Native AR/VR SDKs vs Cross-Platform AR/VR Frameworks

Developers should use native AR/VR SDKs when building applications that require optimal performance, deep integration with hardware, or access to platform-specific features like hand tracking or spatial mapping meets developers should learn and use cross-platform ar/vr frameworks when building applications that need to reach a broad audience across different devices, such as mobile ar apps for both ios and android or vr experiences for multiple headset brands. Here's our take.

Native AR/VR SDKs

Nice Pick

Developers should use native AR/VR SDKs when building applications that require optimal performance, deep integration with hardware, or access to platform-specific features like hand tracking or spatial mapping

Pros

• This is essential for creating polished, responsive AR/VR apps on platforms like iOS, Android, or dedicated VR devices, where cross-platform tools might not support advanced capabilities
• Related to: augmented-reality, virtual-reality

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Cross-Platform AR/VR Frameworks

Developers should learn and use cross-platform AR/VR frameworks when building applications that need to reach a broad audience across different devices, such as mobile AR apps for both iOS and Android or VR experiences for multiple headset brands

Pros

• They are essential for reducing development time and costs by enabling code reuse, while ensuring consistent performance and features across platforms
• Related to: unity, unreal-engine

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Native AR/VR SDKs is a platform while Cross-Platform AR/VR Frameworks is a framework. We picked Native AR/VR SDKs based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Native AR/VR SDKs wins

Based on overall popularity. Native AR/VR SDKs is more widely used, but Cross-Platform AR/VR Frameworks excels in its own space.