Matterport and 3D Virtual Tours Explained: How They Work and Who They Suit

Quick answer. A Matterport tour is a 3D model of a real building, captured by a camera that measures as well as photographs. Visitors walk through it on screen, switch to a dollhouse view to understand the layout, read the floor plan and measure what they see. It is the most widely used form of 3D virtual tour, it suits property, show homes, offices, hotels and facilities work especially well, and from a professional provider in the UK it costs from £350 per scan plus £60 a year to keep it live. This guide explains how it works, what you get, what it costs over time and when a different format is the better buy.

How a 3D virtual tour is made

A 360 virtual tour is a set of spherical photographs linked together. A 3D virtual tour starts the same way but adds depth: the camera records the distance to every surface it can see, so the software can stitch the positions into a single measured model. Matterport's current professional camera, the Pro3, uses LiDAR to do this, which is what makes the dollhouse view, the floor plan and the on-screen measurements possible. The scanner is placed every few metres through the building, each position takes under a minute, and the positions are joined into one model in Matterport's cloud. Our Matterport service scans on Pro3 scanners and tours are usually live within 48 hours.

What you get

The walkthrough. Visitors move from point to point as they would in a 360 tour, but with a floor plan and a 3D model to orient them, so they always know where they are in the building.

Dollhouse and floor-plan views. The whole building as a cut-away model, then as a plan, then back into any room. For a house, a show home or an office floor this is the view that answers the question a photograph cannot: how does it all fit together.

Measurements. Any distance in the model can be measured on screen, which is why letting agents, architects and facilities teams use the format. Schematic floor plans with dimensions are produced from the same scan.

Tags. Interactive points in the model carrying text, links, photographs, documents and video. Many providers charge for these; ours include them.

Data outputs. Point clouds and BIM files for design and facilities work, and still photographs from the same visit from £150.

Who it suits

Property and lettings, because buyers and tenants know the format and the floor plan comes free; virtual tours for estate agents goes through the portal side. Show homes and developments, where a scan of each house type does the work of a dozen viewings; see Matterport for show homes and the Allison Homes example. Offices, workspaces and hotels, for lettings, bookings and remote planning. Architecture, construction and facilities, for the measured record of a building as it is. Anywhere the question is "how big, what shape, what fits".

What it costs over time

From £350 per scan, priced on floor area, with no travel charges in mainland UK. Hosting on Matterport's platform is £60 a year per scan, quoted alongside the scan so nothing surprises you later, and the tour stays live for as long as it is paid. Over five years a single scan has therefore cost £350 plus £300. Matterport cost in the UK sets out what moves the price; our 360 virtual tour price guide compares all three formats.

Where it stops being the right choice

Matterport is a platform as well as a format. The player is Matterport's, the branding is limited to what it allows, the navigation is the same for every tour in the world, and the tour is rented rather than owned. For a listing none of that matters. For a school's admissions journey, a hospital's wayfinding, a museum's interpretation or a factory's induction it does: those tours need an interface designed around the job, hotspots carrying your content, routes, languages, and an accessibility audit a public-sector client can rely on. That is a bespoke 360 tour, built to WCAG 2.2 AA with no yearly fee. When a Matterport tour might not be the best choice draws the line in more detail, and bespoke vs Matterport vs Google compares the three.

Matterport and Google Street View together

The two formats do different jobs and many businesses use both from the same visit: the Matterport tour on the website and the portals, and a Google Street View tour so the premises appear inside Google Maps. Matterport vs Google Street View is the comparison.

Getting a scan done

Send the address and a floor plan if you have one and we will quote on the floor area. Before the visit, preparing for a Matterport scan covers what to tidy, what to open and what to switch on; five common mistakes before a scan covers what to avoid. The scan takes an hour or two for most premises and the tour is live within 48 hours. How to find a Matterport provider lists what to check if you are comparing quotes.

Questions people ask

Is a 3D virtual tour the same as a 360 virtual tour?

No. A 360 tour is a set of spherical photographs linked together; you look around from fixed points. A 3D tour is a measured model of the building captured with a depth-sensing camera, so you can also see it from above, read the floor plan and measure it. Matterport is the best-known 3D format; a bespoke 360 tour is the better choice when design, branding and accessibility matter more than measurement.

What does a Matterport tour cost?

From £350 per scan, priced on floor area, with hosting on Matterport's platform at £60 a year per scan. Floor plans, still photography from £150 and point-cloud or BIM files are add-ons from the same visit. There are no travel charges in mainland UK.

How long does it take?

A house, show home or small office is scanned in an hour or two and is usually live within 48 hours. Large floors and multi-building sites take longer on site and are quoted on the plan.

Can we put it on our own website?

Yes, as an embed, and on Rightmove, Zoopla and your social channels as a link. The tour itself is hosted by Matterport, which is why there is a yearly fee.

What happens if we stop paying the hosting?

The tour goes offline. We keep the scan data, so it can be reactivated, but a tour that has to stay live for years is one reason some clients choose a bespoke 360 tour with no ongoing cost instead.