Softwr

CAD · head to head

CloudCompare vs Maptek I-Site

CloudCompare logo

CloudCompare

CAD

Open source point cloud comparison and processing maintained largely by one person in their spare time

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Maptek I-Site logo

Maptek I-Site

Mining

3D laser scanning and point cloud processing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only CloudCompare has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CloudCompare the project is administered by its creator in his spare time while he holds a full-time job elsewhere, so an organisation building a monitoring programme on it depends on one person with no obligation to continue; Maptek I-Site no pricing information published on product page, requiring direct contact with Maptek sales for quotes
  • They diverge on capability: CloudCompare covers Cloud to cloud distance, Maptek I-Site covers Point cloud processing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CloudCompare and Maptek I-Site actually diverge.

Attributes where CloudCompare and Maptek I-Site differ
AttributeCloudCompareMaptek I-Site
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows
CategoryCADMining
FoundedUnknown1981

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 CloudCompare

  • Cloud to cloud distance
  • Cloud to mesh distance
  • Registration
  • Segmentation and cleaning
  • Plugin architecture
  • Format support
  • Command line mode

Only in Maptek I-Site

  • Point cloud processing
  • 3D model creation
  • Pit wall monitoring
  • Stockpile measurement
  • Change detection
  • Vulcan
  • CAD systems
  • GIS platforms

What people use each for

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

CloudCompare

  • A monitoring engineer comparing quarterly laser scans of a retaining wall to quantify movement without buying a proprietary deformation packagenot Maptek I-Site
  • A heritage team registering dozens of terrestrial scans of a building into a single cloud before meshingnot Maptek I-Site
  • A geomorphologist measuring erosion between two drone-derived surfaces of a river banknot Maptek I-Site
  • A survey technician cleaning and subsampling a scan before delivering it to a client whose software cannot handle the full densitynot Maptek I-Site

Maptek I-Site

  • Laser scanning surveys of open pit and underground mine workingsnot CloudCompare
  • Geotechnical monitoring of pit walls and slopesnot CloudCompare
  • Volume and stockpile measurement from point cloud datanot CloudCompare

Where each one falls short

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

CloudCompare

  • The project is administered by its creator in his spare time while he holds a full-time job elsewhere, so an organisation building a monitoring programme on it depends on one person with no obligation to continue
  • There is no commercial support contract from anyone, so a defect that blocks a deliverable is resolved by a GitHub issue and community goodwill rather than by an agreement
  • Processing is single machine and memory bound, so very large aerial lidar collections must be tiled manually and large jobs are limited by the workstation rather than scaled out
  • The interface is unforgiving and organised around the underlying data structures rather than around tasks, so competent surveyors routinely take weeks to become productive
  • Plugins vary widely in maintenance, and several useful ones originated in research projects that have since ended, so a workflow built around a specific plugin can break at the next release

Maptek I-Site

  • No pricing information published on product page, requiring direct contact with Maptek sales for quotes
  • No self-service pricing or trial options mentioned, creating barrier to entry for smaller organizations
  • Product page focuses on technical specifications rather than pricing or licensing models

Pricing, plan by plan

CloudCompare

Free
  • CloudCompareFree
    • GNU General Public Licence
    • No licence fee and no usage limits
    • No commercial support contract exists

Maptek I-Site

On request
  • I-Site Studio$11000/year
    • Point cloud processing
    • 3D modeling
    • Pit wall analysis

Which should you pick?

Choose CloudCompare if

  • You need cloud to cloud distance.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want cloud to mesh distance.
CloudCompare review

Choose Maptek I-Site if

  • You need point cloud processing.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want 3d model creation.
Maptek I-Site review

Questions people ask

Is CloudCompare or Maptek I-Site better?
Neither clearly leads. CloudCompare starts at Free and Maptek I-Site at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CloudCompare or Maptek I-Site?
CloudCompare has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CloudCompare and On request for Maptek I-Site.
Does CloudCompare or Maptek I-Site run on more platforms?
CloudCompare runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Maptek I-Site runs on Windows.
Can I use CloudCompare for free?
Yes. CloudCompare has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Maptek I-Site starts at On request.
What is CloudCompare best used for?
CloudCompare is most often used for a monitoring engineer comparing quarterly laser scans of a retaining wall to quantify movement without buying a proprietary deformation package, a heritage team registering dozens of terrestrial scans of a building into a single cloud before meshing, a geomorphologist measuring erosion between two drone-derived surfaces of a river bank, a survey technician cleaning and subsampling a scan before delivering it to a client whose software cannot handle the full density. Of those, a monitoring engineer comparing quarterly laser scans of a retaining wall to quantify movement without buying a proprietary deformation package and a heritage team registering dozens of terrestrial scans of a building into a single cloud before meshing are not what Maptek I-Site is typically brought in for.
What can CloudCompare do that Maptek I-Site cannot?
CloudCompare covers Cloud to cloud distance, Cloud to mesh distance, Registration, Segmentation and cleaning. Maptek I-Site covers Point cloud processing, 3D model creation, Pit wall monitoring, Stockpile measurement.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CloudCompare: Who maintains CloudCompare?

Daniel Girardeau-Montaut, its creator, administers it in his own time alongside a full-time engineering job, with contributions from a community of users and research groups.

Maptek I-Site: What is the pricing for Maptek i-site laser scanning products?

Pricing for Maptek i-site laser scanners (NS4, XR3, XR3-D, UR3) and related software tools is not published. Interested parties must contact Maptek through their support channels or complete a contact form to request a specification sheet and pricing information.

Source
CloudCompare: Can I buy support?

No. There is no vendor and no commercial support offering. Some geospatial consultancies know it well and can be hired, but they are not contracted to support the software itself.

Maptek I-Site: What geomatics software tools are available with i-site products?

Maptek offers related geomatics software including PointStudio, PointModeller, Sentry, FieldControl, FieldHHC, and Drive. Specific pricing and licensing for each software tool is not disclosed on the product page.

Source
CloudCompare: Is it suitable for commercial deliverables?

It is widely used for them. The licence permits it and the algorithms are well regarded. The risk is operational, not legal: no support and no roadmap commitment.

Maptek I-Site: How can I get pricing and detailed specifications for i-site?

The product page includes a contact form prompting users to 'Request a spec sheet.' Interested customers can also access support email and general contact options to obtain pricing details and product specifications.

Source
CloudCompare: Can it handle a full aerial lidar survey?

Not in one piece. It is memory bound on a single machine, so large collections need tiling or a dedicated lidar pipeline such as PDAL.

Share

Related pages

More on CloudCompare

More on Maptek I-Site

Keep looking

Other head to heads