Needle vs. Spline vs. Reality Composer Pro

See how Needle, Spline, and Reality Composer Pro compare across key features and capabilities for usage on the web and creating XR experiences for designers, developers and teams.

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Web-first runtime integrated with Unity and Blender plugins, complemented by Needle Cloud for optimization and hosting.
Needle
A web-based, real-time collaborative 3D design tool focused on creating interactive web experiences without requiring coding knowledge. Exports self-contained web packages or specific formats.
Spline
Apple's advanced visual authoring tool integrated with Xcode for creating 3D scenes and spatial computing experiences for Apple platforms (especially visionOS) using RealityKit.
Reality Composer Pro
Core Platform & Workflow
Solution Type
3D Engine
Cloud Platform
Authoring Tool
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.
3D Engine
Cloud Platform
Authoring Tool
Web Component
Spline
Solution Type: 3d-engine, cloud-platform, authoring-tool, web-component
An online platform for 3D design and animation, with direct export options for web integration.
Authoring Tool
Reality Composer Pro
Solution Type: authoring-tool
A visual editor for creating RealityKit scenes, tightly integrated with Xcode for Apple platform development.
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.
Spline
Made for the web: Yes
Focuses on creating optimized interactive experiences specifically for the web, with tools to analyze and improve performance.
N/A (Native Apple)
Reality Composer Pro
Made for the web: N/A (Native Apple)
Optimized exclusively for performance on Apple hardware (iOS, macOS, visionOS).
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
Spline
Typical Workflows: Web Editor
Primarily a visual design tool where scenes and interactions are built using a graphical interface. Logic is handled through an event/state system.
Standalone Editor
Reality Composer Pro
Typical Workflows: Standalone Editor
Provides a visual interface within Xcode for assembling scenes, materials, and basic behaviors. Complex logic requires Swift code.
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.
Spline
Use with Unity: No
Exports glTF/USDZ which can be imported into Unity, but there is no direct integration or specific workflow.
Reality Composer Pro
Use with Unity: No
Direct competitor/alternative for native Apple development.
Use with Blender
Needle
Use with Blender: Yes
Integration with Blender via addon, supporting export of scenes, materials, animations, and custom logic nodes.
Spline
Use with Blender: No
Can import formats like glTF (often exported from Blender) and export glTF, but no direct integration.
Reality Composer Pro
Use with Blender: No
Primarily consumes USDZ format. Assets from Blender need conversion.
Interactivity Building Blocks
Needle
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Includes a rich set of components for common interactions, animations, and UI elements.
Spline
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Visual design tool with built-in interactive components for common behaviors like drag, hover, click interactions.
Reality Composer Pro
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Provides components for common AR interactions and behaviors integrated with the broader Apple ecosystem.
Extensible with Coding
Needle
Extensible with Coding: Yes
Uses TypeScript with full IDE support in both Unity and standalone projects.
Limited
Spline
Extensible with Coding: Limited
Visual event system allows for creating interactive behaviors without coding. Limited JavaScript API for exported scenes.
Reality Composer Pro
Extensible with Coding: Yes
Can be extended with Swift programming, but only for Apple platforms.
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.
Good
Spline
Physically-Based Rendering: Good
Supports PBR materials through a layer-based system, lighting (directional, spot, point), shadows, and post-processing effects.
Reality Composer Pro
Physically-Based Rendering: Yes
Leverages RealityKit's USD-based rendering engine optimized for Apple platforms.
Component System
Needle
Component System: Yes
Leverages the component-based architecture of Unity/Blender, extended with custom web-specific components.
Spline
Component System: Yes
Features a 'Component' system allowing reuse of objects and their properties, aiding in creating design systems within Spline, but differs from traditional ECS architectures.
Reality Composer Pro
Component System: Yes
Built on RealityKit's Entity Component System.
Built-in Networking
Needle
Built-in Networking: Yes
Built-in real-time networking for multiplayer and collaborative applications.
Spline
Built-in Networking: No
Supports real-time collaboration within the editor but does not provide features for runtime networking or multiplayer experiences in exported applications.
Via Native Frameworks
Reality Composer Pro
Built-in Networking: Via Native Frameworks
Networking is handled using standard Apple frameworks (e.g., Network.framework).
Timelines and Sequencing
Needle
Timelines and Sequencing: Yes
Supports timeline-based sequencing, complex animations, animator state machines, blending, and more.
Spline
Timelines and Sequencing: Yes
Includes timeline-based animation system for keyframe animation and sequencing.
Reality Composer Pro
Timelines and Sequencing: Yes
Supports timeline-based animation and sequencing through OpenUSD.
Animation Controls
Needle
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports complex animations authored in Unity (Animator, Timeline) or Blender and exports them for the web.
Spline
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports keyframe animation, state-based transitions, and interactive events to trigger animations.
Reality Composer Pro
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports creating and controlling animations within RealityKit scenes.
Animated Materials
Needle
Animated Materials: Yes
Supports material animations, shader graph, and procedural material effects.
Spline
Animated Materials: Yes
Supports material animation through the timeline system and visual animation tools.
Reality Composer Pro
Animated Materials: No
Material properties can't be animated, but some shader-based animations are possible.
Audio Playback
Needle
Audio Playback: Yes
Supports spatial audio configured via Unity/Blender components.
Spline
Audio Playback: Yes
Supports adding sounds to scenes, including positional audio and background music.
Reality Composer Pro
Audio Playback: Yes
Leverages RealityKit's spatial audio features.
Video Playback
Needle
Video Playback: Yes
Supports video textures and playback controlled via components.
Spline
Video Playback: Yes
Supports using videos as textures on 3D models.
Reality Composer Pro
Video Playback: Yes
Supported via RealityKit.
Physics Integration
Needle
Physics Integration: Yes
Integrates with physics engines, configured via Unity/Blender components.
Spline
Physics Integration: Yes
Includes built-in physics simulation capabilities for creating dynamic interactions.
Reality Composer Pro
Physics Integration: Yes
Integrates with RealityKit's physics simulation capabilities.
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.
Spline
glTF 3D Support: Yes
Can import and export models in glTF format for interoperability with other tools.
Reality Composer Pro
glTF 3D Support: No
Focuses on OpenUSD content; glTF requires manual conversion.
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
Spline
Custom User Interfaces: Limited
UI elements are typically created using 3D text and objects within the scene itself; no dedicated 2D canvas UI system.
Reality Composer Pro
Custom User Interfaces: Yes
Integrates with SwiftUI for creating user interfaces in spatial contexts.
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.
Spline
Web Component: Yes
Exports can be embedded using iframe or Javascript code snippets, including a React component export and a generic web component ('spline-viewer') for better performance with multiple embeds. The authoring tool itself is not web component based.
Reality Composer Pro
Web Component: No
Strictly for native Apple platform development.
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.
Spline
PWA Support: No
Spline exports can be included within a PWA, but Spline itself doesn't provide specific features for PWA development.
Reality Composer Pro
PWA Support: No
Not applicable.
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.
Good
Spline
HTML/CSS Integration: Good
Designed to be easily embedded into HTML pages using generated code snippets (iframe or JavaScript).
Reality Composer Pro
HTML/CSS Integration: No
Operates entirely within the native Apple ecosystem.
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.
Spline
Host Anywhere: Yes
Exports are self-contained web packages deployable on static servers. Spline also offers hosting for public URL embeds.
Reality Composer Pro
Host Anywhere: No
Tool is part of the Xcode development environment.
Asset Hosting
Needle
Asset Hosting: Yes
Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized assets.
Spline
Asset Hosting: Yes
Spline hosts scenes shared via Public URLs. Exported code/files can be self-hosted.
Reality Composer Pro
Asset Hosting: No
Assets are bundled with the application.
App Hosting
Needle
App Hosting: Yes
Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized applications.
Spline
App Hosting: Yes
Scenes can be hosted directly on Spline's servers.
Reality Composer Pro
App Hosting: No
Not a hosting platform; used for creating applications.
Performance & Optimization
Engine Size
Medium
Needle
Engine Size: Medium
Optimized runtime aims for minimal footprint, size depends on included features.
Medium/Large (includes runtime)
Spline
Engine Size: Medium/Large (includes runtime)
Exports include the Spline runtime, which can increase the initial download size compared to solutions using shared runtimes or minimal frameworks. Size depends on scene complexity and export settings.
N/A (OS Framework)
Reality Composer Pro
Engine Size: N/A (OS Framework)
RealityKit is part of the operating system.
Loading Performance
Excellent
Needle
Loading Performance: Excellent
Rapid development cycles and fast loading times through optimized runtime and asset handling.
Moderate
Spline
Loading Performance: Moderate
Loading times depend heavily on scene complexity, polygon count, texture sizes, and the included runtime. Optimization tools are provided, but complex scenes can experience noticeable load times.
Fast
Reality Composer Pro
Loading Performance: Fast
Benefits from native code and tight OS integration.
Runtime Performance
Excellent
Needle
Runtime Performance: Excellent
Designed for efficient rendering performance across desktop, mobile, and XR devices.
Good (scene dependent)
Spline
Runtime Performance: Good (scene dependent)
Performance is generally good for well-optimized scenes but can degrade with high polygon counts, complex materials, numerous objects, or intensive interactions, especially on lower-end devices.
High
Reality Composer Pro
Runtime Performance: High
Optimized for high performance on Apple silicon.
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.
Limited (Internal)
Spline
Smart Asset Optimization: Limited (Internal)
Provides tools like polygon reduction guidance, material asset reuse, geometry compression on export, and image quality controls, but lacks explicit support for advanced texture compression formats like Basis Universal or Draco geometry compression visibility.
Reality Composer Pro
Smart Asset Optimization: Yes
Works with the optimized USDZ format. Includes Object Capture (photogrammetry) for model creation.
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.
Spline
Mesh and Texture LODs: No
Focuses on optimization but does not have a dynamic LOD system.
Reality Composer Pro
Mesh and Texture LODs: No
No automatic LOD management or simplification.
XR Support (AR/VR/Spatial)
VR Support (WebXR)
Needle
VR Support (WebXR): Yes
Supports VR headsets via the WebXR standard.
Spline
VR Support (WebXR): No
Does not directly export WebVR experiences. Requires exporting models (e.g., glTF) and using a VR-capable framework.
Reality Composer Pro
VR Support (WebXR): No
Not supported.
AR Support (WebXR)
Needle
AR Support (WebXR): Yes
Supports markerless WebAR on compatible Android devices via the WebXR standard.
Spline
AR Support (WebXR): No
Does not directly export WebAR experiences. Exports USDZ for AR Quick Look on iOS, but full WebAR requires external frameworks.
Reality Composer Pro
AR Support (WebXR): No
Not supported.
AR Support (iOS)
Needle
AR Support (iOS): Yes
Supports interactive markerless WebAR on iOS devices via WebXR.
Limited
Spline
AR Support (iOS): Limited
USDZ files compatible with AR Quick Look on iOS can be exported from the web app. Also provides native Swift embeds for iOS apps.
Reality Composer Pro
AR Support (iOS): Yes
Creates content for ARKit/RealityKit apps on iOS/iPadOS.
AR Support (visionOS)
Needle
AR Support (visionOS): Yes
Explicit support for creating spatial computing experiences deployable on visionOS.
Limited
Spline
AR Support (visionOS): Limited
USDZ files compatible with AR Quick Look on iOS can be exported from the web app. Also provides native Swift embeds for iOS apps.
Reality Composer Pro
AR Support (visionOS): Yes
A primary tool for developing spatial computing experiences for visionOS.
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
Spline
AR Tracking Types: Surface
Primarily through USDZ export for object placement in AR Quick Look.
Surface
Face
Object
Reality Composer Pro
AR Tracking Types: Surface, Face, Object
Leverages the full capabilities of ARKit (World, Image, Face, Body, Object, Location Anchors, etc.).
Ecosystem & Support
Official Support Availability
Needle
Official Support Availability: Yes
Dedicated support available for licensed users.
Spline
Official Support Availability: Yes
Official support channels are typically available for paid subscribers, while community support is available for all users via Discord.
Reality Composer Pro
Official Support Availability: No
Community support available through the Apple Developer Program.
Learning Resources
Needle
Learning Resources: Yes
Extensive documentation, tutorials, live samples, and active community support.
Good
Spline
Learning Resources: Good
Offers official documentation, tutorials (text and video), a library of templates/examples, and an active community forum/Discord server.
Excellent
Reality Composer Pro
Learning Resources: Excellent
Extensive resources including official documentation, WWDC session videos, tutorials, and sample code.
License
Commercial
Needle
License: Commercial
Commercial license required for full features and deployment. Free evaluation available.
Commercial
Spline
License: Commercial
Spline is a proprietary tool with free and paid subscription tiers offering different feature sets and usage limits.
Free
Reality Composer Pro
License: Free
Included free as part of Apple's developer tools.

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