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AR/VR & Metaverse · head to head

8th Wall vs Substance 3D Painter

8

8th Wall

AR/VR & Metaverse

WebAR platform for browser-based AR experiences

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substance 3D Painter logo

Substance 3D Painter

AR/VR & Metaverse

3D texture painting software

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only 8th Wall has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 8th Wall platform shutdown as of February 2026, with hosted services ending; Substance 3D Painter the Internet Archive's capture of Adobe's Substance 3D Painter page on 23 June 2021 priced the Substance 3D Collection plan (which bundles Painter, Stager, Sampler, Designer and Modeler) at US$39.99/month for the first year.
  • They diverge on capability: 8th Wall covers SLAM tracking, Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 8th Wall and Substance 3D Painter actually diverge.

Attributes where 8th Wall and Substance 3D Painter differ
Attribute8th WallSubstance 3D Painter
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb (WebXR), Mobile browsers, Open source (local deployment)Windows, MacOS, Linux
CategoryAR/VR & MetaverseUnknown
Founded20161982

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 8th Wall

  • SLAM tracking
  • Image targets
  • Face effects
  • World tracking
  • Three.js
  • A-Frame
  • Babylon.js
  • PlayCanvas

Only in Substance 3D Painter

  • 3D painting
  • Smart materials
  • Generators
  • PBR workflow
  • Baking
  • Export presets
  • Scripting
  • Maya

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

8th Wall

  • VR Gamingnot Substance 3D Painter
  • AR Marketingnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Virtual Trainingnot Substance 3D Painter
  • 3D Visualizationnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Immersive Experiencesnot Substance 3D Painter

Substance 3D Painter

  • Game texturingnot 8th Wall
  • Film assetsnot 8th Wall
  • Product visualizationnot 8th Wall

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

8th Wall

  • Platform shutdown as of February 2026, with hosted services ending
  • WebAR performance limitations compared to native app AR experiences
  • Requires internet connection for all AR experiences to function
  • Limited browser support; Firefox and Safari do not support WebXR on desktop and mobile

Substance 3D Painter

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Adobe's Substance 3D Painter page on 23 June 2021 priced the Substance 3D Collection plan (which bundles Painter, Stager, Sampler, Designer and Modeler) at US$39.99/month for the first year.

Pricing, plan by plan

8th Wall

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the 8th Wall review.

Substance 3D Painter

$29/month
  • Substance 3D Texturing$19.99/month
    • Painter + Sampler
  • Substance 3D Collection$49.99/month
    • All Substance apps

Which should you pick?

Choose 8th Wall if

  • You need slam tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web (WebXR), Mobile browsers, Open source (local deployment).
  • You also want image targets.
8th Wall review

Choose Substance 3D Painter if

  • You need 3d painting.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want smart materials.
Substance 3D Painter review

Questions people ask

Is 8th Wall or Substance 3D Painter better?
Neither clearly leads. 8th Wall starts at Free and Substance 3D Painter at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 8th Wall or Substance 3D Painter?
8th Wall has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for 8th Wall and $29/month for Substance 3D Painter.
Does 8th Wall or Substance 3D Painter run on more platforms?
8th Wall runs on Web (WebXR), Mobile browsers, Open source (local deployment). Substance 3D Painter runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Can I use 8th Wall for free?
Yes. 8th Wall has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Substance 3D Painter starts at $29/month.
What is 8th Wall best used for?
8th Wall is most often used for vr gaming, ar marketing, virtual training, 3d visualization. Of those, vr gaming and ar marketing are not what Substance 3D Painter is typically brought in for.
What can 8th Wall do that Substance 3D Painter cannot?
8th Wall covers SLAM tracking, Image targets, Face effects, World tracking. Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, Smart materials, Generators, PBR workflow.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

8th Wall: What is 8th Wall and how does it work?

8th Wall was a WebAR platform enabling AR experiences in web browsers without native app installation. As of February 2026, it transitioned to open source at 8thwall.org with free MIT-licensed technology.

Source
8th Wall: Is 8th Wall still available?

The paid hosted platform shut down February 28, 2026. The core technology was released as open source at 8thwall.org. Existing published projects remain online until February 28, 2027, when all hosted content will be permanently deleted.

Source
8th Wall: What licensing is available for 8th Wall?

8th Wall is now released under the MIT open source license at no cost for commercial use. Previously, commercial licensing started at $700 per month per project.

Source
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