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CAD · head to head

CATIA vs RealityScan

CATIA logo

CATIA

CAD

World's leading solution for product design

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RealityScan logo

RealityScan

CAD

The photogrammetry engine formerly called RealityCapture, free below a one million dollar revenue line

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only RealityScan has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CATIA no public pricing available on vendor website; RealityScan the free tier is bounded by company revenue rather than by usage, so a business crossing one million US dollars of turnover acquires a per-seat cost overnight for software its workflow now depends on
  • They diverge on capability: CATIA covers Surface modeling, RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CATIA and RealityScan actually diverge.

Attributes where CATIA and RealityScan differ
AttributeCATIARealityScan
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFree below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Linux (some)Windows
Founded1981Unknown

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

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 CATIA

  • Surface modeling
  • Class A surfacing
  • Systems engineering
  • Simulation
  • Composites design
  • Electrical design
  • Knowledge-based engineering
  • ENOVIA PLM

Only in RealityScan

  • Photogrammetric reconstruction
  • Laser scan fusion
  • Ground control points
  • Texturing and unwrapping
  • Command line interface
  • Unreal Engine path
  • Component alignment control

What people use each for

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

CATIA

  • 3D product designnot RealityScan
  • Simulation and analysisnot RealityScan
  • System design and developmentnot RealityScan
  • Manufacturing engineeringnot RealityScan
  • Advanced modelingnot RealityScan

RealityScan

  • A two-person heritage survey practice under the revenue threshold that can now run professional photogrammetry at no licence costnot CATIA
  • A film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedulenot CATIA
  • A survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstructionnot CATIA
  • A construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for Unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagerynot CATIA

Where each one falls short

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

CATIA

  • No public pricing available on vendor website
  • Requires direct contact with sales for quotes
  • Enterprise-grade CAD software likely requires substantial investment

RealityScan

  • The free tier is bounded by company revenue rather than by usage, so a business crossing one million US dollars of turnover acquires a per-seat cost overnight for software its workflow now depends on
  • New perpetual licences are no longer sold, so an organisation that deliberately avoided subscription software has no route in; existing perpetual holders keep their version but stop receiving updates unless they accept the current terms
  • It is Windows only and needs an NVIDIA CUDA capable GPU, which excludes macOS studios and makes the real cost of adoption a workstation purchase rather than a licence
  • The rename from RealityCapture to RealityScan in 2025 means tutorials, forum answers and third party pipeline documentation are split across two names and several licensing regimes, and much of it is now wrong about price
  • The interface assumes photogrammetry knowledge; alignment failures, control point placement and reconstruction region setup are not guided, so a team without an experienced operator produces poor models quickly rather than good ones slowly

Pricing, plan by plan

CATIA

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the CATIA review.

RealityScan

Free
  • Free tierFree
    • For individuals and companies with annual revenue under 1,000,000 USD
    • Full application, no metered input charges
    • Epic account required
  • RealityScan seat$1250/year
    • Required once annual revenue exceeds 1,000,000 USD
    • Per seat, per year
    • Commercial use without output restrictions
  • Unreal Engine subscription$1850/year
    • Per seat per year
    • Includes RealityScan and Twinmotion
    • For teams that also need Unreal Engine for non-game commercial use

Which should you pick?

Choose CATIA if

  • You need surface modeling.
  • You work on Windows, Linux (some).
  • You also want class a surfacing.
CATIA review

Choose RealityScan if

  • You need photogrammetric reconstruction.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want laser scan fusion.
RealityScan review

Questions people ask

Is CATIA or RealityScan better?
Neither clearly leads. CATIA starts at On request and RealityScan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CATIA or RealityScan?
RealityScan has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CATIA and Free for RealityScan.
Does CATIA or RealityScan run on more platforms?
CATIA runs on Windows, Linux (some). RealityScan runs on Windows.
Can I use RealityScan for free?
Yes. RealityScan has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CATIA starts at On request.
What is CATIA best used for?
CATIA is most often used for 3d product design, simulation and analysis, system design and development, manufacturing engineering. Of those, 3d product design and simulation and analysis are not what RealityScan is typically brought in for.
What can CATIA do that RealityScan cannot?
CATIA covers Surface modeling, Class A surfacing, Systems engineering, Simulation. RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CATIA: How much does CATIA cost?

Pricing is not publicly displayed on CATIA's product page. Customers must contact Dassault Systèmes directly or visit user communities to obtain pricing information for CATIA licenses and subscriptions.

Source
RealityScan: Is RealityCapture still called that?

No. Epic rebranded it to RealityScan with version 2.0 in 2025. It is the same engine and the same team.

CATIA: Is there a free version of CATIA?

No free version or trial is mentioned on CATIA's product page. CATIA is described as a comprehensive commercial solution for product innovation, and no freemium option is referenced.

Source
RealityScan: Who gets it free?

Individuals and companies with annual revenue under one million US dollars. Above that, a seat is 1,250 US dollars per year.

RealityScan: Can I still buy a perpetual licence?

Not for new purchases. Existing perpetual licences remain valid for the version owned, with updates only under the current terms.

RealityScan: Does the free version restrict output?

No output metering or watermarking; the restriction is on who qualifies, based on company revenue, not on what you export.

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