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Maps · head to head

Potree vs Quartix

Potree logo

Potree

Maps

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Quartix logo

Quartix

Fleet Management

Deliberately narrow vehicle tracking from a listed UK vendor that publishes its prices

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Potree has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Quartix video telematics is not part of the core product, so any fleet that decides it needs camera evidence after an incident has to bring in a second vendor and a second subscription.
  • They diverge on capability: Potree covers Octree streaming, Quartix covers Live tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Potree and Quartix actually diverge.

Attributes where Potree and Quartix differ
AttributePotreeQuartix
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feePer vehicle per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, LinuxWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryMapsFleet Management

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Potree

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

Only in Quartix

  • Live tracking
  • Driving style scoring
  • Timesheet reporting
  • Geofences
  • Driver identification
  • Published pricing

What people use each for

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

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 Quartix
  • A heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platformnot Quartix
  • An engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewernot Quartix
  • A university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to emailnot Quartix

Quartix

  • A UK or French van fleet that wants tracking and timesheet evidence without a discovery call and a three-year commitmentnot Potree
  • A finance manager who needs to compare telematics costs on published numbers rather than negotiated quotesnot Potree
  • An operator disputing employee hours or customer claims about arrival times who needs a defensible site attendance recordnot Potree
  • A small fleet whose insurer offers a discount for driving style monitoring but who does not need cameras or compliance toolingnot Potree

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Quartix

  • Video telematics is not part of the core product, so any fleet that decides it needs camera evidence after an incident has to bring in a second vendor and a second subscription.
  • There is no maintenance, work order or parts management, so servicing schedules stay in whatever spreadsheet or garage system the fleet already runs.
  • US hours of service and wider DOT compliance are not the focus, which rules Quartix out for regulated interstate commercial operations.
  • The standard tracker is hardwired rather than a plug-in device, so installation means booking vehicles in, which adds cost and downtime that no-contract plug-in competitors avoid.
  • The API and integration list are short, so feeding tracking data into payroll, job costing or an ERP tends to mean scheduled exports rather than a supported connector.

Pricing, plan by plan

Potree

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

Quartix

On request
  • Quartix$undefined/month
    • List pricing published openly, with rates varying by contract length
    • Tracking hardware included in the subscription rather than bought separately
    • One-year terms available alongside longer discounted options

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Quartix if

  • You need live tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want driving style scoring.
Quartix review

Questions people ask

Is Potree or Quartix better?
Neither clearly leads. Potree starts at Free and Quartix at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Potree or Quartix?
Potree has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Potree and On request for Quartix.
Does Potree or Quartix run on more platforms?
Potree runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux. Quartix runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Potree for free?
Yes. Potree has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Quartix starts at On request.
What is Potree best used for?
Potree is most often used for 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 file, a heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platform, an engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewer, a university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to email. Of those, 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 file and a heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platform are not what Quartix is typically brought in for.
What can Potree do that Quartix cannot?
Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles. Quartix covers Live tracking, Driving style scoring, Timesheet reporting, Geofences.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Potree: Does Potree cost anything?

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

Quartix: Why is Quartix cheaper than the big platforms?

Because it does less. There is no camera ecosystem, no compliance suite and no marketplace to fund. If you only need tracking, you are not subsidising features you will not use.

Potree: Is there commercial support?

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

Quartix: Do I have to sign for three years?

No. Shorter terms are offered, priced higher per month than the longer options. The rates are published, so the trade-off is visible before you talk to anyone.

Potree: Who maintains it?

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

Quartix: Is the hardware mine?

The tracking unit is supplied as part of the subscription rather than sold to you. Check the return and replacement terms if you plan to leave or dispose of vehicles.

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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