FARO Sphere XG vs Neara Comparison
Compare FARO Sphere XG vs Neara features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
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.
Neara
6.8/10
Neara builds physics-based 3D digital twins of electric utility networks from LiDAR, imagery and GIS data, used for resilience, wildfire, vegetation and capacity planning.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | F FARO Sphere XG | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.9/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 9/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 3/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| 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 | ||
| Digital Twin | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Asset Registry | Not listed | |
| Engineering Simulation | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
Which One Should You Choose?
FWhy choose FARO Sphere XG
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Cost score (4/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose Neara
- Higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
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.
Neara
Pros
- Physics-based simulation of wind, ice, thermal and flood loading on real network geometry, beyond simple clearance checks
- Reuses a utility's existing LiDAR, imagery and GIS data instead of requiring new capture
- Strong customer evidence, including close to 90 percent of Australian network utilities and large US and European utilities
- Reported results such as reassessing condemned poles, cutting planned replacements from 25,000 to 4,000 at one US utility
- Brings planning, design, vegetation and wildfire workflows into one model
Cons
- No public pricing, and sold only as an enterprise agreement
- Narrowly built for overhead electric networks
- Results depend on the quality and coverage of the LiDAR or imagery data
- Almost no independent user reviews on G2, Capterra or Reddit
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
Neara scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 5.9/10 for FARO Sphere XG. The largest gap is in Analytics: 5/10 for FARO Sphere XG and 9/10 for Neara.
No, neither FARO Sphere XG nor Neara lists a free plan.
