roomephantRoomephant vs IKEA Kreativ: any store vs the IKEA catalog
Short answer: the IKEA Place AR app was discontinued and its job moved into the IKEA app as IKEA Kreativ — a genuinely good tool that scans your room into a 3D replica with real dimensions, but only for IKEA products. Roomephant needs one photo and shows the exact product from IKEA, Amazon, Article and most other stores.
Credit where due: Kreativ is the only mainstream tool besides Roomephant that takes real dimensions seriously — it builds a measured 3D replica of your room from a scan, erases your old furniture and places IKEA items at true scale. If everything you buy is IKEA, it is excellent.
The limits are the flip side of the same design: it lives inside the IKEA app and account, it needs a multi-shot room scan rather than one photo, and the moment the sofa you want is on Amazon or Article, Kreativ cannot help. Roomephant starts from a store link — any store with listed dimensions.
Side by side
| Roomephant | IKEA Kreativ | |
|---|---|---|
| Stores | IKEA + Amazon + Article + most others | IKEA catalog only |
| Setup | One room photo, any device | Multi-photo scene scan in the IKEA app |
| True to scale | Yes — dimensions from the listing | Yes — measured 3D room replica |
| Shareable result | Yes — a link with before/after | Inside the IKEA experience |
| Signup | Not required | IKEA app / account |
Verdict
Furnishing entirely from IKEA and happy to scan the room? Kreativ is genuinely good. Comparing that IKEA sofa against one from Amazon, or working from a single photo? Paste both links into Roomephant.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between Roomephant and IKEA Kreativ?
Short answer: the IKEA Place AR app was discontinued and its job moved into the IKEA app as IKEA Kreativ — a genuinely good tool that scans your room into a 3D replica with real dimensions, but only for IKEA products. Roomephant needs one photo and shows the exact product from IKEA, Amazon, Article and most other stores.
Is there a free alternative to IKEA Kreativ?
Roomephant is free to use: previews every day, no signup and no credit card. It solves a narrower job than IKEA Kreativ — showing the exact product you are about to buy in your own room, at the size the store lists.
Does Roomephant use the real dimensions of the product?
Yes. Width, depth and height are read from the store listing and used as the scale anchor, and the room scale is estimated from visible cues such as floor and ceiling lines. That is what keeps a sofa from being rendered the size of an armchair.
Which should I use — Roomephant or IKEA Kreativ?
Furnishing entirely from IKEA and happy to scan the room? Kreativ is genuinely good. Comparing that IKEA sofa against one from Amazon, or working from a single photo? Paste both links into Roomephant.