Comparison

PIX4Dcatch vs GCM Survey

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PIX4Dcatch

Transform your mobile device into a powerful 3D scanner. Capture images and LiDAR data to create accurate 3D models for professional use. Visualize, measure, and share your creations in AR.

Highlights
  • 3D model creation from images and LiDAR
  • RTK device compatibility for centimeter accuracy
  • Live feedback during capture
  • Augmented reality (AR) model visualization
  • Cloud processing and desktop export options
  • Measurement and geolocation capabilities
Read full description

Digitize Reality: Transform your mobile device into a powerful 3D scanner. Simply point and record to create professional-grade 3D models. Pair with a compatible RTK device for centimeter-level accuracy, precise measurements, and geolocated 3D reconstructions. Visualize the captured model in the app, upload and export, and view it in AR. New ArcGIS Workflow: PIX4Dcatch now streams ArcGIS data in realtime in AR to provide in-field operators full contextual information about the entire site including 3D reconstructions and attributes. Our capture feature generates complete and defensible georeferenced 3D reconstructions which can be communicated seamlessly back to ArcGIS. New Guide-To Feature: PIX4Dcatch has a guide-to feature directing users to specified geolocated assets for staking, boosting onsite efficiency and accuracy. Just select the point or reconstruction you would like to find and follow the arrows in AR. WORKFLOW 1 – Scan & Capture Walk around your site. The app automatically gathers data and provides live feedback using iOS LiDAR, ensuring you capture every detail. For enhanced accuracy, use an RTK device compatible with PIX4Dcatch, PIX4D Autotags with a fully automated workflow, or combine both. 2 – Process, Analyze & Share Process your data by uploading to PIX4Dcloud for online analysis and sharing, or export to PIX4Dmatic for desktop processing. Both platforms offer a 14-day free trial. Projects can also be exported to third-party photogrammetry software. Measure spaces, document results, and enjoy all the benefits of a detailed 2D/3D model of your surroundings. 3 – View in AR Experience an immersive augmented-reality view. Display 3D models and points directly in your phone camera in AR. ____________________ USE CASES • Digitize construction sites • Measure stockpiles and other objects • Document underground utilities • Digitize indoor and outdoor spaces with Autotags • Visualize and verify 3D models in AR in real time • Perform single-point measurements with RTK accuracy ____________________ COMPATIBILITY • Optimized for LiDAR-equipped devices (Pro series phones) • All ARKit-enabled devices • RTK devices: Emlid Reach RX and RX2, TopCon HiPer CR, Bad Elf Flex Mini, Bad Elf Flex, Trimble DA2, Leica Zeno FLX100 ____________________ TERMS OF USE https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

GCM Survey

Features
Read full description

GCM Survey turns your iPhone or iPad into the screen, the control panel and the safety net for your Geosensors data logger. Join the logger's own Wi-Fi network and you have the whole survey in your hands — no internet, no cables, no laptop in the field. LIVE SURVEY MONITORING See the survey as it happens. Your track draws itself on the map in real time, rotating course-up as you walk the line so the display always matches the direction you're facing. Live EM traces, GPS quality, satellite count, battery voltage, temperature, pitch and roll are all a tap away while you record. PRE-FLIGHT CHECK BEFORE YOU START Data is flowing before you press Start, so the readiness panel tells you what the logger can actually see: EM sensor live and how many separations, GPS fix quality, free storage. Catch a dead sensor or a bad fix at the truck instead of at the end of the line. FULL CONTROL OF THE LOGGER Start, pause, resume and stop surveys from your phone. Pauses are recorded properly — the track breaks where you stopped and picks up where you resumed, so distance and duration never count the walk back to the truck. SPOKEN ALERTS Eyes on the ground, not on the screen. The app speaks up when something needs you: a card error, a receiver overflow, storage running low, or a data source that has gone quiet. Mute it any time. IT SURVIVES INTERRUPTIONS The logger is the source of truth and it keeps recording no matter what your phone does. Walk out of range, get a call, relaunch the app — reconnect and the app rejoins the survey in progress, refetches only the bytes it missed and redraws the full track. A dropped packet or a missed poll is never treated as a lost survey. Phone battery dies mid survey? Simply connect a different phone or iPad to the same logger and continue as you were. FINISH AND REVIEW IN SECONDS Because the app captures data live as you record, there's no long download at the end. Stop the survey and the summary is already there: sample count, distance, duration, average speet, GPS quality and EM channel coverage. Every finishedsurvey is verified byte-for-byte against the logger's own checksum before you keep it, then saved or discarded with one tap. CHARTS AND EXPORT Plot EM waveform channels for any survey on the devicrt and share in the format your processing softwarewants: • NMEA — the raw sentence stream • XYZ — tab-separated, with UTM easting and northing • LOG — legacy tab-separated columns • CSV — dated, full-channel CSV Share straight to Files, Mail, AirDrop etc. MANAGE THE LOGGER Browse, import, rename and delete files on the logger's SD card, check free space, set the device clock, configure serial port baud rates, and change the logger's name, Wi-Fi network anSettings screen. Firmware updates are guided step bystep, with the app reconnecting and confirming the new version for you when the logger comes back up. BUILT FOR THE FIELD Designed for iPhone and iPad. Everything works entirely offline over the logger's own Wi-Fi. Requires a Geosensors GCM Logger. Contact support@geosensors.com with any questions.

Screenshots

PIX4Dcatch4 screens
GCM Survey4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GCM Survey at none against PIX4Dcatch's 1. GCM Survey also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). PIX4Dcatch's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PIX4Dcatch sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $159.00 per month. GCM Survey asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PIX4Dcatch ships an update every 2 weeks, GCM Survey every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PIX4Dcatch versus GCM Survey: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPIX4DcatchGCM Survey
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (267 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews32.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings267 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size239 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPix4DGeosensors

Bugs and requests

PIX4Dcatch

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • App crashes or shows SDK error with Emlid RX
  • Upload doesn't work for Dropbox or OneDrive
  • Mesh doesn't display like past versions
  • Cannot build an accurate model
  • App locks out
Show 13 more
  • Outputs contradict (geo tags vs GCP coordinates)
  • Cannot log into Pix account inside the app (keyboard issue)
  • Does not recognize license
  • Stopped uploading
  • Photos stored in app, impossible to get if not uploading
  • Create account impossible
  • Cannot register
  • Cannot get contact without registration
  • App unbrauchbar (unusable)
  • Trial cannot be cancelled
  • Scan took 4 days to process
  • Fatal results
  • Slow and annoying

Requested features

6 requests
  • Make it possible to work with any GNSS through NMEA Protocol
  • Export GCP's in GPS coordinates as well
  • Add instructions or tips
  • Allow export to local device instead of cloud
  • Allow export of images to PC for free
Show 1 more
  • Allow testing of 3D generation with a limit of pictures or generated 3Ds for free

GCM Survey

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PIX4Dcatch

Subscriptions1
  • PIX4Dcatch Professional14 Days trial$159.001 Month
None

GCM Survey

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PIX4Dcatch free?
PIX4Dcatch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GCM Survey free?
GCM Survey is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PIX4Dcatch or GCM Survey have ads?
Neither PIX4Dcatch nor GCM Survey shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PIX4Dcatch or GCM Survey?
PIX4Dcatch ships an update every 2 weeks, and GCM Survey every 4 days. Most recently, PIX4Dcatch was updated on October 29, 2026 and GCM Survey on October 28, 2026.

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