Comparison

LiDAR Pointer vs RTAB

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

Head to head
About

LiDAR Pointer

Measure distances and angles using your device's LiDAR sensor. Get audio readouts of measurements and use the flashlight for better accuracy in low light. Requires a LiDAR-equipped device.

Highlights
  • Measure distance to surfaces
  • Indicate device inclination angle
  • Oral distance measurement via speech
  • Flashlight for extra light
  • Supports iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

LiDAR Pointer can perform the following functions: - Measuring distance between your device and a surface; - Indicating the angle of inclination of your device; - Obtaining oral distance measurement through speech synthesis technology; - Turning on the flashlight of your device to get extra light when you need it. WARNING: - This application requires a device equipped with a LiDAR; - This application measures a distance between 1 cm and 5 meters maximum (only if a surface is detected by the LiDAR).

About

RTAB

This utility app enables real-time 3D scanning and mapping of environments using LiDAR or RGB-D sensors. It features online loop closure detection and map optimization for immediate feedback, with export options for various 3D formats.

Highlights
  • Online 3D scanning and mapping
  • Loop closure detection and map correction
  • Save maps in DB format
  • Export in PLY, LAS, or OBJ
  • Multi-session mapping
  • AR/VR visualization mode
Read full description

RTAB-Map (Real-Time Appearance-Based Mapping) is an Open Source LiDAR / RGB-D / Stereo Graph-Based SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) approach based on an online incremental appearance-based loop closure detector. The loop closure detector uses a bag-of-words approach to determinate how likely a new image comes from a previous location or a new location. When a loop closure hypothesis is accepted, a new constraint is added to the map's graph, then a graph optimizer minimizes the errors in the map in real-time. An optional memory management approach can be used to limit the number of locations used for loop closure detection and graph optimization, so that real-time constraints on large-scale environnements are always respected. ARKit's visual inertial odometry (VIO) is used as the SLAM front-end for RTAB-Map (the SLAM back-end). * Note that unlike other scanning apps that optimize the map only after mapping, with RTAB-Map you get loop closure detection and map optimization online so you can have a live feedback to know when you have enough constraints in the map for good global optimization before stopping the scan. *** 3D reconstruction available only with LiDAR sensor. Features: * Online 3D scanning/mapping of the environment. * Online loop closure detection and map correction. * Save in DB format (RTAB-Map desktop and rtabmap_ros format). * Export in PLY, LAS or OBJ. * Multi-session mapping (save and continue later). * Use Apriltags to help finding loop closures in textureless environments. * Mixed AR/VR First-Person in visualization mode. * Raw ARKit data recording (up to 60 Hz!), useful to record long sessions without comprising battery life.

Screenshots

LiDAR Pointer4 screens
RTAB3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: RTAB at 4.8 against LiDAR Pointer's 3.3. RTAB also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). 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. LiDAR Pointer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. RTAB asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RTAB holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 39 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of LiDAR Pointer's written reviews are positive against 100% of RTAB's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LiDAR Pointer ships an update every 23 months, RTAB every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
LiDAR Pointer versus RTAB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLiDAR PointerRTAB
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (8 ratings)4.8 (39 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings839 — better
Update frequencyEvery 23 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.014.3 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGoldgewicht ConsultingMathieu Labbe

Customer experience

LiDAR Pointer

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

RTAB

All ratings39 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

LiDAR Pointer

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Premium Annual$12.991 Year
None

RTAB

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LiDAR Pointer free?
LiDAR Pointer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RTAB free?
RTAB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LiDAR Pointer or RTAB?
RTAB is rated higher. LiDAR Pointer averages 3.3 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while RTAB averages 4.8 from 39 ratings.
Do LiDAR Pointer or RTAB have ads?
Neither LiDAR Pointer nor RTAB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, LiDAR Pointer or RTAB?
LiDAR Pointer ships an update every 23 months, and RTAB every 4 months. Most recently, LiDAR Pointer was updated on September 21, 2026 and RTAB on September 23, 2026.

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