Smartphone 3D scanning Apps

Using 3D scans for reference when designing parts to fit your vehicle is a game-changer and there is a lot you can do with a 3d scanning app and the phone you probably already have in your pocket.

Before having some in-house dedicated 3d scanning tools, we use phone apps a lot and have since tried to keep our fingers on the pulse of a few since we know many of you will start out with them just like we did, and in the last 10 years they have only gotten better.

Previously in the course material and day-to-day I used the Trnio app on my iPhone 11. This app is no longer available, but don't worry, there are others we like even more now.

I haven't and can't use every app out there enough to form my own genuine opinion on it, so I was hoping to get the HPA community to help grow this list for Apple, Android, and other operating systems over time.

Please share anything you've used, good or bad, and let us know how it went and over time we can turn this list into a great resource for the 3D scanning community.

Some good places to start:

Android & iOS

App: Kiri Engine

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free, ~$7/month or ~$50/year premium

Comments: I have really enjoyed using this app after using the free version for a few projects. As of late 2025, I can recommend it.

App: MagiScan

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free for trial scans, ~$8/month or ~$50/year for premium

Comments: Free version takes too long to process scans (190+ hours).

App: Polycam

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free, ~$18/month or ~$100/year for the pro version with export features

Comments: Does the trick for many and nothing wrong with it, but not my favourite.

App: RealityScan

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free

Comments: A simple entry point for basic scans. Quality varies depending on lighting and technique.

App: Scaniverse

OS: iOS and Android

Cost: Free

Comments: This is a great app that I can highly recommend.

App: Widar

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free, ~$10/month or ~$70/year premium

Comments: I haven't had a chance to use this much yet, but have heard good things.

iOS Only

App: 3D Scanner App

OS: iOS (Lidar only)

Cost: Free for the basic platform

Comments: User-facing camera for depth sensor for more accuracy, or photogrammetry with normal camera which is not as accurate.

NOW DEFUNCT

App: Scann3d - Can't seem to find this in late 2025.

OS: Android

Cost: Free with optional paid features

Comments: Older app with mixed results and slower processing compared to more modern options.

App: Scandy Pro - No longer available as of mid-2025 but left here for reference.

OS: iOS

Cost: Was free with in-app purchases, ~$150 for 'lifetime access' (if you had a short life expectancy, I guess)

Comments: User-facing camera only which makes things difficult.

App: Trnio - No longer available as of mid-2023 but left here for reference.

OS: iOS

Cost: Previously free and paid options

I tried Polycam (photoscan) on a Google Pixel 3a to scan a headlight bucket (black faded plastic), surface was all over the place and it was unusable, and I just couldn't be bothered mucking around with it as it didn't seem like it would get that much better.

LIDAR, seems to be the only way to go for good quality.

I'm going to continue waiting for commercial ones to come down in price (sub $1000nz) as I don't want to get into the apple eco system.

This video has some good comparisons on the cheaper end of the market.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYplfztpmxU

Awesome thank you for the reference. I was looking at buying one as they are getting cheaper and cheaper but it's just to scan engine bay sections to quickly get clearances into Fusion 360 and make parts that clear. I'll give the iphone app a go tomorrow in my workshop and post results.

I've had some very usable results without Lidar, but of course, it would be better to have it.

Ben, if the black faded plastic has a matte finish it should scan pretty well. Usually, it's just glossy black and translucent surfaces that can be a problem.

Although, the issue could be the lack of texture/detail with smooth edges.

If you don't have the 3D scanning marker dot stickers a good alternative is small ripped pieces of masking tape.

This just gives the scanner nice reference points to track.

Could be worth a try?

I think you probably could make it work, you would need good lighting, backdrop, dots etc. But it was all a lot more work then I wanted to put in at the time.

It's a tradeoff between all that effort up front, vs effort on the backend tidying it all up to make it usable, lidar certainly removes a lot of that work.

Always should ask yourself is it just easier to measure and put straight into CAD?, going to depend on what your scanning and why your scanning it.

For me wasn't a critical thing so I moved on and happy to wait for something simpler to use.

Just a quick update, the Trnio app is no longer available.

We will do some deeper testing when we begin the dedicated 3D scanning course, but in the meantime as an addition to other alternatives already listed, RealityScan looks like a potential alternative when it comes to scan quality, however, it has a less refined workflow comparatively and reviews do frequently point this out.

As always with these things, give some different options a crack and decide for yourself what you personally prefer 😎

How do we take a scan from reality scan and put it into Fusion360? Been trying for a bit now and can't seem to get it

Just had a play with reality to see how it works. basic steps:

1 - finish the scan and publish to sketchfab (enter the scan and click the upload icon in the top right corner)

2 - go to sketchfab website on your computer using the same account details you created on your phone when uploading the scan, you'll see the scan there.

3 - Select "download 3D model" and the .FBX format

4 - Unzip the file, and upload it to fusion 360, then open it from there. You won't be able to "insert mesh" with a .fbx file, so you could open it and save it as an OBJ or something to make it easier to use.

Hope this helps

Hi team.

Can I see given the time since the start of this post what seems to be a good IOS based 3D scanning app that may compare to the Trnio or if any updates on the Realityscan

Thanks in advance

Hey Team,

I've been putting together a bit of a list for our upcoming 3D scanning course.

Quick summary - Scaniverse is my favourite at the moment, but things change quick

App: Kiri Engine

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free, ~$7/month or ~$50/year premium

Comments: Have to pay to export - bit of a deal breaker if you want a free option

App: MagiScan

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free for trial scans, ~$8/month or ~$50/year for premium

Comments: Free version takes too long to process scan (190+ hours)

App: Widar

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free, ~$10/month or ~$70/year premium

Comments:

App: Polycam

OS: Android, iOS

Cost: Free, ~$18/month or ~$100/year for the pro version with export features

Comments:

App: Scandy Pro

OS: iOS

Cost: Free with in-app purchases, ~$150 for lifetime access

Comments: user facing camera only - Makes things very difficult

App: Scaniverse

OS: iOS & Android

Cost: Free

Comments: Seems like the pick of the bunch at the moment - works well

App: 3D Scanner App

OS: iOS (Lidar only)

Cost: Free for the basic platform

Comments: User-facing camera for depth sensor for more accuracy, or just photogrammetry with normal camera (not as accurate)

Looks like Scaniverse is available on android also.