Pointly vs WhiteboxTools

Pointly classifies and vectorizes large LiDAR point clouds from airborne, mobile and terrestrial sources. It accepts LAS and LAZ files and can return classified files in those formats, alongside vectors in DXF, Shapefile, CSV or GeoJSON. Workflows can combine AI classification with rule-based checks using geometry, semantic rules and reference data, with quality control where needed. The service supports API, self-hosted and web use. Its hosted platform runs on Microsoft Azure in the EU by default; separate tenants in other Azure regions are available on request. Pointly Box runs inside a customer's network and can be air-gapped, with licensing via a hardware key. The free account allows three uploads of up to 15 MPoints each to try standard classifiers. Professional S costs 99.00 € per month, net excluding VAT, and includes 500 MPoints per month and unlimited projects. Pointly describes its certification as ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and says it usually answers enquiries within one business day.

WhiteboxTools is geospatial software for terrain analysis, hydrology, LiDAR, remote sensing, and vector GIS. Its Whitebox Next Gen library includes more than 700 tools, with open tools accessible through Python, R, and a QGIS plugin. Functions include terrain derivatives from digital elevation models, watershed delineation, flow routing, point-cloud classification, image analysis, change detection, and vector operations. It fits into QGIS, Python notebooks, R workflows, scripts, and local desktop processing. Listed formats range from GeoTIFF, Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF, LAS/LAZ, and COPC to GeoPackage, FlatGeobuf, GeoParquet, GeoJSON, and Shapefile. The maker says processing runs locally, which can support on-premises or offline workflows. Windows, macOS, and Linux are listed. The open core is free; paid Entry plans are $740 a year to $995 a year, and Standard plans are $1,270 a year to $1,795 a year. Pro EULA terms allow opting out of optional telemetry, but not license-validation reporting.