Compare
Point cloud software compared
Which point cloud software should you use? It depends on the job. Below, 47 tools that process point clouds or Gaussian splats, compared with Neurones 3D on price, licence, offline use and the deliverables: AI classification, floor plans, CAD drawings, contours, change detection and splats. Every competitor fact comes from the vendor's own documentation and is dated; open a tool for the full comparison and its sources.
By Dr. Florent Poux, maker of Neurones 3D · Checked
Where Neurones 3D stands
- Free to run everything. The free viewer runs every process, AI classification and floor plans included; you pay once, only to save the results.
- Offline. No account, no upload, no telemetry: nothing leaves your machine.
- Deliverables, not a toolbox. Classified LAS, dimensioned floor plans with sections and elevations (DXF, PDF, SVG), DTM and contours, change maps, meshes and reports from one program.
- Point clouds and Gaussian splats in the same scene, and splats converted to points so the same tools apply.
- Measured. Every figure published, with its dataset: the benchmarks.
- Honest about its limits. Windows only; no DWG; it does not train splats; registration is cloud-to-cloud.
Laser scanning and survey suites
| Tool | Price | Runs fully offline | One-time licence available | AI point cloud classification | Automatic floor plans | DXF / CAD drawings | Contour lines | Change detection | Gaussian splats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurones 3D | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Autodesk ReCap Pro | £366 a year (£31 a month billed annually), £42 a month billed monthly, or £1,092 for 3 years, including estimated VAT (UK store); Flex tokens needed for cloud processing | Not stated | No | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Bentley iTwin Capture | iTwin Capture Engine from €4,095.00 EUR (12-month Virtuoso subscription); iTwin Capture WorkSuite from €5,115.00 EUR (12-month Virtuoso subscription); Cloud Services: price on request | Yes | Not stated | Add-on | Not stated | Not stated | Add-on | Add-on | Yes |
| Carlson Point Cloud | price on request | Not stated | Yes | Add-on | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| FARO SCENE | price on request | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Leica Cyclone (REGISTER 360 PLUS, Cyclone 3DR) | price on request | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Add-on | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| NavVis IVION | price on request | In the cloud | No | Not stated | In the cloud | Partly | Not stated | Partly | Not stated |
| TopoDOT | Enterprise 300: $12,000 licence + $26.00 per user-day; Enterprise 500: $18,000 + $23.00; Enterprise 1000: $28,000 + $19.75 (as published) | Not stated | Partly | Partly | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Partly | Not stated |
| Trimble RealWorks | price on request | Partly | Partly | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetry
| Tool | Price | Runs fully offline | One-time licence available | AI point cloud classification | Automatic floor plans | DXF / CAD drawings | Contour lines | Change detection | Gaussian splats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurones 3D | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Agisoft Metashape | Professional Edition $3,499; Standard Edition $179 (node-locked) | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Partly | Not stated |
| ArcGIS Pro | price on request | Partly | Yes | Add-on | Not stated | Yes | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
| DJI Terra | Agriculture, 1 year, 3 devices: 300 € on the DJI Store; Standard and Flagship: price on request from DJI dealers | Partly | Yes | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Global Mapper Pro | US $1,750 single user node-locked (maintenance US $610 for 12 months); US $2,625 floating or USB dongle; US $5,250 network (North American pricing) | Partly | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| LAStools | Commercial single seat: 1,500 € per individual tool, 5,000 € for LAStools with BLAST; office-wide LAStools with BLAST 15,000 € (excluding VAT) | Yes | No | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Partly | Not stated |
| LiDAR360 | price on request | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly |
| LP360 | price on request | Partly | Not stated | In the cloud | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Partly |
| PIX4Dmatic | PIX4Dmatic from USD 125 a month | Not stated | Not stated | Partly | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| RealityScan | Free under $1 million USD annual gross revenue and for education; otherwise $1,250 per seat per year | Not stated | No | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Terrasolid | TerraScan 5,700 € perpetual (maintenance 855 € a year) or 1,710 € a year; TerraModeler 3,600 € perpetual or 1,080 € a year (net prices, VAT 0 %) | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Add-on | Partly | Partly |
Scan to plan and scan to BIM
| Tool | Price | Runs fully offline | One-time licence available | AI point cloud classification | Automatic floor plans | DXF / CAD drawings | Contour lines | Change detection | Gaussian splats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurones 3D | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cintoo | price on request | No | Not stated | In the cloud | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | In the cloud | Add-on |
| EdgeWise | EdgeWise Lite USD 1,995 a year; EdgeWise Pro price on request | Not stated | Not stated | Partly | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Matterport | Free plan; Starter from $12 a month, Professional from $58 a month, Business from $296 a month (billed annually, price based on Active Spaces); Enterprise on request | Not stated | No | Not stated | Add-on | Add-on | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| PointCab Origins | Origins Core EUR 3,000.00, Origins 3D EUR 4,900.00 (perpetual, as listed in the vendor's shop); dongle for offline use EUR 180.00 | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Partly | Yes | Yes | Partly | Not stated |
| Pointorama | Flex EUR 49 one-time per project; Launch EUR 490 a year (2 projects a month); Grow EUR 1,490 a year (8 projects a month); Scale EUR 3,900 a year (30 projects a month) | No | Partly | In the cloud | In the cloud | In the cloud | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Undet | Undet for AutoCAD: EUR 139 a month (sale, from EUR 199), EUR 1,200 a year or EUR 2,500 for 3 years. Undet for SketchUp: EUR 59 a month (sale), EUR 500 a year or EUR 1,200 for 3 years, excluding VAT. Undet for Revit: not stated on the pages read | Not stated | No | Not stated | Partly | Yes | Not stated | Partly | Not stated |
AI and cloud point cloud services
| Tool | Price | Runs fully offline | One-time licence available | AI point cloud classification | Automatic floor plans | DXF / CAD drawings | Contour lines | Change detection | Gaussian splats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurones 3D | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Flai | Starter EUR 40 a month (EUR 480 a year); Growth EUR 150 a month (EUR 1,800 a year); Professional EUR 500 a month (EUR 6,000 a year); on-premise and Flai Lib price on request | Partly | No | In the cloud | Not stated | In the cloud | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR) | price on request | No | No | In the cloud | Not stated | Add-on | Not stated | In the cloud | Not stated |
| Lidarvisor | Lite USD 29 a month or USD 228 a year; Premium USD 89 a month or USD 708 a year; Advanced USD 249 a month or USD 2,004 a year | No | No | In the cloud | Not stated | In the cloud | In the cloud | Not stated | Not stated |
| Mach9 Digital Surveyor | price on request | No | Not stated | In the cloud | Not stated | In the cloud | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Pointly | Professional S EUR 99 a month (500 MPoints); Professional M EUR 490 a month (5,000 MPoints); Professional M+ EUR 790 a month; API from EUR 0.15 per million points; Pointly Box from EUR 19,000 a year | Partly | No | In the cloud | Not stated | In the cloud | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Free and open-source tools
| Tool | Price | Runs fully offline | One-time licence available | AI point cloud classification | Automatic floor plans | DXF / CAD drawings | Contour lines | Change detection | Gaussian splats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurones 3D | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CloudCompare | Free | Yes | Yes | Add-on | Not stated | Partly | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| MeshLab | Free | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Open3D | Free | Yes | Yes | Add-on | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Partly | Not stated |
| PDAL | Free | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
| Point Cloud Library (PCL) | Free | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Partly | Not stated |
| Potree / PotreeDesktop | Free | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| QGIS | Free | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
Gaussian splatting tools
| Tool | Price | Runs fully offline | One-time licence available | AI point cloud classification | Automatic floor plans | DXF / CAD drawings | Contour lines | Change detection | Gaussian splats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurones 3D | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Brush | Free | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Jawset Postshot | Indie EUR 26 a month billed monthly or EUR 204 a year; Studio EUR 59 a month billed monthly or EUR 468 a year (excluding VAT) | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| KIRI Engine | Pro USD 79.99 a year (equal to USD 6.66 a month) or USD 17.99 a month | No | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | In the cloud |
| LichtFeld Studio | Free to build from source under GPLv3; prebuilt Windows binaries for a donation of your choosing | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Luma AI (Luma 3D Capture) | Luma 3D Capture is free on the App Store; Luma's paid plans (from $30 a month) are for its image and video models | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Nerfstudio / gsplat | Free | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Polycam | Basic $150 a year ($12.50 a month) or $30 billed monthly; Business $400 a year per user ($33 a month); Enterprise on request | No | No | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | In the cloud |
| Scaniverse | Free; Plus $20 a month or $200 a year; Pro $50 a month or $500 a year; Enterprise custom | Partly | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | In the cloud |
| Splat Labs | Starter $14 a month; Business $69 a month; Enterprise $158 a month billed annually, LiDAR add-on $1,599 a year (yearly billing saves up to 30%) | No | Not stated | Not stated | In the cloud | Not stated | Not stated | Partly | In the cloud |
| SuperSplat | Free | Partly | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| XGRIDS Lixel CyberColor (LCC) | Not published on the vendor's site | Partly | Not stated | Add-on | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
Every comparison
Laser scanning and survey suitesNeurones 3D vs Autodesk ReCap Prosubscription (monthly, annual or 3-year) or Autodesk Flex tokens · £366 a year (£31 a month billed annually), £42 a month billed monthly, or £1,092 for 3 years, including estimated VAT (UK store); Flex tokens needed for cloud processing
Laser scanning and survey suitesNeurones 3D vs Bentley iTwin Capture12-month Virtuoso subscription (Engine, WorkSuite); Cloud Services by quote; Modeler Flex free · iTwin Capture Engine from €4,095.00 EUR (12-month Virtuoso subscription); iTwin Capture WorkSuite from €5,115.00 EUR (12-month Virtuoso subscription); Cloud Services: price on request
Laser scanning and survey suitesNeurones 3D vs Carlson Point Cloudperpetual licence with optional maintenance; Basic and Advanced editions · price on request
Laser scanning and survey suitesNeurones 3D vs FARO SCENENot published; licensed through the FARO Licensing Manager with a product key · price on request
Laser scanning and survey suitesNeurones 3D vs Leica Cycloneperpetual licences with a Customer Care Package (CCP) for updates; Standard, option and Pro editions · price on request
Laser scanning and survey suitesNeurones 3D vs NavVis IVIONSubscription plans (Core, Professional, Enterprise) as volume-based packages of panoramas, storage and users · price on request
Laser scanning and survey suitesNeurones 3D vs TopoDOTone-time organisation licence plus annual maintenance billed per user-day · Enterprise 300: $12,000 licence + $26.00 per user-day; Enterprise 500: $18,000 + $23.00; Enterprise 1000: $28,000 + $19.75 (as published)
Laser scanning and survey suitesNeurones 3D vs Trimble RealWorkssubscription plans (Starter, Core, Performance, Storage Tank editions); existing perpetual licences with warranty · price on request
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs Agisoft Metashapelicence that is not time-limited (node-locked or floating), free updates up to version 2.x.x · Professional Edition $3,499; Standard Edition $179 (node-locked)
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs ArcGIS ProNamed User (annual subscription through ArcGIS Online; subscription or perpetual through ArcGIS Enterprise) or Single Use (subscription or perpetual) · price on request
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs DJI TerraStandard and Flagship permanent licences (online or offline); Agriculture licence for one year · Agriculture, 1 year, 3 devices: 300 € on the DJI Store; Standard and Flagship: price on request from DJI dealers
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs Global Mapper Properpetual licence (node-locked, floating, USB dongle or network), optional 12-month maintenance · US $1,750 single user node-locked (maintenance US $610 for 12 months); US $2,625 floating or USB dongle; US $5,250 network (North American pricing)
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs LAStoolslicence limited to one year from issue, renewable for a maintenance fee · Commercial single seat: 1,500 € per individual tool, 5,000 € for LAStools with BLAST; office-wide LAStools with BLAST 15,000 € (excluding VAT)
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs LiDAR360commercial licence activated by authorisation code; terms not published · price on request
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs LP360machine (node-locked) or concurrent (floating) licences in Basic, Standard and Advanced plans · price on request
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs PIX4Dmaticsubscription, renewing monthly, yearly or every three years · PIX4Dmatic from USD 125 a month
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs RealityScanfree below US $1 million annual revenue; yearly seats above it · Free under $1 million USD annual gross revenue and for education; otherwise $1,250 per seat per year
Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetryNeurones 3D vs Terrasolidperpetual licence with annual maintenance, or annual subscription, per application · TerraScan 5,700 € perpetual (maintenance 855 € a year) or 1,710 € a year; TerraModeler 3,600 € perpetual or 1,080 € a year (net prices, VAT 0 %)
Scan to plan and scan to BIMNeurones 3D vs Cintoosubscription (BIM Edition, Twin Edition; 360 Edition as an add-on) · price on request
Scan to plan and scan to BIMNeurones 3D vs EdgeWiseannual subscription (Lite); Pro on request · EdgeWise Lite USD 1,995 a year; EdgeWise Pro price on request
Scan to plan and scan to BIMNeurones 3D vs Matterportsubscription billed annually, priced by Active Spaces; paid add-ons per file · Free plan; Starter from $12 a month, Professional from $58 a month, Business from $296 a month (billed annually, price based on Active Spaces); Enterprise on request
Scan to plan and scan to BIMNeurones 3D vs PointCab Originsperpetual licence, yearly subscription or monthly rental · Origins Core EUR 3,000.00, Origins 3D EUR 4,900.00 (perpetual, as listed in the vendor's shop); dongle for offline use EUR 180.00
Scan to plan and scan to BIMNeurones 3D vs Pointoramapay per project or annual subscription with a monthly project allowance · Flex EUR 49 one-time per project; Launch EUR 490 a year (2 projects a month); Grow EUR 1,490 a year (8 projects a month); Scale EUR 3,900 a year (30 projects a month)
Scan to plan and scan to BIMNeurones 3D vs Undetauto-renewing monthly, annual or 3-year subscription per host application · Undet for AutoCAD: EUR 139 a month (sale, from EUR 199), EUR 1,200 a year or EUR 2,500 for 3 years. Undet for SketchUp: EUR 59 a month (sale), EUR 500 a year or EUR 1,200 for 3 years, excluding VAT. Undet for Revit: not stated on the pages read
AI and cloud point cloud servicesNeurones 3D vs Flaimonthly or annual subscription with processing units; on-premise and embedded on annual licence · Starter EUR 40 a month (EUR 480 a year); Growth EUR 150 a month (EUR 1,800 a year); Professional EUR 500 a month (EUR 6,000 a year); on-premise and Flai Lib price on request
AI and cloud point cloud servicesNeurones 3D vs Hexagon GeoCloudusage-based subscription, billed annually by invoice (upload, download and processing tracked) · price on request
AI and cloud point cloud servicesNeurones 3D vs Lidarvisormonthly or yearly subscription with a hectare allowance, plus credit packs · Lite USD 29 a month or USD 228 a year; Premium USD 89 a month or USD 708 a year; Advanced USD 249 a month or USD 2,004 a year
AI and cloud point cloud servicesNeurones 3D vs Mach9 Digital Surveyornot published · price on request
AI and cloud point cloud servicesNeurones 3D vs Pointlymonthly subscription, per-point API pricing, or annual on-premise licence · Professional S EUR 99 a month (500 MPoints); Professional M EUR 490 a month (5,000 MPoints); Professional M+ EUR 790 a month; API from EUR 0.15 per million points; Pointly Box from EUR 19,000 a year
Free and open-source toolsNeurones 3D vs CloudComparefree and open source (GNU GPL) · Free
Free and open-source toolsNeurones 3D vs MeshLabfree and open source (GPL 3.0) · Free
Free and open-source toolsNeurones 3D vs QGISfree and open source (GNU General Public License) · Free
Gaussian splatting toolsNeurones 3D vs Jawset Postshotmonthly or yearly subscription, with a free non-commercial plan · Indie EUR 26 a month billed monthly or EUR 204 a year; Studio EUR 59 a month billed monthly or EUR 468 a year (excluding VAT)
Gaussian splatting toolsNeurones 3D vs KIRI Enginefree Basic plan, Pro by yearly or monthly subscription · Pro USD 79.99 a year (equal to USD 6.66 a month) or USD 17.99 a month
Gaussian splatting toolsNeurones 3D vs LichtFeld Studioopen source (GPLv3); prebuilt Windows binaries through a donation-funded portal · Free to build from source under GPLv3; prebuilt Windows binaries for a donation of your choosing
Gaussian splatting toolsNeurones 3D vs Polycammonthly or yearly subscription · Basic $150 a year ($12.50 a month) or $30 billed monthly; Business $400 a year per user ($33 a month); Enterprise on request
Gaussian splatting toolsNeurones 3D vs Scaniversefree plan, or monthly or yearly subscription with cloud credits · Free; Plus $20 a month or $200 a year; Pro $50 a month or $500 a year; Enterprise custom
Gaussian splatting toolsNeurones 3D vs Splat Labsmonthly or yearly subscription, with a free plan · Starter $14 a month; Business $69 a month; Enterprise $158 a month billed annually, LiDAR add-on $1,599 a year (yearly billing saves up to 30%)
Gaussian splatting toolsNeurones 3D vs SuperSplatfree and open source (MIT) · Free
Gaussian splatting toolsNeurones 3D vs XGRIDS Lixel CyberColornot published · Not published on the vendor's site
How the comparison was made
Written by the maker of Neurones 3D, so read it as such, and check what matters to you. Each tool's facts come only from its vendor's published documentation, pricing pages and listings, read on the date shown on its page; every cell links to its source. "Not stated" means we could not find it documented, not that the tool cannot do it. "In the cloud" means the processing happens on the vendor's servers, so the data is uploaded. Neurones 3D's column comes from its own guides, limits included. Corrections are welcome at howto@learngeodata.eu.