Comparison

Splatcatcher vs Crystal Spatial Camera

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

Head to head
About

Splatcatcher

Capture 3D Gaussian Splatting training data including images, camera poses, and a point cloud using your iPhone's LiDAR. Export a ready-to-train .zip file for processing on a PC with compatible software.

Highlights
  • Real-time point cloud accumulation
  • Manual and auto-capture modes
  • Live camera and point cloud preview
  • Tracking quality indicator
  • Loop closure guidance
  • Export transforms.json and PLY point cloud
  • One-tap .zip export
Read full description

Splatcatcher captures everything you need for 3D Gaussian Splatting training in a single session — images, camera poses, and a dense colored point cloud — using your iPhone's LiDAR sensor. IMPORTANT: Capturing requires the LiDAR scanner, which is only available on iPhone Pro models (iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro / Pro Max). Non-Pro iPhones do not have LiDAR and cannot capture. Walk around any object or scene and Splatcatcher handles the rest. Each capture records the camera frame, full intrinsic and extrinsic parameters, and accumulates a spatially-deduplicated point cloud from the LiDAR depth buffer in real time. When you're done, export a ready-to-train COLMAP dataset — cameras.bin, images.bin, a colored points3D.bin, and your images — without ever running COLMAP or any other SfM pipeline on a desktop. Just load the folder into LichtFeld Studio (free), Postshot (paid), or any other COLMAP-based trainer and you're good to go. Or skip the copying altogether: pair Splatcatcher with Forge, our free companion app for Mac and Windows, and tap Send to PC. Your capture goes straight to your own computer over your network — never through our servers — Forge trains the splat with Spirula Studio or LichtFeld Studio, and the finished splat comes back to your iPhone to view. Get Forge at splatcatcher.warp-gate.com/forge. Features: - Real-time dense point cloud accumulation from LiDAR depth with spatial deduplication - Manual shutter mode with volume button trigger - Continuous auto-capture mode with distance/angle thresholds and blur rejection - Live camera-perspective and overhead point cloud preview during capture - Tracking quality indicator with motion and feature warnings - Loop closure guidance to improve reconstruction accuracy - On-device pose refinement — an optional one-tap optimization pass tightens camera poses and re-aligns the point cloud for sharper training results, no desktop SfM needed - Exports a standard COLMAP dataset with per-frame camera intrinsics and extrinsics, so autofocus shifts are carried through to training instead of averaged away - Colored COLMAP point cloud (points3D.bin), written in the same world frame as the cameras for splat initialization - One-tap export to Dropbox, AirDrop, Files, etc for transport to PC for processing - Train on your own Mac or PC: pair with the free Forge app by scanning a QR code, send a capture, and follow training from your phone. Close the app once the upload finishes; training carries on - Built-in splat viewer: orbit, pan and zoom around your trained splats on iPhone (iOS 27 or later; earlier versions show a preview image) Output is directly compatible with LichtFeld Studio, Postshot, and other trainers that read the standard COLMAP images + sparse/0 format. Requires an iPhone Pro model with the LiDAR scanner (iPhone 12 Pro or later Pro / Pro Max). Non-Pro iPhones are not supported for capture.

About

Crystal Spatial Camera

Features
Read full description

Crystal Spatial Camera turns your photos into 3D memories. Just take a few photos, and Crystal will create a personal 3D memory for you. You can view the generated 3D content in album mode, rotate and zoom in, and revisit the moment from different angles. It is perfect for preserving meaningful objects, travel memories, everyday moments, gifts, and family gatherings — keeping important memories in a more vivid and dimensional way. Main Features: - Take photos to create 3D memories - Browse all memories in album mode - Rotate and zoom to view 3D content freely - Export as videos or Live Photos Memories, held in Crystal.

Screenshots

Splatcatcher4 screens
Crystal Spatial Camera3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Crystal Spatial Camera at every 3 days against Splatcatcher's every 3 weeks. Crystal Spatial Camera also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Splatcatcher ships an update every 3 weeks, Crystal Spatial Camera every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Splatcatcher versus Crystal Spatial Camera: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplatcatcherCrystal Spatial Camera
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWarpgate LLC奕夫 王

In-app purchases

None

Splatcatcher

No in-app purchases

None

Crystal Spatial Camera

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Splatcatcher free?
Splatcatcher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Crystal Spatial Camera free?
Crystal Spatial Camera is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Splatcatcher or Crystal Spatial Camera have ads?
Neither Splatcatcher nor Crystal Spatial Camera shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Splatcatcher or Crystal Spatial Camera?
Splatcatcher ships an update every 3 weeks, and Crystal Spatial Camera every 3 days. Most recently, Splatcatcher was updated on October 11, 2026 and Crystal Spatial Camera on October 1, 2026.

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