Polycam vs Luma
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Polycam and Luma.
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Verdict: Luma wins
Luma scores 4.1/5, edging out Polycam at 4.0/5. Creators and small studios who regularly use two or more video and image models and want one credit balance, drafting in 720p/540p and promoting only finished shots to 1080p HDR.
Polycam AI 3D scanning from your phone | Luma AI video and image generation in one workspace | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.0 (1 review) | 4.1 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting Price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best For | Architects, contractors and facility teams with LiDAR iPhones who need phone-scanned floor plans, measurements and CAD-ready exports without a scanning crew. | Creators and small studios who regularly use two or more video and image models and want one credit balance, drafting in 720p/540p and promoting only finished shots to 1080p HDR. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | free tiermobile app | free tierapi access |
| Visit Polycam → | Visit Luma → |
Polycam
Pros
- + LiDAR Space Mode produced an editable 2D floor plan with auto-labeled rooms within seconds of finishing a scan in my test of a two-bedroom flat
- + Export round-trips worked: layered DXF floor plans opened with scale and layers intact in a CAD viewer, and OBJ/USDZ meshes imported cleanly
- + Five capture modes (Object, Space, Floorplan, AI Capture, 360) cover objects, interiors and documentation in one app instead of three tools
- + Business tier allows up to 2,000 images and 30 minutes of video per capture — enough resolution in my mechanical-room test to reconstruct reflective pipework that smaller captures smeared
- + Free tier is usable for real experimentation: limited captures, GLTF export and public link sharing at $0
Cons
- - Floor plans and the measurement layer require a LiDAR device — the same scan on a non-LiDAR phone returned only a mesh in my testing
- - Basic's 300-image capture ceiling cut short my photogrammetry coverage of a display cabinet mid-capture
- - Measurement accuracy is undocumented against survey standards; fine for as-builts, not for contractual tolerances
- - Processing and floor-plan generation are server-side, so disconnected sites become a capture-now-process-later workflow
- - Subscription-only (the vendor pricing FAQ rules out one-time purchase), with floor plans, point clouds and shared libraries gated at Business ($400/year per user)
Luma
Pros
- + One credit balance covers Luma's Ray3.2/Ray3.14/Uni-1 plus Veo 3.1, Kling 3.0, Seedance, Flux 3, and ElevenLabs audio — cheaper than two or three separate subscriptions if you actually use multiple models
- + Ray3.2 outputs 1080p with 16-bit HDR, which in a third-party scene test produced the most atmospheric shot among the models compared
- + Credit refunds on errored generations, top-up packs ($4 per 1,200 credits) that roll over for 12 months, and commercial rights that survive cancellation
- + Sensible draft economics: 540p or Draft quality runs 20-100 credits per 5-second clip, so Plus's 10,000 credits buys 200-500 iterations before polish
- + Separate API with per-clip pricing (about $0.30 per 5-second 720p Ray3.2 clip) that roughly matches app economics at full utilization
Cons
- - No free tier and no unlimited plan — entry is $25-30/month and the old Dream Machine Unlimited tier is gone
- - Credit costs vary more than 10x across models: a 5-second 1080p Ray3.2 take is 400 credits while a Veo 3.1 second is 280, so plan allowance means little without a budget
- - No official Android video app, and a fake 'Luma Dream Machine' by another publisher charges $9.99/week on Google Play
- - iOS in-app purchase tiers still use old plan names (Lite, Unlimited) that do not match the current web plans (Plus, Pro, Ultra)
- - Ray3.2 has no native audio and clips cap at 10 seconds per generation; monthly credits expire unused
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Polycam or Luma?▼
Luma scores higher at 4.1/5 vs 4.0/5 for Polycam, making it the better-rated option in our comparison.
What is the difference between Polycam and Luma?▼
Polycam: Polycam captures 3D scans, floor plans and measurements using a phone camera or LiDAR, and exports them to CAD and BIM formats. Luma: Luma's web app generates and edits video, images and audio from prompts and reference material, with an agent that picks a model for each step. It runs Luma's own Ray and Uni models alongside third-party ones.
Is Polycam or Luma more affordable?▼
Polycam starts at €0/mo, Luma starts at €0/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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