Best LiDAR 3D Scanner Apps for iPhone (2026)

A 2026 comparison of iPhone LiDAR 3D scanner apps, including KIRI Engine, Polycam, Scaniverse, and 3D Scanner App.

The LiDAR sensor on iPhone Pro models has been around since 2020, but most people still barely use it. The right app can turn that sensor into a room scanner, scene capture tool, object scanner, or professional spatial workflow. This guide compares the best iPhone LiDAR 3D scanner apps in 2026 and explains which one fits each use case.

Quick Answer

For most iPhone users, KIRI Engine is the best overall LiDAR toolkit because it includes free Room Scan, free standard Scene Scan, free Object Capture, free exports, and a Pro AI-Enhanced LiDAR option for cleaner Scene Scan output. Polycam is better suited for teams with paid professional workflows. Scaniverse is a strong free option for on-device visual capture, especially if you care more about quick 3D scene viewing than LiDAR-specific workflows. 3D Scanner App is included as a basic legacy-style LiDAR utility, but it is harder to recommend as a primary choice in 2026.

iPhone Pro models include a LiDAR scanner sensor that captures depth data for room scans, scene scans, and object capture.

Quick Picks

• Best overall and best free LiDAR toolkit for most users: KIRI Engine

• Best for higher-quality LiDAR scene scans: KIRI Engine Pro

• Best for teams with dedicated scanning software budgets: Polycam Business

• Best for lightweight on-device Gaussian splat capture: Scaniverse

3D Scanner App is also covered below as a baseline local LiDAR utility. It no longer has a standout advantage over the other apps for most users in 2026, but it remains a lightweight option for simple local exports.

What Makes a Good iPhone LiDAR Scanner App?

Every app on this list starts with the same iPhone LiDAR sensor. The sensor fires infrared pulses and returns a depth map of the environment. That raw depth map is useful, but it has known limitations: flat surfaces can look noisy, structural edges may blur, and low-texture areas like painted walls can drift.

What separates a good LiDAR app from a basic one is what happens after capture: how the app structures scanning modes, whether it processes locally or in the cloud, what it exports, and whether it adds AI refinement on top of raw LiDAR data.

Quick Comparison

Table reflects publicly available product information as of 2026. Plan details and feature availability may change over time.

KIRI Engine

KIRI Engine is the most balanced LiDAR toolkit for most iPhone users on this list: free Room Scan, free standard Scene Scan, free Object Capture, free exports, and a Pro AI-Enhanced LiDAR option for cleaner Scene Scan output — without locking any of the core LiDAR modes behind a paid tier.

Room Scan (Free)

KIRI Engine Room Scan uses iPhone LiDAR to capture a room and generate a 2D floor plan with dimensions and area measurements.

LiDAR Room Scan generates a 2D floor plan with labeled dimensions. Walk around a room, let the edge guidelines close at each corner, and the app produces a floor plan with length, width, and area measurements. Multiple rooms can be combined within the app. Output exports as .usdz. No subscription required.

Scene Scan (Free) and AI-Enhanced LiDAR (Pro)

KIRI Engine Scene Scan uses iPhone LiDAR to capture indoor spaces as 3D spatial references with on-device processing.

Standard Scene Scan captures environments as 3D models using on-device processing. Fast, offline, no subscription. For spatial reference or a rough 3D record of a space, it works well.

The meaningful difference is what KIRI Engine does when standard raw LiDAR quality is not enough.

AI-Enhanced LiDAR, introduced in v3.14, is a Pro option for Scene Scan. Instead of exporting the raw depth map, it sends the captured data to KIRI's cloud pipeline, where machine learning models refine the surface normals and depth signals. The result is cleaner geometry on flat surfaces, sharper structural edges at corners and boundaries, and more consistent data on low-texture areas like walls and floors.

Among the major iPhone LiDAR apps reviewed here, KIRI Engine is the only one we found that presents a dedicated AI refinement step for scene depth data as a product feature.

Object Capture (Free)

LiDAR Object Capture combines LiDAR depth data with photogrammetry for 3D models of individual objects. Fully on-device, no upload required. Exports in .usdz and .obj.

Worth noting: for higher-detail object models where texture and surface quality matter, KIRI Engine's Photo Scan (photogrammetry) generally produces better results than LiDAR Object Capture. See 3D Gaussian Splatting vs Photogrammetry vs LiDAR for guidance on which capture method fits which use case.

Free and Pro

Room Scan, Scene Scan (standard), and Object Capture are available on the free plan with no export restrictions. AI-Enhanced LiDAR requires a Pro subscription.

Polycam

Best for: teams with dedicated scanning software budgets

Polycam is a well-known option in architecture, construction, and real estate workflows. It supports room scanning, scene capture, object scanning, floor plans, CAD-friendly exports, point cloud workflows, and team collaboration, but many of these professional features are tied to paid plans.

That makes Polycam more suitable for AEC teams than for casual iPhone LiDAR users. Editable floor plans, professional measurement tools, advanced exports, and collaboration features are positioned around paid Business and Enterprise workflows. LiDAR-based Space Mode scanning is iOS only.

Scaniverse

Scaniverse is a lightweight option for quick on-device visual capture, with mesh capture and Gaussian splat workflows available in the app.

Best for: free on-device Gaussian splat capture

Scaniverse is a free, lightweight option for on-device Gaussian splat capture, with export options including SPZ. Traditional LiDAR and photogrammetry mesh capture is still available through Mesh mode. Available on iOS and Android.

Its strength is simplicity and fast visual capture. It is less focused on floor plans, separate LiDAR workflows, or AI-refined LiDAR geometry.

3D Scanner App

3D Scanner App is a straightforward local LiDAR scanner for users who prefer a simple capture-and-export workflow. It supports common 3D formats such as USDZ, OBJ, STL, and DXF, and works well for quick scans where local processing and direct file export matter more than guided workflows or cloud-based refinement.

It is best understood as a practical utility rather than an all-in-one scanning platform. For users who want a lightweight iPhone LiDAR scanner with familiar local export options, 3D Scanner App remains a useful choice.

How to Choose

For most users, KIRI Engine is the easiest place to start. Room Scan, standard Scene Scan, Object Capture, and exports are all available on the free plan. If you need cleaner scene geometry, KIRI Engine Pro adds AI-Enhanced LiDAR for Scene Scan.

Polycam is the stronger fit for professional teams that need editable floor plans, point cloud exports, CAD-friendly formats, and collaboration tools, but its complete workflow is built around paid plans. Scaniverse is useful for free on-device Gaussian splat capture, while KIRI Engine is broader for LiDAR-specific room, scene, and object workflows. 3D Scanner App is useful for simple local exports, but has fewer distinctive workflow advantages.

For floor plans and room measurement: KIRI Engine's Room Scan is free, including export. Polycam also offers floor plan generation, but its editable floor plan workflow, professional export formats, and collaboration tools are positioned around Business and Enterprise plans. For personal use or occasional scanning, KIRI Engine is the more practical choice. For professional AEC teams that need editable plans, point cloud exports, and team collaboration, Polycam's paid plans are worth evaluating.

For scene and environment capture where output quality matters: Among the apps reviewed here, KIRI Engine with AI-Enhanced LiDAR (Pro) is the only one with a dedicated AI refinement option for scene depth data. The difference is most visible on spaces with walls, floors, and low-texture surfaces.

For fully offline, no-account local use: 3D Scanner App. KIRI Engine's standard modes also run locally, but AI-Enhanced LiDAR requires an internet connection. Scaniverse also offers free on-device capture workflows, especially for Gaussian splats.

For object scanning: KIRI Engine's Object Capture for quick local scans. For higher-detail models with texture, KIRI Engine's Photo Scan is usually the stronger choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which iPhones support LiDAR scanning? LiDAR is available on iPhone 12 Pro and all later Pro and Pro Max models, and on iPad Pro (2020, 11-inch and 12.9-inch) and later. Standard iPhone models do not include a LiDAR sensor.

Is KIRI Engine's LiDAR free? Room Scan, Scene Scan (standard), and Object Capture are all available on the free plan with no export restrictions. AI-Enhanced LiDAR requires a Pro subscription. A free account is required to use the app.

What is AI-Enhanced LiDAR and which apps have it? AI-Enhanced LiDAR is a Pro option in KIRI Engine (v3.14) that applies cloud-based AI processing to Scene Scan depth data, improving surface consistency, structural edges, and scan cleanliness. It applies to Scene Scan only and does not affect Room Scan or Object Capture. Among the major iPhone LiDAR apps reviewed here, KIRI Engine is the only one we found with a dedicated AI refinement step for scene depth data as a product feature. Full details in the v3.14 release notes.

Can I use LiDAR scanning without an internet connection? For KIRI Engine: Room Scan, Scene Scan (standard), and Object Capture all run locally. AI-Enhanced LiDAR requires an internet connection for cloud processing. 3D Scanner App processes everything on-device. Scaniverse supports free on-device Gaussian splat capture.

What formats do LiDAR scans export to? KIRI Engine exports LiDAR scans in OBJ and USDZ. Full details on the export formats page.

Does KIRI Engine support Android for LiDAR? No. LiDAR scanning requires Apple's LiDAR sensor, which is not available on Android. Android users can use KIRI Engine's Photo Scan for photogrammetry-based scanning.

What is the best free LiDAR scanner app for iPhone? For most users, KIRI Engine is the best starting point for free iPhone LiDAR scanning. Room Scan, standard Scene Scan, Object Capture, and exports are all available on the free plan.

Get Started

KIRI Engine is free to download. A free account is required. Room Scan, Scene Scan, and Object Capture are available immediately on the free plan. AI-Enhanced LiDAR requires a Pro subscription.

Download on the App Store · Try KIRI Engine on Web · View Pro plans

Related reading

• LiDAR Scan: all modes explained

• Best Free 3D Scanner Apps (2026)

• LiDAR vs Photogrammetry vs 3D Gaussian Splatting