Trikker, PlanElec Sketch or PlanElec Pro: which tool for single-line diagrams and situation plans in Belgium?

Trikker is the established desktop program for drawing the single-line diagram (eendraadschema) and situation plan, PlanElec Sketch is a free drawing tool in the browser, and PlanElec Pro plans the whole installation in one project. If you only want to draw and export a PDF, Trikker and Sketch both do the job. If you also need a floor-plan-based project, a switchboard, PV or an AI assistant, look at Pro. This comparison shows where each tool stands, with a source for every statement about Trikker.

Comparison as of 26 October 2026, first checked on 14 October 2026. Written by the PlanElec team. We make two of the three tools. That is why every Trikker statement below comes from Trikker's public sources or from our own test with the Trikker 2.0 demo, and why we list what Trikker does better. Trikker is a trademark of its owner. We use the name only to refer to the product.

Which tool fits which job?

The three tools side by side

Sources for the Trikker column are at the end of the article. "Not described" never means "does not exist": we only list what we could verify.

What Trikker does well

Trikker is a mature program, and that shows.

• Established. It is part of Belgian training: Syntra Midden-Vlaanderen offers a Trikker course, and Trikker offers a free education licence.
• Offline desktop. Drawing, saving and exporting work without an internet connection (manual). Licence checks and PDF output need the internet. Files stay on your computer; the manual says so explicitly.
• Mature single-line logic. In our own test with the demo, the diagram arranges itself when you click a connection point. Cable type, number of conductors, installation method (underground, in wall, on wall, overhead), phase and short-circuit current have their own fields. A new document starts with a supply line, a main residual-current device and a switchboard.
• Broad symbol library. Eleven categories, from sockets, switches and lighting through bells and alarm to home automation, energy and drives.
• Situation plan with walls and background. Drawing with grid and snapping, A4 and A3 frames, import of images, PDF and DWG with layer selection.
• Six languages in version 2.0, including Polish and Romanian.
• Reading in old diagrams (beta). The Schemalezer turns a single-line diagram and a situation plan, including a scan, photo or hand sketch, into a Trikker diagram; the symbols land on the plan, linked to their circuit. It is available to customers with an active licence, and you have to check the result. Since an update, you can also describe the installation on site by typing or dictating, in Dutch, French or English; the result is a single-line diagram under the AREI/RGIE, uncertain circuits appear as points to review, and you place the points on the plan yourself.

What PlanElec Sketch does, and what it does not

Sketch is a free web app for exactly two documents: the single-line diagram and the situation plan.

• You pick a symbol or a ready-made circuit and click a blue connection point. Layout, lines and circuit letters follow automatically. Places where a symbol cannot connect are not offered.
• The situation plan runs on an imported floor plan (image or PDF). You set the scale with two points, drag the devices from the diagram onto the plan and see which circuits are fully placed. The plan has several floors; in the PDF, each floor gets its own sheets.
• The PDF is created in your browser; the PDF file is not uploaded. You choose A4 or A3, landscape or portrait. It has a title block with installation, client, EAN, installer and approved inspection body. The PDF carries no watermark; the title block shows the line "Drawn with PlanElec Sketch".
• No account needed, no limit. Your drawing is saved automatically in your browser; you can also save it as a file. With a free PlanElec account, Sketch saves the drawing automatically in the cloud, so it is there on every device. The PDF of a saved, unchanged drawing then carries a QR code that lets anyone check its version and origin.
• Opening Trikker files: Sketch opens a .trik file, continues with the single-line diagram and lists everything it could not carry over in a report. Floor plans in .trik files are not imported yet. Always check the result.
• On to Pro: with Take it to Pro, you continue the drawing as a PlanElec Pro project. The single-line diagram, boards, circuits, cables and project data come along, the situation plan does not; the import page shows everything that is not taken over beforehand. There is no way back from Pro to Sketch.

Sketch does not do: switchboard planning, PV, home automation, AI, teamwork or the AREI/RGIE self-check. Sketch is also young. Its symbol set is smaller than that of an established program, so check on a real project whether the symbols you need are there.

What PlanElec Pro does, and where its limits are

Pro starts from the installation, not from the drawing. Floor plan, devices, circuits and switchboard form one project, and single-line diagram, situation plan and lists are derived from it.

• Documents: single-line diagram, situation plan, switchboard, self-check report and a selectable dossier as PDF.
• AI: the PlanElec assistant carries out requests in natural language in the project. Floor plan recognition reads PDF, PNG, JPEG or WebP, including a Trikker PDF export, into a proposal with walls, rooms, doors and windows. It needs a confirmed scale. Switchboard photo recognition proposes the visible DIN modules.
• Self-check: an AREI/RGIE self-check for the supported rules. It shows open points. It is not a certificate; the official assessment is done by the approved inspection body.
• Teamwork: organisations, invitations and project roles.
• Limits: Pro needs an account. Without a connection, you keep editing a project you opened beforehand as a pilot; export and AI features need the internet. Pro does not open .trik files directly; the diagram comes in through Sketch. The detailed material list and KNX documentation are in pilot status.

Moving from Trikker

1. You continue drawing: open the .trik file in PlanElec Sketch. Check the report and the diagram. To keep planning in Pro, choose Take it to Pro there.
2. You need the floor plan: export it from Trikker as PDF and have Pro recognise it. Floor plans are not taken from .trik files.
3. You want to compare first: the full comparison from the Pro point of view is in Trikker alternative. What the Trikker 2.0 beta brings is in Trikker 2.0 for Mac.

For the difference between the two documents, see single-line diagram vs situation plan. Sketch is at sketch.planelec.be; the Pro plans are on the pricing page.

How we checked this comparison

On printing, Trikker's sources differ in wording. The online manual says the PDF is created on the manufacturer's servers and that printing needs your consent to send the dossier there. The 2.0 announcement says that printing creates PDFs directly. In our demo test, a notice told us that the file is uploaded to the manufacturer for printing; we did not produce a PDF in the demo. The privacy notices in the 2.0 beta manual (checked on 26 Oct 2026) describe the route via the servers: before printing, you confirm that the PDF is created there. Usage analytics and training future AI models with your plans are two separate, optional consents. If privacy matters to you, check how the final version handles it.

The statements about PlanElec follow our product description as of 26 October 2026. Prices and features change. If something is out of date, write to us and we will correct it.

Frequently asked questions

Is PlanElec Sketch really free?

Yes. No account needed, no limit on circuits, symbols, pages or projects. Without an account, your drawing stays in your browser until you save or export it; with a free account, Sketch stores it in the cloud. The PDF carries no watermark; the title block shows the line “Drawn with PlanElec Sketch”.

Can I open my Trikker file in Sketch?

Yes. Sketch opens .trik files and lists everything it could not carry over. Floor plans in the file are not imported yet. With Take it to Pro, you then continue the diagram in PlanElec Pro.

Does Trikker have a free version?

Trikker has a demo without account that is limited to 5 circuits and 1 plan page, with a watermark, plus a free education licence. The full version is a subscription.

Is a Sketch diagram enough for the inspection?

Sketch gives you a PDF with a title block for the approved inspection body; the PDF carries no watermark. You remain responsible for the content of your plans; the inspection is carried out by the approved inspection body.