Octave GeoMedia vs RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture): Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Octave GeoMedia and RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
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.
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 | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | $1,250/user/mo Seat subscription |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free GeoMedia Viewer | $12,500/mo Seat subscription |
| Features | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Asset Registry | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Preventive Maintenance | Not listed | |
| Spare Parts Inventory | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
Octave GeoMedia vs RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) cost by team size
Octave GeoMedia costs less up to 25 users; Octave GeoMedia and RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) cost the same at 50 users.
| Team size | Octave GeoMedia | RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeGeoMedia Viewer | $1,250/moSeat subscription |
| 5 users | FreeGeoMedia Viewer | $6,250/moSeat subscription |
| 10 users | FreeGeoMedia Viewer | $12,500/moSeat subscription |
| 25 users | FreeGeoMedia Viewer | $31,250/moSeat subscription |
| 50 users | FreeGeoMedia Viewer | 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 Octave GeoMedia
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $12,500/mo
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Integration score (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 3/10)
Pros & Cons
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.
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
Octave GeoMedia 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: 4/10 for Octave GeoMedia and 8/10 for RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture).
Octave GeoMedia costs less for 10 users: free on its GeoMedia Viewer plan, against about $12,500/mo on its Seat subscription plan for RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture), billed monthly.
Yes, both Octave GeoMedia and RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) have a free plan.
RealityScan (formerly RealityCapture) is the better fit for small business: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 3/10 for Octave GeoMedia.
