VECTRA vs PreviewMD · Verified August 2026

VECTRA imaging cost, and the no-hardware alternative.

VECTRA, by Canfield Scientific, is widely described as the market leader in 3D imaging: capital camera systems installed in the office for consult-room simulation. PreviewMD requires no hardware at all; it runs on your practice website from one patient photo, at a published monthly price.

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VECTRA

What is VECTRA?

VECTRA is a family of imaging systems from Canfield Scientific, sold to practices as capital equipment. The line runs from the handheld H2 through the XT to the WB360 total-body system, with simulation modules including Face Sculptor, Breast Sculptor and Body Sculptor layered on top.

Everything runs in the office. The patient is captured on Canfield hardware during a visit, and the simulation happens in the consultation room. Their one patient-facing product, ViewMyConsult, is described on their own site as a portal where patients revisit a consultation that already happened.

What VECTRA does well

It is the imaging standard for a reason. High-fidelity 3D capture, dermatological documentation, total-body photography for mole mapping, and a consult-room experience no browser-based tool matches. If clinical-grade imaging infrastructure is what you need, VECTRA is a more capable system than PreviewMD is or tries to be.

Canfield also state that 30,000+ customers run their equipment across medical, spa and retail, which is a depth of installed base no newcomer has.

Where VECTRA falls short

Nothing in the VECTRA line reaches a patient who has not booked yet. We looked for it: as of August 2026 we found no Canfield product a prospective patient can use on a practice’s website before calling. That is the entire gap PreviewMD exists to fill.

It is also a capital purchase with installation and training, quoted rather than published, which is a different kind of decision from a monthly subscription you can cancel.

What VECTRA costs

Canfield publishes no price for any VECTRA system; every product page ends at a quote request. Two independent third parties have published estimates, and they differ, which tells you something in itself.

First-party

Every Canfield system page terminates in a “Request A Quote” action, and no public price list exists for any VECTRA system as of 17 August 2026. Their online store sells accessories such as backdrops and battery grips, not systems.

canfieldsci.com

Third-party claim

A competitor’s comparison table lists Canfield VECTRA at $9,500 or more upfront for hardware, plus maintenance fees and per-device licensing.

FaceTouchUp’s published competitor comparison (facetouchup.com/pricing)

Third-party claim

A separate competitor comparison, from a body-scanning company, puts VECTRA XT at approximately $20,000 or more, with additional software bundles for simulations.

Fit3D: VECTRA XT vs Fit3D SNAP

Read off each cited page on the date shown beside it. A competitor publishing a rival’s price has an incentive we don’t share, so check with the company directly before you budget.

PreviewMD

What is PreviewMD?

PreviewMD is an AI preview widget that runs in a browser. A patient uploads one front-facing photo from a phone or a laptop and sees a photorealistic, anatomically correct before and after about three to four minutes later. There’s no capture room, no camera rig, and nothing to buy up front. Covered today: the facelift simulator and the rhinoplasty simulator, with others on the simulators page.

One script tag puts it on any platform under your branding, and it works long before the patient has come in. The lead reaches your practice before the result appears, and photos are processed for the preview and never stored.

The PreviewMD widget opening on a practice website, asking who the visualization is for — The widget as a patient meets it on your site. Your branding, your domain, and the privacy answer stated up front. Elite removes the PreviewMD mark entirely.

What PreviewMD does well

A double board certified plastic surgeon with over thirty years in the operating room fine-tuned the model, and male and female anatomy are handled separately. The preview should read as a surgical result rather than a filter.

It bills as a subscription instead of a capital purchase, and it reaches people while they’re still reading your website at home, not only the ones who already booked.

Where PreviewMD falls short

VECTRA is a far more capable imaging system than PreviewMD is or tries to be. It captures true 3D, supports total-body photography and dermatological documentation, and covers procedures and body areas we do not. If you need clinical-grade imaging infrastructure, a website widget is not a substitute for it.

What PreviewMD costs

$249 per month for Starter with 150 previews included, $449 for Pro with 500, $999 for Elite with 1,200. Extra previews are a flat $1.00 each and the widget never shuts off mid-month. Annual billing is two months free. Every plan starts with a 14-day trial, card up front, cancel anytime. No setup fee, no per-patient fee, no hardware.

See the full price list →

VECTRA and PreviewMD, side by side

	VECTRA	PreviewMD
Runs on your website before booking	No	Yes
Publishes full pricing	No	Yes
Free trial, no sales call	No	Yes
No hardware required	Nocamera system installed	Yes
Every preview delivers a lead	No	Yes
Territory exclusivity	No	Yes
Clinical-grade 3D + total-body imaging	Yes	Nosingle-photo previews

Yes

Partly

Verified August 2026, from each company’s public materials.

Which should your practice choose?

Choose VECTRA if

You want the flagship in-office 3D imaging system and the capital budget fits.

High-fidelity 3D capture and total-body photography are part of your clinical documentation.

Your simulation needs span more procedures and body areas than we validate.

You want one company covering imaging, skin analysis and dermatology documentation.

Choose PreviewMD if

You want previews working on your website, where patients decide whether to call at all.

You want a published monthly price instead of a quote.

You don’t want hardware, installation, or staff training in the critical path.

You want each preview to produce a lead in your CRM.

How switching from VECTRA works

This is rarely a switch, because the two tools answer different moments in how a patient reaches you. VECTRA is consult-room capital equipment; PreviewMD is a website conversion tool. For a practice that already owns a VECTRA, PreviewMD is built to add website conversion rather than replace anything.

If you are choosing between them for the first time, the question is which moment you are trying to fix. If patients are booking and you want a better consult, that is an imaging purchase. If your website traffic is not converting into consultations, no consult-room tool can reach those visitors.

Sources

Where these claims come from

Canfield Scientific product line (canfieldsci.com)

Canfield’s own site, checked August 2026. Every system page terminates in a “Request A Quote” action; no public price list was found for any VECTRA system.

Canfield ViewMyConsult

Canfield’s own description of their patient-facing portal: patients “revisit their consult from home,” using photos and simulations the practice uploads after the visit. It is a post-consultation portal, which is why it doesn’t overlap with a pre-booking website widget.

Questions

The questions buyers ask.

Is PreviewMD an alternative to Canfield VECTRA?

For the website moment, yes; for the consult room, they can coexist. VECTRA is in-office 3D imaging hardware. PreviewMD is a website widget that renders AI previews from one photo and delivers every preview as a lead, at $249-$999 per month with no equipment.

How much does VECTRA imaging cost compared to PreviewMD?

VECTRA is capital equipment quoted by Canfield; there’s no transparent public price as of August 2026. PreviewMD publishes everything: $249/month (150 previews), $449/month (500), $999/month (1,200), 14-day free trial.

Do I need any hardware for PreviewMD?

No. It’s added to your website once, and a patient’s phone photo is the only capture. Renders happen on PreviewMD’s servers in about 3-4 minutes.

Does Canfield offer anything that works on my website before a patient books?

Their consumer-facing product, ViewMyConsult, is described on their own site as a secure portal where patients revisit a consultation that already happened, using photos and simulations the practice uploads. It runs after the visit. As of August 2026 we found no Canfield product that a prospective patient can use on a practice’s website before booking, which is the gap PreviewMD fills.

How much does a VECTRA system cost?

Canfield doesn’t publish pricing; every product page ends in a quote request as of August 2026. It is capital equipment, so expect a purchase plus software licensing rather than a monthly fee. PreviewMD’s full price list is public: $249 to $999 per month, 14-day trial, no hardware.

Is this the same VECTRA as the flea and tick medication?

No. Vectra 3D is also the brand name of a topical flea and tick product for dogs, which dominates search results for that phrase. This page is about VECTRA imaging systems made by Canfield Scientific for medical and aesthetic practices.