Reflected ceiling plan software in 2026: the honest comparison
AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Rayon, EdrawMax, ArcSite and NYA compared for reflected ceiling plans, with prices verified July 2026 and honest fit notes.
All competitor prices on this page were taken from the vendor's own pricing page on July 30, 2026 and are linked at the bottom. Prices change — tell us if you spot one that has.
Search for reflected ceiling plan software and page one is almost entirely diagram tools — EdrawMax alone holds several of the top spots — each promising thousands of ceiling symbols and free templates. That is genuinely useful if what you need is a diagram. It is no help if what you need is a drawing: a sheet printed at a stated scale, with dimension strings a contractor can hold a scale rule against, that an electrician can price and a plan reviewer can approve. This comparison covers both kinds of tool and is blunt about which is which. Every price below was taken from the vendor's own pricing or store page on 2026-07-30; where a price was hidden or ambiguous, we say so instead of quoting someone else's number. Disclosure up front: NYA is our product, and this page also tells you when you should not buy it.
What a ceiling plan has to do before any tool matters
A reflected ceiling plan (RCP) shows the ceiling as if the floor were a mirror, which keeps it in the same orientation as the floor plan below it — a wall on the left of the floor plan is on the left of the RCP. It locates everything overhead: light fixtures, switching relationships, ceiling heights and material changes, diffusers and returns, sprinklers, anything suspended.
The bar that separates a drawing from a diagram is simple. A usable ceiling sheet is exported at a stated architectural scale (1/4" = 1'-0" is typical for residential work), dimensions each fixture off walls or gridlines, and carries a fixture legend. That is the sheet an electrician bids from, and it is what many building departments ask for when lighting circuits change. A tool that can only export an unscaled PNG or PDF produces concept diagrams — fine for a client conversation, not for construction.
The comparison
| Tool | Price (checked 2026-07-30) | Learning curve | Dimensioned, scaled sheets? | Made for interior designers? | Business tools included? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AutoCAD | $2,095/yr or $260/mo | Steep | Yes | No — general CAD | No |
| Revit | $3,005/yr or $380/mo | Steepest | Yes — generated from the model | No — architecture/BIM | No |
| AutoCAD LT | $540/yr or $70/mo | Steep | Yes | No | No |
| SketchUp Pro | $33.25/mo billed annually (~$399/yr) | Moderate | Yes — via LayOut | Partly — popular with designers | No |
| Rayon | Free tier; Pro $21/mo | Moderate | Yes | No — general architectural drafting | No |
| EdrawMax | $99/yr or $198 one-time | Easy | No — diagram export only | No | No |
| ConceptDraw DIAGRAM | $199 one-time | Easy | No | No | No |
| Visio Plan 2 | $15/user/mo paid yearly | Easy | No | No | No |
| ArcSite Draw Pro | $34.99/mo ($30/mo annual) | Easy–moderate | Partly — dimensioned drawings, not sheet sets | No — field trades | Estimating at higher tiers |
| NYA | $49/mo flat, whole platform included | Easy | Yes — dimensioned PDF sheet export | Yes | Yes |
AutoCAD and Revit: still the professional default
Let's start with the honest part: for full architectural construction documents, Autodesk wins and nothing else on this page is close. In Revit ($3,005/yr, or $380 month-to-month, per Autodesk's own buy page) the RCP is a live view generated from the building model — move a fixture once and every affected sheet, schedule and tag updates. AutoCAD ($2,095/yr or $260/mo) remains the lingua franca of 2D drafting; "how to draw a reflected ceiling plan in AutoCAD" is one of Google's top suggested searches for a reason, and every consultant on a commercial job can open a DWG.
The catch is who that pricing and learning curve are for. Both products are priced for firms billing architecture fees across many sheets, and both take months to get genuinely fluent in. If your practice produces one or two ceiling sheets per project — lighting layout, switching, a legend — you are buying a truck to deliver an envelope. AutoCAD LT at $540/yr is the cheaper drafting-only route and produces perfectly good sheets, but it is the same CAD learning curve at a smaller price.
SketchUp + LayOut: documentation as a side effect of modeling
SketchUp Pro ($33.25/mo billed annually on Trimble's pricing page) includes LayOut, which genuinely does produce scaled, dimensioned sheets from a model — so it clears the bar the diagram tools miss. The RCP workflow, though, is a workaround: you model the ceiling, set up a plan view or a section cut looking up, then annotate in LayOut. SketchUp's own forums are full of threads on getting the mirror convention right. If you already model in SketchUp for visualization, this is a reasonable path to a ceiling sheet at no extra cost. If you do not, learning a 3D modeler to produce a 2D drawing is the long way around. Note the cheaper Go tier ($10.75/mo, iPad and web only) does not include LayOut.
Rayon: real drafting in a browser
Rayon is the most credible newcomer here: browser-based 2D CAD aimed at architects and interior designers, with a free tier (limited PDF and DWG export) and a Pro plan at $21/mo for full export. It draws to scale, dimensions properly, and exports DWG — it is a real drafting tool, not a diagram tool, and its team publishes a solid RCP tutorial. What it is not is RCP-specific or business-aware: you bring the symbol conventions, the legend discipline and the switching logic yourself, and it does nothing else for your practice. If what you want is honest, inexpensive general-purpose drafting and you are happy to learn light CAD conventions, Rayon is the best value on this page.
EdrawMax, ConceptDraw and Visio: the diagram generalists that rank
These three dominate the search results for this query — not because designers produce ceiling sheets in them, but because they publish RCP template landing pages. To be fair about what they are: drag-and-drop diagram editors with ceiling-symbol libraries. EdrawMax ($99/yr, or $198 one-time, on its current pricing page) and ConceptDraw DIAGRAM ($199 one-time, with an RCP symbol solution installed separately) will let you place downlight and diffuser symbols on a floor plan quickly. Visio (Plan 2 at $15/user/mo) can do the same if your office already pays for it.
What none of them produce is a sheet at a controlled architectural scale with real dimension strings on a title block. Their own RCP marketing pages talk about symbols, templates and export formats, and never once mention scale, dimensioning or permit sets — we read them so you don't have to. Use them for a quick lighting concept over an imported plan when the deliverable is a conversation. Do not use them when the deliverable is a document someone will measure.
ArcSite: for the site visit, not the sheet
ArcSite is mobile CAD for field professionals — sketch and dimension a space on an iPad while standing in it. Draw Pro is $34.99/mo ($30/mo billed annually), with pricing published in full. Its dimensioned drawings are real, which puts it ahead of the diagram tools, but the product's center of gravity is contractor workflows: its higher tiers ($119.99–$159.99/mo) are takeoff and estimating for trades. It is a strong site-survey companion and the wrong primary tool for producing a ceiling sheet at your desk.
NYA: a permit-ready ceiling sheet without the CAD
NYA is our product, so hold this section to the same standard as the rest. The RCP editor is built for exactly one drawing type: the designer-scope ceiling sheet. You draw the room, place fixtures from an interior-lighting symbol set, key switching, and export a dimensioned PDF sheet at architectural scale with a fixture legend — the document an electrician can bid and a plan reviewer can read. Because it only does that drawing, there is no CAD learning curve to amortize.
The pricing model is the other difference: $49/mo flat for a solo designer, and the RCP editor is not the product — it sits inside the same platform as selections, client approvals and project delivery, at no extra cost ($129/mo covers a studio of up to five, $299 unlimited, always flat per firm). The honest limits: NYA will not produce a full CD set, sections, elevations or consultant coordination — it is one sheet done properly, not an architecture package. There is a 7-day trial with no card, which is the fastest way to find out if the sheet it exports satisfies your building department.
Choose someone else if…
- You produce full architectural CD sets: Revit. It is not close, and pretending otherwise would be silly.
- You are already fluent in AutoCAD and own a seat: keep it. Fluency is worth more than any feature on this page.
- You want one inexpensive general drafting tool for many drawing types: Rayon — free to try, $21/mo for full export.
- You need 3D visualization and documentation from one model: SketchUp Pro with LayOut.
- You need a rough lighting concept in the next hour, free: EdrawMax's free tier will get you a diagram.
- You measure and estimate on job sites as a trade: ArcSite.
Common questions
What is a reflected ceiling plan?
A drawing of the ceiling as if the floor were a mirror, which keeps the plan in the same orientation as the floor plan below it. It locates everything mounted overhead — light fixtures, diffusers, sprinklers, ceiling height and material changes — and is read alongside the floor plan by electricians, contractors and plan reviewers.
What is included in a reflected ceiling plan?
Light fixtures with switching relationships, ceiling heights and materials, HVAC diffusers and returns, sprinklers and anything else suspended, plus a fixture legend. On a permit set, the stated scale and the dimensions locating each fixture are what make the sheet usable rather than decorative.
Can I draw a reflected ceiling plan without AutoCAD?
Yes. SketchUp Pro (via LayOut), Rayon and NYA all export scaled, dimensioned sheets without a traditional CAD seat. Diagram tools like EdrawMax, ConceptDraw and Visio can sketch a ceiling concept but do not produce measurable, to-scale output, so they are not a substitute where a real drawing is required.
What is the difference between a reflected ceiling plan and a floor plan?
A floor plan looks down at the floor; an RCP shows the ceiling of the same room, drawn as if reflected in a mirror on the floor so both plans share one orientation. Walls and doors appear in both; fixtures, ceiling changes and overhead services appear only on the RCP.
Do I need a reflected ceiling plan for a permit?
It depends on your jurisdiction and scope. RCPs are commonly required in commercial tenant-improvement sets and are often requested for residential work that adds or relocates lighting circuits. Requirements vary enough that the only reliable answer comes from your local building department — no software choice substitutes for that call.