An online platform for 3D design and animation, with direct export options for web integration.

A platform for building, hosting, and experiencing shared social 3D spaces ('metaverse').

Focuses on creating optimized interactive experiences specifically for the web, with tools to analyze and improve performance.

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.

Primarily a visual design tool where scenes and interactions are built using a graphical interface. Logic is handled through an event/state system.

Users build and customize spaces using intuitive, integrated visual tools and templates.

Exports glTF/USDZ which can be imported into Unity, but there is no direct integration or specific workflow.

Via Spatial Toolkit, offers SDKs for importing assets or integrating experiences built with Unity.

Can import formats like glTF (often exported from Blender) and export glTF, but no direct integration.

Imports standard 3D asset formats like glTF.

Visual design tool with built-in interactive components for common behaviors like drag, hover, click interactions.

Provides components for social interaction, media sharing, and space customization.

Visual event system allows for creating interactive behaviors without coding. Limited JavaScript API for exported scenes.

Primary creation is through no-code tools; Unity SDK allows interpreting a C# subset for more advanced applications.

Supports PBR materials through a layer-based system, lighting (directional, spot, point), shadows, and post-processing effects.

Balances visual quality with the need to support many concurrent users and run smoothly on web/VR.

Features a 'Component' system allowing reuse of objects and their properties, aiding in creating design systems within Spline, but differs from traditional ECS architectures.

Uses an internal architecture managed by the platform.

Supports real-time collaboration within the editor but does not provide features for runtime networking or multiplayer experiences in exported applications.

Built-in networking for avatar interactions, voice chat, and shared experiences. Not extensible.

Includes timeline-based animation system for keyframe animation and sequencing.

Basic trigger-based interactions but no comprehensive timeline system in the platform itself.

Supports keyframe animation, state-based transitions, and interactive events to trigger animations.

Supports avatar animations and basic object animations.

Supports material animation through the timeline system and visual animation tools.

Supports animated textures but limited material animation capabilities.

Supports adding sounds to scenes, including positional audio and background music.

Includes spatial audio for real-time voice communication between avatars.

Supports using videos as textures on 3D models.

Supports screen sharing and embedding media within spaces.

Includes built-in physics simulation capabilities for creating dynamic interactions.

Handles basic avatar movement and interactions within the platform constraints.

Can import and export models in glTF format for interoperability with other tools.

Supports uploading glTF models for use in spaces.

UI elements are typically created using 3D text and objects within the scene itself; no dedicated 2D canvas UI system.

Provides the user interface for navigation, communication, and interaction within the platform.

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.

Experiences are accessed through the Spatial platform/website.

Spline exports can be included within a PWA, but Spline itself doesn't provide specific features for PWA development.

The platform is web-based.

Designed to be easily embedded into HTML pages using generated code snippets (iframe or JavaScript).

Focus is on the immersive 3D environment within the platform.

Exports are self-contained web packages deployable on static servers. Spline also offers hosting for public URL embeds.

Requires Spatial's backend infrastructure for hosting, networking, and persistence.

Spline hosts scenes shared via Public URLs. Exported code/files can be self-hosted.

Hosts user-uploaded assets and created spaces.

Scenes can be hosted directly on Spline's servers.

Experiences are hosted on the Spatial platform.

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.

Includes rendering, networking, avatar systems, and platform features.

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.

Loading times depend on the complexity of the space and number of assets.

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.

Performance can vary depending on scene complexity, number of concurrent users, and device capabilities.

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.

Platform performs basic compression on uploaded assets, but no simplification.

Focuses on optimization but does not have a dynamic LOD system.

Platform automatically handles compresses textures, but does not generate mesh or texture LODs for uploaded assets.

Does not directly export WebVR experiences. Requires exporting models (e.g., glTF) and using a VR-capable framework.

Strong support for accessing spaces via VR headsets for a more immersive experience.

Does not directly export WebAR experiences. Exports USDZ for AR Quick Look on iOS, but full WebAR requires external frameworks.

Primary focus is on virtual spaces (Web/VR), not mobile AR.

USDZ files compatible with AR Quick Look on iOS can be exported from the web app. Also provides native Swift embeds for iOS apps.

Not supported.

USDZ files compatible with AR Quick Look on iOS can be exported from the web app. Also provides native Swift embeds for iOS apps.

Not supported.

Primarily through USDZ export for object placement in AR Quick Look.

Not an AR-focused platform.

Official support channels are typically available for paid subscribers, while community support is available for all users via Discord.

Support available, particularly for paid/enterprise users.

Offers official documentation, tutorials (text and video), a library of templates/examples, and an active community forum/Discord server.

Help center, tutorials, and community resources available for creators.

Spline is a proprietary tool with free and paid subscription tiers offering different feature sets and usage limits.

Offers free access with paid tiers for enhanced features, capacity, or customization.