Maps · head to head
Potree vs SW Maps
Potree
Maps
Open source WebGL viewer for publishing very large point clouds in a browser
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
SW Maps
Maps
Free Android GIS data collector that pairs with external RTK GNSS receivers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- 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.; SW Maps android only. There is no iOS version and no sign of one, which rules it out for organisations that issue iPhones and iPads to field staff.
- They diverge on capability: Potree covers Octree streaming, SW Maps covers Custom feature layers.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Potree and SW Maps actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), 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 SW Maps
- Custom feature layers
- External GNSS support
- Offline basemaps
- Geospatial PDF layers
- Vector import
- Photo and media capture
- Export formats
- NTRIP client
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 SW Maps
- A heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platformnot SW Maps
- An engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewernot SW Maps
- A university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to emailnot SW Maps
SW Maps
- An NGO or municipal utility mapping water points, pipe networks or road assets on a budget that cannot absorb per-user GIS subscriptionsnot Potree
- A survey team pairing a low-cost RTK receiver with Android tablets to collect centimetre-accurate attributed features without buying field software seatsnot Potree
- A university field course teaching GNSS data collection where every student needs the tool on their own devicenot Potree
- A consultant doing a one-off asset inventory who needs shapefile or GeoPackage output and does not want to start an annual subscription for a three-week jobnot 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.
SW Maps
- Android only. There is no iOS version and no sign of one, which rules it out for organisations that issue iPhones and iPads to field staff.
- There is no back end: no user management, no central project sync, no audit trail. Data lives on the device until someone exports it, and a lost tablet is lost data.
- No commercial support contract exists, so an organisation with a compliance requirement for vendor support cannot use it for regulated work regardless of technical fit.
- It is maintained by a small consultancy as a side product of its own project work, so the roadmap follows Softwel’s needs and a feature you depend on may never be prioritised.
- Form logic is basic compared with dedicated survey platforms: no meaningful skip logic, validation or multi-user assignment, so complex questionnaires quickly outgrow it.
Pricing, plan by plan
Potree
Free- PotreeFree
- BSD-style open source licence
- Unlimited datasets and viewers
- Self-hosted on any static web server
SW Maps
Free- SW MapsFree
- All features included
- External RTK GNSS support
- Unlimited layers and exports
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.
Choose SW Maps if
- You need custom feature layers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Android.
- You also want external gnss support.
Questions people ask
- Is Potree or SW Maps better?
- Neither clearly leads. Potree starts at Free and SW Maps at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Potree or SW Maps?
- Potree starts at Free and SW Maps at Free.
- Does Potree or SW Maps run on more platforms?
- Potree runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux. SW Maps runs on Android.
- Can I use Potree for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 SW Maps is typically brought in for.
- What can Potree do that SW Maps cannot?
- Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles. SW Maps covers Custom feature layers, External GNSS support, Offline basemaps, Geospatial PDF layers.
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.
SW Maps: Is SW Maps really free?
Yes. It is free with no advertising and no paid tier. There is no subscription and no feature paywall.
Potree: Is there commercial support?
No. There is no vendor and no support contract. Support is GitHub issues and the community.
SW Maps: Does it support RTK receivers?
Yes, over Bluetooth or USB serial, with NTRIP correction support, antenna height and per-point fix quality recording.
Potree: Who maintains it?
It originated at TU Wien and is maintained principally by Markus Schütz, with community contributions.
SW Maps: Is there an iOS version?
No. Android only.
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.
SW Maps: Who maintains it?
Softwel, an engineering consultancy in Kathmandu, Nepal, which built it for its own infrastructure projects.
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.
SW Maps: Can we get support?
Not contractually. There is no commercial support agreement, which is the main reason organisations with compliance obligations choose a paid alternative.
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