Best 3D scanner app for iPhone: a LiDAR comparison by use case

One sensor, many apps

LiDAR has been fitted to iPhone Pro models since the iPhone 12 Pro. It measures distances up to about 5 metres, including in the dark, and every scanning app relies on the same sensor and on ARKit, Apple’s layer that tracks the device’s position. What sets apps apart is therefore not the measurement, but what they do with it.

Four criteria really matter: the capture mode (LiDAR, photogrammetry from photos, or both), where the processing happens (on the iPhone or in the cloud), the export formats and the editing available after the scan, and finally the scenario the app was designed for. The apps below are described from their publishers’ public information, which changes; when in doubt, the App Store listing is the reference.

Scanning a room or a building

This is the general-purpose apps’ home ground. Polycam captures with LiDAR and photogrammetry, offers an editor and several export formats, with some free and some paid features. Scaniverse processes scans on the device and emphasises fast capture and sharing. 3d Scanner App is liked for its range of export formats and its measuring tools. SiteScape aims at capturing point clouds for construction-site documentation.

For a room the method is the same everywhere: walk slowly around the volume, cover the corners, go back over missing areas. Choose according to the format you need at the end and your workflow (online sharing, editing in the app, or raw export to desktop software).

Scanning an object

iPhone LiDAR is not the best tool for a small object: its resolution is measured in centimetres, which is too coarse for a figurine or a mechanical part. Photogrammetry apps, which rebuild the model from dozens of photos, generally give finer detail and real textures. KIRI Engine is an app centred on photogrammetry, also available outside iPhone; Polycam and Scaniverse also offer a photo mode.

To get good results, avoid shiny or transparent surfaces, light the object evenly and walk around it at a constant height.

Drawing a floor plan

For a dimensioned plan of a flat or a house, a tool dedicated to interior measuring saves time. magicplan produces floor plans and reports for the building and insurance trades, and can use the LiDAR of compatible devices. Apple also offers RoomPlan, a framework that builds a parametric model of a room, used by various plan apps.

If you want a plan with recognised walls, doors and windows, favour these tools. A raw mesh gives the exact shape but not “clean” walls.

Caves, mines and tunnels: a different problem

Underground, the point is no longer to reproduce a volume, but not to get lost while moving through it. There is no GPS or network, the light is whatever you bring, and the route is a long corridor or a maze, not a room you walk around. General-purpose apps can scan these places, but they were not designed for navigation.

That is the purpose of Lidark: a minimap drawn live, the real distance to walk along your path back to the entrance, landmarks dropped in one tap, a red night vision mode, and 100% offline operation with no account. See finding your way without GPS or network for the principle.

• Lidark’s limits: iPhone Pro with LiDAR only, about 5 metres of range, and visual tracking that needs a little light and walls with some relief.
• No photo textures: Lidark keeps no photo or video, it produces a mesh and altitude colours. If you want a photorealistic result, a general-purpose app will do better.
• Not a certified instrument: the survey is indicative and does not replace a rigorous survey.

The choice at a glance

A simple rule to decide according to your need:

• A room or a site to capture and share: a general-purpose app (Polycam, Scaniverse, 3d Scanner App, SiteScape).
• A small detailed object: a photogrammetry app (KIRI Engine, or the photo mode of general-purpose apps).
• A dimensioned floor plan: magicplan or an app built on RoomPlan.
• A cave, a quarry, a mine, an authorised tunnel: Lidark, for the minimap and the offline way back to the entrance.

What to check before choosing

Whatever your use, a few questions avoid bad surprises:

• Does your iPhone have LiDAR? Without it, only photogrammetry is possible.
• Which export formats (PLY, OBJ, GLB, LAS), and in which plan? Check the App Store for pricing and limits.
• Where is the processing done: on the iPhone (useful without a network) or in the cloud?
• Do your scans leave your phone? Read the publisher’s privacy policy. Lidark’s fits in one line: nothing is sent.

Opening and measuring your scans for free

Whatever the app, a PLY, OBJ or GLB file opens in our free 3D viewer: the file stays in your browser, nothing is uploaded, with measuring, ceiling removal and screenshots. It is handy for comparing two exports or reviewing a scan without any software.

Lidark is an orientation aid: it replaces neither a guide, nor a rope, nor a prior reconnaissance. Respect restricted access. All the guides are gathered on the guides page, including the guide to iPhone LiDAR scanning.

Frequently asked questions