3D Scanner vs SpatialCapture
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
3D Scanner
Create detailed 3D models from your device's camera. Process scans directly on your phone or use a free Mac app. Share your creations in augmented reality or export them for 3D printing.
- High-quality 3D scans
- On-device processing (LiDAR)
- Free Mac app for processing
- Augmented reality sharing
- 3D printing export
- AI object generation (subscription)
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Turn real-world objects into detailed 3D models, right on your iPhone or iPad. SCAN WITH LIDAR Walk around an object and Sapling captures it with Object Capture, then builds the 3D model on your device. No servers, no waiting. TURNTABLE MODE No LiDAR? Put the object on a turntable or lazy Susan and Sapling takes photos automatically as it spins. Process them on your device, or with the free Sapling app for Mac. CREATE WITH AI Describe what you want, or start from a photo, and generate a 3D model with AI. AI generation uses tokens, which come with a subscription or as token packs, and requires sign-in. SEE IT, SIZE IT, EXPORT IT • Place models in your space with augmented reality • Set a model's real-world height before you print it • Export USDZ, STL, OBJ and PLY for 3D printing, sharing, game development and more • Sync models to your other devices and Apple Vision Pro with iCloud Your first scan is free. Unlock unlimited scans and processing with a purchase or subscription. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
SpatialCapture
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Turn an iPhone or iPad into a camera for agents. SpatialCapture records the visual and sensor evidence that external AI tools, Blender scripts and reconstruction workflows need to understand a real scene. Make one take, then share one documented ZIP containing video, calibrated camera movement, timestamps and the sensors you selected. WORKS WITH OR WITHOUT LIDAR Every supported ARKit device records video and a calibrated camera pose for each accepted frame. A device with a LiDAR Scanner also records measured scene depth and confidence. On a standard iPhone or iPad, the same workflow produces a pose-and-sensor package without invented depth. CAPTURE • Select the physical 0.5× ultra-wide or 1× wide camera when both are available • Video with optional microphone audio • Calibrated camera positions, orientations, intrinsics and timestamps • Optional gyroscope, accelerometer, gravity and device orientation • Optional GPS coordinates, altitude, speed and accuracy when available • LiDAR scene depth, confidence and matched color references when supported EXPORT FOR AGENTS AND BLENDER Export a ZIP containing the movie, frame-by-frame JSONL metadata, sensor streams, a readable manifest, a README and a Blender Python importer. LiDAR takes also include lossless depth buffers and color reference images. Recordings remain available in the Files app. The bundled Blender importer creates an animated camera from every take. For LiDAR captures, it also creates measured surface patches. Use the package as source evidence for manual modeling or with an external reconstruction agent you choose. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, subscription, advertising or automatic upload. GPS is off by default. Everything stays on your device until you use the system share sheet. SpatialCapture has no built-in AI service and does not send recordings to a developer server. FOR BEST RESULTS The app starts with the 0.5× ultra-wide camera when ARKit supports it, giving agents more scene context in each frame. You can switch to 1× before recording. Move slowly around still subjects and capture several angles. Pose-only captures do not contain measured geometry. LiDAR can miss glass, reflections, distant surfaces and hidden areas. GPS provides approximate geographic context; it does not register the ARKit world to a map. Requires an ARKit world-tracking iPhone or iPad with iOS/iPadOS 26 or later. The recorder uses an available HD format, preferably 30 FPS. It does not record 120/240 FPS slow motion or create a finished 3D model on the device. Privacy: https://www.carspecslab.com/docs/spatialcapture-privacy.html Support: https://www.carspecslab.com/docs/spatialcapture-support.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SpatialCapture at none against 3D Scanner's 9. 3D Scanner's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. 3D Scanner sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. SpatialCapture asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | 3D Scanner | SpatialCapture |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (55 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 55 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 62 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cephalopod Studio | JIRI CHOMAT |
In-app purchases
3D Scanner
- Generate Monthly$2.991 Month
- Monthly$4.991 Month
- Generate Annually3 Days trial$9.991 Year
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- Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Small Token Pack$4.99
- Medium Token Pack$14.99
- Premium$19.99
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- Large Token Pack$49.99
- Premium Lifetime$79.99
SpatialCapture
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 3D Scanner free?
Is SpatialCapture free?
Do 3D Scanner or SpatialCapture have ads?
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