# 360° photo tour or 3D scan: which do you need?

URL: https://www.panoramr.com/guides/360-photo-tour-or-3d-scan
Published: 2026-11-01
Updated: 2026-11-02

A 360° photo tour is a set of linked 360° photos you walk through, made with any 360° camera. A 3D scan, such as Matterport's, captures the space as a 3D model, a digital twin, that can be measured and viewed from above as a dollhouse. Choose a photo tour for a branded tour you can build in a browser with a camera you may already own; choose a scan when measurements or a dollhouse view are what you need. The two answer different needs, and many properties need only the first.

## Two kinds of virtual tour

People say "virtual tour" for two different things.

- **A 360° photo tour** is made of 360° photos, one for each place a visitor would stand, linked so they walk from one to the next. Each photo is a picture taken from one spot: the visitor looks all round, up and down, but moves between the fixed spots. You make it with any 360° camera and a tour maker.
- **A 3D scan** captures the space as a 3D model, a "digital twin" in Matterport's words. The visitor walks through the model, can see it from above as a dollhouse, and can measure it. It is captured with a scanning camera, some 360° cameras or a phone, depending on the service.

Panoramr makes 360° photo tours. It does not make 3D scans, measurements or a dollhouse view.

## Side by side

| | 360° photo tour (Panoramr) | 3D scan (Matterport) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Linked 360° photos | A 3D model of the space, a digital twin |
| What you shoot with | Any 360° camera whose photo exports as a JPEG twice as wide as it is tall | Matterport's Pro3 and Pro2 3D cameras, some 360° cameras (Ricoh, Insta360) or a phone |
| Measurements | No | Yes |
| Dollhouse view | No | Yes |
| Floor plan | On every plan, from your own floor plan picture | See Matterport's site |
| Your own branding | Yes, on a hosted tour | See Matterport's site |
| Free to start | Yes: free to make; 10 published tours with Panoramr's branding | A free plan |
| How you pay to keep it online | Free to make; hosting with your own branding from £19 a year for one tour in a Vault, or £99 a year on the Pro plan | A subscription set by the number of active spaces |

Matterport's facts are from its own website, checked on 6 October 2026: [its plans](https://matterport.com/plans) and [its cameras](https://matterport.com/cameras). Plans and prices change, so check its site before you decide. [Panoramr vs Matterport](https://www.panoramr.com/compare/panoramr-vs-matterport) compares the two in full.

## When a photo tour is the better fit

- **You want the tour in your own brand and on your own website.** A photo tour is designed in the browser: your colours, buttons, notes, a floor plan, a booking link, other languages.
- **The visitor's question is "what is it like?"** A guest choosing a hotel room, a couple viewing a wedding venue or a buyer deciding whether to book a viewing wants to see the light, the view and the feel of the place. Photos show that well.
- **You want to start with the camera you have, or a low cost.** Any 360° camera works, and many properties need 8 to 40 photos. Making the tour is free in Panoramr.
- **You shoot often.** A new listing can have a tour the same day, from a pocket 360° camera and a tripod.

## When a 3D scan is the better fit

- **You need measurements from the tour.** The scan can be measured; a photo tour cannot.
- **You want a dollhouse view or technical files drawn from the scan.**
- **You already scan with a Matterport camera**, or a phone with Matterport's app.

## Can I use both?

Yes. They are different files made from different shoots, so a property can have a scan for its drawings and a photo tour for its listing. If you already have the original 360° photos of a space, as JPEG or TIFF files twice as wide as they are tall, they go straight into a Panoramr tour; a 3D model's data does not. [Create your first tour in Panoramr](https://www.panoramr.com/help/how-to-create-your-first-360-virtual-tour) shows how.

## How to choose

1. **Write down what the visitor has to do.** Choose a room? Book? Measure for furniture? Check the layout?
2. **If they need to measure or see a dollhouse, choose a scan.** If they need to feel the place and click through to a booking, choose a photo tour.
3. **Check the cost over a year,** including the hosting: [how much a virtual tour costs](https://www.panoramr.com/guides/how-much-does-a-360-virtual-tour-cost) lists each.
4. **Try the cheaper one first.** Making a Panoramr tour is free: [make one from your own 360° photos](https://www.panoramr.com/free-virtual-tour-maker) and see whether it answers your visitors' questions.

## Questions

### Is a 360° photo tour the same as a Matterport tour?

No. A Matterport tour is a 3D scan of the space; a 360° photo tour is linked 360° photos. They look different and are made differently, and each suits different needs.

### Can I make a virtual tour without a Matterport camera?

Yes, as a 360° photo tour. Any 360° camera whose app exports a JPEG twice as wide as it is tall works with Panoramr, and [nine current cameras are compared](https://www.panoramr.com/guides/how-to-choose-a-360-camera-for-a-virtual-tour). A 3D scan needs a service that makes one.

### Does Panoramr make 3D scans or dollhouse views?

No. A Panoramr tour is a set of linked 360° photos, with a floor plan that shows where each one is and which way the visitor is looking.

### Which is cheaper, a photo tour or a 3D scan?

It depends on the camera, the hosting and how many properties you have. In Panoramr, making a tour is free, and hosting with your own branding is from £19 a year for one tour in a Vault, or £99 a year on the Pro plan; Matterport charges a subscription by the number of active spaces. Check its site for its current prices.