The difference in one table
| Polycam | Highbuilt | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | You: a full capture of the unit, on site | Our team, from the listing |
| Photos needed | A full capture (up to 150 to 2,000 photos depending on plan) | The listing photos |
| Output | Gaussian splat, mesh, floor plans and measurements (Business) | Walkable 3D tour, day and night |
| Building and area | Not offered | Floors, view, sun hours, walking times |
| Pricing | Free; Basic $150/year or $30/month; Business $400/year per user | $100 first tour, then $599/month for 5 |
Read on Polycam's pricing page on 3 November 2026.
Where Polycam wins
- Photorealism. A good scan looks like a photo you can move through.
- Low price if you have the time to scan.
- Exports for designers and architects.
Where Highbuilt wins
- No capture to do. Twenty listing photos are enough; nobody walks the unit with a phone.
- Built for a listing, with a share link for WhatsApp and LINE, day and night, and the area.
- Checked by a person against every listing photo before delivery.
Honest limits of Highbuilt
- Less photorealistic than a good scan of the real room.
- No measurements.
- About 24 hours per tour.
Which one should you choose?
- You can spend an hour in the unit with a phone, and like doing it yourself → Polycam.
- You only have the listing photos, or no time → Highbuilt.
What about Luma AI? Its current pricing page lists video and image generation, not 3D capture of a room.
More comparisons: Highbuilt vs Collov AI, Matterport vs 360 vs 3D from photos, 13 virtual tour options compared.
How we compared
Polycam's plans, prices, photo limits and outputs come from its own pricing page; Luma AI's from its pricing page. Both read on 3 November 2026. We run Highbuilt.
FAQ
Can Polycam make a tour from listing photos?
Not from a handful of listing photos. It needs a full capture of the space, done on site.
Is a Gaussian splat good for real estate?
It looks very real when the capture is good, but someone must scan the whole unit first.
Does Highbuilt use AI?
Our team rebuilds each unit and checks every view against the listing photos by hand.
