Google Street View vs. a Matterport 3D Tour: What's the Real Difference?
People use "Street View", "360 photos" and "3D tour" interchangeably — and then buy the wrong thing. Two minutes here saves you that mistake.
The three things people mix up
Quick definitions first. Street View is Google's connected panorama experience — the blue lines on roads, and the "See inside" walkthroughs of businesses. 360° photos are single panoramic images; anyone can upload one to their Google profile's gallery. A Matterport 3D tour is a laser-scanned digital twin of a space — a walkthrough with a dollhouse view and real measurements, hosted by Matterport and embeddable anywhere.
Street View "See inside"
What it is
- Connected panoramas published to your Google Business Profile.
- Customers walk through your space right in Search and Maps — no app, no link.
- Stays live with no monthly fee once published.
Limits
- No dollhouse view or measurements — it's for discovery, not documentation.
- Must be published through Street View Studio with properly linked panoramas.
Matterport 3D tour
What it is
- A LiDAR-measured digital twin: walkthrough, dollhouse view, floor plans, in-tour measurements.
- Embeds on your website, shares as a link, deep-links to any spot in the space.
- 134 MP image quality on the Pro3 — indoors and out.
Limits
- Lives on your site and link shares — customers on Google Maps won't see it there by itself.
- Full interactive hosting is a subscription (first six months included with our capture).
The good news: you don't have to choose. One Matterport Pro3 capture produces both — the immersive tour for your website and the Street View publication on your Google profile. That's exactly the package we deliver, from $95.
And plain 360° photos?
A single 360° photo in your Google gallery is better than nothing — it's free and you can shoot it on a phone. But it isn't a tour: customers can't move through the space, Google doesn't present it as "See inside", and the image quality of a phone sphere next to a Pro3 panorama is... visible. Think of it as the difference between a doorbell photo and an open house.
Which one does your business need?
- Local business that lives on walk-ins (restaurant, salon, gym, shop): Street View publication first — that's where customers decide. The website embed comes free with it.
- Business that sells by sending links (venues, hotels, showrooms): the Matterport tour earns its keep in proposals, emails and social — publish to Google too, it's included.
- Construction, facilities, documentation: Matterport only — you need the measurements and the record, not public visibility. That's a different service line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 360 photos and a full virtual tour?
A 360° photo is a single point you can look around from. A virtual tour is many connected points you can move through, like walking. On Google, individual 360 photos sit in your gallery, while a published tour becomes the navigable "See inside" experience.
Is a Matterport tour the same as Google Street View?
No — but one capture can produce both. The Matterport tour is the immersive version for your website (dollhouse view, measurements). The same capture is also published to your Google Business Profile via Street View, where customers find it on Maps.
Which is better for my Google Business Profile — photos or a 3D tour?
Both. Good photos are the baseline; the tour is the differentiator. Google's data shows listings with complete media get about 42% more direction requests — and in most local categories a walkable tour is still rare enough to stand out.