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Maps · head to head

Leica Infinity vs Potree

Leica Infinity logo

Leica Infinity

Maps

Office software that combines total station, GNSS, level, UAV and scanner data into one survey project

From
On request
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

  • Only Potree has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Leica Infinity leica publishes no pricing at all and sells through dealers, so identical firms in different regions pay different rates for the same modules and cannot benchmark a quote.; 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: Leica Infinity covers Multi-sensor project, Potree covers Octree streaming.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Leica Infinity and Potree actually diverge.

Attributes where Leica Infinity and Potree differ
AttributeLeica InfinityPotree
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux

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 Leica Infinity

  • Multi-sensor project
  • Network adjustment
  • GNSS baseline processing
  • Point cloud handling
  • Surface and volume
  • Field data exchange
  • Imaging and UAV workflow
  • CAD, GIS and BIM export

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.

Leica Infinity

  • A survey practice running Leica instruments that wants control adjustment, GNSS post-processing and scan registration in one project rather than three packagesnot Potree
  • A contractor computing monthly earthworks volumes from drone and GNSS data measured against a design surface for payment applicationsnot Potree
  • A monitoring job comparing repeated survey epochs of a structure or slope where the adjustment history and residuals must be defensiblenot Potree
  • An office preparing stakeout data and control for field crews on Leica Captivate and receiving as-built observations back into the same projectnot 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 Leica Infinity
  • A heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platformnot Leica Infinity
  • An engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewernot Leica Infinity
  • A university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to emailnot Leica Infinity

Where each one falls short

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

Leica Infinity

  • Leica publishes no pricing at all and sells through dealers, so identical firms in different regions pay different rates for the same modules and cannot benchmark a quote.
  • It is modular, which means the advertised capability list is not what you get: sensor and processing modules are licensed separately and the useful configuration costs considerably more than the entry one.
  • Third-party instrument data is supported but always second-class; a mixed Leica and Trimble fleet will have one manufacturer’s raw data going through a lossier import path.
  • Windows only, with no macOS, Linux or browser option, which is a hard constraint for organisations moving field and office work to tablets or cloud desktops.
  • Perpetual licences require an ongoing customer care contract to receive updates and support, so the perpetual option saves less over five years than it first appears.

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

Leica Infinity

On request
  • Infinity perpetual licence$undefined/year
    • Bought once, owned outright
    • Modular by sensor and processing capability
    • Annual customer care contract needed for updates
  • Infinity subscription$undefined/year
    • Annual or multi-year term
    • Includes updates for the term
    • Modules added or removed at renewal

Potree

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Leica Infinity if

  • You need multi-sensor project.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want network adjustment.
Leica Infinity 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 Leica Infinity or Potree better?
Neither clearly leads. Leica Infinity starts at On request and Potree at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Leica Infinity or Potree?
Potree has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Leica Infinity and Free for Potree.
Does Leica Infinity or Potree run on more platforms?
Leica Infinity runs on Windows. Potree runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Potree for free?
Yes. Potree has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Leica Infinity starts at On request.
What is Leica Infinity best used for?
Leica Infinity is most often used for a survey practice running leica instruments that wants control adjustment, gnss post-processing and scan registration in one project rather than three packages, a contractor computing monthly earthworks volumes from drone and gnss data measured against a design surface for payment applications, a monitoring job comparing repeated survey epochs of a structure or slope where the adjustment history and residuals must be defensible, an office preparing stakeout data and control for field crews on leica captivate and receiving as-built observations back into the same project. Of those, a survey practice running leica instruments that wants control adjustment, gnss post-processing and scan registration in one project rather than three packages and a contractor computing monthly earthworks volumes from drone and gnss data measured against a design surface for payment applications are not what Potree is typically brought in for.
What can Leica Infinity do that Potree cannot?
Leica Infinity covers Multi-sensor project, Network adjustment, GNSS baseline processing, Point cloud handling. Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Leica Infinity: Is Leica Infinity available as a perpetual licence?

Yes. Leica sells Infinity both as a subscription and as a perpetual licence, though updates on a perpetual licence require an active customer care contract.

Potree: Does Potree cost anything?

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

Leica Infinity: How much does it cost?

Leica does not publish prices. Infinity is quoted per module through authorised dealers.

Potree: Is there commercial support?

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

Leica Infinity: Does it work with non-Leica instruments?

It imports common third-party and standard formats, but Leica raw data is the first-class path. Expect reduced fidelity with competing raw formats.

Potree: Who maintains it?

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

Leica Infinity: Is there a free version?

No, only a 30-day trial.

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.

Leica Infinity: Does it replace Cyclone for scanning?

No. Infinity handles scan data in a survey context; heavy registration and modelling work still belongs in Leica Cyclone.

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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