Layometry vs Herron, TilePlan & ScalarCut for cut lists

Cut geometry at a glance

Seven rows decide most installs: real dimensions with grout, the cut sizes you walk away with, returns around niches and openings, out-of-square walls, the export, junctions between surfaces, and what a free account gets you. Every cell below is what a tool’s own public pages claim, and “not stated” means the page is silent—not that the feature is missing.

Who each tool is for

Herron positions itself as a free browser tile and flooring layout planner with a live cut list, thin-piece flags, pack counts, and PDF / DXF export—oriented around drawing a room polygon and taking a plan to the floor. No signup is required for planning features on the public site.

TilePlan appears in two public product surfaces: tileplan.app (Apple apps + free browser web app with layouts, material counts, PDF / CSV export) and tileplan.cc (TilePlan Pro marketing: scaled layouts, deduplicated cut lists, patterns, branded PDFs, share links, and multi-wall room mode). Treat them as related “TilePlan” family claims, not one identical product.

ScalarCut markets a millimetre 2D/3D CAD-style tile layout planner with openings, patterns, cut list, Sliver Guard, and a BOM (tiles plus grout / adhesive from geometry), on web and mobile.

Layometry markets a free browser 3D wall-and-floor planner: real dimensions and grout, niches / openings / columns, connected surfaces and junctions, uneven walls, and a grouped cut list with CSV / JSON (and PDF). Guest use needs no signup; Free uses the same geometry engine as paid plans. View-only client 3D share is listed on Professional+.

• Herron: free floor-focused cut list + thin-cut flags in the browser.
• TilePlan / TilePlan Pro: strong free planner SERP; patterns, cut lists, PDFs; Pro adds branded client deliverables (verify current beta pricing on site).
• ScalarCut: CAD-like millimetre layout + Sliver Guard + BOM; often compared when the brief is bathroom 3D + cut list.
• Layometry: multi-wall 3D junctions and cut geometry in the browser, with Free geometry parity.

Feature comparison (public claims only)

Cells below summarize only what each public marketing / pricing page states. Where a page is silent, the cell says “not stated” or “verify on site.” Do not treat this table as a lab benchmark.

Cut-list depth: what you actually walk away with

Area ÷ tile + 10% is a budget guess. A cut list is a schedule of piece sizes.

Herron emphasizes numbered cut pieces with finished sizes, thin pieces flagged (against tile shape rather than one fixed width), offcut reuse in the example workflow, pack count from the computed layout, and exports as PDF (and DXF). The planner itself is described as free forever; an assistant is described as the metered part when it arrives.

TilePlan (app / web) advertises exact tile counts, configurable waste factor, and export to PDF or CSV cut lists. TilePlan Pro advertises a deduplicated cut list with exact dimensions for every partial tile, box count with pattern waste percentage, optional cost calculator, and Pro-tier branded PDF with diagram, stats, and cut list.

ScalarCut advertises a millimetre blueprint / cut list grouped for batch cutting (sizes, rows, blade angles called out on marketing), plus a BOM that includes whole tiles, cuts, adhesive / primer on tiled area, and grout from joints. Sliver Guard is described as shifting the start so edge cuts stay at or above 50 mm, or marking remaining thin strips FRAGILE on the list.

Layometry advertises an actionable cut list grouped across every project surface, with cut list on screen plus CSV and JSON export on Free; PDF report is available (with a Layometry mark on Free; clean / logo PDF on Professional+). The wedge is the same as How to calculate tile cuts: install from geometry, not from area ÷ tile + 10%.

• Ask: grouped unique sizes vs numbered laying order vs BOM with adhesive/grout.
• Ask: are thin edges flagged, and by what rule (⅓ of tile, ≥50 mm, visual inspect only).
• Ask: can you export CSV / PDF / share link for the person cutting or buying boxes.

3D and multi-surface geometry (bathrooms, junctions, skew)

Herron’s public home page is strongly floor-and-room-polygon oriented (draw room, alcoves, obstacles, doorways, DXF import, many floor patterns). It does not market immersive multi-wall bathroom 3D the way a full wall-junction planner does—so for stacked wall elevations meeting at corners, verify current product scope on site rather than assuming parity.

TilePlan Pro marketing explicitly mentions multi-wall room mode for bathroom geometry with multiple walls, niches, and window cutouts, plus floor & wall layouts and a 3D isometric room preview on the Pro feature list. tileplan.app messaging is more floor-layout / material-count focused in the free web and Apple apps.

ScalarCut markets 2D for the cuts and 3D to show the room, openings dragged on the canvas, walls and floors with grout, and 17 patterns—positioning that often lands in “bathroom 3D + cut list” comparisons.

Layometry’s public planner page claims connected surfaces (join walls inline or at 90°, add a floor, inspect junctions), uneven walls via four measurements with wedge-shaped edge cuts, and niches, openings, and columns with tiled faces—plus browser 3D review of corners and cut pieces. That is the core differentiator to lead with: cut geometry across surfaces, not a catalog showroom render.

Free vs paid: what stays open without a card

Herron: public FAQ states every planning feature is free with no account and no card; planning will not be paywalled; monetization called out via supplier commission links and a future metered assistant.

TilePlan (tileplan.app): marketed as free for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, or free in the browser with no sign-up required on the web app messaging. TilePlan Pro (tileplan.cc): “Free during beta,” planned Pro price shown as UGX 20,000 / month or $7 USD / month, with “Paid plans launching soon — Pro features are free for everyone right now.” Verify live pricing before publishing any price claim.

ScalarCut: public homepage reviewed for this brief did not state a clear consumer price table. Do not invent a free tier or subscription amount—mark “verify on site / app store listing.”

Layometry: Free plan has no time limit and no card; guest planner needs no signup; the whole geometry engine is free (same engine as paid). See Plans & Pricing for Free vs Professional vs Organisation. You pay for documents / volume / client link / assistant / team. Professional lists view-only 3D client share (revocable); Organisation adds seats and shared brand. During beta, self-serve checkout on the price page may be paused — when it is off, paid access is arranged by hand; when it is on, you can upgrade from the site. Always check the live price page.

• Free cut list ≠ free branded client PDF.
• Guest / no-signup matters for showroom kiosks and quick DIY checks.
• Always re-check beta pricing the week you publish.

When to pick Layometry

Pick Layometry when the job is cut geometry across walls and floor: niches, openings, columns, junctions between surfaces, and out-of-square walls that produce wedge edge cuts—then you want one grouped cut list for the project, not only a floor pack count.

Pick Layometry when Free must include the same layout engine you will later use for a clean PDF or a view-only client 3D link on Professional+, without changing how cuts are computed.

Consider Herron first when the primary surface is a floor polygon, you want thin-cut flags and a numbered floor cut sheet fast, and a permanently free planner with many plank / parquet patterns is the priority.

Consider TilePlan / TilePlan Pro when you need a free browser or Apple-app layout with strong SERP presence, pattern comparison, PDF / CSV handoff, or (on Pro messaging) branded quotes and multi-wall bathroom mode.

Consider ScalarCut when you want CAD-like millimetre takeoff with Sliver Guard and a materials BOM that includes adhesive and grout—and you are fine verifying platform / pricing on their site or app stores.

Optional: Tilelook and Plan My Tiles (short)

Tilelook (Planner Pro and related design tools) is commonly used for catalog-backed visual layouts and showroom-style presentation, with PDF export that includes dimensions and a bill of materials from the catalog workflow. It is a different wedge than “cut geometry first.” Verify current Planner Pro pricing and feature scope on Tilelook’s site before any detailed claim.

Plan My Tiles is a free online layout calculator / visualizer with area and tile configuration, grout gaps, pattern offsets, grid nudge, and PDF export. Useful for quick single-surface experiments; not positioned here as a full multi-wall 3D install planner.

Try the geometry on your room

Open the free online 3D tile layout planner, enter real wall or floor sizes with grout, add a niche or opening if you have one, and generate the cut list before you buy boxes. If an edge looks too thin, move the start line or pattern—then export the list you will actually cut from.

Conclusion

Herron, TilePlan, ScalarCut, and Layometry all beat “area ÷ tile + 10%” when they compute real pieces. They diverge on whether the product is floor-first, pattern/PDF-first, CAD/BOM-first, or multi-wall junction + cut-list-first.

If your risk is thin edges at corners, niches, and out-of-square walls—not only pack count—start with Layometry’s browser planner and lock the layout before the first cut.

Sources and technical documents

• Layometry — Free Online 3D Tile Layout Planner
• Layometry — Plans & Pricing
• Layometry — How to calculate tile cuts
• Herron — Free Tile Layout Planner & Cut List
• TilePlan — Flooring Calculator
• TilePlan — Support (export formats)
• TilePlan Pro
• ScalarCut
• Tilelook Planner Pro (optional mention)
• Plan My Tiles (optional mention)