The quick verdict
Pool Studio (by Structure Studios) is the dominant 3D pool design software in the industry — used by most established builders to produce photorealistic renders + walkthrough videos at the site visit, after the homeowner has committed to a deposit. Pool Launch is the acquisition layer BEFORE the site visit: it gets the homeowner to scan a postcard and pay a deposit so Pool Studio has something to design.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Pool Launch | Pool Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Aerial AI rendering of backyard with pool (for marketing) | Yes — core feature | No (engineering-grade only) |
| Mailed pool postcards | Yes — $1 per quote | No |
| Customer portal with pool-type picker | Yes | No |
| Pre-existing-pool suppression + slope detection | Yes | No |
| Financing pre-qualification at quote step | Yes | Partner integrations |
| 3D pool design (engineering-grade) | No | Excellent — industry standard |
| Photorealistic renders + walkthroughs (post-deposit) | No | Excellent |
| Decking + water-feature design | Pool-only render | Excellent |
| Plant + outdoor-living package design | No | Excellent (VizTerra) |
| Pricing | $1 per mailed quote | $200+/mo subscription |
The combined workflow
- Pool Launch (acquisition): Aerial-render every viable backyard with a pool → mail postcards with financing-pre-qualified monthly → homeowner scans, picks pool type, pays deposit on customer portal.
- Site visit: Builder arrives. Walks the yard, takes measurements, discusses outdoor-living scope.
- Pool Studio (design): Builder designs the actual pool + decking + outdoor-living package in Pool Studio. Generates photorealistic 3D renders + walkthrough videos for homeowner approval.
- Build phase: Buildertrend or BuilderPrime manages the 60-180 day construction.
When Pool Studio wins (on its own)
- You have steady lead flow from home shows + referrals.
- Your bottleneck is design speed + proposal quality at the site visit.
- You sell heavy outdoor-living packages where 3D walkthrough video is the close lever.
When Pool Launch wins (on its own)
- You're year 1-2 and using simpler proposal tools.
- Your bottleneck is filling the pipeline ahead of capacity.
- Pool Studio's monthly cost doesn't yet pencil for your install volume.
Year-1 vs year-3+ stack
Year 1: Pool Launch only is fine. Use the customer portal renders for postcards and basic proposals; manage builds in spreadsheets. Year 2+: add Pool Studio for proposal-quality design at site visits — the close rate lift typically pays for it within 2-3 closed pools. Year 3+: add Buildertrend for construction project management.
Fill the pipeline that Pool Studio designs against.
Free account, free rendering, $1 per mailed pool quote. Money-back guarantee on your first $1,000 campaign.
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