WebXR compared to ARCore

  • WebXR is a standard for augmented reality in web browsers and uses ARCore on Google Chrome for supported Android devices.

  • Consider the target user experience when choosing between WebXR and ARCore; an Android app with ARCore offers a seamless app experience, while WebXR provides a seamless web browser experience.

  • Not all ARCore features are currently available in WebXR on Chrome.

  • Several key ARCore features like Hit Test, Anchors, Depth API, and Lighting Estimation have been shipped in Chrome for WebXR.

  • Some ARCore features such as Augmented Faces, Augmented Images, and Instant Placement are not currently available in WebXR on Chrome.

The WebXR standard provides augmented reality capabilities in a web browser. On Google Chrome, WebXR uses ARCore to provide AR functionalities on supported Android devices.

When choosing between WebXR and ARCore, consider the target user experience. An Android application using ARCore will provide a more seamless user experience than opening a web browser to display WebXR content. Similarly, a webpage will be able to start a seamless WebXR session in the browser. This allows your users to stay within a familiar environment.

Feature comparison

When choosing to develop your AR experience using either ARCore or WebXR, keep in mind that not all ARCore features are available in WebXR.

The following table describes ARCore features and their corresponding status in Chrome.

ARCore Feature Chrome Status WebXR Explainer
Hit Test Shipped WebXR Device API - Hit Testing
Anchors Shipped What Is An Anchor
Depth API Shipped WebXR Depth Sensing
Plane Detection Developer Trial Plane detection explainer
Lighting Estimation Shipped WebXR Device API - Lighting Estimation
Augmented Faces
Augmented Images
Instant Placement