For most empty residential listings, virtual staging will outperform a Matterport 3D tour at winning the portal click that leads to a viewing. A 3D tour shows buyers every corner of a property — but when those corners are bare walls and empty floors, the tour amplifies the problem rather than solving it. Virtual staging solves the core issue first: it gives buyers something to feel about the space, not just something to navigate around.
Info
This page compares two genuinely different tools. The right answer depends on your listing type, your vendor's budget, and where buyers in your market spend their attention. Read the full comparison before deciding — or use both together.
What each tool actually does
Virtual staging takes photos of an empty room and furnishes them digitally, producing realistic, portal-ready images. Every image is clearly labelled "virtually staged" so buyers and portals know what they're looking at. The result sits in a standard property listing on Rightmove or Zoopla, exactly where buyers spend the most time.
Matterport is a 3D scanning technology that creates an interactive, dollhouse-style walkthrough of a property. Buyers can navigate room to room via a web browser. It requires a Matterport-compatible camera on site and specialist software to process, host and share the tour. The output is a link, not a photograph.
Side-by-side comparison
| Factor | Virtual staging | Matterport 3D tour |
|---|---|---|
| Primary output | Portal-ready photographs | Interactive web-based walkthrough |
| Works on empty rooms? | Yes — this is what it's designed for | Yes, but empty rooms look cold and uninspiring |
| Portal display (Rightmove, Zoopla) | Appears as standard listing photos — maximum exposure | Shown as an optional extra link — most buyers don't click |
| Typical turnaround | Same working day (with a money-back guarantee) | Several days to a week, including scan, processing and hosting setup |
| Equipment needed on site | None — works from existing photos or a listing link | Matterport-compatible camera and trained operator required |
| Buyer emotion | High — furnishings create warmth, scale and aspiration | Low for empty rooms — space looks clinical and hard to read |
| Compliance and disclosure | Images clearly labelled "virtually staged" — portal and ASA compliant | No disclosure issue, but also no staging benefit |
| Repeat cost per listing | Pay per listing or subscription — see pricing page | Camera hire or ownership plus Matterport hosting subscription |
| Best suited to | Vacant residential listings, probate, new-build, re-lets | Large or complex properties where layout needs explaining |
The portal click problem — and why it matters more than a tour
Rightmove and Zoopla are photo-first platforms. Buyers scroll a grid of cover photos and open listings that catch their eye. A 3D tour link buried beneath the photos doesn't influence that first decision at all. Virtual staging works at exactly the moment that matters: the scroll.
Buyers who don't click never see the tour. That's the fundamental limitation of Matterport for an empty listing. The NAR 2025 Profile of Home Staging found that 83% of buyers' agents say staging helps buyers visualise a property as a future home — and that effect starts with the very first image, not with an interactive walkthrough they choose to open later.
When a 3D tour genuinely adds value
Matterport is a strong tool in the right circumstances. It earns its place when the layout of a property is genuinely hard to read from photos alone — think split-level homes, unusual floor plans, large new-build developments where off-plan buyers need spatial clarity, or high-value properties with many rooms that buyers want to explore before committing to a long-distance viewing.
- Properties with complex or unusual floor plans where photos can't convey flow
- High-value or premium listings where the vendor expects a full marketing suite
- New-build developments where off-plan buyers need to understand the layout
- International buyers who cannot easily visit in person
- Commercial property and rental portfolios with high viewer volumes
In these cases, a 3D tour complements your photography rather than replacing the need for great images. It doesn't solve an empty room — it just lets buyers navigate around one more comfortably.
Why empty rooms are a specific problem that staging solves
Empty rooms photograph poorly. Without furniture, buyers struggle to judge scale — rooms feel smaller than they are, or oddly proportioned. There's nothing to create warmth or suggest how a space might be used. A buyer scrolling Rightmove at lunchtime will skip past a bare white room in a fraction of a second.
Virtual staging places furniture, soft furnishings, lighting and accessories into the photograph. The room looks lived-in and aspirational, without physically moving anything. The NAR 2025 Profile of Home Staging also found that 49% of sellers' agents reported staging reduced time on market, and 29% saw offers come in 1–10% higher than on comparable unstaged listings. Empty properties are the clearest use case for staging — they have the most to gain.
Tip
All images produced by 24staged are clearly labelled "virtually staged" — so you're covered for portal rules, ASA guidance and any buyer or vendor questions about what they're looking at. Honest staging you can use with confidence.
Speed: a practical edge for busy agents
When a vendor wants their property live on Rightmove this week, turnaround time is real. Booking a Matterport scan means finding an operator, scheduling a visit, waiting for the tour to process, then setting up hosting — often several days' work across multiple parties. Virtual staging via 24staged works from photos you already have or a listing link you send over, and returns portal-ready images the same working day, backed by a money-back guarantee.
That speed matters at pitch stage too. Agents who can show a vendor rendered staging examples during the valuation appointment — or deliver staged images within hours of instruction — look sharper and more prepared than those still waiting on a scan booking.
Can you use both? Yes, and sometimes you should
There's no rule that says you must choose. For a high-value vacant property, combining virtually staged photography with a 3D tour can give you the best of both tools: great images that win the portal click, and a tour that satisfies the detail-seeking buyer who wants to explore before booking. The staged photos do the heavy lifting on portals and social media; the 3D tour supports the buyer who's already interested.
For the majority of vacant residential listings — particularly probate properties, re-lets between tenancies, and standard empty instructions — virtual staging alone delivers the clearest return for the least cost and effort.
The verdict
If your primary goal is more portal clicks, more viewings, and a faster sale on an empty property, virtual staging is the more direct solution. It fixes the problem buyers actually see first: a cold, bare room that doesn't inspire action. A Matterport 3D tour is a useful addition for specific listing types, but for vacant residential property it addresses layout — not the emotional gap that staging fills. Start with staging, add a tour where the listing warrants it.
Tip
Want to see what your empty listing could look like? Request a free staged sample at 24staged.com — send your photos or a listing link and see results the same working day.
Does Matterport work for empty properties?
Matterport scans work technically on empty properties, but the output — an interactive tour of bare rooms — rarely helps buyers connect emotionally with the space. Empty rooms look clinical and hard to read without furniture to provide scale and warmth. Virtual staging solves this directly by furnishing the photographs before they're published.
Is virtual staging allowed on Rightmove and Zoopla?
Yes, provided the images are clearly labelled as virtually staged. Portal guidance, ASA standards and CMA expectations all require that edited or staged images are disclosed to buyers. 24staged labels every image "virtually staged" as standard, so you're compliant from the moment the images go live.
How quickly can I get virtually staged photos?
24staged returns portal-ready staged images the same working day. You send photos or a listing link; staged images come back the same day, backed by a money-back guarantee. See the pricing page for current plans and turnaround details.
How much does a Matterport 3D tour cost compared to virtual staging?
Matterport costs typically include camera hire or purchase, an operator on site, and an ongoing Matterport hosting subscription. Virtual staging is charged per listing or via a monthly subscription. For exact current pricing on virtual staging, see the 24staged pricing page. As a general rule, virtual staging for a vacant listing involves fewer moving parts and no on-site equipment.
Should I use virtual staging and a 3D tour together?
For most standard vacant residential listings, virtual staging alone is sufficient and more cost-effective. For high-value properties, complex layouts, or listings targeting international buyers, combining both tools can work well: staged photography wins the portal click, and the 3D tour supports buyers who want to explore in detail before booking a viewing.