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CAD · head to head

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler vs Polaris Navigation GPS

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler logo

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler

CAD

Photogrammetry engine formerly sold as ContextCapture, now inside Bentley's iTwin line

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Polaris Navigation GPS logo

Polaris Navigation GPS

Maps

Professional GPS navigation for outdoor professionals

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Polaris Navigation GPS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • They diverge on capability: Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler covers Aerial triangulation, Polaris Navigation GPS covers Precision GPS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler and Polaris Navigation GPS actually diverge.

Attributes where Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler and Polaris Navigation GPS differ
AttributeBentley iTwin Capture ModelerPolaris Navigation GPS
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, CloudAndroid
CategoryCADMaps
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler

  • Aerial triangulation
  • Dense mesh reconstruction
  • Point cloud fusion
  • Orthophoto and DSM output
  • 3D Tiles and 3MX export
  • Distributed processing
  • Retouching and editing
  • Georeferencing and control

Only in Polaris Navigation GPS

  • Precision GPS
  • Multiple coordinate systems
  • Waypoint averaging
  • Area measurement
  • NMEA output
  • External GPS receivers
  • Bluetooth GPS
  • Local data storage

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler

  • A highway authority reconstructing a corridor from drone imagery for design work in OpenRoadsnot Polaris Navigation GPS
  • A survey firm delivering city-scale textured meshes to a municipal client for planning and visualisationnot Polaris Navigation GPS
  • An engineering consultancy fusing terrestrial laser scans with drone photography of a bridge for condition assessmentnot Polaris Navigation GPS
  • A team publishing streamable 3D Tiles of a construction site so stakeholders can view it in a browsernot Polaris Navigation GPS

Polaris Navigation GPS

  • Land surveyingnot Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler
  • Search and rescuenot Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler
  • Geocachingnot Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler
  • Field data collectionnot Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler

  • The rename from ContextCapture is more than cosmetic: licensing moved into Bentley's subscription and consumption model, and existing perpetual users should confirm what a renewal converts to before assuming continuity of cost.
  • Consumption-based entitlements make the cost of a large reconstruction hard to predict in advance, which is awkward when you are quoting a fixed-price deliverable to a client.
  • The desktop engine is Windows only and reconstruction is compute-hungry, so meaningful throughput needs either serious workstation hardware or paid cloud processing.
  • Bentley does not publish a plain rate card and pricing varies by region, reseller and existing agreement, so two firms buying the same thing can pay very different amounts.
  • Value compounds inside the Bentley ecosystem, and a firm whose design work happens in Autodesk or Esri tools pays for a positioning it will not use while getting the same mesh a cheaper standalone photogrammetry package would produce.

Polaris Navigation GPS

Nothing recorded yet. See the Polaris Navigation GPS review.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler

On request
  • iTwin Capture Modeler$undefined/year
    • Subscription entitlement through Bentley licensing
    • Consumption charged against Bentley Keys on some agreements
    • Reality Modeling WorkSuite bundles Modeler with reality data management

Polaris Navigation GPS

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic GPS tracking
    • Waypoint management
    • Multiple coordinate formats
  • Pro$5.99/one-time
    • NMEA output
    • External GPS support
    • Waypoint averaging

Which should you pick?

Choose Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler if

  • You need aerial triangulation.
  • You work on Windows, Cloud.
  • You also want dense mesh reconstruction.
Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler review

Choose Polaris Navigation GPS if

  • You need precision gps.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Android.
  • You also want multiple coordinate systems.
Polaris Navigation GPS review

Questions people ask

Is Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler or Polaris Navigation GPS better?
Neither clearly leads. Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler starts at On request and Polaris Navigation GPS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler or Polaris Navigation GPS?
Polaris Navigation GPS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler and Free for Polaris Navigation GPS.
Does Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler or Polaris Navigation GPS run on more platforms?
Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler runs on Windows, Cloud. Polaris Navigation GPS runs on Android.
Can I use Polaris Navigation GPS for free?
Yes. Polaris Navigation GPS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler starts at On request.
What is Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler best used for?
Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler is most often used for a highway authority reconstructing a corridor from drone imagery for design work in openroads, a survey firm delivering city-scale textured meshes to a municipal client for planning and visualisation, an engineering consultancy fusing terrestrial laser scans with drone photography of a bridge for condition assessment, a team publishing streamable 3d tiles of a construction site so stakeholders can view it in a browser. Of those, a highway authority reconstructing a corridor from drone imagery for design work in openroads and a survey firm delivering city-scale textured meshes to a municipal client for planning and visualisation are not what Polaris Navigation GPS is typically brought in for.
What can Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler do that Polaris Navigation GPS cannot?
Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler covers Aerial triangulation, Dense mesh reconstruction, Point cloud fusion, Orthophoto and DSM output. Polaris Navigation GPS covers Precision GPS, Multiple coordinate systems, Waypoint averaging, Area measurement.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler: Is ContextCapture discontinued?

The name is. The product continues as iTwin Capture Modeler within Bentley's iTwin family.

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler: Does it still support a perpetual licence?

New buyers should expect subscription or consumption-based entitlements. Confirm the exact conversion path if you hold an older perpetual licence.

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler: Can it process laser scan data as well as photographs?

Yes. It fuses point clouds with imagery in a single reconstruction.

Bentley iTwin Capture Modeler: Do I need other Bentley software to use it?

No, output formats are usable elsewhere, but the commercial and workflow case is strongest if you already run MicroStation or OpenRoads.

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