FARO Sphere XG vs Octave GeoMedia: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of FARO Sphere XG and Octave GeoMedia to help you choose the right tool for your business.
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.
Octave GeoMedia
6.8/10
Desktop GIS from Octave (formerly Hexagon/Intergraph). It combines CAD, GIS and database data for mapping, spatial analysis and network modeling, mainly for government and utility users.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | F FARO Sphere XG | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.9/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Integration | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free GeoMedia Viewer |
| Features | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Asset Registry | Not listed | |
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
FARO Sphere XG vs Octave GeoMedia cost by team size
| Team size | FARO Sphere XG | Octave GeoMedia |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeGeoMedia Viewer |
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?
FWhy choose FARO Sphere XG
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Octave GeoMedia
- Has a free plan (FARO Sphere XG does not)
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 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.
Octave GeoMedia
Pros
- Connects directly to CAD, GIS, database and imagery sources without converting them first.
- Analysis results are kept as live queries that update when source data changes, which avoids piles of intermediate datasets.
- Reviewers praise its cartography and automatic label placement, which produces little overlap by default.
- SoftwareReviews users rate vendor support at 90 and data interoperability at 88, both above the category average.
- A free Viewer lets non-GIS staff open and print GeoMedia maps without buying a license.
Cons
- No public pricing, and reviewers describe the license tiers as confusing.
- Much smaller user community and fewer learning resources than Esri ArcGIS or QGIS.
- One reviewer could not load a large Esri file geodatabase and found database connections slow.
- Web publishing needs the separate WebGIS products.
- Ownership has moved from Intergraph to Hexagon to Octave, which raises questions about the product's long-term direction.
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
Octave GeoMedia 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 8/10 for Octave GeoMedia.
Octave GeoMedia has a free plan; FARO Sphere XG does not list one.
