There are two ways to turn a real room into a floor plan on an iPhone: scan it with LiDAR, or draw it by hand. Both produce a fully editable, professional plan - the right choice depends on your device, the site, and how much of the building already exists. This guide compares the two honestly so you can pick the faster route for each job.
The two capture methods
LiDAR scanning uses the depth sensor on iPhone Pro and iPad Pro models. You point the camera, walk the perimeter, and RoomPlot detects walls, doors, windows, and openings automatically in seconds. Manual drawing needs no special hardware: you start from a room-shape template - Square, Rectangle, or one of four L-shape orientations - and edit it into the real layout. It's the camera-free route, and it works on any iPhone.
When to scan
- The building exists and you're standing in it. Scanning is the fastest way to capture a real room - seconds per space instead of measuring every wall.
- Awkward geometry. Bay windows, alcoves, and odd angles are quicker to scan than to plot by hand.
- You have a Pro device. LiDAR is only on iPhone Pro and iPad Pro; the scanner is hidden on models without it.
When to draw by hand
- No LiDAR. On a standard iPhone, drawing is your route - and snapping keeps it square.
- Working from existing measurements. If you already have a tape survey or a builder's dimensions, typing exact lengths is faster than scanning.
- The space isn't built yet. Proposed layouts and "what if we move this wall" plans have nothing to scan - draw them.
Tip. The fastest professional workflow is often both: LiDAR-scan the shell to capture it in seconds, then switch to manual editing to tidy a wall or set one exact dimension. A scan becomes a fully editable plan, so you're never locked into what the sensor saw.
What they share
Whichever way you start, you end up with the same thing: an editable plan. You can move and resize walls, add doors and windows, name rooms, calculate areas, drop in furniture and trade symbols, and export to PDF, DXF, or an image. Snapping, a 20 pt grid, and full undo/redo work in both modes. One honest limit worth knowing: true camera-only AR capture needs LiDAR - on a non-Pro device you draw rather than scan, but the finished plan is just as professional.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an iPhone Pro to make a floor plan?
No. LiDAR scanning needs a Pro device, but you can draw an accurate, fully editable plan by hand on any iPhone using shape templates, snapping, and exact dimensions.
Is a scanned plan less editable than a drawn one?
No. A scan turns straight into an editable plan - you can move walls, add openings, and set exact dimensions exactly as you would with a hand-drawn one.
Can I combine scanning and drawing?
Yes, and it's often the quickest route: scan the shell, then refine it by hand.
New to the whole process? Read the step-by-step guide or browse more floor-plan guides.
