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Comparison · AI and cloud point cloud services

Neurones 3D vs Lidarvisor

Looking for a Lidarvisor alternative? Neurones 3D is free, offline point cloud and Gaussian splatting software for Windows: the free viewer runs every process, from AI classification to dimensioned floor plans, and a one-time paid edition saves the results.

Lidarvisor is a browser-based LiDAR processing service that classifies point clouds with AI and produces terrain models, contour lines, building footprints and CAD-ready topographic maps.

By Dr. Florent Poux, maker of Neurones 3D · Lidarvisor's facts from Lidarvisor's own documentation, checked

The short answer

Choose Neurones 3D when data should not leave your machine, when you process enough area that paying by the hectare adds up, or when the work reaches beyond terrain into floor plans, change detection and meshing, on a licence bought once. Choose Lidarvisor when you want classified drone LiDAR, a DTM and contours from a browser with nothing to install, and a small or occasional volume fits its free tier or an entry plan.

At a glance

Neurones 3DLidarvisor
Runs onWindows 10 and 11 (64-bit)Web browser
Where it runsdesktopcloud
Licencefree viewer + one-time paid editionsmonthly or yearly subscription with a hectare allowance, plus credit packs
PriceFree viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscriptionLite 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 source
Free useThe free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid editionFreemium: 50 hectares, 5 GB storage, up to 5 projects, no credit card

Feature by feature

"Not stated" means we could not find it in Lidarvisor's documentation, not that it is missing. Each of Lidarvisor's cells links to where we read it.

CapabilityNeurones 3DLidarvisor
Runs fully offlineYesNo account, no internet connection, no telemetryNoBrowser-based; processing runs on the vendor's servers source
One-time licence availableYesBought once; no subscriptionNoSubscriptions only; credit packs need an active paid plan source
Opens LAS/LAZ and E57YesLAS, LAZ, COPC, E57, PLY, PCD and more; a 127.8 M point E57 opens in about 22 sPartlyLAS and LAZ input; E57 is not listed source
Scan registrationPartlyCloud-to-cloud alignment (ICP and graph matching, no initial placement needed), RMS shown with the inlier shareNot stated
AI point cloud classificationYesFour trained models ship in every build: indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape; a confidence per pointIn the cloudAutomatic classification into standard LAS classes source
SegmentationYesUnsupervised segmentation, primitive decomposition, components, roomsNot stated
Automatic floor plansYesAutomatic, dimensioned, with sections and elevationsNot stated
DXF / CAD drawingsYesDXF R2000, SVG and PDF; no DWGIn the cloudCAD-ready topographic maps in DXF; SHP and GeoJSON source
DTM / DSMYesDTM, DSM, CHM, slope, aspect, hillshade on one gridIn the cloudDTM and DSM, hillshade; GeoTIFF output source
Contour linesYesContours that cannot crossIn the cloudContour lines through vectorisation source
Change detectionYesM3C2 with a 95 % level of detection; cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-BIM deviationNot stated
MeshingYesPoisson and clean meshing; the clean mesh is closed, not edge-manifoldNot stated
Gaussian splatsYesOpens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splatsNot stated
ReportsYesSelf-contained HTML reports with provenanceIn the cloudReports listed among plan features source
Scripting / SDKYesEngine & SDK edition: Python package and headless command lineIn the cloudFull API access on the Advanced plan source

Where Neurones 3D is stronger

  • Neurones 3D runs fully offline with no account; Lidarvisor processes uploaded files on its servers.
  • Bought once, with no hectare allowance or subscription.
  • Opens E57, COPC and other formats as well as LAS and LAZ.
  • Automatic floor plans, M3C2 change detection and meshing, for indoor and change work as well as terrain; Lidarvisor lists none of these.

Where Lidarvisor is stronger

  • Nothing to install: upload LAS or LAZ and get classes, DTM, contours and DXF in the browser.
  • A free tier of 50 hectares and an entry plan from USD 19 a month on yearly billing.
  • Shareable links for clients, with your logo on higher plans.

Who should choose which

Choose Neurones 3D to take a point cloud or a splat capture to a finished deliverable on your own machine: classified LAS, a dimensioned floor plan with sections and elevations in DXF, a DTM with contours, a change map or a report, without an account, an upload or a subscription. Every figure it publishes is measured; see the benchmarks.

Choose Lidarvisor: Drone surveyors who want classified clouds, a DTM and contours from LAS files without installing anything, billed by the hectare.

Questions

Is Lidarvisor free?

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. Free use: Freemium: 50 hectares, 5 GB storage, up to 5 projects, no credit card. Neurones 3D’s free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition bought once.

Does Lidarvisor work offline?

Lidarvisor: no. Browser-based; processing runs on the vendor’s servers. Neurones 3D: yes. No account, no internet connection, no telemetry.

Can Lidarvisor classify point clouds with AI?

Lidarvisor: in the cloud. Automatic classification into standard LAS classes. Neurones 3D: yes. Four trained models ship in every build: indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape; a confidence per point.

What is the best alternative to Lidarvisor?

Choose Neurones 3D when data should not leave your machine, when you process enough area that paying by the hectare adds up, or when the work reaches beyond terrain into floor plans, change detection and meshing, on a licence bought once. Choose Lidarvisor when you want classified drone LiDAR, a DTM and contours from a browser with nothing to install, and a small or occasional volume fits its free tier or an entry plan.

How this comparison was made

Written by the maker of Neurones 3D, so read it as such. Lidarvisor's column comes only from Lidarvisor's published documentation and listings, read on 2026-09-24; where we found nothing, the cell says "not stated". Neurones 3D's column comes from its own guides, which give the limits too. If something here is wrong or out of date, write to howto@learngeodata.eu and it will be corrected.

Sources:

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About

Why Neurones 3D exists.

Standing inside a 43.5 million point indoor laser scan rendered by Neurones 3D

I have spent years working with point clouds, and for most of them the software got in the way. I wanted one tool I would actually reach for every day: fast enough to enjoy, honest about what it does, and calm to use.

Neurones 3D started in Python, the way most of my research does. It worked, but it was heavy, and heavy tools quietly discourage you from opening them. So I rebuilt everything in Rust, from the file readers to the renderer, with one rule: stay frugal. A single small file, no cloud, no telemetry, billions of points on a laptop that is ten years old. In an age where every tool reaches for a data center, I wanted the opposite.

The goal is simple to say and hard to earn. One package that carries you from capture to understanding to deliverable, without exporting to five other programs along the way. Load a scan, a splat, a building, a phone video. See it, classify it, measure it, and send out something real. Together, in one place.

This is the tool I always wanted. I hope it becomes yours too.

Dr. Florent Poux 3D Geodata Academy

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