Comparison · Scan to plan and scan to BIM
Neurones 3D vs Matterport
Looking for a Matterport 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.
Matterport is a digital twin platform: spaces captured with supported cameras become 3D tours with measurements, and floor plans, E57 point clouds, CAD, BIM and MatterPak files are ordered as add-ons.
By Dr. Florent Poux, maker of Neurones 3D · Matterport's facts from Matterport's own documentation, checked
The short answer
Choose Neurones 3D when you already have point clouds and want to classify them, draw floor plans and DXF drawings, build terrain models or measure change on your own PC, with no subscription, no per-file fees and no upload. Choose Matterport when the goal is a shareable 3D tour of an interior, captured with a supported camera, and you prefer to order floor plans, CAD or Revit BIM files from the vendor rather than produce them yourself.
At a glance
| Neurones 3D | Matterport | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) | Web browser; capture with Matterport and other supported cameras |
| Where it runs | desktop | cloud |
| Licence | free viewer + one-time paid editions | subscription billed annually, priced by Active Spaces; paid add-ons per file |
| Price | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | 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 source |
| Free use | The free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition | Free plan: 1 Active Space, 2 users, limited camera support |
Feature by feature
"Not stated" means we could not find it in Matterport's documentation, not that it is missing. Each of Matterport's cells links to where we read it.
| Capability | Neurones 3D | Matterport |
|---|---|---|
| Runs fully offline | YesNo account, no internet connection, no telemetry | Not stated |
| One-time licence available | YesBought once; no subscription | NoPlans are billed annually and priced by Active Spaces; add-ons are charged per file source |
| Opens LAS/LAZ and E57 | YesLAS, LAZ, COPC, E57, PLY, PCD and more; a 127.8 M point E57 opens in about 22 s | Add-onE57 point cloud export is a paid add-on (Professional plan and up); opening third-party LAS, LAZ or E57 files is not documented source |
| Scan registration | PartlyCloud-to-cloud alignment (ICP and graph matching, no initial placement needed), RMS shown with the inlier share | Not stated |
| AI point cloud classification | YesFour trained models ship in every build: indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape; a confidence per point | Not stated |
| Segmentation | YesUnsupervised segmentation, primitive decomposition, components, rooms | Not stated |
| Automatic floor plans | YesAutomatic, dimensioned, with sections and elevations | Add-onSchematic floor plans created from the 3D tour; additional charges apply source |
| DXF / CAD drawings | YesDXF R2000, SVG and PDF; no DWG | Add-onCAD files ordered as an add-on, in as little as 3 business days on Professional or higher; LOD 200 Revit BIM files also offered source |
| DTM / DSM | YesDTM, DSM, CHM, slope, aspect, hillshade on one grid | Not stated |
| Contour lines | YesContours that cannot cross | Not stated |
| Change detection | YesM3C2 with a 95 % level of detection; cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-BIM deviation | Not stated |
| Meshing | YesPoisson and clean meshing; the clean mesh is closed, not edge-manifold | Add-onMatterPak add-on includes an OBJ mesh with textures and an XYZ point cloud source |
| Gaussian splats | YesOpens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splats | Not stated |
| Reports | YesSelf-contained HTML reports with provenance | Not stated |
| Scripting / SDK | YesEngine & SDK edition: Python package and headless command line | YesAPIs and SDKs, with keys generated from a Matterport account; Enterprise plan lists APIs/SDKs for large-scale automation source |
Where Neurones 3D is stronger
- Opens LAS, LAZ, COPC and E57 point clouds; Matterport does not document opening third-party point cloud files
- Floor plans and DXF drawings are produced automatically on your own PC with no per-file charge; at Matterport they are paid add-ons
- AI point cloud classification, segmentation, DTM/DSM, contours and M3C2 change detection are built in; Matterport does not document them
- Bought once with no subscription and no per-space fee; Matterport plans are billed annually by Active Spaces
Where Matterport is stronger
- Shareable 3D tours with measurements that clients open in a browser, and Google Street View publishing
- A capture-to-deliverable service: floor plans, CAD, LOD 200 Revit BIM files and TruePlan sketches ordered without doing the drafting
- A free plan and low entry price for occasional capture of interiors
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 Matterport: Property, facilities and construction teams who capture many interiors and want shareable 3D tours with measurements, plus floor plans and BIM files ordered from the same platform.
Questions
Is Matterport free?
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. Free use: Free plan: 1 Active Space, 2 users, limited camera support. Neurones 3D’s free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition bought once.
Can Matterport make a floor plan from a point cloud?
Matterport: add-on. Schematic floor plans created from the 3D tour; additional charges apply. Neurones 3D: yes. Automatic, dimensioned, with sections and elevations.
What is the best alternative to Matterport?
Choose Neurones 3D when you already have point clouds and want to classify them, draw floor plans and DXF drawings, build terrain models or measure change on your own PC, with no subscription, no per-file fees and no upload. Choose Matterport when the goal is a shareable 3D tour of an interior, captured with a supported camera, and you prefer to order floor plans, CAD or Revit BIM files from the vendor rather than produce them yourself.
How this comparison was made
Written by the maker of Neurones 3D, so read it as such. Matterport's column comes only from Matterport'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: