🎨 Art, music and story makers · 🔧 DIY, making, 3D and electronics · 🏫 Classroom tools
SketchUp for Schools
By Trimble. Visit SketchUp for Schools
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free school version of the SketchUp 3D modeling tool, made for K-12. Students draw shapes and push and pull them into 3D buildings, furniture, inventions and models for 3D printing, right in a browser or on iPad. It has lessons and videos inside the app and saves files to the student's Google Drive or OneDrive. A school administrator has to turn it on.
Our take: A good free 3D tool for schools on Google or Microsoft; families at home should try Tinkercad or Onshape's free student plan.
| Ages it suits | grades K-12 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | No minimum age stated; it is for K-12 students and teachers at schools that use Google for Education or Microsoft Education, and only the school's domain administrator can approve it. (terms) |
| Price | Through schools. Free for any K-12 school enrolled in Google for Education or Microsoft Education (Oct 2026). Homeschoolers and others need the regular, paid SketchUp. |
| Works on | Web, Chromebook, iPhone and iPad |
| Account | A school account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI described for the school version. |
What's good
- Free for schools
- Runs on Chromebooks and iPads
- Built-in lessons
- Stores no personal data, by the maker's account
Watch for
- Only through a school with Google or Microsoft education accounts
- An admin must set it up
- Not open to homeschool families
Data and privacy
The maker says the school version is COPPA-compliant, stores no personally identifiable information, and does not send user data to third-party apps; files live in the school's Google Drive or OneDrive. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
No studies found; the maker makes no outcome claims.
Alternatives to SketchUp for Schools
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Adafruit Learning System
Adafruit Industries · ages about 10 and up with an adult
A top free resource for families building electronics together; kids should not work through it alone.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Autodesk Fusion (Education)
Autodesk · ages about 14+ (high school and up)
Worth it for high schoolers serious about engineering or 3D printing; younger makers should start with Tinkercad.
Desk researchFree
Babble Dabble Do
Ana Dziengel · ages about 3-12
Great for families and teachers who want craft projects with a design or science twist; an adult should pick and prep the projects.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Blender
Blender Foundation (open source) · ages about 12+
Ideal for a motivated teen who wants to learn real 3D; younger kids should start with Tinkercad.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Crayola crafts
Crayola, LLC (Hallmark) · ages about 3 and up (each craft lists an age)
Handy for parents and teachers hunting for a quick holiday or rainy-day craft; nothing here for a child to use alone online.
Desk researchFree
DLTK's Crafts for Kids
DLTK's Inc. (family-run, Canada) · ages about 2-8
A handy free printables source for parents of preschoolers who don't mind ads; families wanting an ad-free site should look elsewhere.
Where these facts come from
- https://help.sketchup.com/en/sketchup-education/sketchup-schools-faq
- https://help.sketchup.com/en/sketchup-schools/legal-statements
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.