Gendo

Gendo is a browser-based architectural visualization workspace for architects and designers. It is best suited to design-led teams that want to develop images and discuss them together. The shared canvas and varied image tools are useful strengths, but the export-based workflow and Free plan’s data terms call for care.

Overview

Gendo brings image creation and refinement into a collaborative canvas. Users can start with text, hand sketches, CAD screenshots, exported model views, renders, photographs, or reference images, then iterate and share results. This breadth makes it adaptable to concept development, but it does not provide direct CAD/BIM import: users must export scenes or views into the canvas. Revit, SketchUp, and Blender plugins are on the roadmap, not part of the current workflow.

Teams can run generations simultaneously, add comments and notes, share images, and align on iterations in one workspace. The natural-language assistant can access canvas tools, giving users another way to guide that work. Gendo says data is stored in EU data centres, with configurable retention and isolation policies; stored data is encrypted with AES-256 and data in transit with TLS. Studio and Enterprise prompts and outputs are contractually protected from AI training and marketing use. Free-plan prompts and outputs are not treated as confidential, so that tier is a poor fit for sensitive project material.

Key features

• Architectural image tools: Render sketches, edit materials, populate scenes, transfer styles, enhance images, and upscale renders to 4× resolution. This covers several stages of visual iteration without a specialist visualization pipeline, though it does not replace a connected modeling workflow.
• Shared canvas and assistant: Simultaneous generations, comments, notes, and shared images support team review; the assistant can operate workspace tools through natural-language requests.
• Material Bank: Free includes material specification through Material Bank, giving even solo users access to this part of the workflow.
• Fair use: Unlimited generations are subject to Fair Usage guidelines, and abnormal usage may be temporarily restricted. The word “unlimited” therefore does not mean unrestricted capacity.

Pricing

Gendo uses a freemium model, with plans priced in GBP. The Free plan costs nothing and allows one active canvas, up to 50 assets, unlimited generations, one collaborator, and history limited to 10 Image Sets; outputs are watermarked. It is a useful way to assess the canvas, but the single-canvas, single-collaborator, and short history caps constrain ongoing team work, and its prompts and outputs are not confidential.

The Students Educational Plan costs nothing and provides multiple canvases, no watermarks, full AI tooling, and 15 free video seconds, but prohibits commercial use. It suits educational work, not client projects.

Studio costs £66 a year, billed £66/mo billed annually (£790/year; excl. tax). It includes unlimited projects, assets, and image generations; five seats, including four free seats; 15 one-off video seconds; no watermark; a commercial license; and 2× and 4× upscaling. It is the practical step up for a small commercial team, with contractually protected prompts and outputs, but the video allowance is one-off rather than a recurring quota.

Studio Scale costs £299 a month, billed monthly, excluding tax. Five seats are included, along with unlimited video generation, organisation-level analytics, VIP onboarding, and priority support. It is aimed at teams that need video and organisation-wide oversight; the plan is marked Beta.

Enterprise has custom pricing and a 20-seat minimum. It adds evaluation periods, SSO and user provisioning, a dedicated account and SLA, custom models, audit logs, and custom data processing agreements, making it the governance-focused choice for larger organisations.

Video packs require an active subscription: 100 seconds costs £40, paid once (£0.40/sec; excl. tax), 250 seconds costs £75, paid once (£0.30/sec; excl. tax), and 500 seconds costs £125, paid once (£0.25/sec; excl. tax). Larger packs reduce the per-second price, but they are an add-on rather than a standalone route into Gendo. Support rises from email on Free to priority email on Studio, VIP support on Studio Scale, and a dedicated Enterprise account.

Platforms

Gendo runs on the web. Its inputs can include exports from SketchUp, Revit, Rhino, ArchiCAD, Vectorworks, Blender, and 3ds Max, but those exports must be brought into the canvas manually; CAD/BIM import is not supported.

Who it's for

Gendo is strongest for architects and designers in small, design-led studios who want faster visual decisions and shared iteration without a specialist visualization pipeline. Free is suitable for exploration with non-confidential work; Studio fits commercial teams that need seats, unwatermarked outputs, and a commercial license. Educational users can use the dedicated non-commercial plan. Teams that need live model connections or confidentiality on a free tier should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Several ways to start and refine images: Sketch rendering, material edits, scene population, style transfer, enhancement, and 4× upscaling support varied visualization tasks.
• Team review is part of the canvas: Shared images, comments, notes, and simultaneous generations keep iteration collaborative.
• Free includes unlimited generations and Material Bank: Users can explore the core workflow without a generation quota, subject to Fair Usage guidelines.
• Studio includes commercial rights and four additional seats: Its no-watermark outputs and team allowance make it a clearer fit for client work than Free.

Cons

• Exports interrupt connected design workflows: Direct CAD/BIM import and the planned application plugins are not currently available.
• Free has narrow collaboration and history limits: One collaborator and history capped at 10 Image Sets may be restrictive for continuing projects.
• Free outputs are not confidential: This makes it unsuitable for sensitive designs, unlike Studio and Enterprise.
• Video add-ons require a subscription: Occasional video users cannot buy a pack without an active subscription.

Alternatives

For a wider set of architectural visualization options, browse AI Architectural Rendering Software; for sketch-led image generation, see AI Sketch-to-Image Generators.

• Vizcom is another freemium option, with a free Starter plan offering 800 credits and basic AI creation tools.
• Fermat is a web and API alternative with a free one-credit Starter plan and a monthly Pro plan at $30 a month for 150 credits.
• FLORA Fashion Studio is a freemium alternative with a free solo plan for fashion projects.
• LookX AI is a web-based freemium option whose Basic plan includes 100 images.
• Neolocus AI offers a free plan with 30 credits and a watermark.
• Raspberry AI Prints & Patterns offers 50 one-time free credits and a paid Individual plan.
• Spacely AI has a free plan with 40 trial credits and commercial licensing.
• SparkStation is another freemium option for individual creators and studios.

Verdict

Choose Gendo if your architecture team wants image generation, refinement, and shared review in one browser canvas, and can work through exports. Its image toolkit and collaboration features make it a credible fit for design-led studios; look elsewhere if direct CAD/BIM integration or confidential use on a free plan is essential.