# RTAB vs Celestial Tides

The clearest difference is update cadence: Celestial Tides at every 5 days against RTAB's every 5 months. RTAB's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

RTAB ships an update every 5 months, Celestial Tides every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RTAB | Celestial Tides |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rtab-map-3d-lidar-scanner/id1564774365/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **41** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 20 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mathieu Labbe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1564774367) | [Eric Springer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1881713086) |

## What reviewers say

### RTAB

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rtab-map-3d-lidar-scanner/id1564774365)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Celestial Tides

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/celestial-tides/id6759931630)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RTAB free?

RTAB is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Celestial Tides free?

Celestial Tides is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do RTAB or Celestial Tides have ads?

Neither RTAB nor Celestial Tides shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RTAB or Celestial Tides?

RTAB ships an update every 5 months, and Celestial Tides every 5 days. Most recently, RTAB was updated on October 27, 2026 and Celestial Tides on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*