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CAD · head to head

KiCad vs RealityScan

KiCad logo

KiCad

CAD

Free open source schematic capture and PCB layout with no seat, board size or layer limits

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: KiCad there is no vendor obligation behind the free software, so a blocking bug is escalated to a volunteer community unless you separately buy a contract from KiCad Services Corporation.; 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: KiCad covers Schematic capture, RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KiCad and RealityScan actually diverge.

Attributes where KiCad and RealityScan differ
AttributeKiCadRealityScan
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeFree below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows

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

  • Schematic capture
  • PCB layout
  • No design limits
  • 3D viewer
  • Manufacturing output
  • Scripting

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.

KiCad

  • A hardware startup designing a multi-layer board without paying for an Altium seatnot RealityScan
  • A university teaching PCB design where per-student licences are unaffordablenot RealityScan
  • An open hardware project that needs design files anyone can open and modifynot RealityScan
  • An engineer prototyping a board at home who needs commercial rights on the outputnot RealityScan

RealityScan

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

Where each one falls short

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

KiCad

  • There is no vendor obligation behind the free software, so a blocking bug is escalated to a volunteer community unless you separately buy a contract from KiCad Services Corporation.
  • High speed design support, including advanced constraint management, differential pair and impedance tooling, remains behind Altium and Cadence, which matters as soon as boards carry fast interfaces.
  • Rigid-flex and complex stack-up design is weak, so products with flex circuits usually need a commercial package.
  • Component library and part sourcing integrations are thinner than the commercial tools, so parts data and availability checking is manual work someone has to own.
  • Multi-engineer design data management is not provided; teams end up assembling Git workflows themselves, and merge handling on binary-adjacent design files is awkward.

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

KiCad

Free
  • KiCadFree
    • Full suite under GPL
    • No board size, layer or component limits
    • Commercial use permitted
  • Commercial support$undefined/year
    • Support contracts sold separately by KiCad Services Corporation
    • Priority issue handling and consulting
    • Not included with the free software

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 KiCad if

  • You need schematic capture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want pcb layout.
KiCad 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 KiCad or RealityScan better?
Neither clearly leads. KiCad starts at Free and RealityScan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KiCad or RealityScan?
KiCad starts at Free and RealityScan at Free.
Does KiCad or RealityScan run on more platforms?
KiCad runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. RealityScan runs on Windows.
Can I use KiCad for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is KiCad best used for?
KiCad is most often used for a hardware startup designing a multi-layer board without paying for an altium seat, a university teaching pcb design where per-student licences are unaffordable, an open hardware project that needs design files anyone can open and modify, an engineer prototyping a board at home who needs commercial rights on the output. Of those, a hardware startup designing a multi-layer board without paying for an altium seat and a university teaching pcb design where per-student licences are unaffordable are not what RealityScan is typically brought in for.
What can KiCad do that RealityScan cannot?
KiCad covers Schematic capture, PCB layout, No design limits, 3D viewer. RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

KiCad: Is KiCad really free for commercial work?

Yes. It is GPL licensed with no restriction on commercial use, board size, layer count or component count.

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.

KiCad: Can I buy support?

Yes, but not from the project. KiCad Services Corporation sells commercial support contracts separately; CERN moved to exactly that arrangement after ending its donation programme.

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.

KiCad: How is development funded?

Through donations and sponsors administered via The Linux Foundation, plus contributed engineering time.

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.

KiCad: Is it good enough to replace Altium?

For most low and medium speed boards yes. For high speed, rigid-flex and heavily constrained designs, the commercial tools still hold a clear lead.

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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