Best Point Cloud Sharing Platforms in 2026 — Compared

The best point cloud sharing platforms in 2026 are Swyvl, Pointscene, SurveyTransfer, ATIS.cloud, Cesium Ion, Sketchfab, Lidarvisor, and PointSharePlus. Each serves a different niche — some focus purely on LiDAR point clouds, others handle broader spatial data types, and a few are general 3D viewers with point cloud support bolted on. The right choice depends on what file types you work with, whether your clients need interactive viewing, and how much you want to spend.

I’ve used most of these platforms in real project workflows. Here’s an honest comparison based on format support, pricing, viewer quality, and practical usefulness for surveyors and drone operators delivering data to clients.

Why point cloud sharing is harder than regular file sharing

Before comparing platforms, it’s worth understanding why this category exists at all.

Point cloud files — LAS, LAZ, E57 — are not files that clients can just open. They require specialist desktop software like CloudCompare, Leica Cyclone, or QGIS. Most clients don’t have these tools and aren’t going to install them. If you send a LAZ file via Dropbox or WeTransfer, you’re sending a file the client cannot use.

Point cloud sharing platforms solve this by converting your data into a browser-viewable format — typically using Potree or 3D Tiles — and hosting it on a shareable URL. The client clicks a link, the point cloud loads in their browser, and they can orbit, zoom, and explore without installing anything.

That’s the baseline. The differences between platforms come down to format support, viewer features, collaboration tools, and pricing.

Comparison table

Platform-by-platform breakdown

Swyvl

What it does: Swyvl is a spatial data platform for surveyors and drone operators. You upload files to a site, the platform classifies them automatically, generates browser-based viewers, and gives you share links to send to clients. Clients can view, comment, and approve deliverables without installing any software.

Format support: This is Swyvl’s primary differentiator. It supports 14 file types across point clouds (LAS, LAZ, E57), rasters (GeoTIFF), 3D models (OBJ, FBX, glTF, IFC, DXF), video (MP4), documents (PDF), 360 panoramas, Gaussian Splats, and 3D Tiles. Most competing platforms handle one or two categories. Swyvl handles the full range of deliverables a surveyor actually produces.

Viewer: Potree for point clouds, MapLibre for GeoTIFFs, Three.js for 3D models, CesiumJS for 3D Tiles, plus dedicated viewers for video, PDFs, 360 photos, and more. Each file type gets the right viewer.

Collaboration: Branded share links with client feedback — clients can approve deliverables or request changes with comments. Activity audit log tracks who viewed what and when.

Pricing: Free tier available. Paid plans on the pricing page.

Pros: Broadest format support of any platform in this category. Handles the complete survey deliverable set, not just point clouds. Client feedback workflow. Site-based organisation matches how surveyors actually work.

Cons: Newer platform. Doesn’t yet support direct measurement tools in the point cloud viewer (measurements are on the roadmap).

Best for: Surveyors and drone operators who deliver multiple file types per project and want one platform for everything.

Full disclosure: I built Swyvl, so take my assessment with appropriate scepticism. But the format breadth claim is verifiable — check the other platforms and count how many file types they handle end-to-end.

Pointscene

What it does: Pointscene is a cloud-based platform for viewing and sharing point clouds, primarily aimed at infrastructure and road survey workflows. It has strong integration with Finnish and Nordic survey practices and a solid Potree-based viewer.

Format support: LAS, LAZ, E57, with orthophoto overlay support. Focused on point cloud and raster — doesn’t handle 3D models, video, or documents.

Viewer: Potree-based with custom measurement tools, cross-sections, and orthophoto overlay. The measurement tools are mature and practical.

Pricing: Approximately $50/month and up, depending on storage and users.

Pros: Excellent measurement tools. Good cross-section views. Strong in infrastructure and road corridor workflows. Good viewer performance on large datasets.

Cons: Limited to point clouds and orthophotos — no 3D model, video, or document support. Pricing can scale quickly for large datasets.

Best for: Infrastructure survey teams who primarily work with LiDAR and need strong measurement and cross-section tools.

SurveyTransfer

What it does: SurveyTransfer is a straightforward platform for sharing point clouds and orthomosaics with clients via browser-based viewers and shareable links.

Format support: LAS, LAZ, GeoTIFF, and limited 3D model support. Covers the two most common drone survey outputs — point clouds and orthomosaics.

Viewer: Potree-based for point clouds, map overlay for orthomosaics. Simple and effective.

Pricing: Starting around $30/month. Affordable entry point.

Pros: Simple and affordable. Does the basics well — upload a point cloud, get a shareable link. Good for teams that don’t need advanced features.

Cons: Limited format support beyond point clouds and orthos. Fewer collaboration features. Less suited for terrestrial scanning workflows.

Best for: Small drone survey operations that primarily deliver point clouds and orthomosaics and want a simple, affordable sharing solution.

ATIS.cloud

What it does: ATIS.cloud is a cloud-based point cloud platform with a focus on enterprise scanning workflows. It offers team collaboration, project management, and advanced viewing tools.

Format support: LAS, LAZ, E57, orthomosaic overlays, and mesh support. Good coverage for terrestrial and aerial scanning.

Viewer: Custom WebGL viewer with good performance. Supports measurements, annotations, and section views.

Pricing: From approximately $99/month. Positioned as an enterprise tool with pricing to match.

Pros: Good enterprise features — team management, project organisation, user permissions. Strong E57 support for terrestrial scanning. Reliable viewer performance.

Cons: Higher price point. Doesn’t handle PDFs, video, or other non-spatial deliverables. Enterprise focus means less suited for small teams.

Best for: Larger scanning firms with team collaboration needs and enterprise budget.

Cesium Ion

What it does: Cesium Ion is a tiling service and hosting platform from the creators of CesiumJS. You upload spatial data, Cesium tiles it into 3D Tiles format, and you can view it in CesiumJS or embed it in applications.

Format support: LAS, LAZ, 3D Tiles, glTF, KML, GeoJSON, and more. Strong on the developer side — it’s a geospatial data pipeline, not a client-facing delivery tool.

Viewer: CesiumJS — the gold standard for geospatial 3D visualisation on the web. Beautiful globe-based rendering with terrain, imagery layers, and 3D Tiles.

Pricing: Free tier with 5 GB of tiling. Paid plans from $150/month for production use.

Pros: Best-in-class 3D Tiles rendering. Excellent for developers building custom geospatial applications. Google Earth-like experience in a browser.

Cons: Not designed for client-facing deliverable sharing. No built-in collaboration, feedback, or approval workflows. The free tier is generous for experimentation but limited for production. Requires developer skills to customise.

Best for: Developers and GIS engineers building geospatial web applications. Not a client delivery platform.

Sketchfab

What it does: Sketchfab is a 3D model hosting and viewing platform. It supports mesh formats (OBJ, FBX, glTF, STL, PLY) with a beautiful WebGL viewer and strong embeddable player.

Format support: PLY, OBJ, FBX, glTF, STL, and many other mesh formats. Critically, Sketchfab does not support LAS or LAZ — you’d need to convert your point cloud to PLY or OBJ first, losing metadata like classification and intensity.

Viewer: Excellent 3D model viewer with annotations, animations, and AR support. The viewer is polished and well-suited for design and architecture showcase.

Pricing: Free tier with 50 MB upload limit. Pro plans from $15/month.

Pros: Beautiful viewer. Large community. Easy embedding. Good for showcasing 3D models.

Cons: Not a spatial data platform. No LAS/LAZ support. No GeoTIFF support. No georeferencing. Limited file size for free tier. Not designed for survey deliverable workflows.

Best for: Architects, designers, and artists showcasing 3D models. Not for surveyors delivering spatial data.

Lidarvisor

What it does: Lidarvisor is a lightweight platform specifically for viewing and sharing LiDAR point clouds in a browser. Simple and focused.

Format support: LAS, LAZ only. Pure LiDAR focus — no orthomosaics, no 3D models, no documents.

Viewer: Potree-based with basic measurement tools. Straightforward and functional.

Pricing: Starting around $25/month. Budget-friendly.

Pros: Simple and affordable. Does one thing — LiDAR viewing — and does it well. Low learning curve.

Cons: LiDAR only. No orthomosaic, GeoTIFF, 3D model, or document support. If you deliver anything beyond point clouds, you need a second platform.

Best for: Small LiDAR teams that only need to share point cloud files and want the simplest, cheapest option.

PointSharePlus

What it does: PointSharePlus is a point cloud sharing platform with a focus on terrestrial scanning firms. It supports E57 alongside LAS/LAZ and offers basic link sharing.

Format support: LAS, LAZ, E57, and limited mesh support. Good for scanning firms that work primarily with E57.

Viewer: Potree-based with scan station navigation for E57 data. Handles multi-scan E57 files reasonably well.

Pricing: Starting around $40/month.

Pros: Good E57 support with scan station awareness. Designed for terrestrial scanning workflows. Reasonable pricing.

Cons: Limited format support beyond point clouds and meshes. No GeoTIFF, video, or document viewers. Smaller user base.

Best for: Terrestrial scanning firms that primarily deliver E57 point clouds and need a dedicated sharing platform.

What most platforms get wrong

The fundamental problem with most point cloud sharing platforms is that they’re point cloud sharing platforms — and surveyors don’t deliver only point clouds.

A typical drone survey delivery includes a point cloud (LAZ), an orthomosaic (GeoTIFF), a 3D model (OBJ or glTF), a report (PDF), and sometimes video or 360 photos. A terrestrial scanning project might include E57 point clouds, IFC models, floor plans (DXF), and a report PDF.

If your sharing platform only handles point clouds, you’re using it for one file type and falling back to Dropbox or WeTransfer for everything else. The client gets a fragmented experience — a nice viewer for the point cloud, and a download link for everything else.

How to choose

Here’s my practical decision tree:

1. If you only deliver LiDAR point clouds: Lidarvisor or SurveyTransfer. Cheapest options that cover the basics.
2. If you’re a terrestrial scanning firm: PointSharePlus or ATIS.cloud. Good E57 support and scanning-specific workflows.
3. If you need measurement and cross-section tools: Pointscene. Most mature measurement features.
4. If you’re building a custom geospatial app: Cesium Ion. Developer-focused with best-in-class 3D Tiles rendering.
5. If you deliver multiple file types per project: Swyvl. The only platform that handles point clouds, GeoTIFFs, 3D models, video, 360, PDFs, and CAD in one place.
6. If you’re showcasing 3D models (not survey data): Sketchfab. Beautiful viewer, wrong category for surveyors.

Final thoughts

The point cloud sharing category is maturing. In 2023, most surveyors were still sharing LAS files via Dropbox and hoping clients would figure out CloudCompare. In 2026, there are real platforms solving this problem.

The question isn’t whether to use a sharing platform — it’s which one matches your workflow. Pick based on the file types you actually deliver, not just the file types you wish you delivered.