The essentials in 30 seconds
- Solo designer or studio of 1 to 3 people wanting one tool for everything (estimates, tendering, CRM, client portal, mood boards): Nodal, the only one in the table built for that profile.
- Structured architecture / maîtrise d'œuvre practice, standardised written documents and practice management: Kalm (€89 excl. VAT/user/month, verified August 2026).
- Producing AI-assisted CCTP and DPGF documents: Aglo. Site handover, snagging and site reports: Archipad.
- Marketing and lead acquisition first, in a US-born all-in-one suite: Houzz Pro.
- Excel and Notion remain viable at the very start, but with zero trade features: the cost is not paid in euros, it is paid in hours.
Why does "interior design software" return 3D tools (and why that is not the subject)
Because the market files two completely different families under "interior design software": design tools (SketchUp, HomeByMe, Archicad…), which produce plans and 3D views, and business management tools, which handle the works estimate, tendering to contractors, prospects, the site and the client relationship. The former dominate search results; this comparison covers the latter exclusively, and focuses on tools available on the French market, where we and our users work.
The confusion is not harmless. A 3D tool is essential for designing, but it does nothing for you the rest of the week: when a project has to become a credible works budget, when three contractors need to be consulted on a comparable template, when a prospect who wrote ten days ago needs chasing, or when the client asks "where is my project at?". Those are exactly the tasks where non-billable hours pile up.
The two families are complementary: you will keep your design tool no matter what. The question this article takes seriously, and almost nobody does for this trade, is: which tool should run an interior designer's business in France in 2026?
Which criteria should an interior designer use to choose management software?
Rather than lining up feature lists, we picked the six use cases that structure a real interior designer's week. They are what the table below compares the tools on.
- Works estimate, fee proposal and DPGF. Producing a reliable works budget (ideally backed by a construction price database), a separate fee proposal, and a DPGF (itemised price schedule) usable for tendering. The capabilities to demand are detailed in our guide to quoting software for interior designers.
- Tendering to contractors and comparing bids. Sending an identical template to at least two contractors per trade package, then comparing the bids item by item instead of juggling three PDFs.
- CRM and prospect tracking. Capturing inbound enquiries, following up at the right moment, knowing where the projects that convert come from. The five functions to expect are in our article on the CRM for interior designers.
- Site tracking. Planning by trade package, reports sent within 24 hours, extra works approved as you go: the full method is in our site tracking guide.
- Mood boards and client presentation. Selling an intention before selling a budget: boards, atmospheres, presentations linked to the project. See our article on the interior designer's mood board.
- A client portal, ideally under your brand. A single place where the client follows progress and approves documents online, rather than forty emails; white-labelled, it carries your logo and colours, not your software vendor's.
No tool ticks all six boxes at the same level, and that is normal: several of these products are excellent specialists in a single use case. The whole point is knowing which of these use cases dominates your week.
The 2026 comparison table
Transparency: this comparison is published by Nodal, which appears in the last column. Read it knowing that. Method: we only kept criteria that can be verified on each vendor's public pages, consulted in August 2026, and each tool is credited with its strong use case. A "✗" means "not put forward by the vendor on its public pages", not "impossible".
| Use case | Excel / Notion | Kalm | Aglo | Archipad | Houzz Pro | Nodal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works estimate, fee proposal & DPGF | Partial (all by hand, no price database) | ✓ CCTP and DPGF in one click; no invoicing | ✓ AI-assisted CCTP/DPGF, EstimAI estimating | ✗ | ✓ priced proposals and invoicing | ✓ estimate on a price library, separate fee proposal, VAT broken down |
| Tendering to contractors & comparing bids | Partial (emails + hand-built comparison sheet) | ✓ contractor quotes centralised | ✓ online tendering, comparative bid analysis | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ online tendering, item-by-item comparison |
| CRM / prospect tracking | Partial (contact list, chasing by hand) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ CRM + targeted advertising | ✓ built-in trade CRM |
| Site tracking | ✗ | ✓ site reports, Gantt planning | ✗ | ✓ the specialist: handover inspections, snagging, reports | Partial (generalist project tracking) | Partial (planning, milestones and approvals, no dedicated snagging module) |
| Mood boards / client presentation | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ mood boards, 3D floor plans | ✓ Nodal Studio, linked to the project |
| Client portal (white-label) | ✗ | Partial (shared online space "in your image") | ✗ | ✗ | Partial (client portal, white-label not put forward) | ✓ the designer's logo and colours, up to full white-label |
| Public price positioning (verified August 2026) | Free or already included in your subscriptions | €89 excl. VAT/user/month, −20% billed annually | Not displayed; demo + free trial | From €49.99/month/seat (annual) to €59.99/month with no commitment | Not displayed in France; free trial | Monthly subscription, no commitment, see pricing |
What is each tool honestly worth?
Kalm: practice management for architects and maîtrise d'œuvre
Kalm presents itself as "the project management tool for architecture practices", and that is exactly what it is. Written documents with CCTP and DPGF exported in one click, contractor quotes centralised, site reports, Gantt planning, financial tracking: for a maîtrise d'œuvre practice, it is one of the most complete scopes on the French market. On the other side, for a solo interior designer: no CRM or prospecting, no mood boards, no invoicing (the vendor owns that choice), and per-user pricing designed for teams, at €89 excl. VAT per user per month in August 2026.
Aglo, the specialist in AI-assisted written documents
Aglo promises to get "from CCTP to tendering" eight times faster, with AI-assisted CCTP and DPGF drafting, a CSTB library of 40,000 articles, online tendering with automatic follow-ups and comparative bid analysis. If your activity leans towards documented maîtrise d'œuvre (construction economists, engineering firms, demanding contracts), it is the sharp tool of its category. It does not claim to run the rest: no CRM, no site tracking, no client portal in the client-relationship sense. Price not publicly displayed (demo and free trial) as of August 2026.
Archipad, the specialist for site, snagging and handover
On site, Archipad is a reference: handover inspections, observation management, snag-list resolution, site visit reports, plan annotations, located photos. If your projects involve heavy works and high-stakes handovers, it is an excellent site-phase companion, including alongside another management tool. It deliberately does not cover the upstream: no works estimates, no tendering, no prospects. Public prices in August 2026: from €49.99/month per seat billed annually to €59.99/month with no commitment.
Houzz Pro, the marketing-led all-in-one suite
Houzz Pro is the broadest suite in the table: CRM and targeted advertising, priced proposals and invoicing, 3D floor plans, mood boards, client portal, website builder, backed by the audience of the Houzz platform. For a professional whose first priority is acquisition and visibility, it is a genuine lever. Its limits for a French studio: a trade depth designed for the North American market (tendering by trade package with a DPGF, or maîtrise d'œuvre vocabulary, are not its home ground) and no price publicly displayed in France, with a free trial, as of August 2026.
Excel / Notion: free, flexible, and expensive in hours
Excel and Notion have one immense merit: they are already there, and they bend to anything. A works estimate, a prospect list, a site schedule — everything is possible, provided you build and re-type everything yourself. No price database, no automatic bid comparison, no space where the client approves a document online: every additional project adds hours of handling. We devoted an entire comparison to this question: Excel, Notion or a trade CRM?
Nodal, the management tool built for the solo interior designer or small studio
Nodal is us, so judge on the evidence. The tool covers the full chain for a solo designer up to a 3-person studio: works estimates backed by a price library of over 400 works items across 14 trades, a separate fee proposal, tendering to contractors with item-by-item bid comparison, a CRM, a client portal under your brand where the client follows the project and approves documents online, and Nodal Studio for mood boards. Nodal is a young product: it has neither Houzz's history nor Kalm's maîtrise d'œuvre depth, but it is the only tool in this table built specifically for this trade, and everything above can be verified in a 30-minute demo.
Which software for which profile?
- You are starting out, solo. Excel holds two or three projects, no more. As soon as projects overlap, a single tool covering estimates, tendering, CRM and client portal avoids stacking four subscriptions and as many re-typings. That is Nodal's positioning.
- Established studio of 2-3 people, steady flow of prospects. The CRM and the white-label client portal become differentiators: Nodal is cut for this case; Houzz Pro deserves a look if marketing acquisition is your first bottleneck.
- Heavily site-focused profile. Heavy renovations, high-stakes handovers, frequent inspections: Archipad, on its own or alongside your management tool.
- Multidisciplinary maîtrise d'œuvre practice. Standardised written documents, teams, structured contracts: Kalm for practice management, Aglo as the CCTP/DPGF factory.
Comparison verified on August 24, 2026 on each vendor's public pages. Features and prices change: refer to the vendors' websites for up-to-date information.