How much does a 360° virtual tour cost in the UK?
What actually decides the price of a 360° virtual tour - the number of panoramas, the size of the place, extras such as Google Street View - and how to get an accurate quote.
"How much is a virtual tour?" is usually the first question we are asked, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you want to show. There is no single price for a 360° tour, because a two-room dental surgery and a school with a sports hall, a theatre and playing fields are very different projects.
This guide explains what drives the price, so that you know what to ask for and can compare quotes fairly.
The main factor: the number of panoramas
A virtual tour is made of panoramas - one 360° photo for each room or area - linked together with navigation arrows. The number of panoramas is the single biggest factor in the cost, because each one has to be photographed, processed and connected into the tour.
A few examples of what that means in practice:
- a small café or a salon might need 3-6 panoramas: entrance, main room, a couple of details;
- a dental practice typically needs the reception, waiting area and each surgery;
- a hotel usually wants the reception, bar and restaurant plus one panorama for each room type, not each room;
- a school often has 15-40 panoramas: classrooms, labs, library, hall, sports facilities and grounds.
A good photographer will help you decide what is worth showing. More is not always better - visitors want to see the spaces that matter to them, not every corridor.
Time on site
Each panorama takes around ten minutes to photograph. Spaces that need tidying, moving furniture or waiting for people to leave take longer, as do places that are hard to access. Shooting early in the morning, in the evening or at the weekend is common, especially for schools, clinics and restaurants, and may affect the quote.
Editing and building the tour
Behind every panorama there are several photographs taken at different exposures and blended together (HDR), so that both dark corners and bright windows keep their detail. The images are then stitched, retouched and linked into a tour with room names, a menu and your logo. This work happens after the shoot and is part of the price.
What should be included
When you compare quotes, check what you actually receive. With Panoramea the tour includes:
- hosting of the tour on panoramea.co.uk;
- a direct link and an embed code for your website;
- a tour that works on phones, tablets and computers, in full screen;
- an offline copy of the complete tour;
- full-size 360° panoramas you can post on Facebook or use in print.
If a cheaper quote comes with a monthly hosting fee or no embed code, the total cost over a few years may be higher.
Optional extras
Some features add to the price because they add work:
- publishing the tour on Google Maps and Street View (see our Google Street View guide);
- floor plans or maps with clickable points;
- narration and translations;
- a short video made from the tour;
- still photographs taken during the same visit;
- aerial panoramas.
Schools that use the tour for education receive a discount.
How to get an accurate quote
To quote precisely we need to know:
- what kind of place it is and roughly how big;
- which rooms and areas you want to show (an approximate number is enough);
- where the tour will be used - your website, Google Maps, social media;
- any extras you are interested in and your preferred dates.
Send us these details and we will suggest the number of panoramas and a date for the shoot. You can also see how the process works or browse our virtual tours to decide what you would like to show.
