Comparison · Gaussian splatting tools
Neurones 3D vs Polycam
Looking for a Polycam 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.
Polycam is a 3D capture platform for phones and the web that makes meshes, LiDAR room scans and Gaussian splats, with floor plans, measurements and CAD exports on its Business plan.
By Dr. Florent Poux, maker of Neurones 3D · Polycam's facts from Polycam's own documentation, checked
The short answer
Choose Neurones 3D when the data must stay on your own PC, when you want to buy the software once, or when splats need to sit beside laser scans for classification, change detection, terrain or a DXF floor plan. Choose Polycam when capture is the job: it turns a phone walk-through into splats, meshes and room plans, processed in its cloud and shared with a team from the same account. Many users will want both: capture in Polycam, export the splat PLY, and do the offline analysis and drawings in Neurones 3D.
At a glance
| Neurones 3D | Polycam | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) | iOS, Android, web browser |
| Where it runs | desktop | mobile |
| Licence | free viewer + one-time paid editions | monthly or yearly subscription |
| Price | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no 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 source |
| Free use | The free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition | Free plan with limited captures and glTF export; 7-day trial of the Basic and Business annual plans |
Feature by feature
"Not stated" means we could not find it in Polycam's documentation, not that it is missing. Each of Polycam's cells links to where we read it.
| Capability | Neurones 3D | Polycam |
|---|---|---|
| Runs fully offline | YesNo account, no internet connection, no telemetry | NoGaussian splats are trained on Polycam's cloud servers source |
| One-time licence available | YesBought once; no subscription | NoOnly available through subscription plans, no one-time purchase 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 | Not statedExports LAS on Business; opening LAS or E57 not stated |
| 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 | Yes2D and 3D floor plans on the Business plan source |
| DXF / CAD drawings | YesDXF R2000, SVG and PDF; no DWG | YesDXF export on Business and Enterprise 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 | YesOBJ, FBX, DAE, USDZ, STL and PLY mesh exports on paid plans source |
| Gaussian splats | YesOpens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splats | In the cloudTrained in the cloud from 20 to 2,000 photos or a video; exported as splat PLY source |
| Reports | YesSelf-contained HTML reports with provenance | YesAI generated reports on Business source |
| Scripting / SDK | YesEngine & SDK edition: Python package and headless command line | PartlyContent API on the Enterprise plan source |
Where Neurones 3D is stronger
- Runs offline on Windows with no account and no upload; Polycam trains splats on its cloud servers.
- Bought once with no subscription; Polycam states it offers no one-time purchase.
- Classifies point clouds with trained models (indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape), with a confidence per point.
- Opens LAS, LAZ and E57 laser scans alongside splats, and registers and merges captures.
- Adds survey analysis Polycam does not list: M3C2 change detection, DTM and DSM, and contour lines.
Where Polycam is stronger
- Polycam captures and trains splats and meshes from a phone; Neurones 3D does not train splats.
- Polycam works on iOS, Android and the web, with shared team libraries and virtual walkthroughs.
- Polycam’s Business plan draws floor plans straight from phone room scans.
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 Polycam: Teams who capture spaces and objects with a phone and want splats, meshes and floor plans processed and shared from one account.
Questions
Is Polycam free?
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. Free use: Free plan with limited captures and glTF export; 7-day trial of the Basic and Business annual plans. Neurones 3D’s free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition bought once.
Does Polycam work offline?
Polycam: no. Gaussian splats are trained on Polycam’s cloud servers. Neurones 3D: yes. No account, no internet connection, no telemetry.
Can Polycam make a floor plan from a point cloud?
Polycam: yes. 2D and 3D floor plans on the Business plan. Neurones 3D: yes. Automatic, dimensioned, with sections and elevations.
Does Polycam support Gaussian splats?
Polycam: in the cloud. Trained in the cloud from 20 to 2,000 photos or a video; exported as splat PLY. Neurones 3D: yes. Opens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splats.
What is the best alternative to Polycam?
Choose Neurones 3D when the data must stay on your own PC, when you want to buy the software once, or when splats need to sit beside laser scans for classification, change detection, terrain or a DXF floor plan. Choose Polycam when capture is the job: it turns a phone walk-through into splats, meshes and room plans, processed in its cloud and shared with a team from the same account. Many users will want both: capture in Polycam, export the splat PLY, and do the offline analysis and drawings in Neurones 3D.
How this comparison was made
Written by the maker of Neurones 3D, so read it as such. Polycam's column comes only from Polycam'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: