What is the difference between Canvas and Hover?

Canvas and Hover are different tools with different strengths. The best choice depends on your workflow, budget, and whether you need features like 3D scanning, floor plan generation, GLA calculation, or design capabilities. This page breaks down a direct comparison.

Which is better for real estate appraisers — Canvas or Hover?

Canvas and Hover serve different workflows. Canvas is better suited for one use case while Hover fits another — the right choice depends on whether you need field capture or office-based GLA calculation from existing floor plans.

Can Canvas and Hover be used together?

Canvas and Hover can complement each other in some workflows — for example, using one for field capture and the other for GLA calculation and reporting. Check the comparison table above for specific integration details.

How much does Canvas cost compared to Hover?

Canvas and Hover have different pricing models — one may charge per user, per project, or via annual subscription, while the other may offer a free tier or pay-per-use option. Check the comparison table above for current pricing details and which offers better value for your volume of work.

Which is easier to use — Canvas or Hover?

Ease of use depends on your starting point. Canvas tends to fit one type of user or workflow, while Hover is designed for another. If you are working from an existing floor plan PDF and need to calculate square footage quickly, a browser-based tool like PlanSnapper may reduce the learning curve entirely — no software installation required.

Do I need Canvas or Hover if I already have a floor plan PDF?

If you already have a floor plan as a PDF or image, you may not need either tool. PlanSnapper lets you upload the PDF directly and trace walls in your browser to calculate GLA — no software installation required. Both Canvas and Hover are most useful for creating sketches from scratch or capturing measurements in the field.

Which works better for calculating GLA — Canvas or Hover?

Both Canvas and Hover can support GLA calculation, but the workflow differs. One may require field measurement and sketch entry while the other may allow importing existing floor plans. If your starting point is an existing PDF or image floor plan, PlanSnapper provides a faster path — upload, trace, and get the GLA figure without entering either tool's workflow.

How do Canvas and Hover handle existing floor plan PDFs?

Neither Canvas nor Hover is primarily designed to import and calculate square footage from an existing PDF floor plan. Both tools are built around creating or capturing floor plans from scratch. If you already have a PDF floor plan, PlanSnapper lets you upload it directly, trace the walls, and get an accurate GLA figure without redrawing anything.

Which is better for occasional users — Canvas or Hover?

Canvas and Hover are both specialized tools with learning curves that reward regular use. Occasional users often find dedicated subscription tools hard to justify. For someone who needs to calculate square footage a few times a month, PlanSnapper is designed for exactly that — no training required, no annual contract, upload and measure in minutes.

Compare · 5 min read

Canvas vs Hover: Interior Floor Plans vs Exterior Measurements

Canvas (by Occipital) and Hover are often mentioned together as property scan tools, but they serve opposite ends of the same building. Canvas captures interior spaces and generates floor plans. Hover captures exterior facades and generates measurement data for roofs, walls, and openings. Here is how they compare.

The short version

Canvas: An iPad LiDAR scanning app that produces 3D interior models and 2D floor plans. Best for: appraisers, property managers, and real estate professionals who need interior measurements and floor plan documentation.
Hover: A smartphone photogrammetry platform that produces 3D exterior models with accurate roof, wall, and opening measurements. Best for: insurance adjusters, roofers, siding contractors, and exterior renovation estimators.

Canvas vs Hover: at a glance

	Canvas	Hover
Focus area	Interior spaces	Exterior surfaces
Capture method	iPad LiDAR scan (walks interior room by room)	Smartphone photos taken walking around exterior
Hardware required	iPad Pro with LiDAR sensor (2020+)	Any smartphone
Output	3D interior model, 2D floor plan, room measurements	3D exterior model, roof/wall area, material quantities
GLA / interior sq footage	Yes (included in floor plan)	No
Roof area measurement	No	Yes (primary feature)
Pricing	Free scan; floor plan export from ~$4.99/scan or subscription	Per-property fee (varies by plan/carrier)
Primary users	Appraisers, real estate agents, property managers	Insurance adjusters, roofers, siding contractors
ANSI GLA suitability	Reference only (appraisers typically verify independently)	Not applicable

What Canvas does well

Canvas uses the LiDAR sensor in iPad Pro to scan interior rooms in real time. You walk through the space and the app builds a 3D model as you go. The output is a dimensioned 2D floor plan that can be exported as a PDF or DXF. For appraisers who already own an iPad Pro, Canvas is a compelling scanning option -- no subscription, no hardware cost beyond the device you already have.

Agents and property managers use Canvas to document existing layouts, check room dimensions before renovating, or produce floor plan marketing assets. The scan quality is generally good in rooms with flat walls and high contrast, and the export options are flexible.

Where Canvas falls short

Requires iPad Pro with LiDAR. Not all iPads have LiDAR -- only iPad Pro (2020 and later) and iPad mini (6th gen). If you do not own a compatible device, there is hardware to buy.
Accuracy in complex spaces. Canvas performs best in simple rectangular rooms. Open floor plans, long corridors, and irregular geometries can introduce drift in the 3D model. High ceilings and dark rooms also reduce accuracy.
Per-scan export cost. The app is free to scan but charges per floor plan export. At high volume, costs add up relative to alternatives like CubiCasa.
ANSI GLA not guaranteed. Canvas reports total interior area, not ANSI-compliant GLA. Appraisers who need to separate above-grade and below-grade areas and apply ANSI Z765 rules typically verify the Canvas output independently.

What Hover does well

Hover requires no special hardware -- just a smartphone and 8-10 photos of the exterior. The platform processes those photos into a fully measured 3D model of the building exterior, including roof geometry, pitch, area, wall square footage, and window/door placement. For insurance adjusters and contractors, this eliminates the need to manually measure roofs or walls on site.

Hover integrates directly with major insurance carrier platforms and contractor quoting tools, which is why it is the default choice in claims adjusting and exterior renovation workflows. Accuracy is competitive with aerial measurement services at a lower per-property cost.

Where Hover falls short

No interior data. Hover does not capture floor plans, room dimensions, or GLA. If you need interior measurements, Hover is not the right tool.
Not a listing or appraisal tool. Hover's output is measurement data for contractors and insurers. It does not produce marketing-ready floor plans or virtual tours.
Accuracy depends on photo quality. Hover's photogrammetry requires clear, well-lit, overlapping photos. Heavily treed lots, complex landscaping, or poor lighting conditions can reduce model quality.

Which should you choose?

Choose Canvas if: You need interior floor plans and own an iPad Pro with LiDAR. It is the most accessible interior scanning option for appraisers and agents who do not want to pay a per-scan service fee.

Choose Hover if: You need exterior measurements for insurance claims, roofing estimates, or siding takeoffs. No other smartphone-based tool matches Hover's exterior measurement workflow at scale.

These tools complement rather than replace each other. A property inspection that requires both interior floor plans and exterior condition documentation might use Canvas for the interior and Hover for the roof and facade -- then verify GLA from the Canvas export using a measurement tool like PlanSnapper.

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