Pointly vs Volateq: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Pointly and Volateq to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Pointly
7/10
Pointly is AI software from Berlin that classifies large LiDAR point clouds and extracts vector objects for utilities, railways, mapping agencies and surveyors.
Volateq
5/10
Drone-based inspection software that analyses aerial thermal and visual imagery of utility-scale PV and CSP solar plants to find faults, soiling and maintenance needs.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | €99/mo Professional S | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free | Contact for pricing |
| Features | ||
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
| Digital Twin | ||
| Drone Inspection | ||
| LiDAR Processing | Not listed | |
| GIS and Mapping | Not listed | |
| Inspection Automation | Not listed | |
| Condition Monitoring | Not listed | |
Pointly vs Volateq cost by team size
| Team size | Pointly | Volateq |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
| 5 users | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
| 10 users | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
| 25 users | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
| 50 users | FreeFree | Contact for pricing |
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 Pointly
- Has a free plan (Volateq does not)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose Volateq
- Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for energy companies (9/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
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
Volateq
Pros
- Supports CSP parabolic trough plants, including ball joint inspections, which few drone analytics tools cover
- Autonomous flight planning on DJI controllers, which the vendor says covers up to 70 MWp per day
- Built on DLR QFly research, with deep solar-specific know-how from its founders
- Reports are IEC-compliant and include fault maps, soiling analysis and maintenance recommendations
Cons
- No public pricing
- Covers only solar plants, so it is not a general asset inspection platform
- Small seed-stage company, with headcount estimates of 1 to 50 employees
- No public security, compliance or API documentation
- Few independent user reviews
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 AI Software criteria: 7/10 against 5/10 for Volateq. The largest gap is in Customization: 8/10 for Pointly and 4/10 for Volateq.
Pointly has a free plan; Volateq does not list one.
Volateq is the better fit for energy companies: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 7/10 for Pointly.
