LiDAR Pointer vs Recon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Measure distance to surfaces
- Indicate device inclination angle
- Oral distance measurement via speech
- Flashlight for extra light
- Supports iPhone and iPad
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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).
Recon
Capture accurate 3D data using photogrammetry and your device's lidar sensor. Process data locally for privacy or in the cloud. Includes optional scaling with April Tags and exports in e57 format for further analysis.
- Photogrammetry and lidar fusion
- Cloud or on-device processing
- Optional April Tag scaling
- e57 format export
- Privacy-focused local processing
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Recon-3D is a scanning application that fuses photogrammetry and the lidar sensor on the iPhone/iPad Pro. The data can be processed on the cloud or in case of sensitive data, directly on the device only with no data transmitted over the internet. The app provides optional scaling via April Tags which immediately adjusts the scale of the 3D model to match real-world reference measurements. The data can be exported to other programs for inspection, analysis and visualization in e57 format. Privacy Policy: https://www.recon-3d.com/privacypolicy Terms of Use: https://www.recon-3d.com/termsandconditions
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Recon at 4.8 against LiDAR Pointer's 3.3. Recon also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 23 months) and ratings volume (275 vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. LiDAR Pointer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Recon sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $99.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Recon holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Recon has 275 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of LiDAR Pointer's written reviews are positive against 75% of Recon's.
LiDAR Pointer ships an update every 23 months, Recon every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.
| Parameter | LiDAR Pointer | Recon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (8 ratings) | 4.8 (275 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 275 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 23 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Goldgewicht Consulting | Recon-3D Inc. |
Customer experience
LiDAR Pointer
Recon
Bugs and requests
LiDAR Pointer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Recon
Reported bugs
7 issues- Program crashes when hitting save
- App requires update in rural areas without data
- Camera is laggy and slow to update screen after update
- Permission problems block app usage
- App shows 'Oops' screen asking for permission despite all permissions granted
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- Sign up process is not working
- Password recovery is not working
Requested features
1 request- Tool for measuring in the app
In-app purchases
LiDAR Pointer
- Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
- Premium Annual$12.991 Year
Recon
- Recon3D One Month Subscription$99.991 Month
- Recon3D 1 Year Subscription$599.991 Year
- 5 Additional Uploads$49.99
- 10 Additional Uploads$79.99
- Recon3D 1 Year Subscription$299.99
