Softwr

Maps · head to head

Mapillary vs Potree

Mapillary logo

Mapillary

Maps

Platform for street-level imagery that crowdsources images to map the world and

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: Mapillary no pricing information published on main website pages, suggesting either free service or hidden pricing model; 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: Mapillary 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 Mapillary and Potree actually diverge.

Attributes where Mapillary and Potree differ
AttributeMapillaryPotree
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, 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 Mapillary

  • 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.

Mapillary

  • Street-level imagery for map editing and verificationnot Potree
  • Crowdsourcing photos to keep a map currentnot Potree
  • Extracting map features automatically with computer visionnot Potree
  • Embedding street imagery with MapillaryJSnot 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 Mapillary
  • A heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platformnot Mapillary
  • An engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewernot Mapillary
  • A university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to emailnot Mapillary

Where each one falls short

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

Mapillary

  • No pricing information published on main website pages, suggesting either free service or hidden pricing model
  • Unclear monetization strategy makes it difficult for businesses to understand licensing costs for commercial use
  • No published tier structure or feature limits visible to potential customers

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

Mapillary

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Mapillary review.

Potree

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Mapillary if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You also want user interface.
Mapillary 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 Mapillary or Potree better?
Neither clearly leads. Mapillary 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, Mapillary or Potree?
Potree has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Mapillary and Free for Potree.
Does Mapillary or Potree run on more platforms?
Mapillary runs on Web. 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. Mapillary starts at On request.
What is Mapillary best used for?
Mapillary is most often used for street-level imagery for map editing and verification, crowdsourcing photos to keep a map current, extracting map features automatically with computer vision, embedding street imagery with mapillaryjs. Of those, street-level imagery for map editing and verification and crowdsourcing photos to keep a map current are not what Potree is typically brought in for.
What can Mapillary do that Potree cannot?
Mapillary covers Core Functionality, User Interface. Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Mapillary: What is the pricing model for Mapillary?

Mapillary does not publish pricing information on its main website pages. The platform focuses on features like street-level imagery access, map updating through computer vision, and open data sharing, but specific costs and licensing tiers are not disclosed publicly.

Source
Potree: Does Potree cost anything?

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

Mapillary: Can I use Mapillary for commercial purposes?

Specific details about commercial licensing for Mapillary are not published on the main website. Interested businesses should contact Mapillary directly through their support channels to discuss commercial use cases and licensing options.

Source
Potree: Is there commercial support?

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

Mapillary: Is Mapillary free to use for individual contributors?

Mapillary emphasizes open data sharing and community contributions but specific details about free vs. paid access for individuals are not clearly stated on the main website. Contact Mapillary support for clarification on access terms.

Source
Potree: Who maintains it?

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

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.

Share

Related pages

More on Mapillary

More on Potree

Keep looking

Other head to heads