Meadow vs 8th Wall
Meadow is a Unity-first AR publishing platform with a native mobile app experience and Google Geospatial VPS support—designed for creating persistent, high-fidelity location-based AR experiences.
Here's how Meadow compares to 8th Wall for creating AR experiences.
Feature Category
Meadow
8th Wall
Development Environment
Native Unity workflows with full feature support and Visual Scripting
Web-based development with A-Frame, Three.js, or custom JavaScript/HTML
Spatial Anchoring
Google Geospatial VPS for outdoor precision + Cloud Anchors for indoor/persistent AR
World tracking and image targets; VPS available through Niantic Lightship integration
Distribution
Shared iOS/Android viewer app - no custom app development required
Web AR accessible via mobile browsers - no app installation needed
Platform Access
Native mobile app with full device capabilities, high precision tracking, and performance
Browser-based WebAR with limited precision and device capabilities
Target Use Cases
Site-specific art installations, museum exhibits, persistent location-based experiences
Product visualization, marketing campaigns, web-accessible AR experiences
Performance
Native app performance with Unity's optimization - superior precision and fidelity
Browser-based WebAR - significantly lower precision and fidelity than native
Multiplayer Support
Easy integrated real-time multiplayer with Meadow Networking (Pro plan)
No integrated multiplayer - requires complex custom backend development
Monetization
Stripe payments + NFT minting built-in for direct creator monetization
Requires custom e-commerce integration for monetization
Pricing
FREE basic, €45/month Pro for commercial use, Enterprise options
$99/month Starter, $799/month Professional, Enterprise plans available
Asset Quality
Full Unity asset support including high-poly models, particle systems, complex shaders
Web-optimized assets with file size constraints for browser delivery
Platform Focus
Art & culture focused - curated experiences for museums and cultural institutions
Commercial AR platform for product visualization and marketing
Key Differences
Native App vs Web AR
Meadow delivers experiences through a native iOS/Android app, providing superior AR tracking precision, full device capabilities, high-fidelity graphics, and offline support. 8th Wall's WebAR runs in mobile browsers—while accessible without installation, it suffers from significantly lower precision, limited device access, and reduced visual quality compared to native AR.
Unity vs Web Development
Meadow uses Unity, making it ideal for creators already familiar with Unity workflows and asset pipelines. 8th Wall uses web technologies (A-Frame, Three.js, JavaScript), appealing to web developers but requiring web-optimized assets and different development approaches.
Built-in Monetization
Meadow includes integrated Stripe payment processing and NFT minting capabilities, allowing creators to monetize experiences directly. 8th Wall requires custom integration with payment platforms and blockchain services for monetization features.
Pricing Model
Meadow offers a free tier for non-commercial use and €45/month Pro plan. 8th Wall starts at $99/month, with Professional plans at $799/month, making it significantly more expensive for commercial creators.
Content Fidelity
Meadow's native app approach supports high-fidelity 3D content with complex shaders, particle systems, and detailed models. 8th Wall's browser-based delivery requires optimized, lower-fidelity assets to maintain acceptable loading times and performance.
Multiplayer Experiences
Meadow offers easy integrated multiplayer with Meadow Networking on the Pro plan—no complex backend setup required. 8th Wall has no built-in multiplayer features, requiring developers to build and maintain custom server infrastructure for shared AR experiences.
Build High-Fidelity Location-Based AR
Create persistent AR experiences with Unity and Google Geospatial VPS on Meadow.