Blue Marble Geographics vs RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture): Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Blue Marble Geographics and RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) 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.
RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture)
5.8/10
Epic Games' Windows desktop photogrammetry software, formerly RealityCapture, builds 3D meshes, orthophotos and georeferenced models from photos, laser scans and aerial LiDAR.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.6/10 | 5.8/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $1,250/user/mo Seat subscription |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | $12,500/mo Seat subscription |
| Features | ||
| Drone Inspection | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Offline Field App | Not listed | |
| Preventive Maintenance | Not listed | |
| Spare Parts Inventory | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
Blue Marble Geographics vs RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) cost by team size
| Team size | Blue Marble Geographics | RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | $1,250/moSeat subscription |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | $6,250/moSeat subscription |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | $12,500/moSeat subscription |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | $31,250/moSeat subscription |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Blue Marble Geographics
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture)
- 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.
RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture)
Pros
- Every feature is free for companies under 1 million USD in revenue and for schools, so small drone firms can process commercial jobs at no cost.
- Version 2.0 can combine aerial LiDAR with aerial and terrestrial imagery in one project.
- Reviewers note fast processing of very large mixed image and laser scan datasets.
- AI masking and quality heatmaps reduce manual cleanup and show coverage gaps before meshing.
- COLMAP export feeds radiance field and Gaussian splatting tools.
Cons
- Runs on Windows only.
- Needs a strong GPU. Older versions required Nvidia CUDA, and AMD support is limited to Windows.
- It is a processing tool only, with no asset management, inspection workflow or maintenance features.
- Perpetual licenses are gone, and larger firms must pay a yearly subscription.
- A 2024 study found Metashape more reliable at the orthophoto texture step.
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 5.8/10 for RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture). The largest gap is in Analytics: 7/10 for Blue Marble Geographics and 5/10 for RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture).
Yes, both Blue Marble Geographics and RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) have a free plan.
