Comparison
Voxelia vs. DIY Photogrammetry
Should you run photogrammetry software yourself or use a service? We compare honestly: costs, time, quality – and when each approach makes sense.
Direct comparison
DIY vs. Service – all factors
| Criterion | DIY (Pix4D/Metashape) | Voxelia Service |
|---|---|---|
| Costs (One-time) | Drone: €2,000–5,000 | Software: €1,000–3,000 | From €45 per project |
| Costs (Recurring) | Software subscription: €500–1,500/month | Maintenance: €200–500/year | Pay per project |
| Hardware | Drone, laptop, external GPU needed | Only drone for fieldwork |
| Learning Curve | Steep – several weeks to months | Flat – Upload and done |
| Time Investment | 3–8 hours per project (flight + processing + QA) | 30–90 min flight | we do the rest |
| Quality | Depends on your expertise | Guaranteed via QA |
| Scalability | Limited by your capacity | Unlimited – we scale |
| Support | Community forums, expensive support plans | Direct support 24/7 |
| Export Formats | Many – but setup needed | All standard formats pre-configured |
| Accuracy | ±2–3 cm (with GCP/RTK) | ±2–3 cm (always with GCP) |
In detail
Two approaches, their strengths and weaknesses
DIY approach
Running it yourself
- Advantages
- Full control
- Profitable at scale
- Unlimited project types
- Disadvantages
- High upfront cost (€5–10k)
- Steep learning curve
- Ongoing maintenance & updates
- Quality depends on your expertise
Service approach
Using Voxelia
- Advantages
- No upfront investment
- Fast start (30-90 min fieldwork)
- Guaranteed quality
- Ready-to-use formats
- Disadvantages
- Dependent on external service
- Cost per project
- Less process control
Decision guide
When each approach makes sense
DIY: Choose it if …
You have 15+ projects per month
Your team has photogrammetry expertise
You need special formats
Full control is critical
5+ year ROI horizon
Voxelia: Choose it if …
You have <10 projects per month
Fast turnaround is important
You want to start without upfront investment
PV*SOL/Eturnity-ready output needed
Guaranteed quality is important
Cost example
10 projects per month
DIY costs (12 months)
- Drone + hardware€4,000
- Software (12 x €500)€6,000
- Your time (120h @ €50)€6,000
- Total€16,000
= €133/Projekt (nach Amortisation)
Voxelia costs (12 months)
- Drone€2,000
- 120 projects @ €65€7,800
- Your time (30h @ €50)€1,500
- Total€11,300
= €94/Projekt inkl. Feldarbeit
Next steps
Move from comparison straight into service, pricing, and proof
Make a decision
The first project is on us.
Upload your drone photos. Standard projects are ready in 24–48 hours – for PV*SOL, AutoCAD, GIS or the browser.
First project without a credit card · then from €45 per project · no subscription needed