Comparison

Scan4D vs Micboard Spectrum

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

Head to head
About

Scan4D

Features
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Scan4D is a professional-grade reality capture app for iPhone and iPad. It turns your device's LiDAR sensor and camera into a powerful 3D scanner, capturing detailed meshes, depth maps, and camera poses for downstream reconstruction, photogrammetry, and spatial computing. FULL MODE (LiDAR devices) • Real-time mesh reconstruction with live wireframe overlay • 16-bit depth maps captured at adaptive frame rates • Scan capacity metrics: polygon count, drift tracking, session duration • Interactive 3D mesh preview with camera-sampled vertex coloring • Privacy filtering: person segmentation removes humans from meshes, face blurring in RGB exports LITE MODE (all devices) • RGB frame capture with ARKit camera poses • Server-side photogrammetry via exported image bundles • Automatic detection — no configuration needed TIME-SERIES SCANNING • Group scans by Location and re-scan the same space over time • "Extend Scan" loads a red ghost-mesh overlay of previous captures • Adjacent stitching: scan neighboring areas with shared coordinate frames • ARWorldMap relocalization for precise alignment between sessions FLEXIBLE EXPORT FORMATS • Scan4D: Full bundle with metadata, relocalization map, images, depth, and camera data • Polycam: Raw data import compatible with Polycam • RAW: Nerfstudio/COLMAP-compatible transforms.json + images + depth • OBJ / PLY / USDZ: Native mesh formats for MeshLab, Blender, and iOS Quick Look SERVER INTEGRATION • Configure any HTTP(S) upload endpoint in Settings • Direct PUT upload with live progress tracking • Save to Files or AirDrop for offline workflows • Compatible with self-hosted reconstruction pipelines DEVELOPER MODE • Front/back camera switching for testing privacy features • Synthetic IMU, camera, and depth injection for Simulator testing • Vertex mapping diagnostics and debug overlays Designed for researchers, 3D scanning professionals, and spatial computing developers who need raw, high-fidelity sensor data with full control over the reconstruction pipeline. Requires ARKit-capable device. LiDAR-equipped iPhone or iPad Pro recommended for full functionality.

About

Micboard Spectrum

Features
Read full description

Micboard Spectrum turns an ADALM-Pluto into a pocket RF spectrum analyzer. Features: • Multi-Band Scanning: Automatically sweep across multiple bands. • Live spectrum trace and waterfall. • CSV Export Engine: Export scans, peak, and average scans from one or multiple bands. • Rolling scan storage: Scans are always stored, tag the ones you want to keep. Requires an ADALM-Pluto SDR running maia-sdr firmware. No hardware? Tap Demo Mode to explore with real recorded spectrum.

Screenshots

Scan4D3 screens
Micboard Spectrum3 screens

Verdict

The call

Scan4D and Micboard Spectrum are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Scan4D versus Micboard Spectrum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScan4DMicboard Spectrum
PriceFreeFree
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnthony RoweKarl Swanson

In-app purchases

None

Scan4D

No in-app purchases

None

Micboard Spectrum

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scan4D free?
Scan4D is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Micboard Spectrum free?
Micboard Spectrum is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Scan4D or Micboard Spectrum have ads?
Neither Scan4D nor Micboard Spectrum shows ads.

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