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Top 10 Best 360 Photo Software of 2026

Discover top 10 360 photo software for creating stunning virtual tours. Compare features, find your perfect tool – explore now.

Jannik Lindner

Jannik Lindner

Feb 11, 2026

10 tools comparedExpert reviewed
Independent evaluation · Unbiased commentary · Updated regularly
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In a landscape where immersive visual storytelling reigns supreme, 360 photo software is a cornerstone for crafting compelling equirectangular images, interactive tours, and seamless virtual experiences. With options ranging from professional stitching tools to user-friendly hosting platforms, selecting the right software—aligned with goals like precision, accessibility, or monetization—is key to unlocking their full potential. This guide breaks down the most effective tools to suit diverse needs.

Quick Overview

  1. 1#1: PTGui - Professional panorama stitching software excels at creating high-quality 360-degree equirectangular images from overlapping photos.
  2. 2#2: Pano2VR - Authoring tool for building interactive 360-degree virtual tours and viewers from panoramic images.
  3. 3#3: Adobe Photoshop - Industry-leading photo editor with Photomerge for stitching 360 photos and advanced VR editing support.
  4. 4#4: Adobe Lightroom - Photo workflow software featuring automatic 360-degree panorama merging and non-destructive editing.
  5. 5#5: Affinity Photo - Affordable one-time purchase editor with live 360 panorama stitching and spherical photo handling.
  6. 6#6: Insta360 Studio - Official desktop app for stitching, reframing, and exporting 360-degree photos from Insta360 cameras.
  7. 7#7: Hugin - Powerful open-source tool for stitching panoramas including full 360-degree and multi-row images.
  8. 8#8: Kuula - Cloud platform for hosting, viewing, and sharing interactive 360 photos with embedding options.
  9. 9#9: Roundme - User-friendly platform for creating, publishing, and monetizing 360-degree photo tours.
  10. 10#10: Ricoh THETA+ - Web and desktop app for stitching and editing 360 photos captured with Ricoh THETA cameras.

Tool selection prioritized technical excellence (e.g., stitching accuracy, VR editing capabilities), usability (adaptability for beginners and experts), and value (inclusivity of features, one-time purchases vs. subscriptions), ensuring a balanced review of options for creators, businesses, and hobbyists.

Comparison Table

This comparison table showcases key software options for 360 photo processing, including PTGui, Pano2VR, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Affinity Photo, and more, providing a comprehensive overview of available tools. Readers will gain insights into each platform’s unique features, strengths, and ideal use cases, helping them choose the right solution for their 360 content needs.

1PTGui logo9.6/10

Professional panorama stitching software excels at creating high-quality 360-degree equirectangular images from overlapping photos.

Features
9.9/10
Ease
8.2/10
Value
9.4/10
2Pano2VR logo9.1/10

Authoring tool for building interactive 360-degree virtual tours and viewers from panoramic images.

Features
9.6/10
Ease
7.8/10
Value
8.9/10

Industry-leading photo editor with Photomerge for stitching 360 photos and advanced VR editing support.

Features
8.4/10
Ease
5.8/10
Value
6.2/10

Photo workflow software featuring automatic 360-degree panorama merging and non-destructive editing.

Features
8.2/10
Ease
8.0/10
Value
7.2/10

Affordable one-time purchase editor with live 360 panorama stitching and spherical photo handling.

Features
8.0/10
Ease
7.5/10
Value
9.2/10

Official desktop app for stitching, reframing, and exporting 360-degree photos from Insta360 cameras.

Features
8.5/10
Ease
7.7/10
Value
9.4/10
7Hugin logo7.8/10

Powerful open-source tool for stitching panoramas including full 360-degree and multi-row images.

Features
9.2/10
Ease
5.1/10
Value
10/10
8Kuula logo8.4/10

Cloud platform for hosting, viewing, and sharing interactive 360 photos with embedding options.

Features
8.2/10
Ease
9.1/10
Value
8.3/10
9Roundme logo7.6/10

User-friendly platform for creating, publishing, and monetizing 360-degree photo tours.

Features
7.4/10
Ease
8.3/10
Value
7.2/10
10Ricoh THETA+ logo7.1/10

Web and desktop app for stitching and editing 360 photos captured with Ricoh THETA cameras.

Features
6.8/10
Ease
8.2/10
Value
8.5/10
1
PTGui logo

PTGui

specialized

Professional panorama stitching software excels at creating high-quality 360-degree equirectangular images from overlapping photos.

Overall Rating9.6/10
Features
9.9/10
Ease of Use
8.2/10
Value
9.4/10
Standout Feature

Precision control point editor allowing manual fine-tuning for flawless stitching on even the most difficult image sets

PTGui is a professional-grade panorama stitching software renowned for creating high-quality 360-degree and gigapixel spherical panoramas from overlapping photos. It excels in automatic alignment, control point editing, and advanced blending techniques like multi-band blending and HDR fusion, supporting multi-row and fisheye lenses for immersive VR content. With GPU acceleration and batch processing, it's ideal for photographers tackling complex projects with unparalleled precision.

Pros

  • Exceptional stitching accuracy, even for challenging multi-row and gigapixel panoramas
  • One-time purchase with no subscriptions and lifetime free updates
  • Advanced tools like control point editor, HDR blending, and scripting for professionals

Cons

  • Steep learning curve for beginners due to dense feature set
  • Dated user interface that feels less modern compared to competitors
  • Limited built-in export options for interactive 360 viewers

Best For

Professional photographers and VR content creators needing the highest quality panorama stitching for complex, large-scale 360 projects.

Pricing

One-time purchase: Standard edition €129, Pro edition €279 (includes advanced features like masking and scripting).

Visit PTGuiptgui.com
2
Pano2VR logo

Pano2VR

specialized

Authoring tool for building interactive 360-degree virtual tours and viewers from panoramic images.

Overall Rating9.1/10
Features
9.6/10
Ease of Use
7.8/10
Value
8.9/10
Standout Feature

The integrated Skin Editor for creating fully custom, branded tour interfaces without coding

Pano2VR is a professional-grade software for creating interactive 360-degree virtual tours from panoramic images, enabling users to stitch photos, add hotspots, and customize interfaces with its powerful Skin Editor. It supports multiresolution output for gigapixel panoramas, video integration, and exports to HTML5, VR, and standalone formats for web, mobile, and desktop. Ideal for delivering immersive experiences, it includes tools for Google Street View publishing and advanced animations.

Pros

  • Extremely powerful customization with Skin and Hotspot Editors
  • Supports high-resolution panoramas and VR/AR output
  • One-time purchase with free version for testing

Cons

  • Steep learning curve for beginners
  • Interface feels somewhat dated
  • Additional modules required for full feature set

Best For

Professional photographers and agencies needing advanced control over interactive 360 tours.

Pricing

Free version with watermarks; Pro license €399 one-time, plus optional modules €99-€299.

Visit Pano2VRgarden-gnome-software.com
3
Adobe Photoshop logo

Adobe Photoshop

creative_suite

Industry-leading photo editor with Photomerge for stitching 360 photos and advanced VR editing support.

Overall Rating7.6/10
Features
8.4/10
Ease of Use
5.8/10
Value
6.2/10
Standout Feature

360 workspace with VR viewing for editing directly on the spherical projection

Adobe Photoshop is a comprehensive raster graphics editor that supports 360 photo workflows through features like Photomerge for stitching panoramas into equirectangular projections and a dedicated 360 workspace for immersive editing. It enables precise adjustments to spherical images, including warping tools, content-aware fills, and VR previews, making it suitable for post-processing high-quality 360 content. While not exclusively a 360 tool, its industry-leading editing capabilities extend powerfully to panoramic photography.

Pros

  • Exceptional image editing tools tailored for 360 corrections like seam blending and distortion fixes
  • Photomerge panorama stitching with boundary warp for seamless spheres
  • VR/360 preview mode for real-time immersive review

Cons

  • Steep learning curve requires significant expertise for effective 360 use
  • Subscription-only pricing adds ongoing costs without 360-specific optimizations
  • Overkill for basic 360 tasks compared to dedicated panorama software

Best For

Professional photographers and visual effects artists needing advanced editing power for complex 360 photo projects.

Pricing

$22.99/month for Photoshop plan or $59.99/month for full Creative Cloud All Apps.

4
Adobe Lightroom logo

Adobe Lightroom

creative_suite

Photo workflow software featuring automatic 360-degree panorama merging and non-destructive editing.

Overall Rating7.8/10
Features
8.2/10
Ease of Use
8.0/10
Value
7.2/10
Standout Feature

Spherical preview and editing canvas for immersive 360-degree photo manipulation

Adobe Lightroom is a powerful photo editing and management application that supports 360-degree spherical images, enabling users to import equirectangular projections and edit them with projection-aware tools. It provides non-destructive adjustments, healing brushes that wrap around the sphere, and preview modes for immersive 360 viewing during editing. While excels in post-processing 360 photos, it lacks native stitching capabilities for creating panoramas from raw shots.

Pros

  • Projection-aware editing tools for seamless 360 photo adjustments
  • AI-powered masking and healing that work on spherical images
  • Cloud sync and integration with Photoshop for advanced workflows

Cons

  • No built-in panorama stitching from multiple images
  • Subscription-only model with recurring costs
  • Limited specialized 360 export options compared to dedicated tools

Best For

Photographers already in the Adobe ecosystem who need robust editing for 360 photos alongside standard images.

Pricing

Photography plan at $9.99/month (includes Lightroom Classic, CC, and Photoshop); 7-day free trial.

5
Affinity Photo logo

Affinity Photo

creative_suite

Affordable one-time purchase editor with live 360 panorama stitching and spherical photo handling.

Overall Rating7.8/10
Features
8.0/10
Ease of Use
7.5/10
Value
9.2/10
Standout Feature

Live 360° spherical projection view for real-time editing of equirectangular panoramas

Affinity Photo is a professional-grade raster graphics editor with robust support for 360-degree photos, enabling users to load equirectangular images and edit them in a live spherical projection view. It includes a Panorama Persona for stitching multi-row panoramas into 360° outputs and offers non-destructive adjustments, filters, and RAW development tailored for immersive photography. While not a dedicated 360° stitching specialist, it excels in post-processing workflows for high-quality spherical image refinement.

Pros

  • Powerful non-destructive editing tools optimized for 360° projection
  • Panorama stitching capability for creating equirectangular images
  • One-time purchase with no subscription required

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve for beginners compared to simpler editors
  • Limited advanced 360°-specific tools like VR hotspots or interactive exports
  • Stitching less automated than dedicated panorama software

Best For

Experienced photographers and editors seeking affordable, professional post-processing for 360° photos without ongoing costs.

Pricing

One-time purchase of $69.99 (Windows/Mac/iPad); suite bundle $169.99; free updates within major versions.

Visit Affinity Photoaffinity.serif.com
6
Insta360 Studio logo

Insta360 Studio

specialized

Official desktop app for stitching, reframing, and exporting 360-degree photos from Insta360 cameras.

Overall Rating8.1/10
Features
8.5/10
Ease of Use
7.7/10
Value
9.4/10
Standout Feature

One-tap AI reframing that intelligently extracts the best flat photo compositions from 360 spheres

Insta360 Studio is a free desktop application designed primarily for editing 360-degree photos and videos captured by Insta360 cameras. It handles stitching of dual-lens raw files into seamless spherical images, offers reframing tools to extract flat photos or create keyframed animations, and supports color correction, exposure adjustments, and metadata injection for platforms like YouTube and Facebook. While powerful within the Insta360 ecosystem, it's optimized for their hardware and lacks broad compatibility with third-party 360 cameras.

Pros

  • Exceptional stitching quality for Insta360 raw files
  • Intuitive reframing tools for converting 360 photos to flat formats
  • Completely free with no subscriptions or watermarks

Cons

  • Limited support for non-Insta360 cameras and files
  • Resource-heavy on lower-end hardware
  • Photo editing features feel secondary to video tools

Best For

Insta360 camera owners seeking seamless, high-quality 360 photo stitching and reframing without extra costs.

Pricing

Free to download and use indefinitely.

7
Hugin logo

Hugin

other

Powerful open-source tool for stitching panoramas including full 360-degree and multi-row images.

Overall Rating7.8/10
Features
9.2/10
Ease of Use
5.1/10
Value
10/10
Standout Feature

Advanced nona stitcher with multi-threaded optimization for handling large, multi-row 360-degree datasets flawlessly

Hugin is a free, open-source panorama stitching tool designed for creating high-quality 360-degree spherical images from overlapping photographs, supporting equirectangular projections ideal for VR and 360 photo applications. It features advanced algorithms for automatic control point detection, lens distortion correction, and multi-row stitching, allowing users to process complex datasets from fisheye or rectilinear lenses. While powerful for professional results, it requires technical knowledge to optimize alignments and seams effectively.

Pros

  • Exceptional stitching accuracy with customizable control points and optimization
  • Supports a wide range of projections including equirectangular for 360 photos
  • Completely free with cross-platform availability and batch processing

Cons

  • Complex and outdated interface with steep learning curve
  • No intuitive real-time preview or drag-and-drop workflow
  • Manual intervention often needed for best results

Best For

Experienced photographers and developers seeking precise, cost-free control over 360-degree panorama creation.

Pricing

100% free and open-source (no paid tiers or subscriptions).

Visit Huginhugin.sourceforge.net
8
Kuula logo

Kuula

other

Cloud platform for hosting, viewing, and sharing interactive 360 photos with embedding options.

Overall Rating8.4/10
Features
8.2/10
Ease of Use
9.1/10
Value
8.3/10
Standout Feature

Multi-shot tour builder for stitching multiple 360° panoramas into seamless, navigable virtual experiences

Kuula is a cloud-based platform specializing in hosting, viewing, and sharing interactive 360° photos and virtual tours. Users can upload panoramic images or videos, add hotspots with images, videos, text, and links, and create multi-scene tours with smooth transitions. It supports embedding on websites, VR headset compatibility, and provides viewer analytics on paid plans.

Pros

  • Intuitive drag-and-drop tour builder
  • Seamless embedding and sharing options
  • Strong VR and mobile support

Cons

  • Watermarks and tour limits on free plan
  • Limited advanced editing compared to pro tools
  • Storage caps on lower tiers

Best For

Real estate agents, photographers, and marketers seeking simple 360° tour creation and web embedding.

Pricing

Free plan with watermarks and limits; Pro from $12/month (annual billing) for unlimited tours; Business from $36/month.

Visit Kuulakuula.co
9
Roundme logo

Roundme

other

User-friendly platform for creating, publishing, and monetizing 360-degree photo tours.

Overall Rating7.6/10
Features
7.4/10
Ease of Use
8.3/10
Value
7.2/10
Standout Feature

Easy multimedia hotspots that allow embedding videos, images, and interactive elements directly into 360 tours

Roundme is a web-based platform designed for creating and sharing interactive 360-degree virtual tours from panoramic photos. Users can upload 360 images, add hotspots with text, images, videos, and links, and customize tours with themes and navigation. It supports embedding on websites, social sharing, and VR viewing, making it accessible for real estate, tourism, and events.

Pros

  • Intuitive drag-and-drop editor for quick tour creation
  • Free plan available with basic functionality
  • Strong sharing and embedding options across platforms

Cons

  • Watermarks and tour limits on free plan
  • Limited advanced customization and analytics compared to top competitors
  • Web-only interface with no native desktop app

Best For

Beginners and small businesses needing simple, affordable 360 photo tours without steep learning curves.

Pricing

Freemium: Free for up to 3 tours with watermarks; paid plans from $9/month (Basic) to $39/month (Pro) for unlimited tours and advanced features.

Visit Roundmeroundme.com
10
Ricoh THETA+ logo

Ricoh THETA+

specialized

Web and desktop app for stitching and editing 360 photos captured with Ricoh THETA cameras.

Overall Rating7.1/10
Features
6.8/10
Ease of Use
8.2/10
Value
8.5/10
Standout Feature

Direct one-tap wireless photo import from THETA cameras for instant mobile editing

Ricoh THETA+ is a mobile app designed specifically for Ricoh THETA 360-degree cameras, allowing users to wirelessly import, edit, and share spherical photos. It provides basic editing tools like filters, frames, stickers, and adjustments for brightness and contrast, optimized for 360-degree imagery. Photos can be uploaded directly to the theta360.com platform for immersive web viewing and community sharing.

Pros

  • Seamless wireless integration with Ricoh THETA cameras
  • Simple, intuitive mobile interface for quick edits
  • Free access to theta360.com sharing platform

Cons

  • Limited advanced editing tools compared to pro software
  • Tied primarily to Ricoh THETA ecosystem
  • Occasional connectivity glitches with camera transfers

Best For

Ricoh THETA camera owners seeking an easy mobile app for casual 360 photo editing and social sharing.

Pricing

Free to download and use; theta360.com offers free basic publishing with optional paid Pro plans for advanced features and storage.

Visit Ricoh THETA+theta360.com

Conclusion

The top 360 photo software category showcases a clear leader in PTGui, which stands out for its exceptional ability to create high-quality equirectangular 360 images from overlapping photos, ideal for precision-focused work. Pano2VR closely follows as a powerful authoring tool for interactive virtual tours, catering to those prioritizing user engagement, while Adobe Photoshop remains a versatile choice with advanced editing support, perfect for those already using the industry-standard editor. Together, these tools highlight the best options for 360 content creation, each suited to different needs.

PTGui logo
Our Top Pick
PTGui

Take your 360 photography to the next level—start with PTGui to unlock its unmatched stitching precision and create stunning, immersive images.