Render a House/Updated Sep 25, 2026Lumion vs Enscape, compared honestly
Pick Enscape if you want a live view inside Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad or Vectorworks, or you work on a Mac; pick Lumion if you want a standalone scene editor with a deep nature library. Enscape Solo is about half the yearly price of Lumion Pro. To turn a 3D model or a sketch into a render without a GPU, Render a House is the alternative.
The short answer
Pick Enscape if you design in Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad or Vectorworks and want a live, walkable view without leaving the model, or if your studio runs on Macs; Enscape Solo is $574.80 a year. Pick Lumion if you would rather build the scene in a separate app with a deep nature library, or your team wants one floating seat shared across computers; Lumion Pro is $1,149 a year. Both need a dedicated GPU, per Lumion’s system requirements and Enscape’s system requirements.
To turn a 3D model or a sketch into a render, Render a House is the alternative: browser-based, no GPU, about 30–60 seconds, free for 3 renders a day. It is not a live walkthrough. Last updated: September 25, 2026.
Lumion vs Enscape at a glance
From each vendor’s own pages, checked September 2026.
| Dimension | Lumion | Enscape | Render a House |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A standalone real-time renderer: import the model, then build the scene. | A real-time rendering plugin that runs inside your CAD or BIM app. | A browser AI renderer for concept stills and short video. |
| Input it needs | A 3D model from SketchUp, Revit, Archicad, Rhino and others, via file import or LiveSync. | A model open in Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad or Vectorworks. | A sketch, plan, photo, CAD screenshot or GLB/GLTF/OBJ model. |
| Where it runs / hardware | Windows 10 v2004+; GPU 8,000+ G3DMark, 6 GB VRAM; 16 GB RAM; 105 GB disk. Mac not officially supported. | Windows 10+ with a 4 GB VRAM GPU (8 GB recommended); Apple Silicon Macs for every host except Revit. | Any browser, Mac included. No GPU. |
| Price (vendor list price, checked Sept 2026) | Pro $1,149/yr; Pro Floating $1,499/yr. | Solo $574.80/yr; Premium $670.80/yr; Collection $730.80/yr. | Pro $39/mo or $312/yr; Studio $99/mo. |
| Free tier | None; 14-day Pro trial with no credit card, free student licence. | None; 14-day trial that bills unless cancelled. | 3 renders a day, no credit card, small watermark. |
| Time to a first image | Install (105 GB), import the model, dress the scene. | Live, once the plugin is running in the host app. | About 30–60 seconds, up to about 2 minutes under load. |
| Output | Images, video and 360 panoramas; AI upscaling to 16K. | Stills, video, panoramas, web standalones and VR. | Concept images at 1K–4K; short video on Pro. |
| Best for | Landscape-heavy scenes and teams sharing a floating seat. | Daily design review inside the model, on Windows or Mac. | Fast concepts from a model or a sketch. |
Where Lumion is better
Lumion’s case is content, scene control and licensing.
Nature and landscape detail
10,000+ models and materials and fine-detail nature assets, per lumion.com/product/buy. For planting-heavy scenes, that library is why studios pay more.
A floating seat for teams
Pro Floating is $1,499 a year for one seat that moves between computers. Teams that render in turns can share it.
A trial without a card
A 14-day Pro trial with no credit card, and free one-year student licences you renew while you study.
Where Enscape is better
Enscape’s case is staying in the model, and price.
Live inside the CAD app
One installer adds the plugin to Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad and Vectorworks, per Enscape’s system requirements. Edit the model and the view updates; there is no export step.
It runs on a Mac
Apple Silicon Macs are supported with SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad and Vectorworks. Lumion is not officially supported on Mac.
About half the yearly price
Solo is $574.80 a year and even Collection is $730.80, both below Lumion Pro at $1,149, per chaos.com/enscape/buy-online. Enscape also exports VR and web standalones.
Pricing: Lumion vs Enscape
US list prices, checked September 2026. Full breakdowns: Lumion pricing and Enscape pricing.
| Plan | Price | What it includes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumion Pro (named user) | $1,149/yr ($96/mo) | 10,000+ models and materials, AI upscaler | 3-year plan offered; 14-day refund (source) |
| Lumion Pro Floating | $1,499/yr ($125/mo) | One seat shared across computers | 24/7 premium support (source) |
| Lumion Custom (10+ users) | Not published (checked Sept 2026) | Volume licensing | Contact sales (source) |
| Enscape Solo | $574.80/yr ($47.90/mo) | Up to 6,700 assets, 100 AI credits a month | Named licence, billed annually (source) |
| Enscape Premium | $670.80/yr ($55.90/mo) | Up to 10,000 assets, 500 AI credits a month | Named licence (source) |
| Enscape Collection | $730.80/yr ($60.90/mo) | 18,500+ assets, Envision and Impact | 1,500 AI credits a month (source) |
| Render a House Free | $0 | 3 renders a day | No credit card; small watermark |
| Render a House Pro | $39/mo or $312/yr | 240 credits a month, 4K, video, 3D imports | Failed renders don't consume credits |
| Render a House Studio | $99/mo or $792/yr | 1,000 credits a month | Extra credits $0.20 each |
Students: Lumion Student is free for a year and not for commercial work (see Lumion’s education terms); the Enscape Student Collection is $149 a year. The Enscape trial bills automatically unless you cancel a day before it ends.
Which should you choose?
It depends on your modelling app, your machine and your team.
A Revit or Archicad office doing daily design review
Enscape: the view updates as you model, and Solo costs about half of Lumion Pro.
Landscape, urban or masterplan work
Lumion: its nature assets suit planting-heavy scenes, and the scene lives in one app.
A Mac-based studio
Enscape, with SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad or Vectorworks on Apple Silicon. Lumion needs a Windows PC.
A laptop without a GPU, or only a sketch
Neither. Upload it to Render a House for a concept render in about 30–60 seconds.
Render a House as the no-GPU alternative
Lumion and Enscape render a live scene on a machine with a dedicated GPU. Render a House turns the model or sketch you already have into a render in the browser.
Render a House is an AI rendering tool for architects, interior designers and real estate. Export a GLB, GLTF or OBJ from SketchUp or Revit and Archicad, or photograph a hand sketch, and get a concept image in about 30–60 seconds.
| Dimension | Lumion and Enscape | Render a House |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Lumion builds a scene in its own viewport; Enscape renders the live model inside the CAD app. | Upload a model or image, get a concept render back. |
| Input | A full 3D model, plus a licence for the modelling app. | A sketch, plan, screenshot or GLB/GLTF/OBJ model. |
| Where it runs | Lumion on Windows only; Enscape on Windows, or Apple Silicon Macs outside Revit. | Any browser, Mac included, with no graphics card. |
| Price | $1,149/yr (Lumion Pro) or $574.80/yr (Enscape Solo). | Free at 3 renders a day; Pro is $39/mo for 240 credits. |
| Time to an image | Live, once materials, light and camera are set up. | About 30–60 seconds from upload. |
| Control | Exact camera, light and materials, set by hand. | Prompts and area editing; geometry can shift. |
What it cannot do
- Give you a live 3D viewport. It returns a still or a short video, not a walkthrough or a VR session.
- Produce measured drawings or BIM data. Check openings and proportions against the model.
- Run as a plugin inside Revit, SketchUp or Archicad. Export a GLB, GLTF or OBJ; .skp is not accepted.
- Replace a final production render. It makes concept images; Lumion and Enscape give exact control.
The verdict
Enscape wins on price, Mac support and staying inside the model; Lumion wins on landscape content, standalone scene building and a card-free trial. Both need a capable GPU, so check Lumion’s requirements and Enscape’s requirements first. Other options: Lumion alternatives and Enscape alternatives.
For a concept render from a model or a sketch, Render a House is faster, runs on any machine and is free for 3 renders a day. More options: AI alternatives to Enscape and Lumion.
Common questions about Lumion vs Enscape
Is Lumion better than Enscape?
- Lumion is better for landscape-heavy scenes and standalone scene building; Enscape is better for live review inside the CAD app and for Mac users. Enscape Solo costs $574.80 a year against $1,149 for Lumion Pro. Both need a dedicated GPU on Windows.
Is Lumion free?
- No. Lumion has no free plan for commercial work: there is a 14-day Pro trial with no credit card, then Pro costs $1,149 a year. Students get a free one-year licence with a small watermark, not for commercial use.
Does Enscape run on Mac?
- Yes, on Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 14.8.1 or newer, with SketchUp, Rhino, Archicad or Vectorworks. There is no Mac version for Revit, and Intel Macs are not supported. Lumion is not officially supported on Mac at all.
Can I use Lumion or Enscape without a 3D model?
- No. Lumion imports a 3D model, and Enscape runs inside a model open in the host app. If you only have a sketch or a floor plan, Render a House turns that image into a concept render in about 30–60 seconds.
What GPU do Lumion and Enscape need?
- Lumion asks for a card scoring 8,000+ on G3DMark with at least 6 GB of video memory, such as a GTX 1060. Enscape's minimum is a 4 GB VRAM card that supports Vulkan 1.1, with 8 GB recommended and 12 GB for VR.
What is the best alternative to Lumion and Enscape?
- For turning a 3D model or a sketch into a render without a GPU, Render a House: browser-based, about 30–60 seconds, free for 3 renders a day. For a live walkthrough or VR, stay with Lumion or Enscape.
No GPU? Upload the model or sketch you already have and see a render in under a minute — no install, no graphics card. Render your model free.
Keep comparing:
- D5 Render vs Lumion — Two standalone Windows renderers compared on price and hardware.
- Enscape vs V-Ray — Live design review or physically accurate final frames.
- Lumion pricing — Pro, Pro Floating and multi-year terms broken down.
- Enscape pricing — Solo, Premium, Collection and student pricing.
Keep reading
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