IKEA Place was a revelation when it launched - AR furniture in your living room, straight from your phone. But as IKEA has shifted focus toward its newer Kreativ platform, the original Place app has become unreliable on many modern devices. And even when it worked perfectly, it had one limitation that never went away: it only ever worked with IKEA products.
The core problem with single-retailer AR apps
For a product to appear in IKEA Place, IKEA must have built a 3D model of it. That means you can never upload a product image from Wayfair, Amazon, West Elm, or any other store. A genuine alternative solves this by being store-agnostic - no catalog restrictions.
Why People Are Looking for IKEA Place Alternatives
IKEA Place is no longer reliable
IKEA has shifted focus to IKEA Kreativ, built into the main IKEA app. The standalone IKEA Place app reports widespread issues on newer iOS and Android devices, pushing many users to look for alternatives.
Locked to IKEA's catalog only
Even when it worked, IKEA Place could never show you furniture from any other store. If your sofa is from Wayfair or your rug is from Pottery Barn, IKEA's tools cannot help.
AR overlays look unrealistic
Live AR overlays render 3D models with generic lighting that does not match your room. The result often looks like a floating object - vivid to use but not convincing enough to make a confident purchase decision.
Does not work on desktop
AR apps require a phone with specific hardware. Most furniture browsing starts on a laptop or desktop. There is no desktop equivalent of IKEA Place.
1. DecorViz AI - Best Overall Alternative
DecorViz AI represents the next generation of furniture visualization, moving away from live AR overlays and toward photo-based AI compositing. It is currently the strongest store-agnostic alternative to IKEA Place for shoppers who want to preview furniture from any retailer.
Instead of requiring a 3D model, DecorViz works from standard product photos. You take one photo of your room, find a product image from any website - Amazon, Article, Pottery Barn, a local vintage shop, anywhere - and upload both. The AI places that product into your room photo with matched lighting and real perspective.
One thing most people do not realise until they try it: DecorViz does not remove your existing furniture. The sofa you already own stays in the photo. The AI places the new piece into the target area while keeping the rest of your room intact. This means you can see exactly how the new piece will look next to what you already have - which is the question that actually drives purchase decisions.
Works with any product from any store
No catalog restrictions. If you have a product image from any retailer's website, DecorViz can place it in your room.
Keeps your existing furniture visible
You see the new piece next to your real sofa, rug, coffee table - not in an empty or staged room. This is the most realistic preview you can get without the item physically in your home.
Matches your room's actual lighting
The AI uses your room photo to match shadows and light direction. No floating objects - the piece looks like it belongs there.
Saves a shareable image
Not a live view that disappears when you put the phone down. A real image you can save, share with a partner, and compare side by side with other options.
Works on desktop and mobile, no app required
Runs entirely in the browser. You can use it on the same laptop or desktop where you are browsing furniture retailer sites.
Try DecorViz with your room and any product image
No app download. Works with furniture from any store.
2. IKEA Kreativ - Best If You Are Buying From IKEA
If you are looking for an alternative because the old IKEA Place app is not working, IKEA Kreativ is the official successor. Built directly into the main IKEA app, Kreativ uses a spatial scan of your room to create a 3D digital copy of your space. You can then erase your existing furniture and redesign the entire room with IKEA products.
It is a genuine upgrade over IKEA Place - the room scan is far more accurate and the furniture removal tool is genuinely useful. But it still suffers from the same fundamental limitation: it only supports IKEA's own catalog. If you are shopping anywhere else, Kreativ cannot help.
Strengths
Official IKEA product, deeply integrated. Room scan is accurate. Furniture eraser is useful for planning full room redesigns. Connects directly to IKEA's shopping cart.
Limitations
IKEA products only. Requires phone with LiDAR or advanced AR support. Requires standing in the room and scanning. No desktop version.
3. Wayfair View in Room - Best for Wayfair Shoppers
If you frequently shop at Wayfair, their native "View in Room" AR feature is one of the more robust retailer implementations available. It functions similarly to IKEA Place but is tied entirely to Wayfair's inventory - which is large enough to find near-equivalents to most pieces you might be considering.
Like all live AR tools, it does not match your room's actual lighting, and the furniture can look like it is floating rather than physically placed. It also does not remove your existing furniture, so you are placing a 3D model on top of a live camera view of your room as-is.
Strengths
Very large catalog of supported 3D models. Built directly into the Wayfair app. Fast AR tracking. Useful for quick scale checks on Wayfair products.
Limitations
Wayfair products only. Lighting does not match your room. Mobile-only. Result is a live view, not a saved image.
4. Amazon AR View - Best for Prime Members
Amazon's "View in Your Room" feature is available for thousands of furniture and home decor items on the platform. It operates exactly like IKEA Place: AR overlay on your phone's live camera feed. Availability is inconsistent - not all furniture sold on Amazon has a 3D model, and you cannot bring in products from outside Amazon's catalog.
Strengths
Convenient for Amazon-native shopping sessions. No additional app to install if you already use the Amazon app. Wide range of home decor items supported.
Limitations
Amazon products only. Very inconsistent coverage - many items do not have the feature. Same AR floating-object limitations as all live AR tools.
5. RoomGPT - Best for Inspiration, Not Purchase Validation
RoomGPT takes a completely different approach. Rather than helping you preview a specific product you want to buy, it uses generative AI to redesign your entire room based on a chosen style - Mid-Century Modern, Industrial, Coastal, and so on. You upload a photo, select a theme, and the AI generates a completely reimagined version of the space.
It is excellent for early-stage inspiration and figuring out what aesthetic you want before you start shopping. But it is not useful for purchase validation: you cannot preview a specific, shoppable item, and the generated room is not your actual room - it is an AI interpretation.
Strengths
Fast and fun for high-level design inspiration. Generates completely new design concepts from a single photo. Good for deciding on a room style before shopping.
Limitations
Cannot preview specific, purchasable products. The generated room is an AI concept, not your real room. Not useful for buy/don't-buy decisions on individual pieces.
At a Glance: Comparison Table
| Feature | DecorViz AI | IKEA Kreativ | Wayfair AR | Amazon AR | RoomGPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works with any retailer | ✅ Yes | ❌ IKEA only | ❌ Wayfair only | ❌ Amazon only | ❌ Conceptual only |
| Uses your product image | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Keeps existing furniture visible | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (erases room) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ Full redesign only |
| Matches real room lighting | ✅ Yes | ❌ Generic AR | ❌ Generic AR | ❌ Generic AR | ✅ Yes (AI generated) |
| Saves an image result | ✅ Yes | ❌ Live view only | ❌ Live view only | ❌ Live view only | ✅ Yes |
| Works on desktop | ✅ Yes | ❌ Mobile only | ❌ Mobile only | ❌ Mobile only | ✅ Yes |
| No app download required | ✅ Browser-based | ❌ App required | ❌ App required | ❌ App required | ✅ Browser-based |
Bottom Line
The right tool depends on where you are in your shopping journey:
You are buying from IKEA specifically
Use IKEA Kreativ - it is the official replacement for IKEA Place and is a genuine upgrade. Just be aware it is IKEA-only.
You want early design inspiration
Use RoomGPT - it is fast and fun for exploring styles. Switch to a purchase-validation tool once you know what you are looking for.
You are actively shopping and want to know if a specific piece will work in your room
Use DecorViz AI - it is the only tool that works with any product from any store, keeps your existing furniture visible in the result, and saves a shareable image you can review and compare later. This is the question IKEA Place was never able to answer for products outside IKEA's catalog.
FAQ
Why is IKEA Place no longer working?
IKEA has largely deprecated the standalone IKEA Place app in favor of IKEA Kreativ, a more advanced spatial scanning tool built directly into the main IKEA shopping app. If you are having trouble with Place, download the primary IKEA app and look for the Kreativ feature.
Can I use IKEA Place with furniture from other stores?
No. IKEA Place and IKEA Kreativ only work with IKEA's proprietary product catalog. If you want to preview furniture from Wayfair, Amazon, West Elm, or any other retailer, you need a store-agnostic tool like DecorViz AI.
Is there a furniture visualizer that works with any store?
Yes. DecorViz AI works with product images from any retailer. You upload a photo of your room and the product image from any store's website. The AI places that exact product into your room photo - without removing your other furniture - so you see exactly how it will look next to what you already have.
Why does AR furniture sometimes look fake or floating?
AR apps overlay a 3D model onto your live camera feed. Because the 3D model has its own baked-in lighting that does not match your room's real light, the furniture often looks like it is floating. Photo-based AI tools like DecorViz solve this by matching the lighting and shadows to your specific room photo, producing a realistic composite rather than an overlay.
Will DecorViz remove my existing furniture from the room photo?
No - and that is intentional. DecorViz keeps your existing furniture visible in the result. The AI places the new piece into the target area of your room while leaving your existing sofa, rug, coffee table, and other items intact. This is what makes it useful for real purchase decisions: you see the new piece exactly as it would appear next to what you already own.
For guidance on seeing furniture in your room before buying generally, see see furniture in your room before buying. For the B2B equivalent - adding visualization to a retailer's product pages - see add "See in Your Room" to product pages.