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Maps · head to head

IndoorAtlas vs Potree

IndoorAtlas logo

IndoorAtlas

Maps

Indoor positioning and navigation solutions using the Earth's magnetic field, WiFi, and Bluetooth beacons

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Potree logo

Potree

Maps

Open source WebGL viewer for publishing very large point clouds in a browser

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: IndoorAtlas requires labor-intensive fingerprinting process, walking every corridor to build magnetic map for each venue; Potree there is no vendor, no support contract and no service level, so anything you build on Potree is your organisation’s responsibility to maintain when a browser update breaks rendering.
  • They diverge on capability: IndoorAtlas covers Core Functionality, Potree covers Octree streaming.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IndoorAtlas and Potree actually diverge.

Attributes where IndoorAtlas and Potree differ
AttributeIndoorAtlasPotree
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 IndoorAtlas

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

Only in Potree

  • Octree streaming
  • Large dataset rendering
  • Measurement tools
  • Clipping and profiles
  • Annotations
  • Attribute colouring
  • PotreeDesktop
  • Self-hosting

What people use each for

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

IndoorAtlas

  • Routing customers to deals in large retail spacesnot Potree
  • Guiding visitors through shopping centers and airportsnot Potree
  • Optimizing workplace space with movement analyticsnot Potree
  • Tracking dwell times and visitor movement patternsnot Potree

Potree

  • A drone survey firm delivering a point cloud to a client who has no desktop software, by publishing a browser viewer link instead of a 40 GB LAZ filenot IndoorAtlas
  • A heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platformnot IndoorAtlas
  • An engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewernot IndoorAtlas
  • A university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to emailnot IndoorAtlas

Where each one falls short

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

IndoorAtlas

  • Requires labor-intensive fingerprinting process, walking every corridor to build magnetic map for each venue
  • Magnetic signatures degrade over time, requiring periodic re-fingerprinting as the environment changes
  • Magnetic interference from external sources and devices disrupts positioning accuracy
  • Positioning inconsistent across different smartphone models due to magnetometer heterogeneity
  • High cost to deploy and maintain, with expensive implementation for wide-scale adaptation

Potree

  • There is no vendor, no support contract and no service level, so anything you build on Potree is your organisation’s responsibility to maintain when a browser update breaks rendering.
  • Conversion is a separate manual step with PotreeConverter, and building an automated publishing pipeline around it is engineering work the project does not provide.
  • Rendering quality and performance depend on the client machine and WebGL support, so a client on a locked-down corporate laptop with poor graphics may see a viewer that stutters or fails outright.
  • A WebGPU rewrite, Potree-Next, is in progress and is not a drop-in upgrade, so current integrations face an eventual migration with no vendor to manage it.
  • There is no access control, user management or audit layer; anyone with the URL sees the data unless you build authentication around the static files yourself, which is a real problem for confidential sites.

Pricing, plan by plan

IndoorAtlas

Free
  • TrialFree
    • 1 venue
    • 10 end-users
    • 14 days data retention
  • Develop Lite$59/month
    • 1 venue
    • 20 end-users
    • 30 days data retention
  • Develop$400/month
    • unlimited venues
    • 50 end-users
    • 1 hour monthly support
  • Pro$349/month per venue
    • unlimited venues and end-users
    • supports up to 10,000 m² per venue
    • basic technical support

Potree

Free
  • PotreeFree
    • BSD-style open source licence
    • Unlimited datasets and viewers
    • Self-hosted on any static web server

Which should you pick?

Choose IndoorAtlas if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want user interface.
IndoorAtlas review

Choose Potree if

  • You need octree streaming.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want large dataset rendering.
Potree review

Questions people ask

Is IndoorAtlas or Potree better?
Neither clearly leads. IndoorAtlas starts at Free and Potree at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IndoorAtlas or Potree?
IndoorAtlas starts at Free and Potree at Free.
Does IndoorAtlas or Potree run on more platforms?
IndoorAtlas runs on iOS, Android, Web. Potree runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use IndoorAtlas for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is IndoorAtlas best used for?
IndoorAtlas is most often used for routing customers to deals in large retail spaces, guiding visitors through shopping centers and airports, optimizing workplace space with movement analytics, tracking dwell times and visitor movement patterns. Of those, routing customers to deals in large retail spaces and guiding visitors through shopping centers and airports are not what Potree is typically brought in for.
What can IndoorAtlas do that Potree cannot?
IndoorAtlas covers Core Functionality, User Interface. Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IndoorAtlas: How does IndoorAtlas determine positioning without beacons or hardware?

IndoorAtlas uses patented geomagnetic fusion technology that maps the Earth's magnetic field patterns inside buildings through a process called magnetic fingerprinting. The technology combines magnetometer data with other sensors like WiFi and Bluetooth for robust positioning.

Source
Potree: Does Potree cost anything?

No. It is open source and free. You supply the hosting, which for a static viewer is inexpensive.

IndoorAtlas: What is the initial setup process for IndoorAtlas?

Setup requires fingerprinting the venue by systematically walking through all corridors and spaces to build a magnetic map. The platform then identifies problematic areas through red (conflicting data), blue (insufficient coverage), and path orientation errors that require correction before the map is production-ready.

Source
Potree: Is there commercial support?

No. There is no vendor and no support contract. Support is GitHub issues and the community.

IndoorAtlas: What are IndoorAtlas's pricing plans?

IndoorAtlas offers production subscriptions starting at 349 euros per month per venue, with a development plan at 400 euros per month. A free tier is available for developers to start building.

Source
Potree: Who maintains it?

It originated at TU Wien and is maintained principally by Markus Schütz, with community contributions.

IndoorAtlas: How accurate is IndoorAtlas positioning?

IndoorAtlas claims industry-leading accuracy down to 50 centimeters using its 6-layer sensor fusion core across diverse environments, though accuracy varies based on building magnetic patterns and requires careful calibration.

Source
Potree: Can it handle very large clouds?

Yes, hundreds of millions of points, because PotreeConverter builds a multi-resolution octree that streams only what is visible.

Potree: Is my data private?

Only if you make it so. Potree serves static files with no built-in authentication, so access control is entirely your responsibility.

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