PointCab Origins vs Pointly Comparison
Compare PointCab Origins vs Pointly features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
PointCab Origins
5.5/10
Desktop point cloud processing software from Germany. It turns terrestrial, SLAM and drone laser scans into orthophotos, sections, vectors and CAD/BIM deliverables for surveyors and planners.
Pointly
6.8/10
Pointly is AI software from Berlin that classifies large LiDAR point clouds and extracts vector objects for utilities, railways, mapping agencies and surveyors.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.5/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 5/10 | 9/10 |
| Security | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | €420/mo Monthly Rental (all modules and plugins) | €99/mo Professional S |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Trial | Free Free |
| Features | ||
| Drone Inspection | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| Engineering Design | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| Preventive Maintenance | Not listed | |
| Spare Parts Inventory | Not listed | |
| Work Orders | Not listed | |
PointCab Origins vs Pointly cost by team size
PointCab Origins and Pointly cost the same at every team size we checked.
| Team size | PointCab Origins | Pointly |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeTrial | FreeFree |
| 5 users | FreeTrial | FreeFree |
| 10 users | FreeTrial | FreeFree |
| 25 users | FreeTrial | FreeFree |
| 50 users | FreeTrial | 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 PointCab Origins
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Pointly
- Higher Scalability score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
PointCab Origins
Pros
- Orthophotos, sections and layouts are generated automatically from scans, which shortens the route from point cloud to 2D plans.
- Native plugins cover six CAD/BIM platforms: Revit, AutoCAD, Archicad, BricsCAD, Vectorworks and ZWCAD.
- Licensing is flexible: perpetual, yearly subscription, an all-inclusive 420-euro monthly rental, and free student licences.
- The trial clock runs only while the software is open, giving 25 hours of real use.
- A LiDAR News reviewer found the simplified toolbar easy for beginners, while shortcut and design options suit advanced users.
Cons
- List prices for Core and 3D licences are not published on the website and are only available in the shop.
- Plane-based registration was not fully automatic like cloud-to-cloud registration, according to the 4.0 review.
- Projects saved in Origins are not compatible with older 3.x versions, so the software saves a separate 3.x copy.
- Independent user reviews are scarce on G2, SourceForge and Slashdot.
- It focuses on drawings and documentation, with no advanced LiDAR classification or asset management features.
Pointly
Pros
- Monthly prices are published, from 99 euros for 500 million points, and there is a free tier for testing
- Pointly Box allows on-premise and air-gapped processing for data-sensitive operators
- It holds ISO 27001 certification, and cloud processing defaults to EU data centers on Azure
- Custom classifiers can be trained on a customer's own class catalog
- There are extensions for Esri ArcGIS and Bentley MicroStation, and it exports in many formats
Cons
- It only covers classification, with no asset management, work orders or maintenance tools
- Vectorization and custom classifier training are quoted per project, not list-price items
- There are few independent user reviews on G2, Capterra or Reddit
- The pricing page has a yearly billing toggle but shows no annual prices
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
Pointly scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 5.5/10 for PointCab Origins. The largest gap is in Scalability: 5/10 for PointCab Origins and 9/10 for Pointly.
Both are free for 10 users.
Yes, both PointCab Origins and Pointly have a free plan.
