The best replacement for total station is theodolite.

The best alternatives to total station are rated as following:
★★★★★  theodolite
★★★★  transit
★★★  gps
★★★  laser scanner
★★  electronic theodolite
★★  auto level
★  dumpy level
★  edm
★  theodolites
★  rtk

Your alternative for total station is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about total station, one probably shouldn't forget about edm.

Other search terms related to total station and their ratings are:
★★★★★ edm
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