Best Online Landscape Design Services

Whether you are building a new home, buying a house, or simply want to refresh your yard, working with a custom landscape design service can be a good way to achieve the yard of your dreams. While the option exists to work with an in-person landscape designer, in the last few years, several online services have emerged which offer custom design services.

The main argument in favor of working with an online landscape designer comes down to cost. While many sources cite the cost of hiring an in-person landscape designer to range from $2,000 to $7,000 with an average cost in the mid $4,000s, the online landscape design firms included in our article often have costs below this range.

To help you understand if online landscape design is right for your project and determine which company might be the best fit for your situation, we have selected four of the most prominent online landscape design services for comparison: Bacqyard, ShrubHub, Yardzen, and Tilly. For more detailed coverage of their services, operations, and pricing, you can follow the hyperlinks to our reviews of each company. One additional company that offers online design services, though we have chosen not to include them in our article is Home Outside. That is because they have currently paused their custom landscape design services while they work on a technology-based solution homeowners can use to design their own home landscaping.

What Do Online Landscape Design Services Do?

Before comparing the four companies mentioned above, it is important to understand what these companies do. While each business has slightly different pricing strategies and complimentary services, at their core each company offers the same thing. In their most basic forms, the companies above use surveys, reference photos, and onboarding calls to understand customers’ existing spaces, budgets, wants, and needs for their spaces. These inputs are then used to develop a custom landscape design plan.

The design plans can be focused on front yards, backyards, or the entire property. Additionally, they can be as basic as a planting design or complex as a complete exterior redesign complete with plantings, hardscaping, lighting, and even suggestions for redesigning the home's exterior.

Upon receiving the initial design, customers can then provide feedback on the initial design. Depending on the company and the specific package, customers then provide feedback and request anywhere from 1 to unlimited revisions. Additionally, depending on the company and package, project deliverables may include: 3D renderings of the final design, detailed plans that can be passed on to a landscape contractor, introductions to vetted contractors, and even the option to purchase materials and plants referenced in the plan.

Comparison of the Best Online Landscape Design Services

To compare which web-based landscape design company is best suited for your project, there are a few categories you might want to consider. One such category is the company’s past operations. To help, we have compared the four companies across three categories: year founded, number of past projects, and company reviews from other popular review sites.

	Bacqyard	ShrubHub	Yardzen	Tilly
Year Founded	2019	2021	2018	2019
Projects Completed / Customers Helped	Thousands	Thousands	Tens of Thousands	Thousands
Reviews
Yelp	No Reviews	3.5 Stars	No Reviews	No Reviews
Houzz	4.2 Stars	1 Star	4.8 Stars	4.7 Stars

Another important point of comparison for each company is the price of each product and the deliverables that come along with them. Because each company has different pricing structures, we have decided to compare the companies across a series of 3 example projects. For more specific information about each company's design services, including prices, read our in-depth reviews of each company.

Example 1- Front yard landscape design project for a space smaller than ½ acre

	Bacqyard	ShrubHub	Yardzen	Tilly
Cost Range	$425 - $1,895	$197	$1,095 - $1,795	$429
# of Design Revisions	1 - Unlimited for 30 Days	0	1	1
Includes 3D Rendering	No (for the most basic package) Yes (For the mid & upper-tier package)	Yes	Yes	Optional (Buyers can choose to include 3D renderings for an extra $329)
Assistance Connecting With a Contractor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Notes	Highest tier also includes home exterior redesign suggestions and expedited service		Highest tier also includes home exterior redesign suggestions Buyers can choose expedited service for an additional $395	Including lighting is a $99 optional add-on

Example 2 - Back yard landscape design project for a yard that is ½ - 1 acre

	Bacqyard	ShrubHub	Yardzen	Tilly
Cost Range	$775 - $3,095	$227	$1,895 - $2,995	$779
# of Design Revisions	1 - Unlimited for 30 Days	0	1	1
Includes 3D Rendering	No (for the most basic package) Yes (For the mid & upper-tier package)	Yes	Yes	Optional (Buyers can choose to include 3D renderings for an extra $439)
Assistance Connecting With a Contractor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Notes	Highest tier also includes home exterior redesign suggestions and expedited service		Highest tier also includes home exterior redesign suggestions Buyers can choose expedited service for an additional $395	Including lighting is a $189 optional add-on

Example 3 - Entire yard landscape design project for a yard that is ½ - 1 acre

	Bacqyard	ShrubHub	Yardzen	Tilly
Cost Range	$1,175 - $3,495	$297	$2,195 - $3,795	$1,179
# of Design Revisions	1 - Unlimited for 30 Days	0	1	1
Includes 3D Rendering	No (for the most basic package) Yes (For the mid & upper-tier package)	Yes	Yes	Optional (Buyers can choose to include 3D renderings for an extra $549)
Assistance Connecting With a Contractor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Notes	Highest tier also includes home exterior redesign suggestions and expedited service		Highest tier also includes home exterior redesign suggestions Buyers can choose expedited service for an additional $395	Including lighting is a $214 optional add-on

In the end, choosing the best company for your project comes down to a number of factors. First, this includes looking at how happy past customers have been with their purchase. Second, is looking at the price and what is included in the package. For some, you may be happier with a cheaper package that does not include lighting designs or 3D renderings. However, if you have a complex project, are on a tight timeline, or would also like to redesign the exterior of your home, you may want to consider a higher-tier package.