CAD · head to head
Octane Render vs RealityScan
RealityScan
CAD
The photogrammetry engine formerly called RealityCapture, free below a one million dollar revenue line
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only RealityScan has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Octane Render studio+ is limited to 10 render nodes by default; 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: Octane Render covers GPU rendering, RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Octane Render and RealityScan actually diverge.
| Attribute | Octane Render | RealityScan |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Free below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, MacOS, Linux | Windows |
| Founded | 2008 | Unknown |
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 Octane Render
- GPU rendering
- Unbiased rendering
- Out-of-core geometry
- AI denoising
- Network rendering
- Blender
- Maya
- Cinema 4D
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.
Octane Render
- GPU accelerated unbiased rendering from Blender, Cinema 4D, Maya or Houdininot RealityScan
- Network rendering across multiple GPU nodesnot RealityScan
- Producing photoreal stills and animation for product and archviz worknot RealityScan
RealityScan
- A two-person heritage survey practice under the revenue threshold that can now run professional photogrammetry at no licence costnot Octane Render
- A film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedulenot Octane Render
- A survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstructionnot Octane Render
- A construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for Unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagerynot Octane Render
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Octane Render
- Studio+ is limited to 10 render nodes by default
- Monthly billing costs 23.95 euro per month against 19.99 euro per month on the yearly plan
- Offline USB dongle support is restricted to annual subscriptions and the dongle costs an extra 49 euro
- The offline dongle must be updated every 4 months and blocks access to cloud features
- There is no free tier, only a demo version
- OctaneRender is GPU only, so hardware compatibility must be tested before purchase
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
Octane Render
$29/month- Prime$19.99/month
- 1 GPU
- Studio$39.99/month
- 2 GPUs
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 Octane Render if
- You need gpu rendering.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want unbiased rendering.
Choose RealityScan if
- You need photogrammetric reconstruction.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want laser scan fusion.
Questions people ask
- Is Octane Render or RealityScan better?
- Neither clearly leads. Octane Render starts at $29/month and RealityScan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Octane Render or RealityScan?
- RealityScan has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Octane Render and Free for RealityScan.
- Does Octane Render or RealityScan run on more platforms?
- Octane Render runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. RealityScan runs on Windows.
- Can I use RealityScan for free?
- Yes. RealityScan has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Octane Render starts at $29/month.
- What is Octane Render best used for?
- Octane Render is most often used for gpu accelerated unbiased rendering from blender, cinema 4d, maya or houdini, network rendering across multiple gpu nodes, producing photoreal stills and animation for product and archviz work. Of those, gpu accelerated unbiased rendering from blender, cinema 4d, maya or houdini and network rendering across multiple gpu nodes are not what RealityScan is typically brought in for.
- What can Octane Render do that RealityScan cannot?
- Octane Render covers GPU rendering, Unbiased rendering, Out-of-core geometry, AI denoising. RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Octane Render: What are the pricing options for OctaneRender subscriptions?
OctaneRender pricing information is not publicly available on their website. Customers must visit the shop or contact OTOY to request pricing and subscription details.
SourceRealityScan: 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.
Octane Render: Does OctaneRender offer a free trial?
A free demo download is available for OctaneRender, but full pricing and trial period details must be obtained directly from OTOY's shop or sales.
SourceRealityScan: 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.
Related pages
More on Octane Render
More on RealityScan
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