Blue Marble Geographics vs FARO Sphere XG: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Blue Marble Geographics and FARO Sphere XG to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Blue Marble Geographics
6.6/10
Blue Marble Geographics makes geospatial software. Its products are Global Mapper for desktop GIS and LiDAR processing, Geographic Calculator for coordinate conversion, and the Avenza Maps offline field app.
FARO Sphere XG
5.9/10
FARO Sphere XG is a cloud platform where construction, operations and geospatial teams process, view, measure and share point clouds, 360 photos and BIM models.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | F FARO Sphere XG |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.6/10 | 5.9/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Offline Field App | Not listed | |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Blue Marble Geographics
- Has a free plan (FARO Sphere XG does not)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 5/10)
FWhy choose FARO Sphere XG
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Scalability score (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Blue Marble Geographics
Pros
- Global Mapper reads and writes more than 300 spatial formats, and none of them need an extra license.
- Lidar classification, cleanup and feature extraction come in a desktop tool that costs far less than enterprise GIS suites.
- The GeoCalc geodetic engine includes more than 12,000 definitions and time-dependent transformations, which suits survey-grade work.
- Since the Avenza merger, field data from the Avenza Maps offline app flows back into Global Mapper for analysis.
Cons
- It is not an asset management or maintenance system. There are no work orders, maintenance scheduling or condition monitoring.
- Licensing has changed recently, and third-party listings show conflicting perpetual and subscription prices.
- Global Mapper is a Windows desktop tool, so collaboration across teams is limited compared with cloud GIS platforms.
FFARO Sphere XG
Pros
- It accepts data from FARO terrestrial and mobile scanners, from iPhone LiDAR and from 360 cameras, so mixed capture methods end up in one cloud project.
- The Stream app pre-registers Orbis scans in the field, which reduces failed registrations and repeat site visits.
- Scans are placed on floor plans and sorted by date, which suits progress documentation and dispute records.
- A SOC 2 Type 2 examination by A-LIGN covers FARO Sphere and HoloBuilder.
- Capterra reviewers give it a high average rating and mention responsive customer support.
Cons
- There is no public pricing. Every package needs a custom quote from FARO.
- It works best with FARO hardware, and third-party integrations are not well documented.
- Some reviewers say the editing layout is hard to navigate, and others say pricing could be better.
- It has no maintenance, work-order or asset-registry functions for industrial operations.
Not sold on either?
Air Inspection Automation (AiA)Our product
Plans DJI drone inspection missions for power line towers from LiDAR scans: it finds the towers, places photo stops, checks clearance, and splits the route into battery flights.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Blue Marble Geographics scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.6/10 against 5.9/10 for FARO Sphere XG. The largest gap is in Cost: 8/10 for Blue Marble Geographics and 4/10 for FARO Sphere XG.
Blue Marble Geographics has a free plan; FARO Sphere XG does not list one.
