InsideMaps

InsideMaps turns iPhone scans into 3D tours and property deliverables for real estate and property operations. It suits professionals who need plans, measurements, annotations, or model exports alongside marketing imagery. Its flexible project packages are appealing, but the capture setup and ongoing hosting costs make it less attractive for occasional, tour-only use.

Overview

InsideMaps pairs its Capture app with the HERO rotor, which connects to an iPhone over Bluetooth and automates 360-degree panorama capture. Processing can create a 3D digital twin, estimated dimensions, diagrams, floor plans, and HDR photos. That combination gives a property team more than a visual walkthrough, though it requires compatible Apple hardware and a dedicated rotor rather than a camera-agnostic workflow.

Completed projects can be shared as embedded, interactive 360-degree tours described as VR ready. Users can add iframe embeds, custom branding, and measurement tools. HomeAway/Vrbo upload options serve vacation-rental workflows, but InsideMaps has no working relationship with specific MLS providers; a tour link works for a listing only if that MLS accepts external links.

Key features

Capture and deliverables

Packages range from HDR Photos and Floor Plan to Standard, Standard + Video, and Pro, with services varying by package. Additional services include walkthrough videos, property reports, 3D models, 3D model videos, SketchUp exports, and IFC exports. This lets buyers align a project with its intended use, from listing media to planning or property operations, but they should choose the package around the required outputs rather than assume every scan includes every deliverable.

SmartTags add condition notes, observations, and close-up photos to objects in a scan; those details appear in the processed tour. That makes the tour useful for inspection and maintenance conversations as well as marketing. The Capture app uploads only while open in the foreground, so minimizing it pauses the upload and can interrupt a capture-to-processing session.

Equipment and privacy

InsideMaps supports iPhone models from the 8 series onward and recommends models from the 12 series onward, along with a HERO rotor and a tripod with a 1/4-inch screw. The Capture app is listed for iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 26.0 or later. The Home Scan guide says detected faces are designed to be blurred. InsideMaps says card details travel over HTTPS and are not stored by the company.

Pricing

InsideMaps has no monthly or annual software subscription; project prices depend on property size and selected package. That suits buyers who prefer project-based purchasing, but makes recurring volume harder to budget from a fixed subscription price. The free Capture download is not a free project plan: the app is free, while project work is priced separately.

• InsideMaps Capture app: free. The free download provides the capture app; project pricing depends on property size and package.
• InsideMaps HERO: $229, paid once for the iPhone rotor; the 18650 battery is not included.
• HERO Getting started kit: $259, paid once, with shipping costs included.
• Project hosting after first year: $5 a year per project after the first free year. This is hosting only, so teams with many older tours should account for the per-project renewal cost.

An owner can demo an unpaid project, but only while logged in; it is not shareable and expires after an unspecified period. Support is directed through the knowledge base, with [email protected] listed for help adding services.

Platforms

InsideMaps is available on iOS and the web. Its capture workflow is specifically tied to iPhone hardware, and the app listing sets iOS 26.0 as the minimum requirement. The HERO connects by Bluetooth, so teams should confirm their devices and equipment fit the workflow before committing to a project process.

Who it's for

InsideMaps is a strong fit for real estate, property management, homebuilding, scoping and inspection, pre-construction, and vacation-rental teams that need both a shareable tour and structured property outputs. SmartTags and measurement tools are useful when observations need to stay attached to places in a scan; floor plans and model exports help when deliverables go beyond listing presentation. It is a weaker choice for teams that need a free completed project, want a recurring subscription, or cannot standardize on the iPhone-and-rotor capture setup.

Pros and cons

• Pro: One scan workflow can yield tours, HDR photos, plans, estimated dimensions, and optional reports or model exports, giving operational teams more than listing imagery.
• Pro: SmartTags place condition notes, observations, and close-up photos in the processed tour, supporting inspection and maintenance use.
• Pro: No recurring software subscription; project-based pricing can suit teams that buy deliverables as needed.
• Con: Project costs depend on property size and package, and hosting becomes $5 a year per project after year one.
• Con: Capture requires compatible iPhone hardware, a HERO rotor, and tripod; the rotor's stated price excludes its 18650 battery.
• Con: Uploading pauses when the app is minimized, and MLS use depends on the MLS accepting outside links.

Alternatives

Consider GoThru if you want a freemium option across Android, iOS, desktop, and web; its Pay As You Go plan is free and includes 2 GB, with some tour types charged per tour. Asteroom is another option for buyers seeking a free plan or trial: its Basic plan is free for one user and requires an Asteroom Pano Kit or 360 camera, while Professional is $39.90 a month for one user and 10 active tours.

Google Street View is worth considering when a free, broadly available Street View workflow is the priority; its Street View Static API is pay-as-you-go per panorama and requires billing plus an API key or OAuth token for API requests. Kuula offers a free Basic tier with up to 300 posts and 100 uploads per month, which may fit creators who need a capped posting workflow rather than InsideMaps' property-service packages.

Matterport has a free tier for one active space and two users, with limited camera support; choose it when that small free allowance is more important than InsideMaps' project outputs. Zillow 3D Home is a free alternative with no per-home, service, or hosting fees and unlimited listing uploads, making it a straightforward choice when cost-free tour hosting is the priority.

Panoee offers a free plan with 3Gb storage, unlimited projects and tours, and unlimited bandwidth, so it may suit users prioritizing broad free hosting allowances. Lapentor has a free tier for three projects and 15 panoramas or scenes per project; consider it when those project caps are sufficient.

Browse the 3D Virtual Tour Software category to compare more options.

Verdict

Choose InsideMaps if your property workflow needs a polished, embeddable tour plus plans, inspection notes, or optional project exports, and you can work with its iPhone-and-HERO capture setup. Its project-based model avoids software subscriptions, but variable project pricing, post-year-one hosting, and the lack of specific MLS relationships are meaningful trade-offs. For a simple tour with free hosting or a workflow built around different capture hardware, another tool is likely a better fit.