Needle vs. Verge3D vs. Unreal Engine
See how Needle, Verge3D, and Unreal Engine 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 toolkit for creating interactive 3D web experiences directly from Blender, 3ds Max, or Maya using visual scripting (Puzzles). Verge3D |  High-fidelity engine primarily for native games/apps. Web strategy focuses on Pixel Streaming (server-side rendering) or exporting assets (glTF) for use in other web engines. Unreal Engine | |
|---|---|---|---|
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 Framework Verge3D Solution Type:
3d-engine, authoring-tool, Framework A toolkit comprising a WebGL-based engine and tools for exporting/adding interactivity (Puzzles) from DCC software. | Unreal Engine Solution Type:
authoring-tool Primarily an authoring tool for creating experiences delivered via Pixel Streaming. No longer supports direct WebGL/Wasm client export. |
| 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. | Verge3D Made for the web:
Yes Generates optimized output suitable for web deployment, mostly for product visualization use cases. | Unreal Engine Made for the web:
No A high-end engine designed for native performance. Web deployment relies on asset export or streaming. |
| 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. | DCC Integration Visual Scripting Verge3D Typical Workflows:
DCC Integration, Visual Scripting Workflow centers around preparing scenes in Blender, 3ds Max, or Maya, then adding interactivity using the Puzzles visual editor. | Standalone Editor Visual Scripting Code Unreal Engine Typical Workflows:
Standalone Editor, Visual Scripting, Code Content creation uses the Unreal Editor with Blueprints (visual scripting) or C++. |
| 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. | Verge3D Use with Unity:
No Does not integrate with Unity. | Unreal Engine Use with Unity:
No Separate engine. |
| Use with Blender | Needle Use with Blender:
Yes Integration with Blender via addon, supporting export of scenes, materials, animations, and custom logic nodes. | Verge3D Use with Blender:
Yes Offers excellent, tight integration with Blender as a primary authoring tool. | Unreal Engine Use with Blender:
No Separate engine. |
| Interactivity Building Blocks | Needle Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Includes a rich set of components for common interactions, animations, and UI elements. | Verge3D Interactivity Building Blocks:
Yes Visual Puzzles system provides building blocks for common interactions and behaviors without coding. | Unreal Engine Interactivity Building Blocks:
No Components can be created via scripting, but there is no built-in library of interactivity components. |
| Extensible with Coding | Needle Extensible with Coding:
Yes Uses TypeScript with full IDE support in both Unity and standalone projects. | Verge3D Extensible with Coding:
Yes Supports JavaScript programming alongside or instead of the visual Puzzles system. | Unreal Engine Extensible with Coding:
Yes Blueprints visual scripting and C++. |
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. | Verge3D Physically-Based Rendering:
Yes Leverages three.js features like PBR, aiming to accurately reproduce materials and lighting from the DCC tool. | Unreal Engine Physically-Based Rendering:
Yes High-end rendering capabilities (Nanite, Lumen, PBR) for desktop and high-performance mobile devices. |
| Component System | Needle Component System:
Yes Leverages the component-based architecture of Unity/Blender, extended with custom web-specific components. | Verge3D Component System:
No Logic is primarily driven by attaching Puzzles to objects imported from the DCC scene. | Unreal Engine Component System:
Yes Uses the Actor-Component model. |
| Built-in Networking | Needle Built-in Networking:
Yes Built-in real-time networking for multiplayer and collaborative applications. | Limited Verge3D Built-in Networking:
Limited Networking features can be implemented via JavaScript/Puzzles using external services, but not built-in. | Unreal Engine Built-in Networking:
Yes Pixel Streaming is fundamentally a networking solution. Unreal Engine has robust native networking. |
| Timelines and Sequencing | Needle Timelines and Sequencing:
Yes Supports timeline-based sequencing, complex animations, animator state machines, blending, and more. | Verge3D Timelines and Sequencing:
No Sequencing can be programmed using Puzzles, but no dedicated sequencing tools. | Unreal Engine Timelines and Sequencing:
Yes Comprehensive Sequencer timeline system for cinematic sequences and complex animation control. |
| Animation Controls | Needle Animation Controls:
Yes Supports complex animations authored in Unity (Animator, Timeline) or Blender and exports them for the web. | Verge3D Animation Controls:
Yes Imports and controls animations created in the host DCC application (Blender, Max, Maya). | Unreal Engine Animation Controls:
Yes Supports complex animations. |
| Animated Materials | Needle Animated Materials:
Yes Supports material animations, shader graph, and procedural material effects. | Verge3D Animated Materials:
No Supports dynamic material changes through Puzzles, but no animation clips for materials. | Unreal Engine Animated Materials:
Yes Advanced material system with dynamic parameters, material instances, and material functions. |
| Audio Playback | Needle Audio Playback:
Yes Supports spatial audio configured via Unity/Blender components. | Verge3D Audio Playback:
Yes Supports audio playback, including positional audio, controlled via Puzzles. | Unreal Engine Audio Playback:
Yes Audio features are part of the engine. |
| Video Playback | Needle Video Playback:
Yes Supports video textures and playback controlled via components. | Verge3D Video Playback:
Yes Supports video textures controlled via Puzzles. | Unreal Engine Video Playback:
Yes Supported within the streamed Unreal application. |
| Physics Integration | Needle Physics Integration:
Yes Integrates with physics engines, configured via Unity/Blender components. | Verge3D Physics Integration:
Yes Physics can be enabled and controlled via Puzzles visual scripting. | Unreal Engine Physics Integration:
Yes Physics simulation is part of the engine but not exported via glTF. |
| 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. | Verge3D glTF 3D Support:
Yes Uses glTF as an intermediate format and exports glTF-based web applications. | Unreal Engine glTF 3D Support:
Yes Provides an official importer and exporter for 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. | Verge3D Custom User Interfaces:
Yes UI can be created using HTML elements manipulated by Puzzles. | Unreal Engine Custom User Interfaces:
Yes Features the UMG UI Designer. |
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. | Verge3D Web Component:
Yes Can be embedded into web pages, often via iframe or direct script inclusion. | Unreal Engine Web Component:
No Pixel Streaming requires a custom client player. |
| 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. | Verge3D PWA Support:
Yes Web apps created with Verge3D can be packaged as PWAs. | Unreal Engine PWA Support:
No Not supported. |
| 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. | Verge3D HTML/CSS Integration:
Yes Puzzles allow interaction with HTML elements, enabling integration with web page UI. | Unreal Engine HTML/CSS Integration:
No Pixel Streaming client allows some UI customization and JS interaction, but doesn't contain features to make this easy. |
| 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. | Verge3D Host Anywhere:
Yes Applications can be hosted on standard static web servers. | Unreal Engine Host Anywhere:
No Pixel Streaming requires significant server infrastructure (GPU instances). glTF export requires only static hosting for assets. |
| Asset Hosting | Needle Asset Hosting:
Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized assets. | Verge3D Asset Hosting:
No Requires external hosting for the application files and assets. | Unreal Engine Asset Hosting:
No Requires external hosting. |
| App Hosting | Needle App Hosting:
Yes Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized applications. | Verge3D App Hosting:
No Requires external hosting for the application files and assets. | Unreal Engine App Hosting:
No Requires external hosting. |
Performance & Optimization | |||
| Engine Size | Medium Needle Engine Size:
Medium Optimized runtime aims for minimal footprint, size depends on included features. | Medium Verge3D Engine Size:
Medium Based on three.js plus the Verge3D framework and Puzzles runtime. | Large Unreal Engine Engine Size:
Large Not applicable for client-side web builds. |
| Loading Performance | Excellent Needle Loading Performance:
Excellent Rapid development cycles and fast loading times through optimized runtime and asset handling. | Moderate/Fast Verge3D Loading Performance:
Moderate/Fast Aims for good loading performance, depending on scene complexity. | Low Unreal Engine Loading Performance:
Low Pixel Streaming load time involves connecting to the server. |
| Runtime Performance | Excellent Needle Runtime Performance:
Excellent Designed for efficient rendering performance across desktop, mobile, and XR devices. | High Verge3D Runtime Performance:
High Leverages three.js for efficient WebGL rendering. | High (Streaming) Unreal Engine Runtime Performance:
High (Streaming) glTF performance depends on target engine. Pixel Streaming performance is high (server-rendered) but subject to network latency. |
| 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. | Verge3D Smart Asset Optimization:
No Optimization relies on export from DCC tools. | Unreal Engine Smart Asset Optimization:
Yes Features like Nanite/Lumen can pre-process assets. glTF exporter offers texture control. |
| 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. | Verge3D Mesh and Texture LODs:
No Basic support carried over from authoring tools, but no dynamic LOD system. | Unreal Engine Mesh and Texture LODs:
Yes Robust LOD system for both meshes and textures with automatic generation options. |
XR Support (AR/VR/Spatial) | |||
| VR Support (WebXR) | Needle VR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports VR headsets via the WebXR standard. | Verge3D VR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports VR experiences via WebXR, controllable with Puzzles. | Unreal Engine VR Support (WebXR):
No Very limited experimental support. |
| AR Support (WebXR) | Needle AR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports markerless WebAR on compatible Android devices via the WebXR standard. | Verge3D AR Support (WebXR):
Yes Supports AR via WebXR on compatible Android devices. | Unreal Engine AR Support (WebXR):
No Not supported. |
| AR Support (iOS) | Needle AR Support (iOS):
Yes Supports interactive markerless WebAR on iOS devices via WebXR. | Verge3D AR Support (iOS):
Yes Supports AR via WebXR on iOS, including object placement. | Unreal Engine AR Support (iOS):
No Not supported. |
| AR Support (visionOS) | Needle AR Support (visionOS):
Yes Explicit support for creating spatial computing experiences deployable on visionOS. | Verge3D AR Support (visionOS):
No No USDZ/QuickLook support. | Unreal Engine AR Support (visionOS):
No Pixel Streaming is a potential path. Native visionOS support exists. |
| 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 Verge3D AR Tracking Types:
Surface Supports World Tracking via WebXR. | Unreal Engine AR Tracking Types:
No AR tracking would need to be handled by the custom Pixel Streaming client application. |
Ecosystem & Support | |||
| Official Support Availability | Needle Official Support Availability:
Yes Dedicated support available for licensed users. | Verge3D Official Support Availability:
Yes Support is included with the commercial license. | Unreal Engine Official Support Availability:
Yes Paid support and enterprise options available. |
| Learning Resources | Needle Learning Resources:
Yes Extensive documentation, tutorials, live samples, and active community support. | Good Verge3D Learning Resources:
Good Offers documentation, tutorials, and example applications. | Unreal Engine Learning Resources:
Yes Vast library of learning content on the Epic Developer Community and elsewhere. |
| License | Commercial Needle License:
Commercial Commercial license required for full features and deployment. Free evaluation available. | Commercial Verge3D License:
Commercial Requires purchasing a license (Freelance, Team, Enterprise tiers). | Commercial Unreal Engine License:
Commercial Free to use up to a revenue threshold, then royalty-based or custom licensing. |