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Maps · head to head

Correlator3D vs deck.gl

Correlator3D logo

Correlator3D

Maps

SimActive photogrammetry with a published price list and a perpetual licence still on sale

From
$295/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
deck.gl logo

deck.gl

Maps

WebGL-powered framework for visual exploratory data analysis of large datasets, developed by

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only deck.gl has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Correlator3D the standard licence caps at 61 megapixel sensors, so an operator moving to a medium or large format camera has to buy a different and separately quoted licence rather than paying an upgrade fee.; deck.gl open source framework with no commercial support tier available; support relies on community and GitHub issues
  • They diverge on capability: Correlator3D covers Aerial triangulation, deck.gl covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Correlator3D and deck.gl actually diverge.

Attributes where Correlator3D and deck.gl differ
AttributeCorrelator3Ddeck.gl
Starting price$295/monthFree
Pricing modelOne-time purchaseopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWeb

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

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 Correlator3D

  • Aerial triangulation
  • DSM and DTM generation
  • Orthomosaic production
  • Point cloud and 3D mesh output
  • Feature extraction
  • GPU acceleration
  • Satellite imagery support
  • Batch and unattended processing

Only in deck.gl

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

What people use each for

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

Correlator3D

  • An aerial survey company processing large photographic blocks where per-project cloud credits would be more expensive than owning a licencenot deck.gl
  • A national or regional mapping agency that needs software it can run offline on classified or restricted imagerynot deck.gl
  • A drone service provider producing bare-earth terrain models for volumetrics and corridor mapping at high throughputnot deck.gl
  • An organisation that wants a perpetual licence because a multi-year subscription cannot be justified against its capital budgeting rulesnot deck.gl

deck.gl

  • GPU-accelerated visualisation of large geospatial datasets in the browsernot Correlator3D
  • Composing map overlays from reusable layersnot Correlator3D
  • Adding data layers on top of Google Maps or Mapbox basemapsnot Correlator3D
  • High-precision plotting using 64-bit GPU computationnot Correlator3D
  • Use from React or plain JavaScriptnot Correlator3D

Where each one falls short

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

Correlator3D

  • The standard licence caps at 61 megapixel sensors, so an operator moving to a medium or large format camera has to buy a different and separately quoted licence rather than paying an upgrade fee.
  • It is Windows desktop only with no cloud processing option, so throughput is bounded by the workstation and GPU you buy, and there is no way to burst capacity for one large job.
  • There is no collaboration layer, client portal or field application, so deliverable sharing, review and version control all have to be handled by other software.
  • The interface and workflow are built for photogrammetry specialists; an occasional drone operator will find the learning curve steeper than a consumer-oriented mapping package.
  • The perpetual licence includes only one year of support and updates, and staying current afterwards means paying maintenance, so the headline $5,900 is not the whole long-term cost.

deck.gl

  • Open source framework with no commercial support tier available; support relies on community and GitHub issues
  • Maintained by community contributors (vis.gl contributors), not by a dedicated company support team

Pricing, plan by plan

Correlator3D

$295/month
  • Monthly subscription$295/month
    • Unlimited images
    • Sensors up to 61 megapixels
    • All modules and tools
  • Yearly subscription$2950/year
    • Unlimited images
    • Sensors up to 61 megapixels
    • All modules and tools
  • Permanent licence$5900/one-time
    • Perpetual licence
    • Unlimited images up to 61 megapixels
    • All modules and tools
  • Permanent floating licence$6400/one-time
    • Perpetual floating licence shared across machines
    • Unlimited images up to 61 megapixels
    • One year of support and updates included

deck.gl

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the deck.gl review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Correlator3D if

  • You need aerial triangulation.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want dsm and dtm generation.
Correlator3D review

Choose deck.gl if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want user interface.
deck.gl review

Questions people ask

Is Correlator3D or deck.gl better?
Neither clearly leads. Correlator3D starts at $295/month and deck.gl at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Correlator3D or deck.gl?
deck.gl has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $295/month for Correlator3D and Free for deck.gl.
Does Correlator3D or deck.gl run on more platforms?
Correlator3D runs on Windows. deck.gl runs on Web.
Can I use deck.gl for free?
Yes. deck.gl has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Correlator3D starts at $295/month.
What is Correlator3D best used for?
Correlator3D is most often used for an aerial survey company processing large photographic blocks where per-project cloud credits would be more expensive than owning a licence, a national or regional mapping agency that needs software it can run offline on classified or restricted imagery, a drone service provider producing bare-earth terrain models for volumetrics and corridor mapping at high throughput, an organisation that wants a perpetual licence because a multi-year subscription cannot be justified against its capital budgeting rules. Of those, an aerial survey company processing large photographic blocks where per-project cloud credits would be more expensive than owning a licence and a national or regional mapping agency that needs software it can run offline on classified or restricted imagery are not what deck.gl is typically brought in for.
What can Correlator3D do that deck.gl cannot?
Correlator3D covers Aerial triangulation, DSM and DTM generation, Orthomosaic production, Point cloud and 3D mesh output. deck.gl covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Correlator3D: Can I still buy a perpetual licence?

Yes. $5,900 for a permanent licence and $6,400 for a permanent floating licence, each including a year of support and updates.

deck.gl: How much does deck.gl cost?

deck.gl is completely free to use. It is an open source framework maintained by the OpenJS Foundation and community contributors. The project is available on GitHub for anyone to use, modify, and contribute to without cost.

Source
Correlator3D: What limits the standard licence?

Sensor resolution, up to 61 megapixels. Medium format, large format and satellite imagery need separately priced licences.

deck.gl: Is deck.gl open source?

Yes, deck.gl is open source software maintained by the OpenJS Foundation and vis.gl contributors. The source code is publicly available, and the framework can be used freely in any project.

Source
Correlator3D: Is there a cloud version?

No. Processing runs on your own Windows workstation. SimActive offers a data processing service as an alternative to buying the software.

Correlator3D: Does it handle satellite imagery?

Yes, under a separate satellite licence class quoted on request.

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