Use Kreativ to judge scale for IKEA pieces, then check any tight fit with a tape measure. It does not cover other brands, textiles or ceiling items.

IKEA Kreativ Review: Scan Accuracy, Limits, and Who It Suits

IKEA Kreativ lets you scan your room and place IKEA furniture in it for free. This review is built from IKEA's own help pages, checked on 2 November 2026, and from simple arithmetic on its accuracy claim. We did not scan a room ourselves, so there is no star rating and no test result here. It covers the three ways to start, how the scan works, what 97 percent accuracy means in inches, and what Kreativ cannot place.

By Deniz S. · Published October 24, 2026

Image: Generated for Interior Index. Conceptual scenes, not screenshots of IKEA Kreativ.

Key points

Cost: Free, in the IKEA app and on IKEA.com.
Accuracy: IKEA claims about 97 percent. On a 12 ft wall that could mean up to about 4.3 in, by our arithmetic.
Limits: No curtains, pillows or other textiles, no ceiling-mounted items, no full kitchens, IKEA products only.
Evidence: IKEA help pages checked 2 November 2026. We did not test the tool.

Is IKEA Kreativ worth using?

Yes, if you are choosing IKEA furniture and want to see it in a scan of your own room. No, if you want to compare furniture from several stores. Kreativ is free, and it is built to show IKEA products only. We did not scan a room in it for this review. Everything below comes from IKEA's own help pages as of 2 November 2026 and from arithmetic on IKEA's stated accuracy. We give no star rating, because we have not run our own test.

Use it when

You already plan to buy IKEA, you have a recent iPhone or iPad with LiDAR, and you want a quick look at scale before you go to the store.

Look elsewhere when

You want curtains, rugs, pendants or a full kitchen, or products from other retailers. See the last section.

What Kreativ is and the three ways to start

IKEA Kreativ is a free virtual room designer in the IKEA app and on IKEA.com. IKEA's help pages describe three starting points.

The three starting points in IKEA Kreativ, as described on IKEA help pages.

1Photo mode. You snap or upload a photo, then use an Eraser to remove items you do not want.
2Scan or type. LiDAR-enabled devices can scan a room in the app. On the web you type the dimensions in the Room Builder.
3Showrooms. More than 50 virtual rooms to start from.

A person standing beside a bookcase in a living room holding a phone up in front of them, aimed across the room — IKEA's tips are to stand with your back to a corner, keep the floor in view and use bright light. Generated scene, not a Kreativ screenshot.

How the room scan works

There are two scan options, and which you get depends on your device.

Scan option	Needs	What you get
Photographic Wide-Angle Scan	Any supported phone. Devices without LiDAR use this by default.	A scan of the room as it is, with the option to erase items already in it.
Full Room Scan	A device with LiDAR	A scan that starts with the room empty.

IKEA lists three scan methods inside these options: 5 Point Panoramic, Ultrawide and 1-Scan LiDAR. Its tips are to stand with your back to a corner, keep the floor in the photo, scan in bright light, and sweep the phone in a figure-8 pattern.

What 97 percent accuracy means on a real wall

IKEA says Kreativ scans reach "approximately 97% accuracy" when you follow its best practices, and that products show at "100% accurate scale based on the room's square footage". IKEA Ireland states the same as 97 percent or better, with an error of 6 cm or less. IKEA also says editing a room's dimensions after you create it is "coming soon".

Our arithmetic, assuming the claim means up to a 3 percent error: that is about 2.9 inches on an 8 ft wall, 4.3 inches on a 12 ft wall and 5.8 inches on a 16 ft wall. It is a good guide to scale, and not a substitute for a tape measure when a piece must fit a gap of an inch or two.

What a 3 percent error looks like on three wall lengths. These are our figures from IKEA's claim, not a test result.

What Kreativ does not do

Textiles. Curtains, pillows, blankets and tablecloths are not supported.
Ceiling-mounted items. Pendants and curtain rods are not supported.
Full kitchens. IKEA says to use its Kitchen planner. Kitchens and bathrooms can be scanned, but IKEA recommends the planners. Our IKEA kitchen planner review covers that tool.
Other brands. It places IKEA products.

Illustration of a living room with dashed orange outlines for curtains, a pendant light and two sofa pillows — IKEA lists textiles and ceiling-mounted items as not supported. This shows what that leaves out. Illustration.

App or web

Feature	App	Web
Room scanning	Yes	No
Room Builder (type dimensions)	No	Yes
Zoom	App-wide	Room Builder only
Remix links	No	Yes

A phone and a laptop side by side on a wooden table, each showing a blurred floor plan, with a mug and a notebook — Scanning is app-only and the Room Builder is web-only. Generated scene with a generic floor plan.

Check it before you buy

Use Kreativ to decide what to look at, then measure the real room. Our furniture clearance guide gives the gaps that matter, and our room measuring apps comparison covers tools that help you capture exact sizes.

A tape measure stretched along a living room wall beside a rectangle of blue painter tape on the floor — Check any tight fit against the real wall. Generated scene.

When another tool fits better

Kreativ answers "will this IKEA piece fit and look right in my room?" If your shortlist spans several stores, you need a tool that accepts any product image. DecorViz accepts product images from any store, and its Quick Generate swaps a single piece while Canvas places up to four. If you want to restyle a whole room from a photo, see our AI decorating apps comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Is IKEA Kreativ free?

Yes. IKEA describes Kreativ as a free virtual room designer, available in the IKEA app and on IKEA.com.

How accurate is IKEA Kreativ?

IKEA says approximately 97 percent accuracy when you follow its best practices, and IKEA Ireland states 97 percent or better with an error of 6 cm or less. We did not test it, so check any tight fit with a tape measure.

Do I need a LiDAR phone to use Kreativ?

No. Devices without LiDAR use the Photographic Wide-Angle Scan by default. A LiDAR-equipped device can also use the Full Room Scan, which starts with the room empty.

Can IKEA Kreativ place curtains or ceiling lights?

No. IKEA lists textiles such as curtains, pillows, blankets and tablecloths, and ceiling-mounted items such as pendants and curtain rods, as not supported.

Can Kreativ show furniture from other stores?

No, it is built to place IKEA products. A tool that accepts product images from any store, such as DecorViz, fits better when your shortlist spans several retailers.