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The best LiDAR app depends on what you need to produce. Apple Measure is the quickest option for checking a distance or furniture size. Polycam and Scaniverse are better for general-purpose 3D captures. SiteScape targets construction and CAD workflows, while 3d Scanner App™ offers unusually broad export formats. Canvas/Twindo is the specialist choice when you need a measured scan converted into an editable floor plan or CAD/BIM model.
There is an important distinction between these apps: some create a single measurement, some produce a textured 3D model, and others are built around professional documentation. Also, not every capture mode requires LiDAR. Polycam, Scaniverse, and 3d Scanner App™ can use other camera or photogrammetry workflows on compatible devices.
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Apple iPhone 14, 128GB, Midnight - Unlocked (Renewed) | $290.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Apple iPhone 16, 128GB, Pink - Unlocked (Renewed) | $532.86 | Buy on Amazon |
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Apple iPhone 15, 128GB, Black - Unlocked (Renewed) | $389.95 | Buy on Amazon |
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Apple iPhone 13, 128GB, Midnight - Unlocked (Renewed) | Unlocked | $250.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Apple iPhone 16e, 128GB, Black - Unlocked (Renewed) | $376.89 | Buy on Amazon |
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Main outputs | Cost model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Measure | Fast one-off measurements | Measurements and measurement photos | Free |
| Polycam 3D Scans & Floor Plans | General 3D scanning and floor plans | 3D models, point clouds, 2D/3D floor plans | Free download; in-app purchases |
| Scaniverse – 3D Scanner | Accessible 3D captures and splats | 3D assets, including USDZ exports | Free download |
| SiteScape: LiDAR Scanner & CAD | Construction and AEC documentation | High-resolution scans for CAD/BIM workflows | Free download; Pro features |
| 3d Scanner App™ | Flexible scanning and technical exports | Meshes, floor plans, point clouds, and CAD-friendly files | Free download; weekly or yearly premium subscriptions |
| Canvas/Twindo | Measured as-built documentation | Reviewed scans and paid CAD/BIM conversions | Two projects per month free; conversion charged separately |
All six are available on iPhone or iPad in some form, but the hardware support is not identical. LiDAR-based room scanning generally requires a LiDAR-equipped iPhone or iPad Pro. Apple Measure itself works on iPhone and iPad running iOS/iPadOS 12 or later, although its most advanced features require newer Pro hardware with LiDAR.
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Apple’s free Measure app is the right first choice when you do not need a 3D model. It can estimate distances between two points, identify rectangular objects, measure a person’s height on supported LiDAR devices, and show a closer ruler view with smaller increments.
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- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charging cable.
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
It is particularly useful for checking whether a table will fit through a doorway, estimating the width of a wall, or recording a measurement with a photo. It is not a general-purpose LiDAR scanning app: it does not provide the documented 3D mesh, point-cloud, or CAD export workflow offered by the other apps in this list.
How to measure two points
- Open Measure and slowly scan the area by moving the device.
- Align the center dot with the starting point and tap Add.
- Pan to the endpoint and tap Add again.
- Tap Take Picture if you want to save the measurement over an image, or tap Clear to start again.
For a rectangular object, scan it until a white outline appears around the rectangle, then tap the white box or Add. Tap Take Picture to save the result. For a straight edge, place the center dot on the edge until a guide line appears, tap Add at the start, pan along the guide, and tap Add at the endpoint.
After measuring two points, move the iPhone closer to the measurement line. It can change into a ruler view with incremental units. Treat every result as an estimate. Apple recommends well-defined objects roughly 0.5–3 metres, or 2–10 feet, from the device. Curved, narrow, poorly defined, or visually ambiguous edges can cause the app to choose the wrong starting point.
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Polycam 3D Scans & Floor Plans is the broadest option here. Its current feature set covers LiDAR and other 3D scanning, photogrammetry, Gaussian splats from photos and video, drone or aerial capture, and 2D and 3D floor plans. It can therefore serve both a homeowner who wants a room model and a professional who needs a scan for documentation or further modelling.
Polycam says some 3D capture works without LiDAR. That matters if you are using a standard iPhone or iPad: the result and capture method will depend on the selected mode, lighting, subject, and device rather than automatically being a LiDAR scan.
Outputs and editing
Supported outputs listed by Polycam include .obj, .dae, .fbx, .stl, .dxf, .ply, and .esx. You can measure, annotate, crop, rescale, and label scans. Floor plans are available in both 2D and 3D forms.
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Polycam also provides a web workflow. Scans and floor plans can be viewed, edited, and exported through Polycam Web, with private or public sharing permissions and shared libraries.
The current official listing does not verify a complete, label-accurate sequence for starting a LiDAR scan, generating a floor plan, or exporting a particular file type. App interfaces change, so use the labels shown in your installed version rather than relying on older guides that promise a specific path such as Create → LiDAR → Start Scan.
3. Scaniverse: best for approachable 3D capture
Scaniverse – 3D Scanner is a strong choice for creating shareable 3D assets without committing to a specialist construction workflow. Its current capture system includes conventional 3D scanning and Gaussian-splat-style captures, and the app can use LiDAR or deliberately ignore it.
The current release has redesigned the capture flow. If you prefer the previous interface, the release notes say you can switch to Classic. The exact labels for starting each capture mode are not documented in the current App Store listing, so the available controls may differ from older tutorials.
Useful current features
- Ignore Lidar: lets a capture run without using the device’s LiDAR sensor.
- Direct cloud-asset export: cloud-generated assets can be exported from the app rather than requiring a web handoff; USDZ is specifically supported.
- Sky Segmentation: helps reduce sky artefacts in outdoor splat reconstructions.
- Long-scan warning: splat scans longer than 180 seconds are flagged because they have a higher risk of processing failure.
- Enterprise workflow: business accounts can manage scans across teams and sites, process them in the cloud, access them on the web, and create spatial experiences using Niantic Spatial SDK-optimised outputs.
For a normal consumer capture, you do not need to assume that a Niantic account is required for all scanning. The current product information distinguishes the consumer and enterprise experiences and says existing consumer scanning and sharing remain available.
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SiteScape: LiDAR Scanner & CAD is aimed at architecture, engineering, and construction rather than casual room experiments. Its basic workflow is deliberately simple: open SiteScape and tap record. A high-resolution 3D scan appears while recording.
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The important advantage is what happens after capture. SiteScape is designed to move scans into tools such as Revit, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, SketchUp, Navisworks, and Revizto. SiteScape Pro claims building-scale capture up to 5,000 square feet, or 500 square metres.
FARO cloud migration
Do not follow older references to SiteScape.ai as though it were still the current cloud service. The app’s version history says that SiteScape.ai cloud services have retired and that cloud features moved to FARO Sphere XG. Migration information is available from the app’s Account screen. A later version added direct Sphere XG compatibility for uploading, organising, visualising, and sharing field scans.
There is a compatibility detail worth checking before installation. The current description still lists older iPhone 12/13/14 Pro and Pro Max models and 2020–2022 iPad Pro models, while the version history documents a false-depth fix for iPhone 15 Pro and later. That contradiction means the older hardware sentence should not be treated as a complete current compatibility list.
5. 3d Scanner App™: best for export flexibility
3d Scanner App™ combines LiDAR scanning, TrueDepth scanning, RoomPlan floor-plan capture, and Photo Mode based on Apple’s Object Capture photogrammetry API. LiDAR is intended for spaces; TrueDepth is intended for smaller, more detailed objects.
Its standout feature is the range of exports. The app lists USDZ for AR Quick Look, OBJ, GLTF, GLB, DAE, and STL, plus raw point clouds in PTS, PCD, PLY, XYZ, and LAS. Floor-plan images can be exported in DXF. The app also describes geo-referenced LAS exports for GIS tools such as ArcGIS and raw scan data that can be transferred to photogrammetry software such as Pix4D or RealityCapture.
When to choose it
Choose this app when you already know which downstream tool will consume the scan. STL is useful for some 3D-printing workflows, OBJ and GLB are common 3D interchange formats, and LAS is more relevant to surveying and GIS. The on-device tools include refinement, cropping, editing, a virtual ruler, and bounding boxes for calculating width, length, and height.
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Processing quality has practical limits. App Store user reports describe crashes on an iPhone 14 when processing an HD preset, with better results after using a custom preset. Other reports mention holes, incomplete scans, or crashes during very long scans. These are user experiences rather than guaranteed behaviour, but they are good reasons to save shorter captures and avoid maximum resolution until a smaller test succeeds.
Premium access is sold as weekly or yearly subscriptions. Apple manages renewal and cancellation through your Apple Account settings; cancelling leaves access available until the current subscription period ends.
6. Canvas/Twindo: best for as-built floor plans and CAD/BIM conversion
Canvas is now associated with Twindo; the support site footer uses the Twindo branding while the pricing article still refers to the Canvas app. This is the specialist option for people who want measured as-built documentation and may later need an editable model in SketchUp, Revit, Chief Architect, 2020 Design Live, Archicad, Vectorworks, or AutoCAD.
The free allowance is limited but clear: you can scan and measure up to two projects per month. The on-device scan can be reviewed, measured, annotated, and exported without payment. That does not mean an editable Revit, AutoCAD, or SketchUp model is free. CAD/BIM conversion is a separate paid as-built service.
Published pricing
Canvas’s support article, updated January 15, 2026, lists starting prices for Essential members of $0.14 per square foot for 2D and $0.26 per square foot for 3D. These are starting conversion prices, not a charge for every basic scan.
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Canvas says best results require a LiDAR-enabled iPad Pro or iPhone. The same article gives starting hardware prices of $799 for iPad Pro and $999 for iPhone, but those figures are reference points in the support article rather than current Apple retail pricing or a statement that every listed device is required.
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Which LiDAR app should you use?
| Your task | Best starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Measure a wall, box, doorway, or person | Apple Measure | Fast, free, and requires no 3D processing or export workflow. |
| Create a general room or object model | Polycam | Combines LiDAR, photogrammetry, floor plans, editing, and many exports. |
| Create a shareable 3D or splat asset | Scaniverse | Simple consumer capture with current splat and direct export features. |
| Document a construction site | SiteScape | Built around high-resolution scans and AEC/CAD destinations. |
| Send point clouds or meshes to technical software | 3d Scanner App™ | Offers a particularly broad list of mesh, point-cloud, GIS, and CAD-friendly formats. |
| Order an editable as-built model | Canvas/Twindo | Its paid service converts scans into supported CAD/BIM applications. |
How to get better scans from any of these apps
- Clear the scene first. Move loose objects, reflective items, and anything that will obscure the floor or walls.
- Use steady, overlapping movement. Walk or pan slowly and keep important surfaces visible from more than one angle.
- Start with a short test. Process a small object or one room before attempting a whole building or a high-resolution capture.
- Keep the intended output in mind. A quick visual model, a floor plan, a point cloud, and an editable BIM model are different deliverables.
- Check scale before relying on the result. Compare one known dimension, such as a doorway or tape-measured wall, with the scan.
- Do not treat phone scanning as survey equipment. Occlusion, shiny surfaces, repetitive textures, poor lighting, curved edges, and long captures can all introduce errors or processing failures.
FAQ
Does every LiDAR app require a LiDAR-equipped iPhone or iPad?
No. Apple Measure supports iPhone and iPad on iOS/iPadOS 12 or later, although several advanced features require LiDAR-equipped Pro hardware. Polycam supports photogrammetry and other capture methods without LiDAR, Scaniverse has an Ignore Lidar option, and 3d Scanner App™ supports TrueDepth and Photo Mode as well as LiDAR.
Can Apple Measure create a 3D scan or export an OBJ file?
Not according to its documented functions. Apple Measure is for point-to-point measurements, rectangular-object dimensions, person height on supported devices, measurement photos, guide lines, and ruler view. It is not a general-purpose 3D mesh or point-cloud export app.
Are Polycam and Scaniverse the same kind of app?
They overlap, but their emphasis differs. Polycam has a broader documented mix of floor plans, photogrammetry, Gaussian splats, drone capture, editing, web collaboration, and many export formats. Scaniverse focuses on accessible 3D and splat capture, with a redesigned capture flow, Classic mode, enterprise capabilities, and direct export of cloud-generated assets.
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No. SiteScape’s current version history says SiteScape.ai cloud services have retired. Cloud features moved to FARO Sphere XG, and migration information is available in the app’s Account screen.
Is Canvas free for CAD and BIM models?
No. Canvas allows scanning and basic review, measurement, annotation, and export for up to two projects per month at no cost. Editable CAD/BIM conversion is a separate paid as-built service.
Are phone LiDAR measurements accurate enough for professional surveying?
No app in this comparison should automatically be treated as survey-grade equipment. Apple explicitly describes Measure results as approximate and recommends well-defined objects 0.5–3 metres from the device. Scan quality also depends on the subject, movement, lighting, occlusion, hardware, and processing method.
The Bottom Line
For a quick dimension, use Apple Measure. For the most versatile general-purpose 3D workflow, start with Polycam. Pick Scaniverse for approachable 3D and splat captures, SiteScape for AEC work, and 3d Scanner App™ when export formats matter. Choose Canvas/Twindo only if its measured-scan and paid CAD/BIM conversion model matches the project.
