Complete Modsy Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

Updated January 17, 2023 12:00 AM By Matt Langan

Editor Note: Effective July, 2022, Modsy is no longer offering online interior design services of any kind. If you are in need of online interior design services, we invite you to learn more about Stuccco Online Interior Design or click here to learn more about how today's best online interior design services compare.

Online interior design is a service that helps homeowners and renters decorate their homes by connecting them with designers and utilizing 3D image technology to visualize your room with strategic furniture and decor. Modsy is one of the most affordable design options available, but the service has many pros and cons. Make sure you read all the information you need in this Modsy review before making a purchase decision.

• How Modsy Works
• Modsy Pricing and Services
• Pros and Cons of Modsy
• Who is Modsy Best for?
• Modsy Alternative
• Where to Start

How Modsy Works

The steps to get a room designed online are extremely simple. In fact, Modsy asks for very little information before payment. First, you'll choose the type of room you want to have designed (living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc) before creating an account with your email address. Then, you'll be immediately prompted to pay.

Related: 12 Steps + Tips to Decorate Your Living Room Like a Professional Designer
 

Modsy outlines four steps to the process:

• Take photos of your space and submit them
• Wait 2-3 weeks for the designer to complete your design
• Receive 3D rendering and adjust the designs
• Buy the products in the design through Modsy's platform

Modsy's design service uniquely includes a DIY element to the process. After you submit your pictures and wait up to three weeks, you will receive a 3D rendering of your space's design on an interactive page. Then, you can edit that design and replace it with other pieces of furniture within their catalog.

Although you receive unlimited revisions from Modsy, you might be the one spending your time and energy on the revisions instead of leaving it with a professional designer. If you want to work one-on-one with an interior designer, you can only do that with the Luxe package.

Related: 13 Tips to Decorate Your Bedroom Like a Professional

Modsy Pricing and Services

Modsy offers a few tiered online interior design packages. There is an entry-level package at $159, a similar package for multiple rooms for $299, and a third package priced at $499 per room.

• Premium package: $159
• Multi-room package: $299
• Luxe package: $499

Pros and Cons of Modsy's Online Interior Design Services

At first glance, Modsy appears to have great features and offerings that are comparable to the best online interior design services online, but with a lower price tag. However, you should make sure you're completely clear about the pros and cons of working with Modsy so that you don't regret your purchase.

Related: Take the Interior Design Style Quiz to identify your personal style!

Pros of Modsy

Modsy is similar to another online interior design company, Havenly. Read the full Havenly review for more details on the pros and cons of both companies.

1. Affordable Prices

Modsy is one of the few companies to offer an interior design service under $200, which is extremely appealing for budget-conscious homeowners who want help making their home beautiful. The Premium design package includes 3D images of one room, the ability to hear from a designer, and unlimited revisions.

The multi-room package, which is still an affordable choice, is the exact same service for two rooms. You receive a small discount on each additional room you purchase, and this package is consistent with that pricing.

However, when you look closely at the missing features, you'll find that the low price comes with extensive limitations.

2. High-Quality 3D Renderings

3D software has become so advanced that many people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 3D rendering of a room and a physical space. In Modsy's customer reviews (read more about their reviews below), many users state how realistic the designs look, which of course helps you make the best design decisions before investing in furniture and decor.

 

3. Discounts on Furniture

After you've decided on your design, you can actually purchase the furniture through Modsy. Since they receive a commission on these purchases, they can sometimes provide discounts on large costs, like $150 pf when you spend $1,500.

If you see a better price on each piece of furniture, Modsy asks that you email them to match the price. While this is a good feature, it also puts the pressure back on you to shop around for the furniture. Read more hiccups that come from Modsy's direct connection to retail stores below.

4. Unlimited Revisions

Modsy offers unlimited revisions on all interior design services. This is an extremely important feature for a design service since all design is inherently subjective. After you pay for the service, you should be able to make changes and improvements until you are thrilled with the result.

Cons of Modsy

1. Interior Designer Limitations

With interior design, the obvious goal is to create beautiful designs that perfectly fit your style and functional needs. Online interior design uses software to make that happen even more easily--but the real magic of this service is the expertise of the interior designers.

With Modsy, there are multiple concerns when it comes to the designers:

• Modsy designers are not professional interior designers
• Designers are automatically assigned to orders
• Modsy designers are severely underpaid

According to Modsy, all their designers "have backgrounds in the field of art and design," and they go through a training program before working with customers like you. That means their designers have a few qualifications, but you're also taking a big risk when you purchase a service, because....

Before purchasing a service from Modsy, you don't get a chance to see who the designers are or look at their past work. Instead, you only talk to them about your design style and your thoughts after you've paid.

Modsy designers are automatically assigned to each order. You could end up working with a great designer, but you're just as likely to work with someone who doesn't have the skills or passion to capture YOUR unique style.

2. Modsy Company Concerns

It's also worth noting that hundreds of Glassdoor reviews from Modsy employees show that designers are underpaid, often have pay cuts without notice, and are expected to crank out a large number of designs in a small period time. Even if this is something you aren't concerned with, it is going to negatively impact your experience as the customer.

On the other hand, Stuccco has an interior design photo gallery and social network--which means you can see each designer's profile and designs. YOU get to choose which professional interior designer you want to work with before you even start checking out.

3. Communication Limitations

In addition to the concerns about your actual designer, your communication with professionals is also limited. With Modsy's premium or multi-room packages, your only communication will be through messages or via email. Then, once the first design is complete, you'll work through revisions the same way.

You won't receive any opportunities to talk to your designer in real life unless you pay for the Luxe package.

Alternatively, you can kick your interior design experience off to a much better start with Stuccco. You can schedule a time to ask all of your design questions for 30-minutes--totally free, and totally obligation-free. Then you can continue to communicate with your chosen designer during your project! Schedule your call here.

4. Inventory Limitations

Because Modsy works directly with retailers for profit, their product catalog is limited. In general, they work with big box retailers, which creates a lack of variety.

Even though Modsy says that it can work with any budget, its limited catalog affects that greatly. If there are only a few product pieces to choose from, the designer is forced to sacrifice either design quality or budget.

5. Sales Pressure

All Modsy designers receive a commission for products purchased through Modsy. While that's good for the designers, it naturally affects the priorities of even the most pure-hearted and talented ones.

Instead of having designers who are 100% dedicated to creating the best result for you, they may be more motivated to create a design with a better commission potential.

6. Slow Response Time

Modsy's customer reviews make it clear that they do not always stick to the 2-3 week timeline they claim. In fact, many users take weeks just to get in touch with a member of customer service.

7. Bad Reviews

Even though Modsy has some customer reviews on their website, you should always check unbiased, third-party review sources before you pay for any service. It takes a little bit of digging to find an unbiased source for Modsy reviews, but we found around 100 reviews on Trust Reviewers, 14 reviews on Better Business Bureau (BBB), and a select few on Good Housekeeping.

Here are some positive Modsy reviews:

• "The design process was easy and one of the two designs was absolutely perfect!"
• "The designs were very close to my ideal room. I tweaked them a little and now I have exactly what I want."
• "The 3D simulation of our space was very close to reality and they incorporated all of our comments and requests in the design."
• "It was awesome to see our very room in a completely different layout and furniture before buying."

Here are some negative Modsy reviews:

• "The interface does not allow the average consumer to maneuver through the process with ease. It took me over an hour to try and rearrange one of the designs Modsy created that I just walked away."
• "The purchase, delivery, and return process is a nightmare. One return took no fewer than 15 emails, three sets of return labels, and four attempts to get a pickup scheduled."
• "The day my project was due, I got a generic email explaining they were delayed and assured me I'd get my project in another few days "at the latest." This was the first of four missed deadlines - each following the same pattern of generic email sent out the day the project was due saying it wouldn't be delivered yet."
• "The brands they work with are all fairly pricey and they went way over budget ($2500). I already have the major furniture pieces but to buy all the rest (coffee table, rug, plants, throws) would have been an additional $5800-$8100 per their design. I will take the ideas and have to find my own products, which means this wasn't as big of a time saver as I hoped it would have been."

To put it lightly, the reviews are concerning.

Who is Modsy Best For?

Many homeowners and renters just aren't sure how to arrange furniture in their room or choose products that work together to fit their style and functionality needs. Online interior design is an incredible way to get one-on-one expertise and advice CUSTOM for your space, style, and needs. In comparison with traditional interior design, you can save thousands of dollars!

However, if that's what you're looking for--Modsy is likely not the best fit for you.

Instead, customers have said that Modsy gave them some ideas for their space. It's a generally affordable design service, and you can interact briefly with people in the art and design fields to get some perspective on the design of your home. However, the end result may or may not fit your budget and style, and will likely take many weeks to complete.

If you don't want to spend the time trying to design your space (or making a million trips to different stores, buying and returning decor)--you're better off choosing a high-touch design service like Stuccco.

Related: Learn more about your personal style in The Complete Guide to Interior Design Styles

Modsy Alternative

If you're looking for the best online interior design services (and you should be!), look no further. Welcome to Stuccco.

Here's how Stuccco's online interior design service works:

• Schedule your free design consult
• Research designers OR choose one of three we suggest after the call
• Submit photos and questionnaire
• One-on-one consultation with a professional interior designer
• Receive your 3D renderings within 14 days
• Continue to collaborate and revise your design
• Purchase items on your own time, from your own platform

Whether you have an empty room, a cluttered room, or just a few existing pieces you want to include, we work with you personally to create the best possible design.

Stuccco's only motive is to create the absolute best design for you and your family.

That's why you won't purchase your furniture through us, and our designers aren't paid a commission. They're paid fairly to begin with.

Want to compare our reviews with Modsy's? You can see our interior design reviews from our website, as well as our public Google reviews.

Comparison of Modsy and Stuccco Features

Where to Start

If you're ready to move forward with an online interior design service, there are two FREE ways to get started.
 

First, take the interior design style quiz to determine your unique style. Then, schedule your interior design consultation to get all the answers to your questions.

Schedule Your Design Consultation