Matterport is the dominant brand in real estate 3D scanning, but it's not the same category as a 360 virtual tour — it's a different technology with a different cost structure, quality profile, and set of use cases. The choice between Matterport and standard 360 virtual tours depends on your property type, budget, client expectations, and which platforms you're publishing to. This guide provides the definitive comparison with the data points you need.
The Technology Difference: 3D Scanning vs 360 Photography
How Matterport Works
Matterport uses specialised hardware cameras (primarily the Matterport Pro3 and Pro2) equipped with infrared depth sensors and high-resolution imaging. The system captures spatial measurements as well as imagery, building a photorealistic 3D mesh model of the space. The output is a navigable "digital twin" — a spatial model that can be viewed in 3D perspective, floor plan view, and dollhouse view simultaneously.
The distinctive Matterport experience comes from this 3D spatial capture: you can fly above the space in the dollhouse view, view a floor plan with measurements, and navigate through the model with smooth movement between scan positions. This requires the Matterport camera hardware (or the significantly lower-quality iPhone/iPad version using LiDAR).
How Standard 360 Virtual Tours Work
Standard 360 virtual tours are photographic — a collection of spherical photos from multiple positions within a space, connected by navigation hotspots. The viewer looks around freely from each photo position and navigates between positions. There is no 3D spatial model, floor plan measurement capability, or dollhouse view.
The output is photographic quality — what you see is what the camera captured. Movement between positions is a discrete jump rather than a smooth spatial transition.
Direct Comparison: The Key Factors
Equipment Cost
Matterport: Pro3 camera: £5,000+. Pro2 camera: £3,000–£4,000 (discontinued but available used). iPhone/iPad capture via Matterport for iOS (using LiDAR): requires an iPhone Pro or iPad Pro, approximately £1,200+ device cost. Alternatively, hire a Matterport photographer: typically £250–£500 per property.
360 Virtual Tour: Existing smartphone: £0. Ricoh Theta SC2 (entry-level dedicated): £250. Insta360 One RS: £350–£400. Or use a smartphone app (Travvir) at £0 hardware cost.
Monthly Platform Costs
Matterport: Free tier is limited to one active space. Professional plans start at $69/month (approximately £55/month) for 5 active spaces. Business plans at $309/month for 100 spaces. Each scan consumes a hosting credit that must be renewed.
360 Virtual Tours (Travvir): Plans available from free tier (limited tours) to professional tiers substantially below Matterport pricing. No per-scan expiry or hosting credits.
Output Quality
Matterport: The 3D dollhouse and floor plan views are unique to Matterport and have no equivalent in 360 tours. The spatial model is impressive for luxury properties where floor plan accuracy and 3D navigation add value. Image quality in the Matterport viewer is generally equivalent to a good 360 tour on standard screens.
360 Virtual Tours: Photographic quality is equivalent or superior for high-end implementations — a 360 tour created with a full-frame camera or high-end smartphone is photographically sharper than a standard Matterport scan. No dollhouse or floor plan view.
Production Time
Matterport: Scan time: 30–90 minutes per property depending on size. Processing time: 30 minutes to several hours (cloud processing). Total turnaround: half a day to 24 hours.
360 Virtual Tour: Shoot time: 30–60 minutes per property. Travvir processing: 5–15 minutes on device. Tour published within 1 hour of shooting.
Platform Compatibility
Matterport: Matterport tours embed via iFrame on most websites. However, Matterport is not natively integrated with Rightmove, Zillow, or other major listing platforms in the same way that standard 360 tours are — it typically links out rather than embedding directly.
360 Virtual Tours: Standard 360 photos are accepted directly by Google Business Profile, Zillow 3D Home, Rightmove, and Facebook as native content. The format is the universal standard for virtual tour content on listing platforms.
When Matterport is Worth the Premium
Luxury Real Estate
For properties above £1.5M–£2M where the floor plan measurement accuracy and dollhouse view add genuine value to international buyers who may not visit in person, Matterport's unique features justify the higher cost. The brand credibility of "Matterport 3D Tour" also carries some premium market signalling in certain segments.
Architectural and Commercial Projects
For architects, construction firms, and commercial property where measurement accuracy and documentation of spaces is required, Matterport's spatial capture capabilities are genuinely useful — not just for marketing but for operational purposes.
Scale: High-Volume Agents with In-House Equipment
An agency shooting 20+ properties per month that has already amortised the hardware cost across many listings may find the Matterport workflow efficient. At this volume, the equipment cost per listing becomes small.
When Standard 360 Tours Are the Better Choice
For the majority of residential real estate listings, hospitality, retail, healthcare, and fitness facilities: standard 360 virtual tours created with Travvir on a smartphone deliver equivalent viewer engagement at a fraction of the cost. The key reasons: photographic quality is comparable at normal viewer conditions, publishing to Google and listing platforms is native rather than via embed workarounds, monthly platform costs are lower, and turnaround time is shorter.
Read our full guide to the best virtual tour software for real estate for a broader comparison of all available platforms.
Conclusion: Different Tools for Different Contexts
Matterport and 360 virtual tours are not direct competitors — they serve different use cases. Matterport's 3D spatial capture is uniquely powerful for luxury and commercial real estate where measurement accuracy and the dollhouse view add real value. Standard 360 virtual tours are the better choice for the majority of property and business applications — lower cost, faster production, native platform support, and equivalent photographic quality.
Most agents and businesses are better served starting with 360 virtual tours and adding Matterport selectively for specific premium applications, rather than committing to Matterport's hardware and subscription costs across all their inventory.
