We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
It's a split decision.
Choose Polycam for phone, tablet, or drone capture, measured floor plans, and shareable 3D scans; choose SketchUp for building and documenting editable design models. They overlap around scan-to-3D, but are not direct substitutes: Polycam is capture-first, while SketchUp is a modeling and documentation suite. Polycam Basic is $12.50 per user monthly with annual billing; SketchUp Go is $10.75 per user monthly equivalent, billed annually. SketchUp’s $2.50 listed entry price is for university network labs.
01Side by side
| Polycam | SketchUp | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $12.50/user/month, billed annually | $2.50/user/month equivalent for university labs |
| Free plan | Free tier includes limited AI and photogrammetry captures | Free K–12 plan requires an education account |
| Best for | Capturing spaces, objects, roofs, and sites | Creating, sharing, and documenting 3D designs |
| Core strength | Measured floor plans and 3D capture | Modeling, LayOut documentation, and extensions |
| Learning curve | Review ease-of-use score: 7/10 | Review ease-of-use score: 8/10 |
| Integrations/data | 17+ exports, including DXF, ESX, and PDF | 1,000+ extensions; Revit imports on select plans |
| Team/seat costs | Business $33/user/month annually; Enterprise $100, three-user minimum | Pro $33.25/user/month annually; volume pricing custom |
| Support | Review support score: 5.5/10 | Review support score: 5/10 |
Polycam Choose Polycam if
- Choose Polycam if you need measured floor plans from captures.
- Choose Polycam if teams need shared captures and comments.
- Choose Polycam if you need exports such as DXF or PDF.
SketchUp Choose SketchUp if
- Choose SketchUp if you need desktop modeling and LayOut.
- Choose SketchUp if extensions and Revit imports matter.
- Choose SketchUp if you need design tools across project stages.
02Pricing compared
Polycam Basic costs $30 per month, or $12.50 per month with annual billing. Its free plan allows 3 AI-generated captures and 10 photogrammetry captures, with caps of 150 images and 3-minute videos per capture. Business is $33 per user per month, billed annually, and adds floor plans and a shared team library. Polycam lists a 7-day free trial.
SketchUp Go is $10.75 per user per month equivalent, billed annually; Pro is $33.25 and Studio is $71.58 on the same basis. The pricing page lists annual-billed prices, not monthly-billing amounts. Its $2.50 entry price is for university network labs, not a standard individual plan. SketchUp for Schools is free for eligible K–12 schools and students, with an education account requirement. Compare the plans that fit your workflow: the headline starting prices are not like-for-like.
03Features and depth
Polycam is capture-first: it turns phone, tablet, and drone captures into 3D models, measured floor plans, and project files. Its listed capabilities include space and object capture, drone-photo processing, measurement checks, and sharing captures with links, saved views, and comments. Exports cover 17+ formats, including DXF, ESX, and PDF. Floor plans and a shared team library are listed on Business, not Basic.
SketchUp is for building and documenting editable 3D designs, from early sketches through project documentation and visualization. Pro includes its desktop modeler, LayOut documentation, and 1,000+ extensions; the wider product lineup includes 3D Warehouse models and materials. The Pro Scan plan adds Windows-only Scan Essentials and point-cloud modeling, while Studio includes Windows-only point-cloud modeling and Revit import. That creates some scan-to-3D overlap, but the jobs differ: Polycam captures existing spaces and objects, while SketchUp provides more tools for developing and documenting a design. Choose by deliverable, not by the word “3D.”
04Ease of use and learning curve
For documenting an existing space or object, Polycam’s capture-first workflow is the more direct fit: capture, check measurements, then share or export. Its free plan has capture limits, and floor plans and team-library features require Business, so the simplest workflow may not cover a team’s needs.
SketchUp offers more modeling and documentation depth, which also means more decisions to learn: the Pro workflow includes a desktop modeler, LayOut, and extensions. Go is limited to iPad and web, while Pro is the listed desktop option. If the job is scanning a space, start with Polycam; if it is constructing and revising a design model, SketchUp is the closer fit.
Questions people ask
Is there anything better than Polycam?
There is no single better choice across all capture work. Polycam fits phone, tablet, and drone capture, measurements, and floor plans. SketchUp is a better fit when the main task is building and documenting editable design models. The right alternative depends on the deliverable; our comparison does not establish a universal winner.
Is Polycam any good?
Polycam covers space, object, and drone capture, measurement checks, floor plans, sharing, and exports to 17+ formats. Our review scores it 6.9 overall, with features rated higher than value and support. The main caveat is cost: floor plans and team-library tools start at the annual Business tier.
How much does Polycam cost per month?
Polycam Basic is $30 per month, or $12.50 per month with annual billing. Business is $33 per user per month and Enterprise is $100 per user per month, both billed annually; Enterprise requires at least three users. A free plan is available, and Polycam lists a 7-day free trial.
What's better than SketchUp?
For capturing existing spaces, objects, or sites and producing measured floor plans, Polycam may fit better than SketchUp. For creating and documenting editable design models, SketchUp has the more relevant tools, including LayOut and extensions on Pro. Neither is a blanket upgrade over the other; the workflow decides.