Needle vs. 8th Wall vs. Spatial.io
See how Needle, 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.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
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'). |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. | |
| 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. |
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |