8thwall
Augmented reality (AR) SDK software
Augmented reality software
Augmented reality (AR) development software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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- Media and communications
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- Accommodation and food services
What is 8thwall
8th Wall is a web-based augmented reality development platform and SDK for building AR experiences that run in mobile browsers without requiring a native app install. It targets developers, agencies, and brands creating camera-based AR for marketing activations, product visualization, and interactive web content. The platform provides browser-compatible tracking and rendering features and includes hosting and publishing workflows for WebAR projects.
WebAR, no app install
8th Wall focuses on AR experiences delivered through the mobile web, reducing friction compared with native-app AR deployments. This is useful for short-lived campaigns, QR-code entry points, and broad consumer reach. Teams can publish and update experiences without app store release cycles.
End-to-end project workflow
The product combines development tooling with project management, hosting, and publishing for WebAR experiences. This reduces the need to assemble separate components for deployment and content updates. It can simplify handoff between developers and non-developer stakeholders who review builds via a URL.
Browser-oriented AR features
8th Wall provides AR capabilities designed to work within web constraints, such as camera access, tracking, and rendering patterns commonly used in WebAR. This helps teams build experiences that are consistent across supported mobile browsers. It is positioned for interactive, camera-first web experiences rather than device-native AR-only workflows.
Web platform constraints
Because experiences run in a browser, performance and feature availability depend on mobile browser capabilities and device hardware. Some advanced AR functions available in native SDKs may be limited or require workarounds on the web. Teams may need to test extensively across devices and browsers to manage variability.
Less suited for native apps
Organizations building deeply integrated native mobile AR applications may find a web-first platform less aligned with their architecture. Native SDKs can offer tighter OS integration, access to device-specific APIs, and established native development pipelines. 8th Wall is typically a better fit when web distribution is the primary requirement.
Commercial platform dependency
Using a hosted, proprietary platform can create dependency on vendor pricing, packaging, and service availability over time. Long-term programs may need to evaluate contractual terms, usage limits, and data/hosting requirements. Some teams may prefer open-source or fully self-hosted approaches for governance reasons.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 (Free) | Niantic 8th Wall Studio and platform access available at no cost (no credit card); Cloud Editor access and publish-to-8thwall.com with default splash screen; suitable for personal/educational/non-paid projects. |
| Pro | Paid — price not listed on official site (contact sales/licensing@8thwall.com) | Historically required for agencies/brands to publish commercial/branded work; enables self-hosting, connected/custom domains, private publishing, and commercial-license purchase flows (official docs reference Pro-tier features but do not publish a current Pro price). |
| Enterprise / Custom | Custom pricing (contact sales/licensing@8thwall.com) | Custom / enterprise-grade features, SLAs, and billing. Official site directs customers to contact sales for custom plans. |
| Commercial license (per-project add-on) | $700 per project per month (announced Sep 4, 2024); official site states discounts available for quarterly, semi-annual, and annual commitments | Historically required (for Pro work) to launch commercial projects; announcement on official blog sets the per-project commercial license starting price at $700/month and notes multi-period discounts. |
| White Label (project addon) | Price not published on official documentation (purchase flow exists in project Dashboard) | Official docs describe a "White Label" subscription (monthly or annual billing options) to remove the default splash screen; forum entries (official) state 8th Wall moved from separate commercial licenses to White Label subscriptions in 2025. |
| Niantic VPS (usage-based) | Free tier: 25,000 VPS calls / month; thereafter billed starting at $10 per 1,000 calls (up to 100,000 calls) with discounts for higher usage | Usage-based Visual Positioning System (VPS) pricing and free tier are published on the official Location AR product page; billed monthly. |
Seller details
Niantic, Inc.
San Francisco, California, United States
2010
Private
https://lightship.dev/
https://x.com/nianticlabs
https://www.linkedin.com/company/nianticlabs/
