A RapidPlan or AutoCAD alternative for NZ: Xuro compared
RapidPlan, from Invarion, is a TMP drawing tool sold as a Windows desktop app (NZ$999 a year) and a web app (NZ$755 a year). Xuro is a newer NZ tool that runs in Chrome or Edge and combines TMP drawing with a pre-submission review against CoPTTM or NZGTTM. Xuro's prices aren't published yet. AutoCAD, from Autodesk, is general 2D and 3D CAD software from NZ$297 a month, with a free 15-day trial. RapidPlan Online and Xuro offer free 14-day trials, and RapidPlan desktop has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
About this comparison
This page compares what each product's own website and documentation say, checked on 26 October 2026. AutoCAD is general CAD software rather than a TMP tool, but many TMP designers draw in it, so it has its own column. We make Xuro, so we've kept it to facts you can check, with sources. Where we've used a product ourselves, we say so. Where a feature isn't listed for a product, we say "not listed": it may still exist, so ask the provider. If anything here is out of date, email [email protected] and we'll fix it.
Side by side
| RapidPlan | RapidPlan Online | AutoCAD | Xuro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Invarion, founded in Melbourne in 2001; RapidPlan 1.0 released 2007 | Invarion | Autodesk | Xuro, made in New Zealand |
| Runs on | Windows desktop (Windows 11) | Web browser | Desktop, web and mobile, with DWG files | Chrome or Edge on a computer; can be installed from the browser |
| Price (checked 26 Oct 2026) | NZ$999 a year, excluding tax | NZ$755 a year, excluding tax | From NZ$297 a month | Not yet published |
| Trial | 14-day money-back guarantee | Free 14-day trial | Free 15-day trial; 30-day return on annual plans | Free 14-day trial, no card, 20 credits |
| Maps and imagery | Google Maps plus others; GIS and online maps can be imported | Google Maps and Mapbox | Map 3D toolset for GIS data you bring | LINZ aerial imagery and LINZ topographic map |
| Map layers | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Property numbers, bus stops, schools, shops, medical centres, bus routes and cycle routes |
| Road details | Speed limits come with the automatic road layout, only for the road you import; traffic volume not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Right-click a road for its name, speed limit, classification and suburb, and traffic volume where it's published |
| Kerbs | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed; the Raster Design toolset converts scanned drawings to lines | Kerb lines imported for an area, or traced by AI on the aerial photo and smoothed into clean lines (uses credits) |
| Crossings and driveways | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Site Builder reads pedestrian crossings, signals and driveways from the map and asks about them before it builds |
| Signs | Specialised sign libraries for regions across New Zealand; custom signs | Sign library; custom signs | Not listed; signs are drawn as your own blocks | NZ signs drawn from NZTA's own sign files; a dedicated Sign Editor that builds custom signs from NZTA signs and blank plates sized to NZTA specifications |
| Standards named | Templates described as meeting "the latest TMP standards"; CoPTTM and NZGTTM not named on the pages checked | Sign library described as "regularly updated to ensure compliance with the latest standards"; CoPTTM and NZGTTM not named on the pages checked | Autodesk Assistant checks CAD drawing standards (tech preview); CoPTTM and NZGTTM not named | Layout distances for CoPTTM or NZGTTM |
| Automatic layouts | Automatic road layout tool and automatic intersection creator; import a pre-drawn road layout for your location | Not listed | Not listed | Site Builder (paid add-on): lays out signs, cones and safety zones from a short chat, for you to check and adjust; marks each bus stop with its P21 sign, closes a stop inside the work and notes where passengers go |
| Layout distances | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Right-click a road for sign spacing, taper length, safety zone, cone spacing and lateral clearance from the CoPTTM or NZGTTM tables; pin the card to your plan |
| Side roads | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Site Builder (paid add-on) finds side roads on the map and signs them: side road warnings, turn bans, and No Exit before a road with no way out |
| Print frame notes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Site Builder's Make print frame (paid add-on) adds the legend, a notes block with the cone spacings and an arrowed note on each site-specific decision |
| Detours | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Route a detour along real roads, with its distance and travel time, on its own stage |
| Templates | Plan templates, fully customisable | Not in Invarion's pricing table; its FAQ mentions regional standard setups | Not listed | Title block layouts saved as your default; no plan templates listed |
| Import | PDF, CAD (DXF, DWG), KML, KMZ, SVG and images | Image, SVG | DWG; scanned drawings with the Raster Design toolset | Image, PDF or an existing plan as an underlay to trace |
| Export | Image, PDF, CAD-friendly formats; batch export | Image, PDF | DWG | PDF, PNG, JPEG, print, DXF |
| Swept path | RapidPath, a separate product (NZ$1,299 a year desktop) | RapidPath Online, separate (NZ$799 a year) | Vehicle Tracking, a separate product sold only in the Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection | Included in the Designer, with Austroads AP-G34-23 design vehicles, B-doubles included; results indicative |
| Pre-submission review | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Xuro Review Engine: checks a TMP package against CoPTTM or NZGTTM and points to the page behind each possible issue, with the clause it relates to where there is one |
| Sharing | Invarion Cloud storage (5 GB); online sharing with colleagues and clients | Invarion Cloud storage (5 GB) | Shared DWG files with Forma Data Management Essentials | Company accounts for your team; each plan is one .xro file |
| Support | Email and phone; live training and a customer success manager on desktop | Email and phone | 24x7 online support | Email; welcome tour and nine tutorials in the app |
| Customers | Invarion reports over 10,000 customers | New |
Where they differ most
- Platform. Invarion describes the Windows desktop app as its full-featured product and RapidPlan Online as suited to plans of low-to-medium complexity. Xuro runs in Chrome or Edge on a computer.
- Maps. RapidPlan draws on Google Maps and other services. Xuro draws on LINZ's aerial imagery and topographic maps.
- Map data. Xuro adds map layers (bus routes, bus stops, cycle routes, shops, schools, medical centres and property numbers), road details with traffic volume, AI kerb tracing on the aerial photo, crossings and driveways, and detour routing with travel time. Invarion's pages checked don't list these.
- Swept paths. With RapidPlan, swept path analysis is a separate product, RapidPath. In Xuro it's part of the Designer.
- Review. Xuro includes a pre-submission check of the finished package. RapidPlan's pages checked don't list a review feature, so you'd check the TMP another way, such as a peer review.
- AutoCAD. AutoCAD is general 2D and 3D CAD. Autodesk's pages don't list NZ sign libraries, layout distances or road data, and its swept path tool, Vehicle Tracking, is sold only in the Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection.
- Track record. RapidPlan has been around since 2007, and Invarion reports over 10,000 customers. Xuro is new.
How to decide
Try both on a recent job of your own, using the trial or money-back period. Look at what you actually do each week: the standard you work to, whether you need swept paths, how you share drawings with engineers, and how you check a TMP before it goes to the council. For a wider view of the market, see TMP software in New Zealand, and for the checks councils make, see Checking a TMP before you submit.
RapidPlan and AutoCAD are trade marks of their owners. Xuro is not affiliated with Invarion or Autodesk.
Questions
Is Xuro a replacement for RapidPlan?
It can be, depending on your work. Both draw TMPs on maps with NZ sign libraries. Xuro adds swept paths, map layers such as bus routes and property numbers, detour routing and a pre-submission review against CoPTTM or NZGTTM in the same product, while RapidPlan offers a Windows desktop app, plan templates and a long track record. Try both on a real job.
Can I draw TMPs in AutoCAD instead?
Yes, many designers do, but AutoCAD is general CAD software: Autodesk's pages don't list NZ sign libraries, layout distances or road data, and its swept path tool, Vehicle Tracking, is sold only in the Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection. On 26 October 2026 AutoCAD started at NZ$297 a month. Xuro is built for TMPs, with NZTA signs, layout distances and swept paths in the Designer.
How much does RapidPlan cost compared with Xuro?
On 26 October 2026, RapidPlan desktop was NZ$999 a year and RapidPlan Online NZ$755 a year, both excluding tax. Xuro had not published its prices; it offers a free 14-day trial with 20 credits and no card, subject to approval.
Does RapidPlan include swept path analysis?
Not in RapidPlan itself. Invarion sells swept path analysis as RapidPath, NZ$1,299 a year for desktop or NZ$799 a year online, excluding tax. In Xuro, swept paths are part of the Designer, with indicative results.
Sources
- Invarion, Plans and pricing (NZ): https://invarion.com/en-NZ/pricing/ (checked 26 October 2026)
- Invarion, RapidPlan product page: https://invarion.com/en-NZ/products/rapidplan (checked 26 October 2026)
- Invarion, Traffic management plan software: https://invarion.com/en-NZ/traffic-management-plan-software (checked 26 October 2026)
- Invarion, our history: https://invarion.com/en-NZ/history (checked 26 October 2026)
- Autodesk, AutoCAD (NZ): https://www.autodesk.com/nz/products/autocad/overview (checked 26 October 2026)
- Autodesk, Vehicle Tracking (NZ): https://www.autodesk.com/nz/products/vehicle-tracking/overview (checked 26 October 2026)
- Xuro facts: Features page https://xuro.co.nz/features/, Terms https://xuro.co.nz/terms/ and What's new https://xuro.co.nz/changelog/ (Austroads AP-G34-23 design vehicles, 10 October 2026) (checked 26 October 2026)
Last checked: 26 October 2026