Professionals using LiDAR-equipped devices (iPhones/iPads) lack a streamlined workflow to capture scans, annotate them, organize by project, and share with clients or teams. Current tools are either enterprise-heavy or too raw.
A mobile-first app that integrates with device LiDAR sensors for easy capture, adds project-based organization, measurement annotations, and one-click sharing/export to common 3D formats.
The $14k custom build is a real signal. Construction professionals currently cobble together Polycam for capture + Dropbox for storage + email for sharing + separate apps for measurement. The workflow friction is real. However, many professionals still use tape measures and photos — the pain exists but isn't always acute enough to drive immediate adoption of scanning workflows. Strongest pain is in commercial construction and surveying where documentation requirements are strict.
US alone has ~750k construction firms, ~2M real estate agents, ~50k surveying firms, ~100k interior designers. At $40/mo/seat, even 1% penetration of construction firms (assuming 2 seats avg) = ~$7.2M ARR. Realistic near-term addressable market is probably $50-200M. It's decent but not massive — this is a vertical SaaS play, not a horizontal platform. The market grows as more devices ship with LiDAR.
$30-50/seat/month is well within range for construction/surveying software (Procore charges $300+/mo, PlanGrid was $40/mo/user before acquisition). These are B2B buyers with real budgets. Real estate agents are cheaper but still pay for tools. The $14k custom build confirms high willingness for the right solution. Risk: free alternatives (Scaniverse, Polycam free tier) could anchor price expectations lower for casual users.
This is harder than it looks. Apple's ARKit/RealityKit provide LiDAR access, but building production-quality scanning with good meshing, point cloud management, accurate measurements, multi-scan registration, and export to professional formats (E57, RCP, DXF) is genuinely complex. You also need cloud infrastructure for large 3D file storage/streaming, a web viewer for sharing, and real-time collaboration. A skilled iOS developer with 3D graphics experience could build a basic MVP in 8-10 weeks, but 4 weeks is unrealistic. The measurement/annotation system alone is a significant engineering challenge. This requires specialized skills (SceneKit/Metal/3D math), not generic mobile dev.
There IS a genuine gap in the 'professional workflow layer' — no existing app nails the capture + organize-by-project + annotate + team-share pipeline. But the gap is narrowing: Polycam is adding pro features, SiteScape is improving UX, and Apple could ship better native tools. The gap is real today but the window may be 18-24 months before incumbents close it. Your differentiation must be in workflow, not capture quality — you won't out-scan Polycam.
Excellent subscription dynamics. Cloud storage for large 3D files creates ongoing costs you can pass through. Per-seat team pricing scales with company size. Project-based organization means switching costs increase over time as scan libraries grow. Usage-based tier (5 free scans/mo) creates natural upgrade pressure. This is a textbook vertical SaaS subscription model.
- +Clear workflow gap exists between consumer scanning apps and enterprise solutions — the 'prosumer professional' tier is underserved
- +Strong subscription dynamics with cloud storage, team seats, and growing data lock-in
- +Hardware tailwind as Apple expands LiDAR to more devices, growing the addressable user base every year
- +Real willingness-to-pay in construction/surveying verticals that already budget for software tools
- +Pain signal validated by $14k custom build investment
- !Technical complexity is high — 3D scanning, point cloud processing, and professional export formats require specialized skills that most mobile devs don't have
- !Polycam has massive head start (10M+ downloads, well-funded) and is actively moving upmarket into professional features
- !Apple could ship native improvements to their 3D scanning APIs or acquire a player, instantly commoditizing capture
- !Customer acquisition in construction is expensive and slow — these buyers want referrals, demos, and don't find apps on Product Hunt
- !Free alternatives (Scaniverse) set a price anchor of $0 for scanning, making it harder to justify $40/mo for the workflow layer alone
Leading iOS LiDAR and photogrammetry 3D scanning app. Captures rooms, objects, and spaces. Exports to 20+ formats
LiDAR scanning app built specifically for AEC
Room-scanning app that converts LiDAR scans into CAD-ready floor plans and 3D models. Primarily targets remodeling, real estate, and insurance industries.
Floor plan creation app using LiDAR and AR. Generates 2D/3D floor plans, cost estimates, and reports for contractors and real estate professionals.
Free 3D scanning app using LiDAR and photogrammetry. Supports gaussian splats and NeRF captures. Strong social sharing features.
iOS app with three core screens: (1) LiDAR scan capture using ARKit with basic quality settings, (2) Project dashboard where scans are organized by job site/client with metadata tags, (3) Scan viewer with simple point-to-point measurement tool and text annotations. Export to PLY/OBJ/USDZ. One-click shareable web link for each scan. Skip team collaboration, skip cloud storage (use on-device + iCloud initially), skip advanced formats like E57/RCP for v1. Target interior designers and real estate agents first — they have simpler needs and faster sales cycles than construction.
Free tier (5 scans/mo, basic export) -> Pro at $30/mo (unlimited scans, all export formats, measurement tools, web sharing links) -> Team at $50/seat/mo (shared projects, team library, admin controls, priority cloud storage) -> Enterprise (custom pricing, SSO, API access, Procore/Autodesk integrations, dedicated support). Upsell to per-scan processing fees for advanced deliverables (CAD-ready floor plans, BIM-compatible exports).
10-14 weeks to MVP launch, 4-6 months to first paying customer. Construction sales cycles are long (2-4 weeks minimum). Real estate agents convert faster (1-2 weeks). Expect $1-5k MRR by month 6 if execution is strong. Path to $10k MRR in 9-12 months. The long pole is not building the product — it's finding and converting the first 50 paying professionals through direct outreach, construction trade shows, and content marketing.
- “A $14k mobile app in the LiDAR scanning space (someone investing $14k in custom development signals a real unmet need in this niche)”