8th Wall vs. Spatial.io
See how 8th Wall and Spatial.io compare across key features and capabilities for usage on the web and creating XR experiences for designers, developers and teams.
How to migrate your 8th Wall projects to Needle Engine
View all platform comparisons Web-first runtime integrated with Unity and Blender plugins, complemented by Needle Cloud for optimization and hosting. Needle |  A commercial platform specializing in high-quality, markerless WebAR experiences, featuring a cloud editor and advanced tracking capabilities. 8th Wall |  A web-based platform focused on creating and hosting social 3D environments accessible via web and VR. Spatial.io |  Low-level JavaScript library for creating 3D graphics directly in the browser using WebGL. three.js |  The WebGL export target for the Unity game engine allows deployment of Unity projects to web browsers using WebGL and WASM. Unity WebGL | |
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Core Platform & Workflow | |||||
| Solution Type | 3D Engine Cloud Platform Optimization Tool Web Component Needle Solution Type:
3d-engine, cloud-platform, authoring-tool, optimization-tool, web-component A comprehensive suite including a runtime engine, cloud services for optimization/hosting, authoring via Unity/Blender plugins, and embeddable web component output. | Cloud Platform 3D Engine 8th Wall Solution Type:
cloud-platform, authoring-tool, 3d-engine A comprehensive platform providing AR tracking engine, cloud-based IDE (Cloud Editor, Niantic Studio), hosting, and specialized AR features. | Cloud Platform Spatial.io Solution Type:
cloud-platform, authoring-tool A platform for building, hosting, and experiencing shared social 3D spaces ('metaverse'). | 3D Engine three.js Solution Type:
3d-engine A foundational JavaScript library providing tools to draw 3D scenes using WebGL. | 3D Engine Unity WebGL Solution Type:
3d-engine, authoring-tool Allows exporting projects built with the Unity Editor to run in browsers via WebGL/Wasm. |
| Made for the web | Needle Made for the web:
Yes Built from the ground up for the web, focusing on fast loading, efficient rendering, and cross-platform web deployment. | 8th Wall Made for the web:
Yes Specifically optimized for delivering AR experiences through mobile web browsers. | Limited Spatial.io Made for the web:
Limited Designed for accessibility across web browsers and VR, balancing fidelity with performance for social experiences. Load times are relatively high because it builds on Unity's WebGL platform. | three.js Made for the web:
Yes A foundational technology designed specifically for creating 3D graphics on the web. | Unity WebGL Made for the web:
No Unity is a desktop- and mobile-first engine. It has a WebGL export option, but it's not from its core designed for the web. Often requires significant manual optimization for web performance and load times. |
| Typical Workflows | Unity Editor Blender Editor Code HTML Asset Upload Needle Typical Workflows:
Unity Editor, Blender Editor, Code, HTML, Asset Upload Primary workflow involves using Unity or Blender as the authoring environment, exporting scenes and logic. Custom scripts (TypeScript/JavaScript) extend functionality. | Web Editor Code 8th Wall Typical Workflows:
Web Editor, Code Development occurs in the Cloud Editor or Niantic Studio using JavaScript, HTML, CSS, often integrating with libraries like A-Frame or three.js. | Web Editor Unity Integration Spatial.io Typical Workflows:
Web Editor, Unity Integration Users build and customize spaces using intuitive, integrated visual tools and templates. | Code three.js Typical Workflows:
Code Development is code-centric, writing JavaScript to define scenes, materials, and interactions. | Standalone Editor Code Unity WebGL Typical Workflows:
Standalone Editor, Code Projects are developed using the Unity Editor with C# scripting and visual tools. |
| Use with Unity | Needle Use with Unity:
Yes Deep integration with Unity Editor via dedicated plugin, allowing export of scenes, C# scripts (transpiled), materials (Shader Graph), animations, and components. | 8th Wall Use with Unity:
No Focuses on web technologies with a custom editor. | Spatial.io Use with Unity:
Yes Via Spatial Toolkit, offers SDKs for importing assets or integrating experiences built with Unity. | three.js Use with Unity:
No No direct integration. Solutions like Needle make integrating with three.js seamless. | Unity WebGL Use with Unity:
Yes This IS the Unity workflow, targeting WebGL output. |
| Use with Blender | Needle Use with Blender:
Yes Integration with Blender via addon, supporting export of scenes, materials, animations, and custom logic nodes. | 8th Wall Use with Blender:
No Imports standard 3D asset formats like glTF. | Spatial.io Use with Blender:
No Imports standard 3D asset formats like glTF. | three.js Use with Blender:
No No direct integration. Assets from Blender must be exported (e.g., as glTF) and loaded. | Unity WebGL Use with Blender:
No No direct integration; assets are imported in standard formats (FBX, glTF). |
| Interactivity Building Blocks | Needle Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Includes a rich set of components for common interactions, animations, and UI elements. | 8th Wall Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Provides AR-specific components for common interactions and UI elements in WebAR experiences. | Spatial.io Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Provides components for social interaction, media sharing, and space customization. | Limited three.js Interactivity Building Blocks:
Limited Three.js provides some built-in interactive components, for example loaders and camera controls, in the examples folder, but they require additional development to be used. | Unity WebGL Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Full Unity component system available, but WebGL export has limitations with certain features. |
| Extensible with Coding | Needle Extensible with Coding:
Yes Uses TypeScript with full IDE support in both Unity and standalone projects. | 8th Wall Extensible with Coding:
Yes JavaScript API for creating AR experiences, with integration for Three.js, A-Frame, or Babylon.js. | Limited Spatial.io Extensible with Coding:
Limited Primary creation is through no-code tools; Unity SDK allows interpreting a C# subset for more advanced applications. | three.js Extensible with Coding:
Yes Uses JavaScript or TypeScript for all implementation, giving full control but requiring manual coding. | Unity WebGL Extensible with Coding:
Yes Uses C# scripts with IL2CPP compilation to WebAssembly, with some limitations compared to native builds. |
Engine Capabilities | |||||
| Physically-Based Rendering | Needle Physically-Based Rendering:
Yes Supports Physically Based Rendering (PBR), custom shaders (via Unity Shader Graph export), lighting, and post-processing effects. | Limited 8th Wall Physically-Based Rendering:
Limited Rendering quality depends on the capabilities of the integrated engine. The Studio material model does not support all common PBR features. | Moderate Spatial.io Physically-Based Rendering:
Moderate Balances visual quality with the need to support many concurrent users and run smoothly on web/VR. | three.js Physically-Based Rendering:
Yes Supports PBR materials, various shadow types, post-processing effects, and gives fine-grained rendering control. | Unity WebGL Physically-Based Rendering:
Yes Supports URP and HDRP rendering pipelines, but with significant limitations and performance caveats compared to native platforms. |
| Component System | Needle Component System:
Yes Leverages the component-based architecture of Unity/Blender, extended with custom web-specific components. | 8th Wall Component System:
Yes Depends on the integrated rendering framework (e.g., A-Frame uses ECS). | Spatial.io Component System:
No Uses an internal architecture managed by the platform. | three.js Component System:
No Does not enforce an ECS architecture, though one can be implemented on top. | Unity WebGL Component System:
Yes Uses Unity's core GameObject-Component architecture. |
| Built-in Networking | Needle Built-in Networking:
Yes Built-in real-time networking for multiplayer and collaborative applications. | 8th Wall Built-in Networking:
No Networking needs to be implemented using external libraries or services. | Limited Spatial.io Built-in Networking:
Limited Built-in networking for avatar interactions, voice chat, and shared experiences. Not extensible. | three.js Built-in Networking:
No Networking capabilities must be added using external libraries. | Unity WebGL Built-in Networking:
Yes Supports Unity's networking solutions (Netcode), but web deployment involves specific considerations (e.g., WebSocket transport). |
| Timelines and Sequencing | Needle Timelines and Sequencing:
Yes Supports timeline-based sequencing, complex animations, animator state machines, blending, and more. | 8th Wall Timelines and Sequencing:
No No built-in timeline or sequencing system, relies on manual animation code or framework features. | Limited Spatial.io Timelines and Sequencing:
Limited Basic trigger-based interactions but no comprehensive timeline system in the platform itself. | three.js Timelines and Sequencing:
No Basic animation system exists, but no built-in timeline or sequencing system. | Unity WebGL Timelines and Sequencing:
Yes Unity Timeline and Animation systems are supported in WebGL export. |
| Animation Controls | Needle Animation Controls:
Yes Supports complex animations authored in Unity (Animator, Timeline) or Blender and exports them for the web. | 8th Wall Animation Controls:
Yes Animation capabilities depend on the chosen rendering engine. | Limited Spatial.io Animation Controls:
Limited Supports avatar animations and basic object animations. | three.js Animation Controls:
Yes Provides core functionalities for keyframe animation playback and morph targets. | Unity WebGL Animation Controls:
Yes Supports Unity's animation systems (Mecanim, Timeline). |
| Animated Materials | Needle Animated Materials:
Yes Supports material animations, shader graph, and procedural material effects. | Via Framework 8th Wall Animated Materials:
Via Framework Depends on the underlying framework used (Three.js, A-Frame, etc.). | Limited Spatial.io Animated Materials:
Limited Supports animated textures but limited material animation capabilities. | three.js Animated Materials:
No Supports material animation through code, but not for imported assets. | Unity WebGL Animated Materials:
Yes Materials are integrated into the animation system. |
| Audio Playback | Needle Audio Playback:
Yes Supports spatial audio configured via Unity/Blender components. | 8th Wall Audio Playback:
Yes Audio capabilities depend on the chosen rendering engine. | Spatial.io Audio Playback:
Yes Includes spatial audio for real-time voice communication between avatars. | three.js Audio Playback:
Yes Includes support for positional audio using the Web Audio API. | Unity WebGL Audio Playback:
Yes Includes Unity's built-in audio engine. |
| Video Playback | Needle Video Playback:
Yes Supports video textures and playback controlled via components. | 8th Wall Video Playback:
Yes Supports video textures through integrated rendering engines. | Spatial.io Video Playback:
Yes Supports screen sharing and embedding media within spaces. | three.js Video Playback:
Yes Supports using HTML video elements as textures. | Unity WebGL Video Playback:
Yes Supports video playback via the VideoPlayer component, but performance can be a concern on WebGL. |
| Physics Integration | Needle Physics Integration:
Yes Integrates with physics engines, configured via Unity/Blender components. | 8th Wall Physics Integration:
Yes Physics capabilities depend on the chosen rendering engine. | Limited Spatial.io Physics Integration:
Limited Handles basic avatar movement and interactions within the platform constraints. | three.js Physics Integration:
No Requires integration with external physics libraries like Rapier, Cannon.js, or Ammo.js. | Unity WebGL Physics Integration:
Yes Includes Unity's built-in physics engines (PhysX/Box2D). |
| glTF 3D Support | Excellent Needle glTF 3D Support:
Excellent Uses glTF as its core runtime format and supports import of various formats (FBX, USD, VRM etc.) which are converted. | 8th Wall glTF 3D Support:
Yes Supports loading glTF assets. | Spatial.io glTF 3D Support:
Yes Supports uploading glTF models for use in spaces. | three.js glTF 3D Support:
Yes Provides robust support for loading and interacting with the glTF 2.0 standard, but some extensions like material animations or physics are missing. | Limited Unity WebGL glTF 3D Support:
Limited Requires installing the UnityGLTF package for glTF import/export. |
| Custom User Interfaces | Needle Custom User Interfaces:
Yes Facilitates creation of UI using standard HTML/CSS and frontend frameworks, integrated with the 3D scene. | Limited 8th Wall Custom User Interfaces:
Limited UI is typically created using HTML/CSS overlays or the UI system of the chosen rendering engine. | Spatial.io Custom User Interfaces:
No Provides the user interface for navigation, communication, and interaction within the platform. | three.js Custom User Interfaces:
No UI creation typically involves integrating with HTML/DOM elements or using external UI libraries, no built-in support in three.js. | Unity WebGL Custom User Interfaces:
Yes Includes Unity UI (UGUI) and UI Toolkit, though these are not specifically optimized for web use cases. |
Web Integration & Deployment | |||||
| Web Component | Needle Web Component:
Yes Exports projects as standard web components (<needle-engine> tag) for easy embedding into any HTML page or web application. | 8th Wall Web Component:
No Experiences are typically loaded via the 8th Wall JS library. | Spatial.io Web Component:
No Experiences are accessed through the Spatial platform/website. | three.js Web Component:
No It's a library, not a web component. | Unity WebGL Web Component:
No Builds are typically embedded using an iframe or custom JavaScript loader, not as a standard web component. |
| PWA Support | Needle PWA Support:
Yes Being web-native, Needle Engine projects can be easily included in Progressive Web Apps for offline capabilities and installation. | 8th Wall PWA Support:
No WebAR experiences created with 8th Wall can be integrated into Progressive Web Apps. | Spatial.io PWA Support:
No The platform is web-based. | three.js PWA Support:
No As a JavaScript library, it can be used within Progressive Web Apps but provides no PWA features itself. | Limited Unity WebGL PWA Support:
Limited Can be packaged as a PWA from a template, but requires careful handling of caching and large build sizes. |
| HTML/CSS Integration | Excellent Needle HTML/CSS Integration:
Excellent Designed to seamlessly integrate with HTML, CSS, and frontend frameworks (React, Vue, Svelte etc.), allowing blending of 2D UI and 3D content. | 8th Wall HTML/CSS Integration:
Yes Allows overlaying HTML/CSS elements for UI. | Limited Spatial.io HTML/CSS Integration:
Limited Focus is on the immersive 3D environment within the platform. | three.js HTML/CSS Integration:
Yes Integrates with standard HTML/JavaScript workflows, allowing rendering into a canvas element. | Difficult Unity WebGL HTML/CSS Integration:
Difficult Communication between the Unity Wasm instance and the surrounding HTML page requires specific JavaScript bridging. |
| Host Anywhere | Needle Host Anywhere:
Yes The core runtime can be self-hosted on any static server. Needle Cloud features (optimization, hosting, analytics) require the cloud service. | 8th Wall Host Anywhere:
No Requires the 8th Wall platform for tracking and hosting. | Spatial.io Host Anywhere:
No Requires Spatial's backend infrastructure for hosting, networking, and persistence. | three.js Host Anywhere:
Yes Applications can typically be hosted on static web servers. | Limited Unity WebGL Host Anywhere:
Limited Requires hosting for the large build output files (Wasm, data, JS). Servers need specific configuration (compression, headers, wasm). |
| Asset Hosting | Needle Asset Hosting:
Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized assets. | Spatial.io Asset Hosting:
Yes Hosts user-uploaded assets and created spaces. | three.js Asset Hosting:
No Requires external hosting for 3D models and other assets. | Unity WebGL Asset Hosting:
No Requires external hosting for the build files and any dynamically loaded assets. | |
| App Hosting | Needle App Hosting:
Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized applications. | Required 8th Wall App Hosting:
Required Using the 8th Wall platform requires hosting on 8th Wall's servers. | Required Spatial.io App Hosting:
Required Experiences are hosted on the Spatial platform. | three.js App Hosting:
No Requires external hosting for the application files. | Limited Unity WebGL App Hosting:
Limited Provides the gaming-focussed Unity Play service, which allow for public hosting of embedded iframes, without much control over design or usage. |
Performance & Optimization | |||||
| Engine Size | Medium Needle Engine Size:
Medium Optimized runtime aims for minimal footprint, size depends on included features. | Medium 8th Wall Engine Size:
Medium Includes sophisticated AR tracking libraries. | Large Spatial.io Engine Size:
Large Includes rendering, networking, avatar systems, and platform features. | Small three.js Engine Size:
Small The core library has a relatively small footprint, though application size depends on usage. | Large Unity WebGL Engine Size:
Large Core engine compiled to Wasm results in a large base download size. |
| Loading Performance | Excellent Needle Loading Performance:
Excellent Rapid development cycles and fast loading times through optimized runtime and asset handling. | Moderate 8th Wall Loading Performance:
Moderate Loading time depends on experience complexity and network conditions. | Moderate Spatial.io Loading Performance:
Moderate Loading times depend on the complexity of the space and number of assets. | Fast three.js Loading Performance:
Fast Core library loads quickly; overall application load time depends heavily on asset sizes and application structure. | Slow Unity WebGL Loading Performance:
Slow Often suffers from long initial load times due to large Wasm and data files. |
| Runtime Performance | Excellent Needle Runtime Performance:
Excellent Designed for efficient rendering performance across desktop, mobile, and XR devices. | Good 8th Wall Runtime Performance:
Good Offers robust and performant AR tracking, overall performance also depends on rendering complexity. | Moderate Spatial.io Runtime Performance:
Moderate Performance can vary depending on scene complexity, number of concurrent users, and device capabilities. | High three.js Runtime Performance:
High Offers high performance potential due to its low-level access, but optimization is the developer's responsibility. | Variable Unity WebGL Runtime Performance:
Variable Can achieve good performance with heavy optimization, but often less performant than native builds or web-first engines, especially on mobile. |
| Smart Asset Optimization | Excellent Needle Smart Asset Optimization:
Excellent Needle Cloud provides significant automated optimization: LOD generation, mesh optimization, extensive texture compression (Basis Universal, WebP, JPG, PNG) and resizing options. | 8th Wall Smart Asset Optimization:
No The platform handles some processing, but optimization relies on preparing assets beforehand. | Limited Spatial.io Smart Asset Optimization:
Limited Platform performs basic compression on uploaded assets, but no simplification. | three.js Smart Asset Optimization:
No Supports optimized formats like glTF (with Draco compression, KHR texture transforms etc.), but doesn't perform automatic optimization. | Limited Unity WebGL Smart Asset Optimization:
Limited No automatic generation of mesh LODs and other web-specific optimization techniques. Unity provides automatic compression tools: texture compression (ASTC, DXT, ETC). |
| Mesh and Texture LODs | Excellent Needle Mesh and Texture LODs:
Excellent Supports automatic mesh simplification, level-of-detail generation and automatic texture compression with multiple quality levels. | 8th Wall Mesh and Texture LODs:
No Relies on optimization being done before asset upload; no dynamic LOD system. | Spatial.io Mesh and Texture LODs:
No Platform automatically handles compresses textures, but does not generate mesh or texture LODs for uploaded assets. | three.js Mesh and Texture LODs:
No Basic support for mesh LODs, no built-in system for texture LODs. | Unity WebGL Mesh and Texture LODs:
No While Unity supports LODGroups, there is no automatic simplification or LOD generation. |
XR Support (AR/VR/Spatial) | |||||
| VR Support (WebXR) | Needle VR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports VR headsets via the WebXR standard. | 8th Wall VR Support (WebXR):
No Primary focus is WebAR. | Spatial.io VR Support (WebXR):
Yes Strong support for accessing spaces via VR headsets for a more immersive experience. | three.js VR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports VR experiences through the WebXR API. | Unity WebGL VR Support (WebXR):
No Unity WebGL does not support WebXR at this point. |
| AR Support (WebXR) | Needle AR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports markerless WebAR on compatible Android devices via the WebXR standard. | 8th Wall AR Support (WebXR):
Yes Provides markerless AR for Android, but requires additional camera permissions and uses more CPU and GPU resources. | Spatial.io AR Support (WebXR):
No Primary focus is on virtual spaces (Web/VR), not mobile AR. | three.js AR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports AR experiences on compatible Android devices through the WebXR API. | Unity WebGL AR Support (WebXR):
No Unity's AR Foundation does not support the WebGL build target. |
| AR Support (iOS) | Needle AR Support (iOS):
Yes Supports interactive markerless WebAR on iOS devices via WebXR. | 8th Wall AR Support (iOS):
Yes Provides markerless AR for iOS, but requires additional camera permissions and uses more CPU and GPU resources. | Spatial.io AR Support (iOS):
No Not supported. | Limited three.js AR Support (iOS):
Limited Limited support for static assets in QuickLook via USDZExporter. | Unity WebGL AR Support (iOS):
No Unity's AR Foundation does not support the WebGL build target. |
| AR Support (visionOS) | Needle AR Support (visionOS):
Yes Explicit support for creating spatial computing experiences deployable on visionOS. | 8th Wall AR Support (visionOS):
No Focus is on mobile WebAR. | Spatial.io AR Support (visionOS):
No Not supported. | Limited three.js AR Support (visionOS):
Limited Limited support for static assets in QuickLook via USDZExporter. | Unity WebGL AR Support (visionOS):
No Not supported via the WebGL build target. Native visionOS support exists. |
| AR Tracking Types | Surface Image Needle AR Tracking Types:
Surface, Image Supports World Tracking via the WebXR standard on compatible devices. Image tracking is supported on iOS AR but requires a device-specific flag for Android AR. | Surface Image Face VPS 8th Wall AR Tracking Types:
Surface, Image, Face, VPS Offers a comprehensive suite of advanced AR tracking capabilities, including location-based VPS. | N/A Spatial.io AR Tracking Types:
N/A Not an AR-focused platform. | Surface three.js AR Tracking Types:
Surface Primarily supports World Tracking via the WebXR API. | Unity WebGL AR Tracking Types:
No No built-in AR tracking capabilities in WebGL builds. |
Ecosystem & Support | |||||
| Official Support Availability | Needle Official Support Availability:
Yes Dedicated support available for licensed users. | 8th Wall Official Support Availability:
Yes Support available through paid plans. | Spatial.io Official Support Availability:
Yes Support available, particularly for paid/enterprise users. | three.js Official Support Availability:
No Support is primarily community-driven. | Unity WebGL Official Support Availability:
Yes Paid support options available with Pro/Enterprise plans. |
| Learning Resources | Needle Learning Resources:
Yes Extensive documentation, tutorials, live samples, and active community support. | Good 8th Wall Learning Resources:
Good Offers project library, documentation, and tutorials. | Good Spatial.io Learning Resources:
Good Help center, tutorials, and community resources available for creators. | three.js Learning Resources:
Yes Vast number of official examples, tutorials, books, and community resources available. | Excellent Unity WebGL Learning Resources:
Excellent Abundant learning resources including Unity Learn, tutorials, and community content. |
| License | Commercial Needle License:
Commercial Commercial license required for full features and deployment. Free evaluation available. | Commercial | Commercial Spatial.io License:
Commercial Offers free access with paid tiers for enhanced features, capacity, or customization. | Open Source | Commercial Unity WebGL License:
Commercial Uses standard Unity licensing (Free, Plus, Pro, Enterprise tiers based on revenue/funding). |