Matterport vs bespoke virtual tours
This is a decision about whether a platform can carry your brand. Matterport is an excellent product with a fixed interface. A bespoke tour is built from scratch, which costs roughly seven times more and is worth it far less often than people assume.
The short answer
Choose Matterport 3D
- You need measurements, floor plans and a dollhouse view
- A proven, familiar interface is fine
- Budget matters and the platform does the job
- Property, offices or industrial space
Choose a bespoke tour
- The interface must match your brand exactly
- You need CRM, booking or analytics integrations
- The tour is a flagship experience, not a utility
- No existing platform does what you have in mind
Side by side
Rows where both options are identical are left out, so what you see here is only what actually differs.
| Feature | Matterport 3D ToursFrom £550 | Bespoke Virtual ToursFrom £4,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Property and precise spaces | Total control of the experience |
| Where it lives | Your website and listings | Your website, fully branded |
| One-time cost, no subscription | £60/year hosting | Quoted per project |
| Interactive hotspotsInformation points, images, video and links inside the tour | Basic tags | Unlimited |
| Custom menu and guided route | Not included | Included |
| Calls to action inside the tourBook, enquire or buy without leaving the tour | Not included | Included |
| Dollhouse view and floor plans | Included | Optional |
| Measurements within the tour | Included | Optional |
| Fully custom branded interface | Not included | Included |
| CRM, booking and analytics integrations | Not included | Included |
| Typical shoot | 2 to 8 hours | Scoped per project |
| Get started | Find out more | Find out more |
What you are actually buying with bespoke
With Matterport you are buying a capture on somebody else's platform. It is a very good platform, and the dollhouse, floor plans and measurement tools are genuinely best in class, but the interface is theirs. Your logo sits on it; the experience does not belong to you.
A bespoke tour is designed and built from nothing: navigation, menus, branding, integrations, the lot. That is why it starts at £4,000 rather than £550, and why each one is scoped and quoted individually.
Be honest about whether you need it
Most businesses do not. If your visitors' behaviour would be identical on a branded interface and a Matterport one, the custom build is buying you pride rather than performance, and we will say so.
The cases where it earns out are specific: when the tour is a flagship marketing piece in its own right, when it has to plug into a booking system or CRM to be useful, or when you have an experience in mind that no existing platform supports. If any of those apply, nothing else will do.
Questions people ask
Why is a bespoke tour so much more expensive?
The capture cost is similar. The difference is that a bespoke tour includes design and development of an entire interface, which is a software project rather than a photography one. That is why it starts at £4,000 and is quoted per project.
Can a bespoke tour include floor plans and measurements?
Yes, optionally. Anything Matterport does can be built into a bespoke tour, but it has to be specified and built rather than coming as standard, which is part of what you are paying for.
Can I start with Matterport and go bespoke later?
Yes. Starting on a platform and commissioning a custom build later is a sensible way to prove the concept first, and the original capture is not wasted.
Still not sure which you need?
Our prices start at £435 and are based on your specific requirements. We endeavour to respond to all form submissions and email enquiries within 15 minutes.
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