FARO SCENE vs Pointly Comparison
Compare FARO SCENE vs Pointly features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
FARO SCENE
5.5/10
Windows desktop software for registering, processing, colorizing and viewing 3D laser scan point clouds, mainly from FARO Focus, Orbis, Swift and Freestyle scanners.
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 | F FARO SCENE | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.5/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | €99/mo Professional S |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free Trial | Free Free |
| Features | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
FARO SCENE vs Pointly cost by team size
| Team size | FARO SCENE | Pointly |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree Trial | FreeFree |
| 5 users | FreeFree Trial | FreeFree |
| 10 users | FreeFree Trial | FreeFree |
| 25 users | FreeFree Trial | FreeFree |
| 50 users | FreeFree Trial | 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?
FWhy choose FARO SCENE
Our data shows no clear advantage over Pointly.
Why choose Pointly
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Cost score (7/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
FFARO SCENE
Pros
- Hybrid registration combines cloud-to-cloud, target-based and survey-control methods in one workflow.
- Reads data natively from FARO Focus, Swift, Orbis, Freestyle 2 and Blink scanners.
- Automatically detects spheres, checkerboards, coded markers and natural features such as planes and corners.
- The free SCENE 2go viewer lets clients open a project without installing anything.
- Updated actively, with version 2026.1 released in May 2026.
Cons
- FARO publishes no list prices, and you need ongoing maintenance or a subscription to get new versions.
- No machine learning classification, and deep GD&T or tolerance analysis needs extra tools such as PolyWorks.
- Third-party scanner data is supported, but the workflow is less smooth than with FARO devices.
- Windows only, needs a powerful workstation, and new users face a learning curve.
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 FARO SCENE. The largest gap is in Cost: 4/10 for FARO SCENE and 7/10 for Pointly.
Yes, both FARO SCENE and Pointly have a free plan.
