Comparison · AU · Updated October 2026

Electrical plan software in Australia: an honest comparison of 4 tools

Q: Which electrical plan software should I choose?

Work out which job you are doing first, because these tools are not really competitors. If you need cable sizing, voltage drop and protection studies, you need a calculation tool: ELEK Cable Pro Web or, for engineering networks, ETAP. If you need to decide and communicate where things go, you need a layout tool: Planelico or RoomSketcher. Most home projects end up using one of each — the layout for the quote, the calculator for the electrician.

Q: What is the best free electrical plan software in Australia?

Nothing serious is entirely free. Planelico gives you a free project with up to two floors and two layers, with no install and no card, which is enough to lay out a house and see the circuit split. ELEK Cable Pro Web has a free plan for occasional cable sizing. RoomSketcher has a free tier, but its electrical symbol set is not part of it.

Q: Do I need cable sizing software as a homeowner?

No. Cable sizing under AS/NZS 3008, voltage drop and earth fault loop impedance are the electrician’s responsibility, and the work has to be done and certified by a licensed electrician regardless. What is genuinely worth your time is the layout: where the power points, switches and lights go, and which circuit each belongs to.

Q: Why does Planelico work on a PDF rather than redrawing the plan?

Because the plan usually already exists — an architect’s drawing, a builder’s plan, a real-estate floor plan. Redrawing it costs half an hour to two hours, introduces dimension errors, and produces a document that is no longer the original. Annotating the PDF keeps fidelity to the drawing everyone else is working from.

Q: How long does it take to lay out a house?

For a typical three-bedroom house with around 120 electrical points, expect 30 to 60 minutes once the PDF is imported. Work room by room: place everything first, then generate the circuits and the switchboard.

Q: Can I use more than one of these together?

That is usually the sensible route. Agree the layout and the circuit split on the plan, hand the PDF to the electrician, and let their calculation tool size the cables. You are not paying twice for the same work — each tool does the part it is actually good at.

Four tools people reach for — Planelico, ELEK Cable Pro Web, the ETAP AS/NZS 3008/3000 module and RoomSketcher. The useful thing to understand first is that they split into two groups that barely overlap: tools that calculate an installation to AS/NZS 3008, and tools that lay it out and communicate it. Picking badly usually means buying the wrong group.

Transparency: we're the Planelico team. We tried to be honest about each tool's strengths — each wins on a specific use case. You judge.

Quick overview — 8 criteria, 4 tools

Criterion	Planelico	ELEK Cable Pro Web	ETAP AS/NZS 3008/3000	RoomSketcher
What it is really for	Layout on an existing PDF	Calculations	Engineering studies	Floor plans, electrical on top
Starting point	Your existing PDF	Circuit data you enter	Network model you build	Draw, trace or convert
Platform	Any browser	Browser	Desktop	Browser
Account required to try	No	Yes (free plan)	Yes	Yes
Electrical symbols on a plan	370+ IEC 60617	No (single-line diagrams)	No (single-line diagrams)	250+ (paid plan)
Cable sizing to AS/NZS 3008	No	Yes	Yes	No
Circuit grouping from the plan	Yes, generated (AS/NZS 3000)	No	No	No
Certificates of compliance	No	No	No	No
Pricing	Free · Premium A$39.90 lifetime · Pro from A$19.90/month (GST incl.)	Free plan · paid plans per seat from about A$99/year (vendor pricing in AUD incl. GST)	Commercial licence	Free tier, but the electrical library needs a paid plan

Table scrolls horizontally on mobile. Data taken from each vendor in October 2026.

The differentiator: you already have a PDF plan

The real question isn't “which tool is best?” but “where am I starting from?”. In most cases, you already have a plan: architect's drawing, builder's plan, real-estate listing, an older plan of the house. That plan is precise and scaled.

General floor-plan tools ask you to redraw that plan wall by wall, or to run it through a conversion that reinterprets it. Calculation tools do not draw it at all. Either way, the layout everyone needs to agree on is not on the drawing everyone else is working from.

Planelico takes the opposite bet: keep your PDF as-is, annotate on top, and generate the AS/NZS 3000 circuit split from what you placed. The exported result is your original plan + your annotations + the switchboard proposal.

💡 Concretely: first symbol placed in under 60 seconds after the PDF is uploaded — because there are no walls to draw first.

Planelico

Annotate your PDF with IEC 60617 symbols, generate the switchboard

Install

None (browser)

Account required

No (the editor opens without an account)

Pricing

Free · Premium A$39.90 lifetime · Pro from A$19.90/month (GST incl.)

Time to first result

< 60 s

✓ Strengths

You start from the PDF you already have, not a blank canvas
370+ IEC 60617 symbols, the set local drawing conventions are based on
Proposes AS/NZS 3000 circuits and a switchboard: RCDs with three circuits each at most, lighting shared
No install, no card, no account required to try

− Limits

Not a calculation tool: no cable sizing to AS/NZS 3008, voltage drop or protection coordination study
Does not produce certificates of compliance
No 3D modelling

Best for: You have a floor plan as a PDF and want to settle the electrical layout — and the circuit split — before asking electricians to price it.

ELEK Cable Pro Web

Cloud calculations to AS/NZS 3008 and AS/NZS 3000

Install

Browser

Account required

Yes (free plan, no card)

Pricing

Free plan · paid plans per seat from about A$99/year (vendor pricing in AUD incl. GST)

Time to first result

Minutes (it is a calculator, not a plan tool)

✓ Strengths

Cable sizing to AS/NZS 3008, maximum demand, voltage drop and fault loop impedance
Protection coordination and arc flash on the higher plans
A free plan that does not expire, for occasional calculations
Single-line network diagrams with CAD export

− Limits

No floor plan: you do not place power points or lights on a drawing
Aimed at electricians and engineers, not homeowners
Calculations need inputs a homeowner rarely has: lengths, installation methods, loads

Best for: You are the electrician sizing cables and checking voltage drop for the circuits already agreed on the plan.

ETAP AS/NZS 3008/3000

Engineering-grade module inside a power systems suite

Install

Desktop application

Account required

Yes (commercial licence)

Pricing

Commercial licence

Time to first result

Hours (it is an engineering suite)

✓ Strengths

Cable sizing with Australian or New Zealand installation conditions
Integrated with load flow, short circuit and protection coordination
Built for large networks and complex projects

− Limits

Heavyweight and expensive for a house or a renovation
Not a tool a homeowner would ever open
No residential floor-plan layout

Best for: You are an electrical engineer on commercial or industrial networks where a full power systems study is required.

RoomSketcher

Floor plans first, electrical symbols second

Install

Browser

Account required

Yes

Pricing

Free tier, but the electrical library needs a paid plan

Time to first result

15–30 min

✓ Strengths

250+ electrical symbols once you are on a paid plan
Can trace or convert an existing plan rather than only drawing from scratch
Good general floor-plan output, including 3D

− Limits

The electrical symbols are behind a paid plan — the free tier does not include them
Conversion redraws your plan rather than annotating the original PDF
No circuits, switchboard or Wiring Rules logic

Best for: You need a presentable floor plan in the first place, and the electrical layer is a secondary output.

Which tool for your situation?

I already have a PDF plan

Architect’s plan, builder’s plan, real-estate listing: you want to prepare the electrical layer fast and clean.

→ Planelico

I need cable sizing

You are the electrician: cable sizes to AS/NZS 3008, voltage drop, fault loop impedance, maximum demand.

→ ELEK Cable Pro Web

I study a whole network

Commercial or industrial work where load flow, short circuit and protection coordination have to be modelled together.

→ ETAP

I need the floor plan itself first

There is no usable drawing yet, and you need a presentable plan before worrying about the electrics.

→ RoomSketcher

FAQ — choosing electrical plan software

Which electrical plan software should I choose?

Work out which job you are doing first, because these tools are not really competitors. If you need cable sizing, voltage drop and protection studies, you need a calculation tool: ELEK Cable Pro Web or, for engineering networks, ETAP. If you need to decide and communicate where things go, you need a layout tool: Planelico or RoomSketcher. Most home projects end up using one of each — the layout for the quote, the calculator for the electrician.

What is the best free electrical plan software in Australia?

Nothing serious is entirely free. Planelico gives you a free project with up to two floors and two layers, with no install and no card, which is enough to lay out a house and see the circuit split. ELEK Cable Pro Web has a free plan for occasional cable sizing. RoomSketcher has a free tier, but its electrical symbol set is not part of it.

Do I need cable sizing software as a homeowner?

No. Cable sizing under AS/NZS 3008, voltage drop and earth fault loop impedance are the electrician’s responsibility, and the work has to be done and certified by a licensed electrician regardless. What is genuinely worth your time is the layout: where the power points, switches and lights go, and which circuit each belongs to.

Why does Planelico work on a PDF rather than redrawing the plan?

Because the plan usually already exists — an architect’s drawing, a builder’s plan, a real-estate floor plan. Redrawing it costs half an hour to two hours, introduces dimension errors, and produces a document that is no longer the original. Annotating the PDF keeps fidelity to the drawing everyone else is working from.

How long does it take to lay out a house?

For a typical three-bedroom house with around 120 electrical points, expect 30 to 60 minutes once the PDF is imported. Work room by room: place everything first, then generate the circuits and the switchboard.

Can I use more than one of these together?

That is usually the sensible route. Agree the layout and the circuit split on the plan, hand the PDF to the electrician, and let their calculation tool size the cables. You are not paying twice for the same work — each tool does the part it is actually good at.

Sources

Feature and pricing details were taken from each vendor at the time of writing. Pricing changes — check the vendor before you buy.

Related guides

How to create a house electrical plan

Step-by-step guide from PDF import to export.

AS/NZS 3000 electrical plan

Final subcircuits, RCD protection, certification.

Switchboard layout

RCDs, RCBOs and the circuit schedule.

Create your electrical plan now

Planelico lets you create a professional electrical plan in minutes. Free, no installation.

Start for free →Try without an account