3D Scanner App vs MeshLab
3D Scanner App
3dscannerapp.comMeshLab
meshlab.netSide by side
| Figure | 3D Scanner App | MeshLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5.83/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 2 |
| Spec score · 3D Scanning Software | 9.2 (#1) | 8.7 (#3) |
| Downloads | The App Store description says the app has been downloaded by more than 11 million users. | Official downloads include Windows 64-bit, macOS Intel and ARM64, Linux Flatpak, Linux AppImage for x86_64 and ARM64, Microsoft Store and source packages. |
| Headquarters | Sag Harbor, New York, United States | Pisa, Italy |
| Maker | Laan Labs describes itself as a computer vision, spatial computing, and AI development studio based in New York and New Orleans. | The site says MeshLab has been developed by the Visual Computing Lab of ISTI-CNR since 2005. |
| Purpose | The app scans spaces and objects using LiDAR technology. | MeshLab processes and edits 3D triangular meshes, with tools for editing, cleaning, healing, inspecting, rendering, texturing, and converting meshes. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.5 out of 5 from 16K ratings | 3.7 out of 5 from 45 ratings |
| Support | The product site links to a help and FAQ site and provides [email protected] for contact. | Official support points users to YouTube tutorials, Stack Overflow for usage questions and GitHub for reproducible bugs. |
| What it does | The app captures, edits, measures and shares 3D models of objects and spaces using compatible Apple devices. | MeshLab processes and edits large, unstructured triangular meshes from 3D scanning and related workflows. |
Plans
3D Scanner App
- BasicFree
- Yearly premium$69.99 a year
- Yearly premium$69.99 a year
- EnterprisePriced on request
- Professional / WhitelabelPriced on request
In their own words
3D Scanner App
3D Scanner App uses Apple devices’ capture methods to create full-color 3D scans of spaces and objects, which users can refine and crop on device. Its modes include LiDAR scanning, RoomPlan for floor plans, TrueDepth for smaller detailed objects, and Photo Mode using Apple’s Object Capture photogrammetry API. Users can measure with a virtual ruler and bounding boxes, and share scans through Share to Web. Scans can be shared as USDZ or exported in formats including OBJ, GLTF, GLB, DAE, STL, PTS, PCD, PLY, XYZ, LAS, and DXF. Geo-referenced LAS point clouds can go to ArcGIS; raw scan data can be transferred to Pix4D or Reality Capture. Scans can also be imported into Blender, 3ds Max, SketchUp, Maya, and other 3D modeling software. The app has a free version and a yearly premium plan at $69.99 a year. It supports iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with minimum requirements of iOS 14.1 or later for iPhone and iPad, and macOS 14.0 or later for Mac. Its privacy policy says captured scans and imagery stay on the user’s device.
MeshLab
MeshLab is a free desktop system for processing and editing 3D triangular meshes, including unstructured models produced by 3D scanning. Its tools cover editing, cleaning, repair, inspection, rendering, texturing, and conversion. The site describes using it to process raw data from 3D digitization and prepare models for 3D printing. MeshLab supports PTX point-cloud and range-map files, and listed export formats include PLY, STL, OBJ, OFF, WRL, and DXF. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is distributed under the GPL 3.0 license. PyMeshLab provides a Python interface for loading and saving meshes and applying MeshLab filters; the VCG code can be used in a standalone, large-scale automated processing pipeline. The listed MeshLab 2025.07 release is dated September 9, 2025, and includes ARM64 support on Linux and macOS plus 3MF support. The site points usage questions to Stack Overflow and bug reports to GitHub, with video learning resources for basics, features, scanning workflows, and mesh cleaning.