photos of the interior but also improve contrast and brightness, remove unnecessary objects or change the sky, then it is better to contact FixThePhoto professional retouchers. Prices for basic processing start at $1.50 per photo.

The list of FixThePhoto services includes virtual staging, day-to-dusk transformation, object removal, HDR bracketing, and more. Besides, you can place a test order to evaluate the quality of their services. Finished photos will have no watermarks which is the issue with HomeByMe.