What do you get on the free tier?
Everything the engine does, capped only by volume. The comparison against paid plans is short, and it is meant to be:
| Free | Solo — $29/mo | Pro — $69/mo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staged rooms / month | 3 | 40 | 150 |
| Resolution | 1536px | 1536px | 1536px |
| Watermark | None | None | None |
| Furnishing styles | All | All | All |
| Architecture Lock | Enforced | Enforced | Enforced |
| Card required | No | — | — |
Buyer profiles — first-time, family, premium, rental, downsizer — and every furnishing direction from warm contemporary to japandi calm are included on all tiers. Full plans on pricing.
How does it work?
- Upload the photo of the empty room from your listing folder.
- Choose the buyer you are selling to; the furnishing direction follows.
- Approve the proof — a full-resolution side-by-side before/after — then download. Nothing exports without your say-so.
Walls, windows, doors and floors stay exactly as photographed on every generation — that is Architecture Lock, and it is not optional on any tier.
Why free, with no watermark?
A watermarked sample cannot answer the only question that matters: would this image survive your client’s scrutiny in a live listing? Three clean, full-resolution rooms a month answer it properly. If the answer is yes, plans are a click away; if it is no, you have lost nothing but minutes.
When do three rooms stop being enough?
At the fourth room, arithmetic takes over: Solo is $29/month for 40 rooms — $0.73 per image, versus $24 per image at BoxBrownie or $16 at Styldod (Sep 2026 prices;the 2026 market prices, compared). Photographers and teams staging weekly live on Pro or Agency; see also staging for photographers.
Free staging questions, answered
Is free virtual staging actually usable in a listing?
ShowDwell’s free images are the same output as paid: 1536px, no watermark, Architecture Lock enforced. If it passes your side-by-side review, it is listing-ready. Remember most MLSs — ARMLS and Canopy MLS publish explicit rules — require virtually staged photos to be labelled as such.
What is the catch with the free tier?
Volume, only. Three staging credits a month, resetting monthly. No watermark, no locked styles, no card on file, no expiring trial. When a listing needs more than three rooms, plans start at $29/month for 40.
Does a failed generation use up a free credit?
It should not. Tell us about a failed generation and, once confirmed, the credit comes back — the same policy paid plans get.
Create a free account and stage your first room in minutes.