See how Needle, Adobe Aero, and Galacean Engine compare across key features and capabilities for usage on the web and creating XR experiences for designers, developers and teams.
View all platform comparisonsWeb-first runtime integrated with Unity and Blender plugins, complemented by Needle Cloud for optimization and hosting. Needle | ![]() An Adobe Creative Cloud application (iOS app & Desktop beta) for creating interactive mobile AR experiences with a no-code, visual workflow, aimed at designers. Adobe Aero | An open-source, TypeScript-based engine from Ant Group, designed with a mobile-first philosophy for performant web apps, offering code-first or editor workflows. Galacean Engine | |
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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 Adobe Aero Solution Type:
authoring-tool, cloud-platform A tool for authoring AR experiences, leveraging Adobe Cloud for asset management and sharing. | 3D Engine Galacean Engine Solution Type:
3d-engine, authoring-tool An open-source engine with an accompanying visual editor, focused on mobile web performance. |
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. | Adobe Aero Made for the web:
No Does not run in the web. Experiences are displayed via the Adobe Aero app. | Galacean Engine Made for the web:
Yes Explicitly designed with a mobile-first philosophy for high performance on the web. |
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. | Standalone Editor Adobe Aero Typical Workflows:
Standalone Editor Designed for designers, uses a visual interface on iOS or Desktop (beta) to assemble scenes and add interactivity without coding. | Standalone Editor Code Galacean Engine Typical Workflows:
Standalone Editor, Code Supports both direct coding using TypeScript and development via the Galacean Editor. |
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. | Adobe Aero Use with Unity:
No Separate ecosystem. | Galacean Engine Use with Unity:
No Separate engine and workflow. |
Use with Blender | Needle Use with Blender:
Yes Integration with Blender via addon, supporting export of scenes, materials, animations, and custom logic nodes. | Adobe Aero Use with Blender:
No Imports assets in standard formats (glTF, FBX) or via Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Substance). | Galacean Engine Use with Blender:
No Imports glTF assets exported from Blender. |
Interactivity Building Blocks | Needle Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Includes a rich set of components for common interactions, animations, and UI elements. | Adobe Aero Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Provides a library of behaviors and interactive components for AR experiences without coding. | Galacean Engine Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Offers components for common 3D interactions using engine-toolkit. |
Extensible with Coding | Needle Extensible with Coding:
Yes Uses TypeScript with full IDE support in both Unity and standalone projects. | Adobe Aero Extensible with Coding:
No Uses a no-code trigger and action system for creating interactivity. | Galacean Engine Extensible with Coding:
Yes Uses TypeScript/JavaScript with an entity-component system. |
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. | Adobe Aero Physically-Based Rendering:
No Provides good visual quality optimized for mobile AR, but no advanced PBR features. | Good Galacean Engine Physically-Based Rendering:
Good Supports PBR materials, shadows, and various effects via core engine and extension libraries. |
Component System | Needle Component System:
Yes Leverages the component-based architecture of Unity/Blender, extended with custom web-specific components. | Adobe Aero Component System:
No Uses triggers and actions to create interactive experiences. | Galacean Engine Component System:
Yes Built around an Entity-Component-System architecture. |
Built-in Networking | Needle Built-in Networking:
Yes Built-in real-time networking for multiplayer and collaborative applications. | Adobe Aero Built-in Networking:
No Designed for single-user AR experiences. | Galacean Engine Built-in Networking:
No Requires external libraries for networking capabilities. |
Timelines and Sequencing | Needle Timelines and Sequencing:
Yes Supports timeline-based sequencing, complex animations, animator state machines, blending, and more. | Adobe Aero Timelines and Sequencing:
No Basic animation capabilities and directable characters, but no complex sequencing system. | Limited Galacean Engine Timelines and Sequencing:
Limited Basic animation system but limited timeline or sequencing tools. |
Animation Controls | Needle Animation Controls:
Yes Supports complex animations authored in Unity (Animator, Timeline) or Blender and exports them for the web. | Adobe Aero Animation Controls:
Yes Supports imported animations and allows creating simple animations/movements on a timeline. | Galacean Engine Animation Controls:
Yes Supports skeletal animation, blend shapes, and an animation state machine. |
Animated Materials | Needle Animated Materials:
Yes Supports material animations, shader graph, and procedural material effects. | Adobe Aero Animated Materials:
No No support for importing animated materials at this point. | Galacean Engine Animated Materials:
Yes Supports material animation and shader effects, with focus on mobile performance. |
Audio Playback | Needle Audio Playback:
Yes Supports spatial audio configured via Unity/Blender components. | Adobe Aero Audio Playback:
Yes Supports adding audio to AR experiences. | Galacean Engine Audio Playback:
Yes Basic audio support. |
Video Playback | Needle Video Playback:
Yes Supports video textures and playback controlled via components. | Adobe Aero Video Playback:
Yes Supports importing and playing video files within the AR scene. | Galacean Engine Video Playback:
Yes Supports video textures via extension libraries. |
Physics Integration | Needle Physics Integration:
Yes Integrates with physics engines, configured via Unity/Blender components. | Basic Adobe Aero Physics Integration:
Basic Includes simple physics behaviors like collision triggers. | Galacean Engine Physics Integration:
Yes Includes physics integration (e.g., @galacean/engine-physics-physx). |
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. | Adobe Aero glTF 3D Support:
Yes Supports importing glTF and GLB files. | Galacean Engine glTF 3D Support:
Yes Built around the glTF standard as the primary asset format. |
Custom User Interfaces | Needle Custom User Interfaces:
Yes Facilitates creation of UI using standard HTML/CSS and frontend frameworks, integrated with the 3D scene. | Adobe Aero Custom User Interfaces:
No Custom UI can only be added via 3D objects in the scene. The UI shown to users can't be adjusted. | Galacean Engine Custom User Interfaces:
Yes Built-in 2D UI system but limited options for HTML/CSS integration. |
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. | Adobe Aero Web Component:
No Experiences are viewed natively via the Aero app or an iOS App Clip. | Galacean Engine Web Component:
Yes Can be embedded and controlled within standard web pages. |
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. | Adobe Aero PWA Support:
No Focuses on native mobile AR. | Galacean Engine PWA Support:
No Mobile-first design makes it well-suited for PWAs. |
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. | Adobe Aero HTML/CSS Integration:
No Operates within the native app environment. | Galacean Engine HTML/CSS Integration:
Yes Integrates into standard web development workflows. |
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. | Adobe Aero Host Anywhere:
No Uses Adobe Creative Cloud for storing assets and sharing experiences. | Galacean Engine Host Anywhere:
Yes Deployable on static web servers. |
Asset Hosting | Needle Asset Hosting:
Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized assets. | Adobe Aero Asset Hosting:
No Assets and experiences are stored in the user's Creative Cloud storage but can't be directly served from there. | Galacean Engine Asset Hosting:
No Requires external hosting for assets. |
App Hosting | Needle App Hosting:
Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized applications. | Required Adobe Aero App Hosting:
Required Experiences are viewed through the Aero app or an iOS App Clip. | Galacean Engine App Hosting:
No Not a hosting platform; requires external hosting. |
Performance & Optimization | |||
Engine Size | Medium Needle Engine Size:
Medium Optimized runtime aims for minimal footprint, size depends on included features. | Large Adobe Aero Engine Size:
Large User installs the Aero app. | Small/Medium Galacean Engine Engine Size:
Small/Medium Aims for a lightweight runtime suitable for mobile web. |
Loading Performance | Excellent Needle Loading Performance:
Excellent Rapid development cycles and fast loading times through optimized runtime and asset handling. | Moderate Adobe Aero Loading Performance:
Moderate Depends on the complexity of the AR experience. | Fast Galacean Engine Loading Performance:
Fast Optimization for fast loading on mobile is a key design goal. |
Runtime Performance | Excellent Needle Runtime Performance:
Excellent Designed for efficient rendering performance across desktop, mobile, and XR devices. | Good Adobe Aero Runtime Performance:
Good Leverages native ARKit performance on iOS devices. | High Galacean Engine Runtime Performance:
High Targets high runtime performance, especially on mobile devices. |
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. | Basic Adobe Aero Smart Asset Optimization:
Basic Relies on optimized assets imported from other Adobe tools (like Substance 3D Sampler/Stager) or standard formats. | Basic Galacean Engine Smart Asset Optimization:
Basic Supports optimized formats like glTF with Draco/Basis, relies on external tools for complex optimization. |
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. | Adobe Aero Mesh and Texture LODs:
No No LOD or optimization system; relies on initial asset quality. | Galacean Engine Mesh and Texture LODs:
No No automatic simplifciation or LOD generation. |
XR Support (AR/VR/Spatial) | |||
VR Support (WebXR) | Needle VR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports VR headsets via the WebXR standard. | Adobe Aero VR Support (WebXR):
No Focus is exclusively on mobile AR. | Limited Galacean Engine VR Support (WebXR):
Limited Primary focus is 2D/3D mobile web, not immersive VR. |
AR Support (WebXR) | Needle AR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports markerless WebAR on compatible Android devices via the WebXR standard. | Adobe Aero AR Support (WebXR):
No Requires native app, or users manually enabling Google Play Instant. Does not use WebXR. | Limited Galacean Engine AR Support (WebXR):
Limited Primary focus is 2D/3D mobile web, AR support might be basic or via extensions. |
AR Support (iOS) | Needle AR Support (iOS):
Yes Supports interactive markerless WebAR on iOS devices via WebXR. | Adobe Aero AR Support (iOS):
Yes The primary target platform, offering rich AR experiences via native app or App Clip. | Limited Galacean Engine AR Support (iOS):
Limited Focus is not primarily on AR. |
AR Support (visionOS) | Needle AR Support (visionOS):
Yes Explicit support for creating spatial computing experiences deployable on visionOS. | Limited Adobe Aero AR Support (visionOS):
Limited Requires USDZ export and then embedding the USDZ elsewhere. | Galacean Engine AR Support (visionOS):
No Not a target platform. |
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 Adobe Aero AR Tracking Types:
Surface, Image Leverages ARKit capabilities for various tracking modes. | N/A Galacean Engine AR Tracking Types:
N/A Not AR-focused. |
Ecosystem & Support | |||
Official Support Availability | Needle Official Support Availability:
Yes Dedicated support available for licensed users. | Adobe Aero Official Support Availability:
Yes Through standard Adobe support channels. | Galacean Engine Official Support Availability:
No Support is community-driven, backed by Ant Group's development. |
Learning Resources | Needle Learning Resources:
Yes Extensive documentation, tutorials, live samples, and active community support. | Excellent Adobe Aero Learning Resources:
Excellent Leverages Adobe's extensive learning resources (Adobe Learn, tutorials, community). | Good Galacean Engine Learning Resources:
Good Offers documentation, examples, and official toolkits. |
License | Commercial Needle License:
Commercial Commercial license required for full features and deployment. Free evaluation available. | Commercial Adobe Aero License:
Commercial Free to use, but requires an Adobe account and integrates with paid Creative Cloud apps. | Open Source |