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A Cedreo Alternative Built Only for Decks
Cedreo designs whole homes. PaperPlan does one thing: show the finished deck on the homeowner’s actual backyard photo, fast enough to close in the driveway.
By Monty, Founder, PaperPlan · Updated September 29, 2026
US$19 once for 3 concepts and 2 refinements. Clean downloads, one project, no subscription. Generation starts after payment. See plans.
Why this page exists
Deck-only, on purpose
No floor plans, no terrain modeling, no library management. One workflow: photo in, finished deck out.
A photo beats a scene
Cedreo renders a 3D scene you build. PaperPlan renders the homeowner’s real yard, which is the picture that closes.
Driveway speed
About a minute per render, phone-first, in the browser. No desktop session between the site visit and the visual.
Every major board brand
Trex, TimberTech, AZEK, Fiberon, Deckorators, cedar, and pressure-treated on the same photo.
How it works
- Upload the site photo. Use a phone photo of the homeowner’s backyard. No measurements or CAD file needed for the first visual.
- Mark the deck area. Drag to outline where the deck goes and add stairs if you want them.
- Choose material and design. Pick composite, PVC, cedar, or pressure-treated. Compare looks on the same photo.
- Render, share and propose. A render takes about a minute. Share it with the homeowner, or attach it to a branded proposal with Contractor Pro.
Cedreo Alternative Built Only for Decks
Cedreo is an all-in-one home design suite (floor plans, terrain, full exteriors, client presentations) built for pros who design entire projects. If your business is decks, you’re paying for that breadth in learning curve and per-design time. Honest comparison below.
| Feature | Cedreo | PaperPlan |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Full home design: floor plans, terrain, exteriors | Decks only |
| Input | Build the scene in a 3D editor | Phone photo of the actual backyard |
| Time to client-ready visual | Minutes per scene, after learning the tool | About a minute, first session |
| Device | Browser, desktop-oriented workflow | Phone-first, in the browser |
| What the homeowner sees | A rendered 3D model of a modeled yard | Their own backyard, photorealistic, finished |
| Decking brands | Generic material libraries | Named SKUs from Trex, TimberTech, AZEK, Fiberon |
| Proposal output | Client presentation documents | Branded PDF deck proposal (Pro) |
If you sell more than decks (additions, full exteriors, new builds), Cedreo’s breadth is exactly the point, and PaperPlan won’t replace it. If decks are the whole business, that breadth is overhead on every single quote.
Common questions
Is PaperPlan affiliated with Cedreo?
No. PaperPlan is an independent product from Tinywave Labs. This comparison exists because deck builders evaluate both, and the honest answer is they solve different problems.
Do I need any design or CAD skills?
No. If you can take a photo and drag a finger across it to mark the deck area, you can produce the render. There is no scene to build and no library to learn.
Can PaperPlan do floor plans or terrain?
No, and it doesn’t try. PaperPlan is a deck sales and visualization tool. For full home design documentation, a suite like Cedreo is the right category.
What does PaperPlan cost?
The homeowner Deck Ideas Pack costs US$19 once for three concepts and two refinements. Contractor Pro is US$99/month or US$840 billed annually for 250 renders a month, the full material library and proposal export.
Keep researching
- A RedX Decks Alternative for the Sales Conversation: RedX Decks draws permit-ready construction plans. PaperPlan handles the sale before that: the finished deck on the homeowner’s own backyard photo.
- An ArcSite Alternative for Showing, Not Drafting: ArcSite does CAD drawings and takeoff estimates. PaperPlan is the visual alternative: the finished deck shown on the homeowner’s real backyard photo.
- Deck Design Software, Built for the Sale: Deck design software for small contractors: render the deck on the homeowner’s backyard photo, share it and export a branded proposal. No CAD to learn.
- AI Deck Design on Your Actual Backyard: Create an AI deck design from your own backyard photo. Compare concepts and materials, refine a favorite and learn the limits. US$19 once, no subscription.
- A Trex Deck Designer Alternative Built for the Driveway: A Trex Deck Designer alternative that starts from a photo of the real backyard. Compare Trex with other brands from your phone, with no 3D modeling.
All deck planning guides
- Deck Cost Calculator
- Cost to Build a Deck in 2026
- Composite Deck Cost in 2026
- Deck Material Calculator
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- 10×12 Deck Cost
- 12×12 Deck Cost
- 12×16 Deck Cost
- 12×20 Deck Cost
- 16×16 Deck Cost
- 16×20 Deck Cost
- 20×20 Deck Cost
- A Trex Deck Designer Alternative Built for the Driveway
- A TimberTech Deck Designer Alternative for Real Sales Calls
- Deck Design Software, Built for the Sale
- Online Deck Designer: No Download, No CAD
- Deck Visualizer for Real Backyards
- Best Composite Decking in 2026
- PVC vs Composite Decking
- Trex vs TimberTech
- Trex vs AZEK
- Trex vs Fiberon
- Trex vs Deckorators
- TimberTech vs AZEK
- Composite vs Wood Deck
- Cedar vs Composite Decking
- Deck Ideas for Real Backyards
- AI Deck Design on Your Actual Backyard
- Deck Proposal Software That Starts With the Render
- A Cedreo Alternative Built Only for Decks
- A RedX Decks Alternative for the Sales Conversation
- An ArcSite Alternative for Showing, Not Drafting