Photogrammetry software turns overlapping photographs into measured 3D models, point clouds and maps. This guide ranks fourteen tools, from survey packages and drone platforms to free research engines and phone apps.
We order them by first-ninety-day effort, the bill once seats and modules are added, how results leave the tool, independence from partners, and fit with the buyer's actual subject.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What photogrammetry software does
Photogrammetry software reconstructs three-dimensional models, point clouds, orthophotos and measurements from overlapping photographs, running on desktop, web or phone, for surveying, mapping, heritage recording, visual effects and object scanning.
Each photogrammetry tool was put through the same five questions, in sequence: how hard is setup, what does it really cost, how does data come back out, can you leave, and who is it for. Smaller challengers are placed in the top three wherever the category has them; the well-known brands come after. Reasons for the choice of tests, and for skipping a score out of ten, can be read on the how we work page.
No pricing, plans or trial shown; the site offers only a download button
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Developers and avatar makers scanning faces and objects with an iPhone or iPad Pro
Android users and teams scanning with ordinary cameras or drones
The country column shows the vendor's headquarters or contracting entity. Data hosting is a separate matter, and an entry flags it when the two diverge.
Ljubljana desktop photogrammetry with floating licences and a perpetual option
Ranked #1 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
The pricing page lists three licence plans, all floating, with unlimited desktop processing: a monthly and a yearly subscription that renew automatically by default, and a perpetual licence bought once.
Support and Upgrades on the perpetual route renew each year and include 75 GB of Cloud Viewer storage. Named functions are volume calculation, contour lines, profile lines and an integrated CAD engine. Students get a free yearly licence with proof of enrolment, while universities ask for a price.
What stands out
Floating licence
Perpetual option
Survey outputs
Where it costs you
Scan and RTK Videogrammetry are separate paid modules, so a phone-capture workflow costs more than the base licence.
RTK Videogrammetry needs an Android phone running the SiteScan app plus a third-party RTK GNSS device.
Support and Upgrades on a perpetual licence renew yearly, so the one-time price is not the whole cost.
Right for
Survey and mapping teams wanting volumes, contours and a floating licence on the desktop
Wrong for
Hobbyists who only want to scan objects with a phone
SloveniaPublished monthly, yearly or one-time perpetual licence, all floating; paid optional modules; free student licence; 14-day trial
Stand-alone photogrammetry licence that is not time-limited, node-locked or floating
Ranked #2 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Metashape describes itself as stand-alone software for photogrammetric processing of digital images into 3D spatial data, aimed at GIS, cultural heritage and VFX work. The licensing page offers node-locked licences and, for Professional only, floating ones capped by the seats bought.
The licence is stated as not time-limited. A demo can become a registered version with a code emailed after an order. Educational licences cover accredited institutions, their students and staff, and prohibit commercial use.
What stands out
Not time-limited
Node-locked or floating
Educational licence
Where it costs you
Prices for both editions are absent from the licensing page, so a budget needs an order or a conversation first.
Floating licences exist only for the Professional edition and are capped by the concurrent licences bought.
Right for
Studios and survey teams wanting a stand-alone desktop licence that never expires
Wrong for
Anyone who needs a price before contacting the vendor
Not stated by the vendorStandard and Professional editions on a licence that is not time-limited; amounts missing from the licensing page; demo version
Verona-built photogrammetry with Lite, Free and full editions to try first
Ranked #3 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
Zephyr is sold through FastSpring in three forms: a 30-day subscription, the full edition and Zephyr Lite. The homepage says the 30-day trial has no project locking, and offers either a subscription or a perpetual licence afterwards.
Zephyr 9.0 adds Gaussian Splat generation inside the application, on Lite as well, plus satellite map tiles in the viewport. The buy page itself shows no amounts. The company address is in Verona, Italy.
What stands out
Italian vendor
Zephyr Lite
Gaussian Splats
Where it costs you
The buy page names three editions but shows no amounts, so cost is clear only when you order.
The Free version has its own page for terms, so its limits cannot be judged from the homepage.
Right for
Small firms wanting to test a paid photogrammetry tool for a month first
Wrong for
Buyers needing a published price list before starting a trial
ItalySubscription or perpetual licence sold online; Free version and 30-day trial; amounts not shown on the buy page
Permanent and network seats with listed prices and yearly maintenance
Ranked #4 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
The store lists a permanent Standard licence at USD 998 and Premium at USD 2,298, with network seats at USD 1,298 and USD 2,798. Maintenance renewal is USD 198 for Standard and USD 318 for Premium, which belongs in any multi-year total.
Educational permanent licences start at USD 238 and USD 478. Subscription editions exist, yet their prices do not appear on the store page. A TRY link points to a separate page.
What stands out
Permanent licence
Network seats
Education pricing
Where it costs you
Subscription editions are listed without prices, so renting cannot be compared with buying permanently.
The Try link on the store describes no trial terms, so the length and limits of a test are unknown.
Right for
Engineers and analysts wanting a one-off licence with a known upfront price
Wrong for
Teams that want a stated trial length before ordering
Not stated by the vendorPublished permanent Standard and Premium licences, network seats, subscription editions and maintenance renewals; education prices
Separate monthly subscriptions per Pix4D product, plus a 15-day plan
Ranked #5 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Pix4D splits its range into Pix4Dmatic, Pix4Dfields, Pix4Dreact and Pix4Dmapper, each with its own starting-from monthly price in USD. Free trials are limited in duration; the free plan lasts 15 days and asks for no card.
Renewal terms run month to month, annual or three-year, while scanning kits are marked price upon request. Since the page is silent on per-user pricing, ask how seats are counted before rolling it out to a team.
What stands out
Per-product plans
15-day plan
Scanning kits
Where it costs you
The pricing page never says whether subscriptions are per user, so team costs cannot be worked out.
Subscription prices are starting-from figures, and scanning kits carry no amount at all.
Right for
Mapping teams comfortable renting software monthly and mixing several Pix4D products
Wrong for
Buyers who want one price covering every Pix4D product
Not stated by the vendorPublished starting-from monthly subscriptions per product; free 15-day plan; monthly, yearly or three-year renewal; scanning kits on request
Rebranded RealityCapture, free for individuals and firms under a revenue limit
Ranked #6 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
The licence page draws its line at USD 1 million gross revenue over the past 12 months. Below it, individuals and companies get every feature, learning material and forums, and students and schools are covered too.
Above it a seat costs USD 1,250 a year with one year of updates, bought through the Developer Portal. A 30-day trial exists, and orders above 25 seats get custom terms from Epic. Version 2.0 added AI masking, aerial LiDAR support and heatmap quality analysis.
What stands out
Revenue threshold
Desktop and mobile
Aerial LiDAR
Where it costs you
Who the contracting licensor is, and where, is not written on the licence page and must be asked.
Crossing the revenue line turns a zero-cost user into a paid seat, which makes growth a budget event.
Moving from an older RealityCapture enterprise licence to 2.0 requires a new EULA and a different download route.
Right for
Students, freelancers and small firms wanting every feature without a licence invoice
Wrong for
Companies above the revenue limit that need zero licence spend
Not stated by the vendorFree for students and for revenue under a threshold; paid yearly seats above it; 30-day trial; custom terms for large seat counts
Community toolkit for drone imagery, run by command line, API or WebODM
Ranked #7 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The homepage lists ODM as a command-line toolkit for aerial images, NodeODM as a REST API in front of it, PyODM as a Python SDK, and Find-GCP for locating ArUco markers in photos. CloudODM sends jobs to cloud processing from the command line.
WebODM can import tasks from another WebODM instance, use custom TMS or XYZ basemaps, pause on a review step before processing and export volume measurements. Pricing is absent, with a donate link instead. The page calls ODM the de-facto standard of open source drone image processing.
What stands out
Drone imagery
REST API
Python SDK
Where it costs you
The homepage names no licence and no company, so legal and support questions have no stated owner.
Everything is described around aerial images, which narrows it for handheld or turntable object scanning.
Right for
Technical drone-mapping teams wanting API access and no licence invoice
Wrong for
Staff needing a contracted vendor and a named support route
Not stated by the vendorNo price on the homepage, only a donate link; CloudODM for cloud processing
Free structure-from-motion and multi-view stereo with a GUI and Python bindings
Ranked #8 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
COLMAP's page lists four things: incremental structure-from-motion, multi-view stereo built on PatchMatch stereo plus stereo fusion, a GUI with a command-line interface, and PyCOLMAP Python bindings. It calls the project free and open source with no paid tiers.
Johannes Schönberger wrote it with funding from his PhD advisors, and the COLMAP Team develops it today. Because no survey outputs are named, it works as a reconstruction engine you build around, not a finished mapping workflow.
What stands out
Structure from motion
PatchMatch stereo
PyCOLMAP
Where it costs you
With no named company, country or help desk, a business has nobody to sign contract terms with.
Its listed functions stop at reconstruction; no contours, volumes or other survey outputs are named.
Right for
Researchers and developers scripting reconstruction pipelines through Python or the command line
Wrong for
Surveyors expecting contours, volumes and a support contract
Node-based desktop app on AliceVision, MPL-2.0 licensed, Windows and Linux
Ranked #9 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Open sourcePricing on requestElsewhere
AliceVision's page presents Meshroom as the node-based desktop application built on its open source 3D computer vision framework, licensed MPL-2.0. The supporting body is the AliceVision Association, described as a non-profit organisation, and the page quotes no price.
Windows and Linux are the listed platforms. Downloads are linked at meshroom.org and the source at GitHub. A node graph lets each stage of a reconstruction be inspected and changed, which suits users who want to see the pipeline.
What stands out
MPL-2.0
Node-based
Windows and Linux
Where it costs you
Only Windows and Linux are listed, so Mac users have no stated route.
No support offer or company is named; the backer is a non-profit association.
Right for
Windows or Linux users who like node graphs and want no licence cost
Wrong for
Mac owners and buyers who want paid support
Not stated by the vendorNo price on the page; MPL-2.0 open source, backed by a non-profit association
Capture app with a free plan, yearly or monthly tiers and team seats
Ranked #10 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
The free plan costs nothing and allows limited space, object and AI captures with GLTF exports and public link sharing. Basic is USD 150 a year or USD 30 a month.
Business is USD 400 per user a year or USD 33 per user a month, and Enterprise is USD 1,200 per user a year with three users minimum and a sales demo. The 7-day trial applies only to annual Basic and Business.
What stands out
Free plan
Per-user Business
Annual trial
Where it costs you
Free object captures stop at 150 images per model, which limits dense photogrammetry sets.
Monthly plans carry no trial, so testing a paid tier means committing to an annual plan.
Right for
Individuals and small teams scanning objects and spaces who want a cost-free start
Wrong for
Buyers who must read the company's location from its site
Not stated by the vendorFree plan with capped captures; Basic, Business and Enterprise tiers in USD; 7-day trial on annual plans only
Phone scanning app with a free Basic plan and a yearly Pro plan
Ranked #11 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Basic is USD 0 and bundled with every account: photo scans up to 150 photos and 2 GB each, unlimited usage and free exports for photo and LiDAR scans. The yearly Pro plan costs USD 79.99, shown as USD 6.66 per month, although a monthly toggle appears without a monthly Pro price.
Pro lifts Gaussian Splatting scans with mesh to 300 photos and 5 GB, permits 500 photos on advanced export, and brings 8K textures, quad meshes and auto rigging.
What stands out
Free Basic
Yearly Pro
Gaussian Splatting
Where it costs you
The pricing page shows a renewal after the trial but never states how long that trial lasts.
Larger photo sets than the Basic ceiling mean paying for the yearly Pro plan.
Right for
Hobbyists and creators wanting quick phone scans with an upgrade path to 8K textures
Wrong for
Buyers expecting a monthly Pro price or a stated company country
Not stated by the vendorFree Basic plan with unlimited usage; one yearly Pro plan, monthly price not shown; trial length not stated
Web-based drone mapping platform with annual plans and sales-led tiers
Ranked #12 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
The pricing page shows Flight & Analysis for individual pilots at USD 4,188 a year, limited to one admin user and 3,000 images per map, and Ag Lite at USD 1,908 for one agriculture pilot with 1,000 images per map.
Advanced Flight & Analysis raises the cap to 10,000 images, adding GCP mapping, cut/fill and radiometric thermal, but its price is not shown. Nonprofits and schools receive discounts of unstated size.
What stands out
Drone mapping
Annual plans
AI add-ons
Where it costs you
Bigger image allowances per map sit in plans whose price is not shown, above the two entry caps.
Add-ons such as Progress AI and Safety AI appear without prices, so the full bill is unknown.
Right for
Aerial inspection and progress-tracking teams that fly drones and want a web app
Wrong for
Anyone processing handheld, object or non-aerial photo sets
Not stated by the vendorPublished annual prices for two entry plans, other tiers on contact; 14-day trial; unpriced add-ons; nonprofit and education discounts
App Store scanner past two million downloads, linked to model marketplaces
Ranked #13 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The copyright line names EyeCue Vision Technologies LTD as owner of both site and app, covering 2017 to 2025. Printing, sharing and selling go through integrations with Sketchfab, Shapeways, i.materialise, CGTrader and Lens Studio.
Qlone Dental Pro handles 3D face scans for dentistry, and an Education section exists. Apple featured the app for Object Capture at WWDC 2021, says the vendor page. Pricing, trial and hosting are not stated.
What stands out
App Store
Model marketplaces
Dental Pro
Where it costs you
The site shows no price, plan or trial, so cost cannot be judged before downloading.
The privacy policy page returned a 404 and no hosting location is stated, which leaves data handling unclear.
Right for
Makers wanting to scan small objects and send them to print or sale platforms
Wrong for
Buyers who need a stated price, country or hosting location
Not stated by the vendorNo prices, plans or trial stated on the site
iOS depth-sensor scanner for iPhone and iPad Pro with a developer SDK
Ranked #14 of 14 in Best Photogrammetry Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The site describes high-resolution, full-colour scans from depth sensors and computer vision, on iPhone X series and later and iPad Pro from 2018 onward, with LiDAR on iPhone 12 Pro and the latest iPad Pro.
Developers can build on the Roux SDK, and an integration with Reallusion's Headshot 2 serves digital avatars. The legal page names only Scandy Co. and privacy policies for Scandy.co, the Scandy App and Hoxel; no price, trial or hosting model is stated.
What stands out
iOS only
LiDAR support
Roux SDK
Where it costs you
It supports Apple devices with depth sensors only, so Android users and camera-only workflows are left out.
Pricing, trial, company address and processing location are all absent from the site.
Right for
Developers and avatar makers scanning faces and objects with an iPhone or iPad Pro
Wrong for
Android users and teams scanning with ordinary cameras or drones
Not stated by the vendorNo pricing, plans or trial shown; the site offers only a download button
Photogrammetry software reconstructs three-dimensional models, point clouds, orthophotos and measurements from overlapping photographs, running on desktop, web or phone, for surveying, mapping, heritage recording, visual effects and object scanning. What separates these products is rarely a feature. Work through the steps below.
01
Start with pricing transparency
The split is 9 published against 5 quoted. If you want to compare numbers first, start with 3Dsurvey, 3DF Zephyr, PhotoModeler, Pix4D, RealityScan, COLMAP, Polycam, Kiri Engine, DroneDeploy.
02
Weigh the vendor's home jurisdiction
Headquarters range over 3 countries and 2 regions: Elsewhere 12, Europe 2. Legal exposure follows the vendor, not only the data centre, so read the contracting entity before you sign.
03
Consider whether you want the source
1 of these are open source: Meshroom. Hosting one yourself trades a subscription for maintenance.
Photogrammetry software: decide the capture method first
The category mixes tools that share a method but not a job. DroneDeploy and OpenDroneMap are built around aerial images, and DroneDeploy caps entry-plan maps at 3,000 or 1,000 images. 3Dsurvey outputs volumes, contours and cross sections for survey work, while Metashape targets GIS, cultural heritage and VFX.
Polycam, Kiri Engine, Qlone and Scandy Pro start from a phone, and Scandy Pro needs an iPhone X series or later or a 2018 iPad Pro. COLMAP and Meshroom are reconstruction engines for people who build their own workflow. Buying a drone platform to scan statues, or a phone app to map a quarry, wastes the trial period. Name the subject, the camera and the deliverable before opening any pricing page.
Write down subject, camera and required output before shortlisting
Check that the vendor names your output, such as volumes or contours
Confirm your phone or drone is on the supported device list
Photogrammetry software licences: perpetual, floating or rental
Licence structure changes the cost curve more than the headline price. PhotoModeler sells permanent Standard and Premium licences plus network seats, and adds yearly maintenance. 3Dsurvey offers monthly, yearly or perpetual floating licences, with a yearly support fee on the perpetual one. Metashape states its licence is not time-limited, with floating seats only on Professional.
Pix4D rents separate products by the month, 3DF Zephyr sells subscription or perpetual, and RealityScan charges seats yearly only above a revenue line. Put all of them on a three-year view with maintenance, support renewals and the number of people processing at once. A floating seat suits a shared workstation; a node-locked one suits a single operator and never needs a licence server to stay reachable.
Model three years including maintenance and support renewals
Count simultaneous users, not employees, for floating seats
Ask whether a subscription lapse blocks opening old projects
Free photogrammetry software and where it stops
Several credible tools cost nothing, each with a different catch. RealityScan includes every feature below USD 1 million gross revenue, then asks USD 1,250 per seat per year. COLMAP and Meshroom have no paid tiers but also no named company or support route, and Meshroom lists Windows and Linux only.
Polycam limits free object captures to 150 images per model, and Kiri Engine caps Basic photo scans at 150 photos and 2 GB, so dense image sets push you to paid plans. OpenDroneMap shows a donate link rather than a price. Free tools reward users who can script, read logs and fix a failed alignment alone. If a client contract needs a vendor who answers for the result, free engines can still do the computation, but someone on your side owns the risk.
Check the revenue threshold and what happens when you cross it
List the image and file-size caps of any free plan
Decide who inside the firm owns support for an unsupported engine
Photogrammetry software trials: test with your own image set
Trial lengths differ and some are not stated. 3DF Zephyr and RealityScan offer 30 days, Pix4D 15, DroneDeploy and 3Dsurvey 14, and Polycam 7 days on annual plans only. Metashape converts a demo into a full version by registration code, PhotoModeler shows a Try link without terms, and Kiri Engine mentions a trial without a length. Qlone and Scandy Pro state neither price nor trial.
Use the short window on one hard project: shiny surfaces, repeating textures, or a site with ground control points. Run the same photos through two tools and compare the alignment, the mesh and the export, not the demo gallery. Start the clock only when your images are ready, because a 14-day trial spent collecting photos tests nothing.
Prepare one difficult image set before starting any trial clock
Export the result to your downstream format and open it there
Get missing trial terms in writing from the vendor
What goes wrong most often when buying photogrammetry software
Comparing monthly subscription prices from Pix4D with perpetual prices from PhotoModeler without adding maintenance and renewals over three years.
Assuming RealityScan stays at zero cost after revenue passes USD 1 million, when paid seats then apply to every user.
Buying DroneDeploy or OpenDroneMap for handheld or object scanning, since both are described around aerial imagery.
Trusting a phone app such as Qlone or Scandy Pro for site measurement when its site states no price, hosting location or survey outputs.
07
Frequently asked questions
7 answers
What is the best photogrammetry software in 2026?
First of 14 on this page is 3Dsurvey. 3Dsurvey d.o.o. of Ljubljana sells desktop processing on a floating licence with no processing cap, as a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time perpetual purchase.
Volumes, contours and cross sections are named outputs, and a 14-day trial keeps the full core. Scan and RTK Videogrammetry cost extra and need version 3.0 or later, and perpetual buyers pay a yearly fee for support and upgrades.
Which photogrammetry tools publish their pricing?
The ones that do, with the model each states:
3Dsurvey: Published monthly, yearly or one-time perpetual licence, all floating; paid optional modules; free student licence; 14-day trial.
3DF Zephyr: Subscription or perpetual licence sold online; Free version and 30-day trial; amounts not shown on the buy page.
PhotoModeler: Published permanent Standard and Premium licences, network seats, subscription editions and maintenance renewals; education prices.
Pix4D: Published starting-from monthly subscriptions per product; free 15-day plan; monthly, yearly or three-year renewal; scanning kits on request.
RealityScan: Free for students and for revenue under a threshold; paid yearly seats above it; 30-day trial; custom terms for large seat counts.
COLMAP: Free, with no paid tiers.
Polycam: Free plan with capped captures; Basic, Business and Enterprise tiers in USD; 7-day trial on annual plans only.
Kiri Engine: Free Basic plan with unlimited usage; one yearly Pro plan, monthly price not shown; trial length not stated.
DroneDeploy: Published annual prices for two entry plans, other tiers on contact; 14-day trial; unpriced add-ons; nonprofit and education discounts.
5 vendors do not print a price.
Is there a free photogrammetry tool?
RealityScan, COLMAP, Polycam, Kiri Engine have a free plan or free self-hosted edition.
Where are these photogrammetry software vendors established?
Vendor countries on this page, Elsewhere 12, Europe 2:
3Dsurvey: Slovenia.
Agisoft Metashape: Not stated by the vendor.
3DF Zephyr: Italy.
PhotoModeler: Not stated by the vendor.
Pix4D: Not stated by the vendor.
RealityScan: Not stated by the vendor.
OpenDroneMap: Not stated by the vendor.
COLMAP: Not stated by the vendor.
Meshroom: Not stated by the vendor.
Polycam: Not stated by the vendor.
Kiri Engine: Not stated by the vendor.
DroneDeploy: Not stated by the vendor.
Qlone: Not stated by the vendor.
Scandy Pro: Not stated by the vendor.
Which photogrammetry tools are open source?
Meshroom.
What should you use instead of 3Dsurvey?
Agisoft Metashape and 3DF Zephyr are the next two on this page. Agisoft Metashape is for Studios and survey teams wanting a stand-alone desktop licence that never expires; 3DF Zephyr is for small firms wanting to test a paid photogrammetry tool for a month first.
Who should not buy 3Dsurvey?
Hobbyists who only want to scan objects with a phone. Scan and RTK Videogrammetry are separate paid modules, so a phone-capture workflow costs more than the base licence..
We rank 14 photogrammetry software products on this page. If we missed one, its maker can write to us about its purpose and customers. We pick what gets added; the terms of a listing are set out under software advice.
