If you're an architect, engineer, contractor, surveyor, or anyone else involved in the design and construction of buildings, you'll know all too well that a huge slice of your day is spent out of the office.
In the past, this meant a long list of tasks waiting for you when you got back to your desk, like printing and annotating floor plans, organizing photos, sharing reports and tasks, tracking expenses, and measuring time.
Today, however, there are plenty of construction, engineering, and architecture apps that support almost every part of your workflow, wherever you are.
Updated for 2026, here's our list of apps to consider in your out-of-office toolbox.
Top Apps Summary
Apps for Sketching
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Apps for Site Inspections
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Apps for CAD Drawings and 3D Models
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Apps for Floor Plans
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Productivity and Collaboration Apps
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Toolbox Apps
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Apps for Sketching
When you need to start putting pencil to (digital) paper, these apps can be a huge help in bringing your sketches to life and helping you share them with clients.
Procreate
For: Generating great artwork fast with a robust layering system.
Works on: iOS – iPad Pro with Apple Pencil
Price: $12.99 (one-time fee)
Procreate is well-established as a go-to sketching app for amateurs and professional artists alike. The app contains hundreds of homemade brushes for accurate drawing, and its layer system provides precise controls for evolving simple ideas into impressive, detailed sketches and illustrations.
The app has millions of users and great reviews, and there are plenty of online tutorials to help you make the most of its capabilities. While not strictly designed for architectural purposes, Procreate is one of the most popular apps architects use for sketching and design.
Morpholio Trace – Sketch CAD
For: Easily developing ideas in layers and marking up drawings.
Works on: iOS
Price: Free, with subscriptions from $7.99 to $19.99/year.
Morpholio Trace is an all-in-one design and architecture app that combines sketching capabilities with CAD. Created by architects for architects, the app allows you to instantly draw to scale on top of PDF drawing sets, maps, 3D models, images, or background grids – like a high-tech version of tracing paper.
But that's not all. Unlike other sketching apps, Trace comes with scale tools, so you can use any two points to set a scale in imperial or metric units. This app pushes the boundaries of AR technology, offering a truly cutting-edge sketching experience. It's had a great deal of praise over the years from the likes of Wired, AD, and Architect, and is cited by Apple as a top sketching and drawing app.
ConceptsDesigned to help you think, plan, and create, Concepts is a vector-based sketchbook for taking ideas from concept to reality. Combining a simple interface that's perfect for beginners with more advanced features for professional users, it's an app used by architects around the world to design homes, communities, and urban landscapes.
One feature that helps Concepts stand out from other applications is its digital sketching paper, which provides an almost natural paper-like feel. The app has previously won awards from Apple, Google and Samsung for its drawing experience and customisable UI.
Apps for Site Inspections
When you're on-site, the last thing you want is cumbersome tools or manual processes slowing you down. These apps make site inspections simpler, faster, and much easier.
ArchiSnapperArchiSnapper is the #1 field report app in the industry, helping over 10,000 architects, engineers, and contractors conduct paperless inspections and save up to 70% of the time it takes to generate reports.
The app allows you to document items with text, photos, assignees, and floor plan annotations while on-site. Once back at the office, your field report or snag list is available for further editing and sharing. With ArchiSnapper, you can sketch and annotate photos to better communicate ideas, generate professional PDF reports in seconds, communicate through voice-to-text messaging, access and complete snag lists and much more. The app integrates with other software and offers flexible customization, options for reports and forms.
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My MeasuresIf you want a simple, intuitive way to add measurements or other annotations to photos, My Measures has you covered. Add arrows, angles, photos of details, and text comments to any image to make it easier for clients and colleagues to understand key details.
While the free version offers a range of useful features, the paid pro version of the app also allows you to share annotated images as a PDF and export them to other applications. You also get advanced tools, such as in-app calculations and snap-and-zoom features.
Drone DeployDrones are increasingly used in on-site work, and DroneDeploy allows users to pilot drones and stitch together photos to create full-color digital site models—making the power of aerial data accessible to everyone.
In addition to helping with the flying, the app helps you organize photos across the entire project lifecycle, keep a clear record of structural elements, and validate the quality of work. You can also share annotated reports or 360-degree walkthroughs with teams and inspect hard-to-reach areas, like roofs, without putting your people at risk.
Apps for CAD Drawings and 3D Models
And when you need to take those sketches forward? Reach for these tools to deliver the very best CAD drawings and 3D models to your team and clients – fast.
Shapr 3DShapr 3D bridges the gap between sketching and 3D modeling, allowing users to create initial concept designs and quickly and easily turn sketches into 3D models. Pitched as "the only truly mobile-first CAD app", Shapr 3D's award-winning adaptive UI makes it easy to create the designs you imagined and effortlessly export them. The app promises to make visual communication second nature for the whole team, combining industrial-grade CAD capabilities with a user-friendly experience.
AutoCADProviding essential drafting and design capabilities for your everyday needs, AutoCAD's mobile app lets you use familiar drafting tools online and on mobile devices with a simplified interface for work on the go. You can access and update DWG™ files from anywhere, quickly collaborate on designs directly from job sites, and even work offline and sync your files later. While the computer software version contains more features, our architect community still rates this as their #1 app.
BIMxThe award-winning BIMx is one of the most popular presentation and coordination apps on the market. It allows users to bridge the gap between the design studio, the client's office, and the construction site. The app includes the 'BIM Hyper-model' – a game-like navigation environment that helps even non-professionals easily explore building models and understand project deliverables. It also features real-time model cut-throughs, in-context measuring, and project markups to make BIMx a great BIM companion.
Apps for Floor Plans
When it's time to draw up floor plans, you need to make sure efficiency doesn't come at the expense of accuracy. These apps can offer the best of both worlds.
ARKi
For: Exploring 3D projects in augmented reality
Works on: iOS
Price: Free with subscription options from $12
ARki is a room-planning app that allows architects to create stunning 2D/3D layouts and plans, and even visualize and experience 3D projects in augmented reality. You can use this award-winning app for interactive presentations by importing multiple models and creating dynamic layers and toggles to dive into the different aspects of your design. Or use the "full scale" option to wander around your 3D models on-site in real time.
CamToPlanCamToPlan makes scanning, drawing and measuring easy. The app uses augmented reality to create floorplans in real-time, allowing you to scan your surroundings with your device's camera and add measuring points. Once you're done you can export your work as a PDF, PNG, or DXF file in a single click. The CamToPlan 3D scanner – available as a separate application – provides the ability to scan environments in 3D. It only takes a few seconds to digitalise an entire room.
RoomScan Pro LiDAR floor plans
For: Floorplans, scanning, and measuring
Works on: iOS (iPhone Pro and iPad)
Price: Free with subscription options at $9.99 a month
As the name suggests, RoomScan Pro LiDAR uses LiDAR technology to create floorplans. Its user experience is designed specifically for iPhone Pro and iPad Pro. The app's developer has a decade of experience using iPhone & iPad sensors to create floorplans, and uses Apple's LiDAR capabilities to create a simple, effective solution. The app also supports Apple RoomPlan to provide a quick way to measure up, even in the dark.
Polycam - LiDAR 3D Scanner
For: 3D scanning
Works on: iOS
Price: Free download with subscription options ranging from $26.99 to $239.99 a year.
Polycam is another LiDAR-based app that allows you to quickly create color scans of 3D spaces in a matter of seconds. You can export scans in a range of formats and import them into CAD programs, and even capture objects in great detail and create a library of 3D assets using "photo mode".
Productivity and Collaboration Apps
There are also a host of general productivity and collaboration apps at your disposal: the all-purpose tools you always want around to keep your projects – and your team – moving forward.
ConnecteamDesigned to simplify everyday work with remote teams, Connecteam is billed as the world's #1 employee app. It provides full control of everything from scheduling to payroll, custom forms, and mobile checklists for sharing live reports from the field, as well as multiple communication features to keep employees connected wherever they are. It's a one-stop shop for mobile employees and even includes features to support training and onboarding.
EvernoteEvernote brings notes, schedules, and to-do lists together in a single app that you can take with you anywhere. If inspiration strikes on site, Evernote makes sure you can capture it quickly and easily. And with the ability to sync notes across web, desktop and mobile, you can keep everything organised on every device. Plus, its customizable home dashboard makes it easy to quickly see everything at a glance.
Other Mobile Productivity Apps
For the more specific parts of your workflow, these apps can help streamline processes and keep things organized.
Access all Your Documents and Files Wherever You are
Cloud storage apps help you access and share documents and files on any device – from any location:
- One Drive
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
Manage Your to-do Lists and Collaborate with Others
Any on-site worker knows the challenge of juggling multiple deadlines and priorities at the same time. These apps can help you find order in the chaos of client requests and stay on track:
- Microsoft ToDo
- Google Tasks
- Basecamp
Plan your travel and avoid traffic
When your working life involves moving between different job sites, client offices, and your own workspace, having an app to help you navigate and avoid traffic can be a big help:
- Waze
- Google Maps
Other Toolbox Apps
There are plenty of other apps that can support your on-site work.
Compass
Every iPhone comes pre-loaded with the Compass app. But just because it's free, doesn't mean you should discount it. It's a huge help for orientation. For Android users, you can get Compass from the Google Play store.
Measure
Developed by Apple, this augmented reality app comes as standard for iPhone and iPad. It helps you gauge the size of objects and get the dimensions of rectangular objects instantly.
Level
There are plenty of apps out there to help you measure the level of objects or surfaces. iOS users have a feature for this in the Measure app (see above), while Android users should look to Bubble level.
Planimeter
A GPS-powered tool available for iOS and Android, Planimeter uses satellite mapping to quickly measure perimeters, distances, and angles. Supporting imperial and metric units, it's as easy to use as dropping pins on a map.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Need an easy way to fill and sign documents? Adobe has you covered with this app on iOS.
Scan paper documents
What about when you need to sign physical documents? Your phone's camera can help. iOS users can scan and sign documents with the Notes app, while Android users should try CamScanner.
Build Your Own Digital Toolkit
Any one of these apps can help you find new levels of efficiency on-site or back in the office. By building a curated selection of your preferred tools for each part of the job, you can make sure all your projects are delivered quickly – and to the highest possible standard.
If you're interested in adding new tools and capabilities to your workflow, start with a free trial of ArchiSnapper – the industry's #1 field reporting app.
