Aalto vs Houzz Pro: which fits your studio
An AI-native product library built for sourcing, next to an all-in-one platform for running a design and build business.
Free forever plan · No credit card required
Sourcing is where a lot of your week goes, and Aalto is built for it. Paste a link or use the Chrome extension, and Aalto's AI fills in the name, brand, price and images from most supplier sites. Your products go into a library you keep across projects, organised by project and room. From there, you share a board with your client or export an FF&E schedule with tax columns. On Pro, you can connect Claude or ChatGPT and ask about everything you've saved in plain words. Houzz Pro takes a different approach. It aims to run the whole business, from leads and proposals to procurement, invoices and payments. If product selection is the job you want done well, choose Aalto.
Which should you choose?
Choose Aalto if product sourcing and selection is the work you want to speed up. You get AI product import from most supplier sites, a library that stays with you from one project to the next, Claude and ChatGPT connections on Pro, and a client board and FF&E export with VAT, GST or sales tax columns. You start on a free plan, and Pro is one simple price. Choose Houzz Pro if you need one system to run the whole business, with CRM, 3D floor plans, proposals, procurement, invoicing, payments and marketing, and formal client approvals built in.
Aalto vs Houzz Pro at a glance
| Feature | Aalto | Houzz Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | AI-native product library: import, organise, share and export products | All-in-one business software for design and construction pros |
| Best for | Fast sourcing and a product library your whole team reuses | Running the whole studio, from leads to payments |
| Save from supplier sites | Paste a link or use the Chrome extension. Aalto's AI fills in name, brand, price and images from most supplier sites (150 AI imports a month on Pro, 5 on Free) | AI-powered Clipper sends images, pricing and specs to your Product Library |
| Organise | A library that lasts beyond the project, plus collections by project and room, with table, grid and canvas views, tags, custom fields and one budget total per collection | Selection Boards organised by room, style or category, plus mood boards |
| Price changes | Records the price when you save, rechecks shortlisted and ordered pieces each week on active projects, and lets you refresh any product before you quote | Check Houzz Pro's site |
| Works with Claude or ChatGPT | Yes, on Pro. Ask Claude, ChatGPT and other AI apps to search, save, import, organise and export your products (how to connect) | No official connector found when we checked |
| Client sharing | Read-only board of product images and names, no client login | Client Dashboard with comments and one-click approvals |
| FF&E schedule | VAT, GST or sales tax columns on any plan. Export to CSV on any plan, Excel and PDF on Pro | Export selections as FF&E schedules, tear sheets and Excel files |
| Proposals, invoices and payments | Not included | Proposals, invoices, online payments and QuickBooks Online sync |
| Procurement | Tracks status from saved to installed. Does not place orders | Purchase orders and a Selections Tracker for order and shipping status |
| Getting started | Free plan with 100 products and one collection, no credit card needed | Free plan and free trial. Check Houzz Pro's site for current terms |
| Paid price | Pro is US$19 per member per month | Check Houzz Pro pricing for your plan and team size |
Where Aalto is the better fit
AI does the data entry
Paste a link or use the Chrome extension, and Aalto's AI fills in the name, brand, price and images from most supplier sites. It keeps the source and spec sheet with each product. You spend your time choosing pieces instead of copying details into a spreadsheet. Pro includes 150 AI product imports a month.
Built to work with Claude and ChatGPT
Aalto is AI-native. On Pro, you can connect Claude, ChatGPT and other AI apps directly to your workspace and ask in plain words: find "warm oak dining chairs" across everything you've saved, import a list of links, organise a shortlist into a collection, or export a schedule. A workspace admin chooses off, read only, or read and change. A connected app never deletes anything, and every action is logged and can be undone.
A product library that outlasts the project
Products live in your library as well as in a project, so you add a piece once and reuse it on the next job. Your team searches one shared library instead of old spreadsheets and bookmarks.
From capture to client board to FF&E schedule
Organise products by project and room, set one budget total for the collection, and share a read-only board your client opens without a login. When the selection is ready, export an FF&E schedule with VAT, GST or sales tax columns. Aalto records each price when you save, rechecks shortlisted and ordered pieces each week on active projects, and lets you refresh any product before you quote.
A free plan, then one simple price
Start on the free plan with 100 products and one collection, with tax columns and CSV export included. Pro is US$19 per member per month and adds unlimited products and collections, 150 AI product imports a month, Excel and PDF export, editor invites and AI connections. You get going in minutes, without setting up a whole studio system.
Where Houzz Pro is the better fit
You want one system for the whole business.
Houzz Pro covers CRM, estimates, proposals, contracts, invoices, online payments and financial reports alongside your selections. Aalto doesn't do these.
You need formal client approvals or in-house procurement.
Houzz Pro's Client Dashboard records approvals with a dated history, and approved selections become proposals and purchase orders with shipping status. Aalto shares a read-only board (client feedback comes back to you by email) and tracks each product's status, but doesn't place orders.
You also run builds or want marketing tools.
Houzz Pro includes 3D floor plans, takeoffs, daily logs, a subcontractor dashboard, a custom website, email marketing and advertising options.
Jobs both tools do
- Save products from supplier sites. Both use AI to pull in images, price and details from a product page.
- Organise by room. Aalto uses collections and sections. Houzz Pro uses Selection Boards.
- Show clients a selection. Aalto shares a read-only link. Houzz Pro uses the Client Dashboard, with approvals.
- Export an FF&E schedule. Both export a schedule for suppliers, contractors or clients.
Using Aalto and Houzz Pro together
If you already run Houzz Pro for leads, proposals, invoicing and payments, Aalto can be your team's product library during sourcing. Import and curate products in Aalto while ideas are still moving. On Pro, ask Claude or ChatGPT to pull together a shortlist. When the selection is ready for your business system, export a CSV (any plan) or Excel (Pro). Aalto doesn't sync with Houzz Pro, so the hand-off is an export.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Aalto and Houzz Pro?
Aalto is an AI-native product library for interior designers. Its AI imports products from most supplier sites. You organise them by project and room in a library you keep across jobs, share boards with clients and export FF&E schedules with tax columns. On Pro, you can also work with your library from Claude or ChatGPT. Houzz Pro is all-in-one business software for design and construction pros, covering CRM, 3D floor plans, selections, proposals, procurement, invoicing, payments and marketing. Choose Aalto for the product-library job, and Houzz Pro when you need the whole business in one system.
Does Aalto use AI?
Yes, in two ways. First, AI product imports. Paste a link or use the Chrome extension, and Aalto fills in the name, brand, price and images from most supplier sites (5 a month on Free, 150 a month on Pro). Second, on Pro you can connect Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or VS Code to your workspace, then search, save, import, organise and export products by asking in plain words. A connected app never deletes anything, and every action is logged and can be undone. See how to connect.
Is Aalto cheaper than Houzz Pro?
Aalto has a free plan with 100 products and one collection, and Pro is US$19 per member per month. Houzz Pro offers a free plan and paid plans that vary by team size and features, so check its pricing page for current prices. The two do different jobs, so compare them on what you need the tool to do.
Does Aalto have a product clipper like Houzz Pro?
Yes. The Aalto Chrome extension saves a product's name, brand, price, image and supplier link in one click, and keeps the spec sheet when the page links one. You can also paste a link into Aalto. Aalto records the price when you save, and rechecks shortlisted and ordered pieces each week while you're working on a project. You can also refresh any product yourself before you quote.
Does Aalto do proposals, invoicing or client approvals?
No. Aalto doesn't send proposals or invoices, take payments, place orders or collect formal client approvals. It tracks each product's status from saved to shortlisted, ordered, delivered and installed. If you need those, Houzz Pro or another studio system is the better fit.
Can I use Aalto alongside Houzz Pro?
Yes. Some studios use Aalto to import and curate products during sourcing and keep proposals, invoicing and payments in Houzz Pro. Aalto exports selections to CSV on any plan, and to Excel or PDF on Pro.
Is Houzz Pro available outside the US?
Check Houzz Pro's site for your country. Aalto works in the UK, EU, US, Australia and elsewhere, with prices in US dollars and tax columns for VAT, GST or sales tax.
Build your product library with AI
Import your first products from supplier sites, organise them by project and room, and share a board with your client. Free to start, no credit card required.