See how Needle, Unity WebGL, and 8th Wall 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 | ![]() The WebGL export target for the Unity game engine allows deployment of Unity projects to web browsers using WebGL and WASM. Unity WebGL | A commercial platform specializing in high-quality, markerless WebAR experiences, featuring a cloud editor and advanced tracking capabilities. 8th Wall | |
---|---|---|---|
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. | 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. | 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. |
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. | 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. | 8th Wall Made for the web:
Yes Specifically optimized for delivering AR experiences through mobile web browsers. |
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 Code Unity WebGL Typical Workflows:
Standalone Editor, Code Projects are developed using the Unity Editor with C# scripting and visual tools. | 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. |
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. | Unity WebGL Use with Unity:
Yes This IS the Unity workflow, targeting WebGL output. | 8th Wall Use with Unity:
No Focuses on web technologies with a custom editor. |
Use with Blender | Needle Use with Blender:
Yes Integration with Blender via addon, supporting export of scenes, materials, animations, and custom logic nodes. | Unity WebGL Use with Blender:
No No direct integration; assets are imported in standard formats (FBX, glTF). | 8th Wall 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. | Unity WebGL Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Full Unity component system available, but WebGL export has limitations with certain features. | 8th Wall Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Provides AR-specific components for common interactions and UI elements in WebAR experiences. |
Extensible with Coding | Needle Extensible with Coding:
Yes Uses TypeScript with full IDE support in both Unity and standalone projects. | Unity WebGL Extensible with Coding:
Yes Uses C# scripts with IL2CPP compilation to WebAssembly, with some limitations compared to native builds. | 8th Wall Extensible with Coding:
Yes JavaScript API for creating AR experiences, with integration for Three.js, A-Frame, or Babylon.js. |
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. | Unity WebGL Physically-Based Rendering:
Yes Supports URP and HDRP rendering pipelines, but with significant limitations and performance caveats compared to native platforms. | 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. |
Component System | Needle Component System:
Yes Leverages the component-based architecture of Unity/Blender, extended with custom web-specific components. | Unity WebGL Component System:
Yes Uses Unity's core GameObject-Component architecture. | 8th Wall Component System:
Yes Depends on the integrated rendering framework (e.g., A-Frame uses ECS). |
Built-in Networking | Needle Built-in Networking:
Yes Built-in real-time networking for multiplayer and collaborative applications. | Unity WebGL Built-in Networking:
Yes Supports Unity's networking solutions (Netcode), but web deployment involves specific considerations (e.g., WebSocket transport). | 8th Wall Built-in Networking:
No Networking needs to be implemented using external libraries or services. |
Timelines and Sequencing | Needle Timelines and Sequencing:
Yes Supports timeline-based sequencing, complex animations, animator state machines, blending, and more. | Unity WebGL Timelines and Sequencing:
Yes Unity Timeline and Animation systems are supported in WebGL export. | 8th Wall Timelines and Sequencing:
No No built-in timeline or sequencing system, relies on manual animation code or framework features. |
Animation Controls | Needle Animation Controls:
Yes Supports complex animations authored in Unity (Animator, Timeline) or Blender and exports them for the web. | Unity WebGL Animation Controls:
Yes Supports Unity's animation systems (Mecanim, Timeline). | 8th Wall Animation Controls:
Yes Animation capabilities depend on the chosen rendering engine. |
Animated Materials | Needle Animated Materials:
Yes Supports material animations, shader graph, and procedural material effects. | Unity WebGL Animated Materials:
Yes Materials are integrated into the animation system. | Via Framework 8th Wall Animated Materials:
Via Framework Depends on the underlying framework used (Three.js, A-Frame, etc.). |
Audio Playback | Needle Audio Playback:
Yes Supports spatial audio configured via Unity/Blender components. | Unity WebGL Audio Playback:
Yes Includes Unity's built-in audio engine. | 8th Wall Audio Playback:
Yes Audio capabilities depend on the chosen rendering engine. |
Video Playback | Needle Video Playback:
Yes Supports video textures and playback controlled via components. | Unity WebGL Video Playback:
Yes Supports video playback via the VideoPlayer component, but performance can be a concern on WebGL. | 8th Wall Video Playback:
Yes Supports video textures through integrated rendering engines. |
Physics Integration | Needle Physics Integration:
Yes Integrates with physics engines, configured via Unity/Blender components. | Unity WebGL Physics Integration:
Yes Includes Unity's built-in physics engines (PhysX/Box2D). | 8th Wall Physics Integration:
Yes Physics capabilities depend on the chosen rendering engine. |
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. | Limited Unity WebGL glTF 3D Support:
Limited Requires installing the UnityGLTF package for glTF import/export. | 8th Wall glTF 3D Support:
Yes Supports loading glTF assets. |
Custom User Interfaces | Needle Custom User Interfaces:
Yes Facilitates creation of UI using standard HTML/CSS and frontend frameworks, integrated with the 3D scene. | Unity WebGL Custom User Interfaces:
Yes Includes Unity UI (UGUI) and UI Toolkit, though these are not specifically optimized for web use cases. | Limited 8th Wall Custom User Interfaces:
Limited UI is typically created using HTML/CSS overlays or the UI system of the chosen rendering engine. |
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. | Unity WebGL Web Component:
No Builds are typically embedded using an iframe or custom JavaScript loader, not as a standard web component. | 8th Wall Web Component:
No Experiences are typically loaded via the 8th Wall JS library. |
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. | 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. | 8th Wall PWA Support:
No WebAR experiences created with 8th Wall can be integrated into Progressive Web Apps. |
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. | Difficult Unity WebGL HTML/CSS Integration:
Difficult Communication between the Unity Wasm instance and the surrounding HTML page requires specific JavaScript bridging. | 8th Wall HTML/CSS Integration:
Yes Allows overlaying HTML/CSS elements for UI. |
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. | Limited Unity WebGL Host Anywhere:
Limited Requires hosting for the large build output files (Wasm, data, JS). Servers need specific configuration (compression, headers, wasm). | 8th Wall Host Anywhere:
No Requires the 8th Wall platform for tracking and hosting. |
Asset Hosting | Needle Asset Hosting:
Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized 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. | 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. | Required 8th Wall App Hosting:
Required Using the 8th Wall platform requires hosting on 8th Wall's servers. |
Performance & Optimization | |||
Engine Size | Medium Needle Engine Size:
Medium Optimized runtime aims for minimal footprint, size depends on included features. | Large Unity WebGL Engine Size:
Large Core engine compiled to Wasm results in a large base download size. | Medium 8th Wall Engine Size:
Medium Includes sophisticated AR tracking libraries. |
Loading Performance | Excellent Needle Loading Performance:
Excellent Rapid development cycles and fast loading times through optimized runtime and asset handling. | Slow Unity WebGL Loading Performance:
Slow Often suffers from long initial load times due to large Wasm and data files. | Moderate 8th Wall Loading Performance:
Moderate Loading time depends on experience complexity and network conditions. |
Runtime Performance | Excellent Needle Runtime Performance:
Excellent Designed for efficient rendering performance across desktop, mobile, and XR devices. | 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. | Good 8th Wall Runtime Performance:
Good Offers robust and performant AR tracking, overall performance also depends on rendering complexity. |
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 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). | 8th Wall Smart Asset Optimization:
No The platform handles some processing, but optimization relies on preparing assets beforehand. |
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. | Unity WebGL Mesh and Texture LODs:
No While Unity supports LODGroups, there is no automatic simplification or LOD generation. | 8th Wall Mesh and Texture LODs:
No Relies on optimization being done before asset upload; no dynamic LOD system. |
XR Support (AR/VR/Spatial) | |||
VR Support (WebXR) | Needle VR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports VR headsets via the WebXR standard. | Unity WebGL VR Support (WebXR):
No Unity WebGL does not support WebXR at this point. | 8th Wall VR Support (WebXR):
No Primary focus is WebAR. |
AR Support (WebXR) | Needle AR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports markerless WebAR on compatible Android devices via the WebXR standard. | Unity WebGL AR Support (WebXR):
No Unity's AR Foundation does not support the WebGL build target. | 8th Wall AR Support (WebXR):
Yes Provides markerless AR for Android, but requires additional camera permissions and uses more CPU and GPU resources. |
AR Support (iOS) | Needle AR Support (iOS):
Yes Supports interactive markerless WebAR on iOS devices via WebXR. | Unity WebGL AR Support (iOS):
No Unity's AR Foundation does not support the WebGL build target. | 8th Wall AR Support (iOS):
Yes Provides markerless AR for iOS, but requires additional camera permissions and uses more CPU and GPU resources. |
AR Support (visionOS) | Needle AR Support (visionOS):
Yes Explicit support for creating spatial computing experiences deployable on visionOS. | Unity WebGL AR Support (visionOS):
No Not supported via the WebGL build target. Native visionOS support exists. | 8th Wall AR Support (visionOS):
No Focus is on mobile WebAR. |
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. | Unity WebGL AR Tracking Types:
No No built-in AR tracking capabilities in WebGL builds. | 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. |
Ecosystem & Support | |||
Official Support Availability | Needle Official Support Availability:
Yes Dedicated support available for licensed users. | Unity WebGL Official Support Availability:
Yes Paid support options available with Pro/Enterprise plans. | 8th Wall Official Support Availability:
Yes Support available through paid plans. |
Learning Resources | Needle Learning Resources:
Yes Extensive documentation, tutorials, live samples, and active community support. | Excellent Unity WebGL Learning Resources:
Excellent Abundant learning resources including Unity Learn, tutorials, and community content. | Good 8th Wall Learning Resources:
Good Offers project library, documentation, and tutorials. |
License | Commercial Needle License:
Commercial Commercial license required for full features and deployment. Free evaluation available. | Commercial Unity WebGL License:
Commercial Uses standard Unity licensing (Free, Plus, Pro, Enterprise tiers based on revenue/funding). | Commercial |