Softwr

Maps · head to head

Potree vs Radar

Potree logo

Potree

Maps

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Radar logo

Radar

Maps

Geofencing, trip tracking, and location-based search APIs that power location features in

From
$0.02/per monthly tracked user
Rated
-
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.; Radar no free tier available
  • They diverge on capability: Potree covers Octree streaming, Radar covers Core Functionality.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Potree and Radar actually diverge.

Attributes where Potree and Radar differ
AttributePotreeRadar
Starting priceFree$0.02/per monthly tracked user
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, LinuxiOS, Android, Web

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 Potree

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

Only in Radar

  • Core Functionality
  • User Interface

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

Radar

  • Detecting and preventing fraud with geolocation verificationnot Potree
  • Tracking pickups and deliveries in real-time with geofencingnot Potree
  • Engaging customers with location-based marketing campaignsnot Potree
  • Managing geographic compliance and hyper-accurate location trackingnot 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.

Radar

  • No free tier available
  • Annual contracts required with committed monthly quotas
  • Volume discounts applied manually; no public discount tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

Potree

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

Radar

$0.02/per monthly tracked user

No published plan breakdown. See the Radar review.

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 Radar if

  • You need core functionality.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want user interface.
Radar review

Questions people ask

Is Potree or Radar better?
Neither clearly leads. Potree starts at Free and Radar at $0.02/per monthly tracked user, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Potree or Radar?
Potree has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Potree and $0.02/per monthly tracked user for Radar.
Does Potree or Radar run on more platforms?
Potree runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux. Radar runs on iOS, Android, Web.
Can I use Potree for free?
Yes. Potree has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Radar starts at $0.02/per monthly tracked user.
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 Radar is typically brought in for.
What can Potree do that Radar cannot?
Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles. Radar covers Core Functionality, User Interface.

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.

Radar: What is Radar's core function?

Radar is an all-in-one location platform providing SDKs and APIs for geofencing, trip tracking, geocoding, and location search. It handles 100+ billion annual queries from 100+ million devices.

Source
Potree: Is there commercial support?

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

Radar: Who uses Radar?

Companies like Sleeper, Panera, DICK's Sporting Goods, T-Mobile, and Zillow use Radar's geofencing SDKs and maps APIs for location-based solutions.

Source
Potree: Who maintains it?

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

Radar: How is Radar's pricing structured?

Radar does not publicly disclose pricing. Custom quotes are required based on usage and requirements, meaning pricing varies per customer.

Source
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.

Radar: What are Radar's security and privacy features?

Radar prioritizes enterprise-level security, privacy, and customer support. It maintains high uptime, low latency connections for reliable monitoring of location data across platforms.

Source
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 Potree

More on Radar

Keep looking

Other head to heads