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ARCore vs Substance 3D Painter

ARCore logo

ARCore

Software

Google's platform for building AR experiences

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substance 3D Painter logo

Substance 3D Painter

Software

3D texture painting software

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only ARCore has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ARCore aRCore limited to Android 7.0+, excluding older Android devices; 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: ARCore covers Motion tracking, Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ARCore and Substance 3D Painter actually diverge.

Attributes where ARCore and Substance 3D Painter differ
AttributeARCoreSubstance 3D Painter
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsAndroid, iOS, WebWindows, MacOS, Linux
Founded19981982

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

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 ARCore

  • Motion tracking
  • Environmental understanding
  • Light estimation
  • Depth API
  • Android Studio
  • Ar support
  • Android support
  • Ios support

Only in Substance 3D Painter

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

Both cover

  • Unity
  • Unreal

What people use each for

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

ARCore

  • 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 ARCore
  • Film assetsnot ARCore
  • Product visualizationnot ARCore

Where each one falls short

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

ARCore

  • ARCore limited to Android 7.0+, excluding older Android devices
  • Requires integration with game engines or frameworks for most applications
  • Cloud anchors rely on internet connectivity for shared AR experiences
  • Performance varies significantly across different Android device capabilities

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

ARCore

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full SDK
    • Cloud Anchors
    • Geospatial API

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 ARCore if

  • You need motion tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Android, iOS, Web.
  • You also want environmental understanding.
ARCore 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 ARCore or Substance 3D Painter better?
Neither clearly leads. ARCore 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, ARCore or Substance 3D Painter?
ARCore has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ARCore and $29/month for Substance 3D Painter.
Does ARCore or Substance 3D Painter run on more platforms?
ARCore runs on Android, iOS, Web. Substance 3D Painter runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Can I use ARCore for free?
Yes. ARCore has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Substance 3D Painter starts at $29/month.
What is ARCore best used for?
ARCore 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 ARCore do that Substance 3D Painter cannot?
ARCore covers Motion tracking, Environmental understanding, Light estimation, Depth API. Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, Smart materials, Generators, PBR workflow. Both handle Unity, Unreal.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ARCore: What platforms does ARCore support?

ARCore supports Android 7.0 (Nougat) and later on qualified Android phones. SDKs are also available for iOS, Unity, Unreal Engine, and Web (WebXR).

Source
ARCore: What are the three core capabilities of ARCore?

ARCore provides motion tracking to monitor device position, environmental understanding to detect surfaces like floors and walls, and light estimation to analyze surrounding lighting conditions.

Source
ARCore: Can developers build shared AR experiences with ARCore?

Yes, ARCore supports cloud anchors enabling multiple users to see the same virtual objects in the real world, enabling shared AR experiences.

Source
ARCore: What programming languages does ARCore support?

ARCore supports Kotlin and Java for Android, C through Android NDK, and provides APIs for Unity, Unreal Engine, iOS, and Web platforms.

Source
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