If you've ever tried to make a stage plot, you know the options range from "draw it in PowerPoint" to dedicated stage plot software that costs more than your last guarantee. The good news: there are more purpose-built stage plot makers available now than ever. The bad news: some of the best-known ones are no longer maintained.
We compared the stage plot builders people ask us about most, on the things that actually matter: speed, item libraries, export quality, collaboration, and price. Here's what we found. Where a tool doesn't publish a detail, the table says so rather than guessing.
Before comparing specific tools, here's what separates a useful stage plot app from one that wastes your time:
| Feature | StageBuilder Pro | StagePlotPro | TecRider | Ridermaker | PowerPoint / Draw.io |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D view | Yes — real-time 3D + 2D plan | No — 2D only | No — 2D only | No — 2D only | No |
| Item library | 200+ across 5 departments | Broad (best of its era) | 200+ objects | Stock icon set | Draw your own |
| Input list | Auto-generated from plot (inputs + outputs) | Not published | Yes — built-in | Yes — built-in | Separate document |
| PDF export | 2D plan, tech view, 3D view + input/output lists in one PDF | Not published | 2D plot + input list | 2D plot + input list | Whatever you built |
| AI builder | Yes (Pro and above) — plain English to plot | No | No | No | No |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes (Elite) — live multi-user editing; invitees join free | No | No | No | Google Slides only |
| Cloud save | Yes — 1 editable plot free, unlimited on Pro | Not published | Account-based | Account-based | Platform-dependent |
| Price | Free; Pro $10/mo ($100/yr); Elite $20/mo ($200/yr); $400 Lifetime | $39.99 one-time; unmaintained | Free + one-time upgrade | Free + paid tiers | Free – $10/mo |
| Runs in browser | Yes — no install | No — desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
StageBuilder Pro is a browser-based 3D stage plot builder. It runs entirely in the browser — no install, no desktop app, no plugin. A simple band can build a straightforward plot on the free plan in a few minutes; the deeper production features are aimed at intermediate-to-pro touring work and are there when a show grows into them.
The standout feature is the real-time 3D view. You can orbit the stage from any angle — FOH, wings, overhead — and toggle instantly between 3D perspective and a clean 2D plan view. This matters when you're stacking risers, hanging motors from truss, or checking sightlines for LED walls. Every spatial relationship that's invisible in a flat 2D diagram is obvious in 3D.
The item library covers 200+ items across five production departments: audio, lighting, video, staging, and instruments. Everything snaps to a configurable grid, and items auto-snap to truss edges and deck surfaces. Starter templates (3-, 4- and 5-piece band, DJ) and preset stage sizes — concert (60×40 ft), theater (50×35 ft), arena (80×80 ft), and club (24×20 ft) — get you off a blank canvas fast. On Pro and above, the AI Build assistant lets you describe your rig in plain English — "2 line arrays each side, 4 subs ground stacked center, FOH console 60ft out" — and it places everything automatically.
Export gives you a single PDF with a printer-friendly 2D overhead, a grayscale tech view, the 3D perspective, and input and output lists — everything the venue needs in one document. The lists and a bill of materials also download as CSV. A read-only rider link lets you send the plot to anyone, no account needed on their end, and on Elite, live collaboration lets your production team edit the same plot simultaneously.
You can start building with no account — plots auto-save to your browser. A free account (no credit card) adds one editable cloud-saved plot, PDF export, the input and output lists, and read-only share links. Pro ($10/mo or $100/yr) unlocks unlimited cloud saves, the AI Build assistant, custom banner images, and custom export branding. Elite ($20/mo or $200/yr) adds live collaboration, a venue directory, custom 3D model uploads, and Camera View snapshots, and a one-time $400 Lifetime plan includes everything in Elite. More than 5,500 people have registered.
StagePlotPro was, for years, the tool most working bands reached for — a desktop application sold as a one-time purchase ($39.99, with a 30-day trial). Its element library was widely regarded as the broadest of its era, which is a big part of why it was so well liked. Calling it "a web app with a handful of generic icons," as some roundups still do, gets it wrong on both counts.
The catch in 2026: it's no longer actively maintained, and some users have reported paying for licenses that were never delivered. Separately, an unaffiliated team has since revived the Stage Plot Pro name as a web app in early access. We cover both the original and the new app — and how to move an old plot forward — in our Stage Plot Pro alternative guide.
TecRider is a free, browser-based drag-and-drop stage plot designer. You arrange objects — guitars and bass, full drum kits, keys, vocals, brass, PA/DJ gear — on a virtual stage, then download a two-page PDF: the stage plot on page one and the object/input list on page two. You can also share a link to the plot.
The biggest drawback is the interface. It looks and feels like software from over a decade ago — cluttered toolbars, dated icons, and clunky drag-and-drop that lacks the responsiveness and polish you'd expect from a modern web app. It's functional, but the experience is a chore compared to current tools. On top of that, the free tier carries ads and no icon rotation (paid one-time tiers add rotation, more objects, and colored icons), and there's no 3D view, no AI placement, and no real-time collaboration.
Ridermaker takes a similar angle: an online stage plot maker paired with a channel list and rider builder, running in the browser with no install. You place stage items — instruments, microphones, monitors, and even curtains, truss, and lighting — configure a channel list with custom columns and colors, add technician contacts and production requirements, and export a combined PDF. You can also import a background image.
As with TecRider, the interface is the weak point. The layout, controls, and visual design feel at least ten years behind current web apps — it works, but it's fiddly, visually dense, and missing the intuitiveness and cleanliness people now expect. Feature-wise it's a 2D tool at heart: no 3D view, no auto-placement, and no live collaboration. The free plan stores one rider with unlimited PDFs, and low-cost annual Pro and Premium tiers add more stored projects, custom channel columns, and an output list.
Let's be honest — this is what most bands actually use. You open a blank slide, draw a rectangle for the stage, scatter some shapes around, and add text labels. It works, in the same way that a napkin sketch works.
The advantage is that everyone already has these tools. The disadvantage is everything else: no snap-to-grid (or at least not one designed for stage dimensions), no pre-built production items, no input list integration, no 3D, and exports that look like what they are — a slide deck pretending to be a technical document.
If your setup is simple enough to describe on a single slide, PowerPoint is fine. The moment you have more than one department to coordinate, a purpose-built stage plot builder saves real time.
These are professional CAD tools that large production companies and lighting designers use for detailed technical drawings. They can absolutely produce stage plots — beautiful ones. But they're designed for architects and engineers, not for a band PM who needs to send a plot to a club by Thursday.
The learning curve is steep, the licenses are expensive ($1,000+/year for Vectorworks Spotlight), and they're massive overkill for a stage plot. If you're already fluent in CAD, use it. If you're not, don't learn CAD just to make a stage plot.
The right stage plot software depends on your complexity level:
Bottom line: If you're reading this article, you've probably outgrown PowerPoint. A dedicated stage plot maker with a real item library and PDF export will save you hours over the course of a tour — and your advance documents will look professional instead of improvised.
For more on what should actually be on your stage plot, see the complete stage plot guide. And if you want to avoid the most common formatting and content mistakes, check out stage plot mistakes that make house crews hate you.
Build in real-time 3D, drop to a 2D plan, and export a one-click PDF rider. Free to start.
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