Carlson Scan3D vs Unleash live Comparison
Compare Carlson Scan3D vs Unleash live features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Carlson Scan3D
5.3/10
A handheld 3D scanning app for iOS LiDAR devices and Carlson Windows tablets. It produces colour point clouds for surveyors, engineers and construction teams.
Unleash live
7.2/10
Computer vision platform for utilities, mining, energy and transport operators that automates drone and camera-based asset inspections and continuous site monitoring.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.3/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Condition Monitoring | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Inspection Automation | Not listed | |
| LiDAR Processing | Not listed | |
| Offline Field App | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Carlson Scan3D
- Higher Cost score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Unleash live
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Carlson Scan3D
Pros
- All processing happens on the device, so scans can be made in trenches, vaults or remote sites without a connection.
- Exports DP, E57, RCS, LAS and LAZ files, which load into most point cloud tools.
- Scans can be geo-referenced with Carlson GNSS receivers and survey control files.
- Merges with drone, terrestrial and aerial LiDAR clouds in Carlson Point Cloud to fill gaps.
Cons
- Windows prices are not published, so buyers must go through a dealer.
- Phone LiDAR and depth-camera capture suits small objects and spaces, not large sites.
- There are almost no independent user reviews or ratings to check its performance.
- LandXML model comparison and direct .DP import into Carlson Point Cloud were announced as coming soon at launch.
Unleash live
Pros
- The platform works with drones, docks, fixed IP cameras and phones the customer already owns, rather than requiring new capture hardware.
- Detections can trigger work orders in SAP, IBM Maximo or ServiceNow and can sync with Esri ArcGIS.
- Deployment options include multi-tenant SaaS, single-tenant VPC and offline-capable edge hardware, which helps meet data sovereignty requirements.
- ISO 27001 certification, SAML and OIDC SSO, role-based access control and audit logging suit regulated utilities.
- Customers can build their own computer vision models with Mobius or have the vendor's engineers train custom models.
Cons
- No public pricing; buying requires a sales briefing and a 12-month contract.
- Unused processing credits expire after 12 months and licence fees are non-refundable, according to the AWS Marketplace terms.
- There are virtually no independent reviews on G2, Capterra or AWS Marketplace.
- It is not a CMMS, so maintenance execution and spare parts management need separate software.
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
Unleash live scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 7.2/10 against 5.3/10 for Carlson Scan3D. The largest gap is in Analytics: 4/10 for Carlson Scan3D and 8/10 for Unleash live.
No, neither Carlson Scan3D nor Unleash live lists a free plan.
