If you’ve ordered a 3D tour for a listing, or had a seller ask about one, you’ve probably heard two names: Matterport and Zillow 3D. Both give buyers a way to walk through a home from their couch. Both include floor plans. Both can be added to the MLS. But they’re built for different goals, and the right choice depends on where you’re marketing the property and how long you need the tour to work for you.
We shoot both, so here’s an honest look at what each one does best.
Two Great Tools, Built for Different Jobs
Zillow 3D Home is Zillow’s own virtual tour, built to live right on the Zillow listing where buyers are already searching. It comes with a clean, easy-to-read interactive floor plan, and it’s a core piece of Zillow Showcase, the premium listing experience many agents and brokerages pay for to give their listings extra exposure and a more polished presentation on Zillow.
Matterport uses a purpose-built camera with depth sensors to create a true spatial scan of a property. The result is a very high-quality, fully immersive tour with a dollhouse view, accurate measurements and a floor plan. Navigation feels smooth and cohesive, and the tour can be shared as a link, embedded on a website, turned into a QR code, branded and customized in almost endless ways.
Why Zillow Matters
Zillow has become the default, household name in real estate search. In the second quarter of 2026, Zillow reported 239 million average monthly unique users and 2.5 billion visits. For comparison, CoStar reported an average of 108 million monthly unique visitors across its entire Homes.com Network in 2025. The companies measure their traffic differently, so treat these as ballpark figures, but the gap is real: a large share of buyers start their search on Zillow.
That’s where Showcase comes in. According to Zillow’s own data, Showcase listings saw 75% more page views and 68% more saves than comparable listings, were 20% more likely to get an accepted offer within 14 days, and sold for about 2% more. Those are Zillow’s numbers, but they show why so many agents treat Zillow as a key part of their marketing.
If maximum exposure on Zillow is the goal, Zillow 3D is a strong choice. The tour interface can feel a bit clunkier than Matterport’s, but it sits right where the most buyers are looking.
Where Matterport Shines
Matterport is the clear leader in quality and user experience. The tours look sharper, move more naturally and give buyers a real sense of how a home flows from room to room. That matters most for luxury listings, commercial properties, out-of-state or international buyers, and anyone making a big decision without visiting in person.
It’s also built to be used everywhere: on your website, in emails, on social media, on the MLS and on Homes.com. That flexibility is why it’s our first recommendation for vacation rentals and properties that will be marketed for years, not weeks.
One Thing That Changed in 2025
In 2025, CoStar Group, the company behind Homes.com, completed a $1.6 billion acquisition of Matterport. As part of that shift, Matterport tours are no longer displayed on Zillow listings. So if you want a 3D tour to appear on Zillow, Zillow 3D is the way to do it. Matterport tours still work everywhere else.
Side by Side
| Zillow 3D Home | Matterport | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Maximum exposure on Zillow | Quality, flexibility and long-term use |
| Tour quality | Good, simple navigation | Excellent, smooth and immersive |
| Floor plan | Included, very clean layout | Included, plus dollhouse view |
| Shows on Zillow | Yes | No |
| MLS | Yes | Yes |
| Website, social and email | Share and embed, no customization | Share and embed. Many customization options |
So Which One Should You Choose?
Honestly, it comes down to your goals.
Is Zillow your primary marketing platform? Zillow 3D wins. It puts the tour in front of the biggest audience in real estate, and if you’re using Showcase, it’s part of the package.
Will you use the tour over time, or share it outside of Zillow? Matterport is hands down the best option. For a vacation rental, a commercial space or a property you want to feature on your own website, nothing else comes close.
In a perfect world, you’d have both. Zillow 3D covers the Zillow listing, and Matterport handles everything else. We know budget doesn’t always allow for that, which is why we’re happy to help you decide which one will make the biggest difference for your property.
See the difference for yourself and walk through an example of each:
Zillow 3D Home tour
Matterport 3D tour
A Note for Vacation Rental Owners
Airbnb and VRBO don’t currently embed 3D tours inside their listings, so the value of a Matterport for a short-term rental is what you share outside of those platforms.
STR owners use Matterport links in messages with guests who have questions before booking. They embed the tour on a direct booking site, put a QR code in the property guide and send the link to corporate clients or group coordinators who want to see the layout before committing.
Guests can see every room, every angle and every transition space. That transparency builds trust, and trust drives bookings and reviews.
Take a look at this vacation rental tour as an example
What Does It Cost to Keep a Matterport Tour Active?
A Matterport tour isn’t a file. It’s a live tour that has to be hosted for the link to keep working. For listings, we handle that as part of the shoot. If you’re a vacation rental owner who wants a permanent tour of your property, you’ll want your own hosting account.
Matterport’s Starter plan is currently $9.99 per month and hosts up to five active spaces, so you can keep tours live for several properties under one account.
The Bottom Line
Zillow 3D and Matterport each bring something different to the table. Zillow offers unmatched reach and a clean, familiar experience right where buyers search. Matterport offers the best quality and the most flexibility for sharing, customizing and using a tour over the long haul. Both will help your listing, and the right choice depends on where your buyers are and how you plan to use the tour.
Not sure which fits your property? Give us a call. We shoot both and we’re happy to talk it through.
Orlando Home Photography shoots Zillow 3D tours and Matterport 3D virtual tours for residential listings, vacation rentals and commercial properties throughout Orlando and Central Florida.
Book a 3D Tour | Have questions? Give us a call at (407) 906-0613
