Neara vs RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture): Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Neara and RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
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.
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 | 6.8/10 | 5.8/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 3/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 9/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | 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 | ||
| Work Orders | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Asset Registry | Not listed | |
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| Engineering Simulation | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| Preventive Maintenance | Not listed | |
| Spare Parts Inventory | Not listed | |
Neara vs RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) cost by team size
| Team size | Neara | 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 Neara
- Higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Includes Work Orders, which RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) lacks
Why choose RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture)
- Has a free plan (Neara does not)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 2/10)
Pros & Cons
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
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
Neara scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 5.8/10 for RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture). The largest gap is in Cost: 3/10 for Neara and 8/10 for RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture).
RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) has a free plan; Neara does not list one.
RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) is the better fit for small business: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 2/10 for Neara.
Neara has Work Orders, which RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) lacks.
