TL;DR: the best 360° camera for most Avatour users is currently the Labpano Pilot PanoX V2; good options that work wirelessly with phones are the Insta360 One R/RX and One X2/X3. We are always evaluating new devices as they become available, and we update our recommendation regularly. We recommend buying a complete kit from us, but we can also provide a shopping list.

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Labpano Cameras with direct Avatour integration

The Labpano line of 360° cameras - including the PanoX V2 and the Pilot One - boast built-in touch screens and an Android operating system, allowing the AVATOUR app to run directly on the device.  They also have higher-resolution sensors than other portable devices, enabling capture at up to 8k resolution. This combination of capabilities provides unparalleled quality, ease-of-use and reliability.

The Labpano devices don't require a separate phone, so they're great for situations where the device is used by multiple people. Enterprise customers who want to distribute systems for easy use by personnel without requiring use of personal cell phones should look at the Labpano devices first.

Insta360 cameras with Avatour mobile app integration

Another option is to combine a 360 "action camera" with a mobile device. Avatour has worked with camera manufacturer Insta360 to tightly integrate their products with the Avatour Host app. This enables us to directly control these cameras, making for a convenient experience for users. 

However, currently available Insta360 cameras do not support a wired connection to iOS devices. This restricts live streaming to use cellular data only, which can be a significant restriction for some applications.

Avatour supports the following Insta360 cameras:

• Insta360 One X3 / X2: Both of these cameras have good visual quality and form factor.
• Insta360 One RS / One R (including "1-inch" variants): Note that hot-swapping batteries on the One RS is impossible due to the design of its mount. ‍
• Insta360 One X: This is an older device that was our previous default recommendation, and was included in our original turn-key Avatour kits. It's still a decent choice if you can find it, and due to the change in iOS support for the One R, it is the only Insta360 camera with wired iOS support.

Note: Due to continuing thermal issues, Avatour has deprecated live capture support for the Ricoh Theta line of 360 cameras. Theta devices may still be used for offline capture as described below.

Recorded 360 capture for cameras without integration

The Avatour platform supports sharing and collaboration with any standard-format 360° video asset or still image. Users of any 360° camera, such as the GoPro Fusion or Garmin VIRB 360, may record videos directly on the camera and then upload the files to the Avatour platform via the Host Console.

Purchasing Avatour hardware

We recommend buying a complete Avatour kit from us - we handle installation and testing and provide a turnkey solution that will get you up and running quickly. However if you want to assemble your own hardware, please review this guide to what you'll need.