Matterport vs Iguide
Daryl Pemberton
Helping other entrepreneurs one pixel at a time
What are the differences between Matterport & Iguide
If you are a real estate agent or a photographer looking for a way to create stunning 3D virtual tours for your listings, you might be wondering what is the difference between Matterport and iGuide. These are two of the most popular software options for creating immersive and realistic tours that allow potential buyers to explore a property online. In this blog post, we will compare and contrast Matterport and iGuide in terms of features, equipment, pricing, and quality, so that you can decide which one is the best fit for your needs.
Features
Both Matterport and iGuide offer many features that make virtual tours more engaging and informative. Some of the common features include:
– 360-degree images that capture every angle of the property
– Floor plans that show the layout and dimensions of each room
– Measurement tools that allow users to measure walls, windows, furniture, etc.
– Dollhouse view that shows a 3D model of the property from above
– Highlight reel that showcases the best features of the property
– Photo gallery that displays high-quality still images of the property
– Video tour that guides users through the property with narration or music
– Neighborhood information that shows nearby amenities, schools, transit, etc.
Differences
However, there are also some differences between Matterport and iGuide in terms of features. For instance, iGuide offers more customization options than Matterport, such as:
– The ability to add your own branding to the virtual tour
– The ability to add voiceovers or text annotations to the virtual tour
– The ability to embed videos or photos within the virtual tour
– The ability to export floor plans in different formats (PDF, JPG, SVG, etc.)
– The ability to integrate with Google Street View
Matterport, on the other hand, offers some features that iGuide does not, such as:
– The ability to create virtual reality tours that can be viewed with VR headsets
– The ability to create schematic floor plans that show labels and symbols
– The ability to create 3D models that can be printed or shared online
– The ability to create guided tours that automatically move users through the property
Equipment
Another difference between Matterport and iGuide is the equipment required to create virtual tours. Matterport has its own proprietary camera, called the Pro2 3D Camera, that captures both images and dimensions of the property. This camera costs $3,395 USD and requires a tripod and an iPad to operate. Alternatively, you can use a compatible 360 camera, such as the Ricoh Theta Z1 or the Insta360 One X2, but you will lose some features and quality.
iGuide also has its own proprietary camera, called the IMS-5 Camera System, that captures both images and dimensions of the property. This camera costs $3,500 USD and requires a tripod and a smartphone or tablet to operate. However, unlike Matterport, you also need a DSLR camera to capture high-quality still images of the property. You can either use your own DSLR camera or rent one from iGuide for an additional fee.
Quality
The quality of Matterport and iGuide virtual tours depends on the equipment used and the skill of the photographer. Both software produce high-quality 3D models and floor plans that accurately represent the property. However, there are some differences in the quality of the images and videos.
Matterport uses a single camera to capture both images and dimensions, which means that the images are not as sharp or detailed as those captured by a DSLR camera. Matterport also compresses the images to reduce the file size, which can affect the quality. However, Matterport has a feature called 4K Capture, which allows you to capture higher-resolution images with a compatible 360 camera.
iGuide uses a separate DSLR camera to capture still images, which means that the images are sharper and more detailed than those captured by Matterport. iGuide also does not compress the images, which preserves the quality. However, iGuide does not have a feature like 4K Capture, which means that the 360 images are not as high-resolution as those captured by Matterport.
Conclusion
Matterport and iGuide are both excellent software options for creating 3D virtual tours for real estate. They both offer many features that make virtual tours more engaging and informative for potential buyers. However, they also have some differences in terms of features, equipment, pricing, and quality that you should consider before choosing one over the other.
Matterport is a better choice if you:
– Want to create virtual reality tours that can be viewed with VR headsets
– Want to create schematic floor plans that show labels and symbols
– Want to create 3D models that can be printed or shared online
– Want to use a single camera to capture both images and dimensions
– Want to capture higher-resolution 360 images with 4K Capture
– Have a smaller budget and don’t need many active spaces
iGuide is a better choice if you:
– Want to add your own branding to the virtual tour
– Want to add voiceovers or text annotations to the virtual tour
– Want to embed videos or photos within the virtual tour
– Want to export floor plans in different formats
– Want to integrate with Google Street View
– Want to use a DSLR camera to capture high-quality still images
– Have a larger budget and need many active spaces
What we use
We have used Matterport when they have asked for it if they feel that a video tour is not what they need on this project, the equipment we use is an insta360 camera that works well with Matterport